Suggestions for a 17-day itinerary in Greece
 

Hi everyone!

My husband and I will be traveling to Greece in September for our honeymoon. We'll have 17 full days (September 5 to 21) and we would like to ask for your recommended itinerary. We'll first spend 2-3 days in Athens (one day will be dedicated to a day trip to Meteora) then we really want to go to Crete and Santorini. Should we just stick to those two islands or do we have still have time to squeeze in another one?

We don't want to rush from one island to the other as we usually like absorbing everything in when we travel.

Also we would love it very much if you have recommended restaurants/cafes and other local gems we should try.

Thank you in advance for your help! :)

2 islands and Athens is plenty for a 17-day trip. Crete is huge and it takes a minimum of a week with a rental car just to barely scratch the surface. There's plenty to see and do on Santorini as well, easily enough for 5 days minimum. Save all your time on the mainland for the end, not the beginning, so you don't have to stress about returning to Athens at the last minute for your flight home.

Meteora would be a VERY long day trip from Athens – more than 4 hours each way -- and if you visit it as a day trip, you would have very little time to see the monasteries and convents. You might consider a 2-night stay, which would give you a day to see the area.

I’m working on a trip report from a month in Greece that inclued all of these places. It’ll take me a while to complete it, but you might want to watch for it.

2 islands and Athens is plenty for a 17-day trip. Crete is huge and it takes a minimum of a week with a rental car just to barely scratch the surface. -- Thanks for the tip, brotherleelove2004! I've been reading people say this quite a lot! I suppose it IS good then to just limit it to Crete and Santorini? At least we can stay in Crete a lot longer.

Thanks, kja! I shall wait for your post. If you can send me the link, I would appreciate it :)

I would suggest that you REVERSE the order of your trip ... Upon arrival, do not leave airport, fly immediately to Chania Crete, book a splendid hotel in Old Town or this Ideal honeymoon spot JUST outside town (you don't even need a rental car, local but stops on inland side, goes to Old Town in 10 mins) -- right on beach, WITh a Pool + a top Cretan chef ... https://www.ammoshotel.com -- top reviews & NOT top $$, hard to book (only 30 rooms) but u might get lucky. Great way to start.
First 2-3 days in that area, then a few days w. rental car, then catch AM ferry to Santorini. After that, fly back to ATHENs, rent car @airport to Metiora in back, Athens for last 2-3 days.

To catch the ferry to Santorini from Crete you will have to make your way east from Chania to the island capital of Heraklion. There is a bus that will take you there.

I forgot to include that art, brotherlee ... I was thinking of a rental car drive south to the Libyan sea, perhaps near Matala, Stop & see Phaestos, then drive N.E. thru the wine country to Heraklion (perhaps going first to Knossos then doubling back 10 mi to drop car in Heraklion in evening, for AM ferry.

I really encourage you NOT to see Meteora on a day trip. It's a long trip both directions, and you need more than four hours to see the monasteries and convents - and that makes for a VERY long day with a lot of time on the road. The scenery is remarkable, in my opinion worth the trip even without the monasteries, so it's worth driving around a bit to see it. If you plan to drive it yourself, you should know that about half of the drive is on two-lane roads, sometimes very windy, so the drive itself takes a fair amount of energy. I very strongly recommend that you spend two nights there and have a full day to explore.