Three Island Greek Itinerary

Old Nov 24th, 2017, 03:55 AM
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Three Island Greek Itinerary

Hi,

My husband and I (both in our late thirties) are having a tough time choosing between the following two itineraries for the two week Greek part of our summer vacation. We will be in Greece between the last week of June and the first week of July. If you had to choose between the following, which would you choose and why:

1. Crete, Naxos and Santorini

2. Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Corfu

We love beaches, small, quaint towns and history and we will rent a car to discover the islands.

Thanks

Megane
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Old Nov 24th, 2017, 05:03 AM
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The first thing you need to do when trying to put together an island itinerary is see if you can get from one island to the next as ferries follow specific routes and don't connect all islands. For example I know you can get from Crete to Santorini, from Santorini to Naxos and from Naxos to Athens but I don't think you can get from Crete to Zakynthos.

This site is great. http://www.openseas.gr/openseas/en/
The routes are cut way back in winter so to see what they will (most likely) be next summer - when you put in the dates of travel make sure to click back to 2017. Just pick a date (day of the week) close to the one you think you might travel on. A frequent Greece poster here, Travelerjan taught me that trick. She will probably see your post and be able to give lots of great advice.

But your choice of Crete, Santorini and Naxos is a great one. It is popular for a reason. Santorini will be crowded but worth it, I've been to Crete and Naxos in July and didn't find them overly crowded. (Just Reythmnon in Crete but not Chania or elsewhere that we went). I haven't been to the other islands you mention but I've read that Corfu is very crowded in summer.
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Old Nov 24th, 2017, 05:24 AM
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Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Corfu are all close to the mainland, so sometimes a combination of ferries and travel overland works best, particularly to/from Corfu. I doubt you will find any ferries from Zakynthos and Kefalonia to Corfu, so you will have to take a short ferry ride back to the mainland and travel by road for another short ferry ride to Corfu. Road travel is much faster than travel at sea anyway, and you might enjoy seeing part of the mainland too.

Crete - Santorini - Naxos is one of the busiest island hopping routes, so if you wish to keep things simple that would be the best choice.
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Old Nov 24th, 2017, 06:32 AM
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All depends on your whole itinerary.
Corfu - Paxi - Lefkas - Kefalonia - Zakynthos can perfectly be combined with Apulia, Albania or Montenegro. Corfu can be reached by ferry from Venice, Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Saranda, Igoumenitsa and Paxi. Kefalonia is linked by ferry to Lefkas Island and to the mainland (Killini). Zakynthos is linked to Killini only, although there are sometimes local ferries to Katakolo (Olympia). The bus ride from Igoumenitsa to Parga - Preveza/Lefkas is easy.
All mentioned Islands have furthermore regular flights to Athens and some seasonal flights to Western European capitals.

Naxos - Santorini - Iraklio (Crete) are all along the same (boring) catamaran line. If you want to enjoy the entry into the caldera of Santorini, take a slow ferry from Naxos.
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 06:00 AM
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Megane-

I feel your struggle. We are having the same dilemma. We have 10days to spare in the Greek islands for our 1st trip to the region. Since we definitely want to do Santorini, currently I’m thinking Paros, Naxos, Santorini....but I’m debating if I replace Paros with another island considering it’s proximity to Naxos, we could just day trip there.

As opposed to starting yet another blog, I’d kindly use this forum for any suggestions as well.

Thank you,

Ariel
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 07:08 AM
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Hi Ariel. Thanks for taking the time to add to my post and to Isabel, Heimdall and Neckervd for their advice.

Everyone I ask says it doesn't matter where we choose to go this summer as we have a lifetime ahead of us to visit the islands/mainland we do not see this time around. However, that really does not help

What we are looking for is that true Greek experience. As we have been to Italy many times in the past, we think that after a little more digging, Corfu may not be what we want as it does have more of a Venetian character to it. When we think of our first time to Greece, we are thinking of archaeology, quaint, white hilltop villages with narrow winding lanes and glorious beaches. You know, that perfect Greek postcard.

