Coulter

I am backpacking through europe and have allowed approximatley 9 days for Greece, however, I am curious on how much time I should expect to spend on inter-island ferries. I'm coming in from italy and hoping to include Santorini, mykonos and Naxos in the trip before I leave from athens, if anyone knows the amount of time I can expect spend on ferries it would be greatly appreciated, and any other helpful hints on places to see and bargain but nice hotels along this interary would be very much appreciated, thank you in advance. <BR> -Sincerely Coulter

jahoulih

You can check schedules at <BR> <BR>http://www.gtp.gr <BR> <BR>but be advised that Greek ferries don't always run strictly on time, to say the least.

Karen

Coulter, <BR> <BR>The first thing to know about Greek ferries is that there is no "system" <BR>Once I came to terms with that, I managed to tolerate the ferry system. <BR>I wouldn't bother with trying to look at the ferry schedule right now. Boats change, times change, wind blows and schedules are changed. Somehow it just all works out. <BR> <BR>From Santorini to Naxos, I think we spent 2 - 3 hours on the ferry...we had to stop in Ios for pick up. Santorini, Mykonos and Naxos are all very close. Even with the slowest ferry... I don't think your looking at anything over 3 - 4 hours. The ferry from Pireus (Athens) to Naxos is about 6 hours or so. About 8 hours to Santorini. If time is an issue, look at flying into Santorini. It is surprisingly cheap. <BR>Just keep on the ball when booking your tickets. Confirm and then reconfirm as you are getting on the ferry where the ferry is going. (Trust me from experience <BR> <BR>Be sure to bring your own food onto the ferry. Overpriced and yucky food on board <BR> <BR>As you can tell... I hated the ferries but LOVED, LOVED, LOVED GREECE. <BR> <BR>E-mail me if you have any other questions. <BR> <BR>

Coulter

Thank you so much for the advice. I think this is our tentative itinerary : Take a ferry from Brindisi (Italy) to Corfu. Take a flight from Corfu to athens, then athens to santorini, and then take a ferry from santorini to naxos and mykonos, then another flight from mykonos Athens where we will be departing to Paris. This seems really complicated schedule, but we think it would be the most time efficient while at the same time cost effient. We are open for any suggestions!! Thank you so much!

Paulo

The "weakest" of your links is from Naxos to Mykonos. In summer, a direct service between the two islands normally is on. But one never knows! If there isn't such a service this year, you'd have to call on Paros and change ferries there. There's an hydrofoil/catamaran service between Paros and Mykonos. What may be a problem is that this is normally held in the morning, and you may not make it from Naxos in time (at least on certain days of week), having to spend a night there (which wouldn't be a big deal once you're backpacking <BR> <BR>If you don't have major objections, I'd reverse the itinerary in the Cyclades: Mykonos-Naxos-Santorini. From Mykonos to Paros you may take an early catamaran. Then you'd have all day long to continue to Naxos, with several ferry departures. You could even visit some of Paros if you wish. <BR> <BR>Paulo

Monica

Hi Coulter, <BR> <BR>My husband and I returned from Greece yesterday. We had a wonderful time! We flew to Athens, then flew directly to Santorini. As Paulo stated, it's not easy to get from Naxos to Mykonos. We were unable to do so, so we went to Paros. There were at least 2 ferrys from Santorini to Naxos, and 3 to Paros. From Paros, there were 2 to Piraeus. All the ones we took were around noon. From Santorini, it was on the high speed boat, which took about 1.5 hours. Naxos to Paros, 1 hour. Paros to Piraeus, 5 hours. <BR> <BR>We did take our own food for the 5 hour ride and enjoyed our picnic of wonderful greek food, while all others purchased expensive food on board. <BR> <BR>For hotels, we enjoyed Hotel Enigma on Santorini (about $97/night with balcony right on the cliffs of Fira, kitchen, ba, bed up on the loft; cafe/bar, breakfast included). Naxos: Hotel Apollon, about $48/night with breakfast. Nice corner room with private wrap around balcony). Paros: Hotel Asterias, facing the bay, about 400 meters from the port. Paid $35/night with a/c (needed it because of the noise from the street traffic and mosquitos), breakfast included. Balcony facing the water. Athens: Hotel Attalos, with balcony and view of the acropolis; about $52/night without breakfast. Great roof top bar (brought our own bottle of wine) with great view of the acropolis. <BR> <BR>Just remember to be flexible when it comes to the boat schedules! <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Gwin

Hi! I spent some time in Greece three years ago, and took a ferry from Piraeus to Santorini (9 hours), stayed there for 4 days, took a ferry to Naxos (4 hours, I think), stayed there for a day, and took a ferry from Naxos to Mykonos (3 hours-- this was in May) and stayed there for a few days. The ferry route at that time was Piraeus-Paros-Naxos-Ios-Santorini. You might want to think about flying from Italy to Athens; if you're not interested in Corfu itself, the ferry from Brindisi will be a big waste of time. Have fun!