This forum has great info and knowledgeable people. Hope you can help. I am planning a trip for the first two weeks in oct. Want to know which island=Sifnos, Paros, Naxos= has an airport with direct flights from Athens. Then from whichever one we need to get to Crete. It's off season so will restaurants be closed ? Will it still be lively?
We'll definately do Santorini on the way back from Crete.

Paros and Naxos are both served by Olympic Air.

Paros is where you want to be if your next stop is Heraklio, Crete by ferry, but only until October 10. After that you'll have to go from Paros to Santorini by ferry to then get to Crete by ferry, until October 31 (except for the October 13, 20 & 27 'No Sailing' dates). Your other option would be a return flight to Athens with a connecting flight to Crete.

www.gtp.gr

And since Santorini is between Paros and Crete, it makes better sense to go to Paros, then Santorni, then Crete, then back to Athens.

Sifnos has no airport, and it would be difficult to get from there to Crete by ferry. Paros and Naxos have airports served by small turboprop aircraft. Paros has three flights per day in summer, and two in winter. Naxos has one flight per day, leaving around 9:45 am. There is a second flight on Saturdays, leaving early afternoon.

As brotherleelove wrote, Paros would be the most convenient for an onward trip to Crete, since until Oct 10th FlyingCat 4 stops there enroute to Heraklion.

Although October is off-season on the smaller islands, there will still be restaurants and hotels open. It will be quiet, but many many visitors like it that way. Another suggestion: include Santorini in your itinerary. Either stay there instead of Sifnos, Paros, Naxos; or, allocate a few nights out of your two week trip for that beautiful island. More shops, restaurants, and hotels will still be open in October on Santorini than on the others.

Thanks for the info. We have to go to Crete for a meeting and it falls in the middle of our trip.
I was thinking of flying to Crete from one of the islands,is that possible. Also if we did the Flying cat how long is the trip from Paros to Crete?
Is there a flight or fast ferry from crete to santorini after the 1oth?

Any other island to consider on our way down to Crete,that will offer flight to Crete?
Thanks

Paros to Crete will take 5.5 hours.

There's a fast ferry from Crete to Santorini until October 31, except for Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27.

http://www.ferries.gr/hfd

I don't know when they stop for the season but you can check direct Crete to ??? flights on www.skyexpress.gr

Thanks. I'll check it out.

I like BLL's orginal suggestion best -- since the OP said "The First 2 weeks in October" which to me means thru Oct 15. So OP could arrive & immediately fly to Paros on one of the 4 daily Olympic Air flights (jemared, it is always helpful to be SPECIFIC -- what date/time of day would you arrive and would you expect to go immediately to island #1 without an overnight stay in Athens).

From Paros, up thru Oct 10 there's a daily (except Wed) Flying Cat IV fast-ferry to Heraklion a 15:55 that takes 3.5 hours. After your Crete Meeting, take the 9:45 fast-ferry to Santorini for a few days, then fly back to Athens.

That sounds good. However I really wanted to go to Naxos and cant seem to figure out the logistics w/o a long ferry ride(>2hrs)
I can fly to naxos from athens but cant get from there to crete quickly.

If you really want to go to Naxos, then go to Naxos!

See my reply to your other thread. Connecting flights via Athens will get you to Crete in 4-5 hours. Ferry rides of >2hrs are nonexistent except between neighboring islands, e.g. Paros and Naxos.

Travel by ferry at 26 knots (about 30 mph) is time consuming. Even 'highspeed' ferries reach only about 38 knots, so don't expect to get anywhere fast by ferry. ;-)