While we had at first decided to spend the entire time in Crete, we would also love to have a day or two enjoying a ferry as we island hop, even though the fast ferries do not really lend themselves to great views. Maybe there are slow ferries that could give us what we are looking for?

And not to add to the confusion, but there is also Rhodes, Symi and other islands near to Rhodes.

Planning a vacation is at least half the fun, so why not explore before we actually have to book.

Megane
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 07:10 AM
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Megane-

You don't have enough time for 3 islands. Stick to 2 of them. Slow down, relax an enjoy your surroundings. 10 days will fly by.
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 07:58 AM
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Which two do you recommend brotherleelove?
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Old Nov 25th, 2017, 02:30 PM
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If it helps I'll tell you that I was seriously planning on Rhodes, Symi, etc. for this summer but ended up deciding that Rhodes is probably not the best in high summer. I don't know about you but I'll be looking to travel to Greece outside of the June/July time frame in a few years and therefore decided to wait on Rhodes. It sounds like a lot of "package tourists" and cruise ship day trippers are there in summer.

When you say "quaint, white hilltop villages with narrow winding lanes" you are describing the Cyclades islands. I didn't really see much of that in Crete for example. There was interesting architecture but it wasn't the white hill towns. On the other hand, there were glorious beaches. While Crete could fill up weeks, and we were certainly glad we had 8 days, I do think you could have a great experience if you were to say, base in Chania for 4 or 5 days and do a day trips to some of the beaches, then ferry to Santorini for 2 days, just to see it, then to Naxos or Paros for the last couple days.
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 08:27 AM
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"When we think of our first time to Greece, we are thinking of archaeology, quaint, white hilltop villages with narrow winding lanes and glorious beaches"

Only the Cycladic Islands, a insignificant small part of Greece, correspond to this description (without Andros, Tinos and Syros, however).
But for a majority of tourists, any other architecture is not "authentically Greek".

I love Symi, Kastellorizo and Chalki, but the architecture there has absolutely nothing to do with the white cubes (with Bavarian blue window shutters) that you find in the Cycladic Islands.
Cycladic Islands:
https://www.greeka.com/cyclades/

Mykonos Island, Santorini Island and the towns of Naxos-Ayos Georgios, Parikia and Naoussa are way to touristy IME, all other places are fine.
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 09:07 AM
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For 2 islands, decide which one is the "must-see" island and then go to another close by for the sake of convenience. For example, Santorini and Naxos, Paros or Crete. If you prefer Crete you should know that because it's so large it takes a minimum of a week with a rental car just to barely scratch the surface
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 10:19 AM
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I agree that three islands is too much for a 10-day itinerary. I would stick with two, depending on your interests. Santorini has some of the most stunning scenery on the planet, but isn't really known for its beaches. Crete offers everything you're looking for, but because of its size, you really do need several days for a visit.

Naxos has a mix of historical sites and beaches, but I don't find the beaches there as nice as the ones in Paros and Antiparos. Both Naxos and Paros offer the quintessential white hilltop villages on your wish list.

Now it's up to you to decide what matters most on your vacation. A FYI: Whatever you decide, I'd strongly suggest flying to your first destination from Athens. With only ten days, there's no need to take up more time than necessary.

I also highly recommend that you fly back to Athens from your last destination one day before your departure flight. Sometimes ferries/flights from the islands can be delayed or cancelled, even in good weather. Has happened to us a few times, including a 3-hour delay from Paros this past summer.
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Old Nov 26th, 2017, 11:12 AM
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The only important archaeological sites in the Cyclades are at Santorini (Akrotiri & Ancient Thera), and Mykonos (the uninhabited island of Delos). Santorini also has the famous caldera views, and an airport with frequent flights from/to Athens. Naxos and Paros/Antiparos have better beaches, mountain villages, and some minor archaeological sites. The new Paros Airport has flights to/from Athens with large turboprop aircraft.

The most famous archaeological sites on Naxos are the Portara, and the Kouros of Apollonas. Paros/Antiparos has an archaeological site on the uninhabited island of Despotiko. The Despotiko site, until recently, was little known, but ongoing excavations have revealed a large ancient sanctuary. You can visit by boat from Agios Georgios, a settlement at the south of Antiparos: http://antiparosholidays.com/antiparos/despotiko

Should you decide to combine Santorini with either Naxos or Paros, you can take a day trip to Delos and Mykonos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/heimda...57627791957268
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Old Nov 27th, 2017, 03:41 AM
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If you're looking for the Greek islands hopping off-the-charts beauty, hedonistic nightlife, white-washed villages, and other-worldly sunsets—choose the Cyclades. Travel the waters from blue-domed Mykonos to Santorini's and Crete, and discover off-the-beaten-path places where you can avoid the crowds and slip into the slow island way of life. Enjoy sun-kissed Greece on a holiday in Mykonos, Santorini and Crete. Book now and enjoy your tour with your family.

For More Itinerary visit https://www.citrusholidays.co.uk/Hol...Island-Hopping
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Old Nov 27th, 2017, 05:49 AM
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If Megane has 2 weeks, then 3 islands would be fine. Perhaps I missed it, but I believe it's casacruz who only has 10 days, and then, I would agree, 2 islands would make sense, especially if one is Crete.

We did Crete (6 days) to Santorini (3 days) and Naxos (4 days) and had a wonderful time. I would've loved an additional day on Santorini, but we found the 3 days enough to give us a good taste and enjoy the beauty of the island. I had hoped to visit Akrotiri, but it hadn't yet been reopened. I scheduled 4 days for Naxos to include a day trip to Delos which ended up being cancelled due to high winds. We both felt that while all of the places we visited could've used additional days, we didn't feel deprived not having them, and enjoyed what we saw of each island.
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Old Nov 27th, 2017, 04:57 PM
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Unfortunately I would say neither is a good choice.
For these reasons:

1. Crete is much larger and requires many weeks to get good coverage therefore on it's own is the best way.
You should note Naxos is not overly special, one of the mainstream central touristy Cyclades islands.

2. Zakinthos, Kefalonia, Corfu - Not good in two weeks, far too much and there is not a particularly good connections between the southern Ionion islands and Corfu, essentially easier to keep separate unless you have 4 weeks plus.
All three islands are in the main package holiday destination islands for European tourists, very developed you won't be discovering anything there.

"that true Greek experience" no chance at all in where you have listed, they are all mainstream tourist islands.

I have actually island hopped from Zakinthos to Corfu, so speak from real experience, it took over 4 weeks.

Because of the package tourism in the Ionion islands there are very few people other than Greeks on the ferries and intercity buses.
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Old Nov 28th, 2017, 04:25 PM
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Progol- thanks for your feedback and yes it is us that mentioned having 10 days to spare for the Greek Islands. We have narrowed it down to 2- Santorini and Naxos with the intention to day trip once or twice.

Thank you all for your advice.
Megane- thanks for starting this thread!

Ariel
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Old Dec 3rd, 2017, 06:58 AM
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Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in thanking all of you for your advice and recommendations.

Thank you!!

What we would also want to add to our time in Greece is one or two more secluded, smaller, less travelled and less touristy islands. Once we choose these, we will choose the island group to visit. It is now a toss-up between the Cyclades (Santorini and/or Naxos) and the Dodecanese (Rhodes). I think we will leave Crete for our next trip to Greece when we have more time to dedicate to this large island.

As well, has anyone visited Chios?

Megane
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Old Dec 3rd, 2017, 07:50 AM
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"As well, has anyone visited Chios?"

I was there at least 7 times, as the Island is situated along the itinerary from Athens to Izmir and from Syros/Mykonos/Naxos/Ikaria to Kavala.
Nevertheless, a combination of Chios with the Cycladic Islands or those of the Dodecannese is very time consuming. And don't be afraid to arrive by ferry at 3am!
But what's your question?
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Old Dec 3rd, 2017, 07:55 AM
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OK. Let me be more clear:

What we would also want to add to our time in Greece is one or two more secluded, smaller, less travelled and less touristy islands. Which do you recommend?

Better?
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