Hello! My husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this summer with a trip to Greece. We have our flights booked in and out of Athens, and are looking for itinerary suggestions for 7 days. I'm thinking 2 islands, finishing in Santorini. Which "other" spot would be a good choice and easy to travel from Athens, then to Santorini? Mykonos? Crete? Can anyone recommend a honeymoon-type hotel in the $400 or less range? Thanks for any suggestions!

How are you counting "7 days?" Are you including the arrival and the departure dates? If so, you only have 5 full days.
When you are flying in/out of Athens, it is not advisable to finish in Santorini. The transport between islands do not run like Swiss trains. They have delays due to weather and strike as well as cancellations. You need a margin in Athens to tolerate these disruptions to catch your return flight. If you need to take a boat back to Athens, Mykonos would be a shorter trip than from Santorini. However, if you only have 5 full days after landing in Greece, you will be pressed to visit two islands.

I hope you are landing early in Athens. Then you can fly directly to Santorini on the same day. This places the most remote island at the beginning of the trip rather than at the end.

What month are you traveling? And what are your interests? And yes, as discussed above, how many days do you actually have, incl travel days?

Skiathos

We have 7 nights from the day we land in Athens. We land early enough to go directly to an island that day. Our 8th night will be in Athens before our flight home the next morning. On our honeymoon we did hydra, Mykonos santorini and Athens. This trip is much shorter, so we're trying to maximize the restful, relaxing, romance factor (we hardly ever have time away from the kids!). We want to chill, read, eat and drink with great scenery and ideally a cool walking/strolling town. That's what we love about towns like oia and positano . Not so resort based. Thanks for any input!

Oh- we're going in June!

There's plenty to keep you occupied on Santorini for 7 nights. The time will fly by. But if you want a 2nd island I'd recommend Naxos or Paros. Olympic Air flies to them and you can look here to see which ferry is available to you on your arrival date. Factor in 3 hours from the time you arrive until the time you reach the ferry port (Piraeus) by Airport Express bus. You can buy ferry tickets at the airport from Amphitrion Holidays in the Arrivals Hall between exit/entry doors 2&3. They're open 24/7. Cash only, no CCs.

Either Paros or Naxos would be a good choice for a second island. Both have small airports, but flights sell out quickly. There are morning and afternoon Blue Star ferries from Piraeus, and also a couple of catamarans leaving early morning from Rafina.

Paros and Naxos are both about 2-3 hrs from Santorini. Naxos in particular would offer you a real contrast from islands you have visited before. It's less touristy, has good beaches, and a mountainous interior with traditional villages.

I agree with the recommendations for Paros and Naxos. We are returning in June to Paros, but I bought the plane tickets months ago. As Heimdall says, flights sell out quickly. I wanted to make a slight change to the itinerary, and nothing was available for early June! So my suggestion is to decide quickly where you're going, what dates, and check what's available. Or, take the ferries, of course!

Paros looks like a good possibility. We haven't been there, and it looks to have good hotels. We live at the beach in Florida so Naxos isn't as appealing. We're more likely to enjoy a pool with a good view than the beach (which is probably why we love Santorini so much). We haven't been to Crete either, but it may be a bit overwhelming. Does Paros compare to Mykonos at all in terms of the town vibe or variety of restaurants/bars. Is there a good hotel anyone would recommend for a couple trip? Thanks again!

Paros probably has more beaches than Naxos. I'm very familiar with the island, but actually prefer to stay on Antiparos, which is only 30 minutes from the Paros main port. Would something like this appeal to you? http://www.dolphinantiparos.gr

It looks like you have only been to destinations that get crushed by day trippers? Both Naxos and Paros, not being big cruise boat destinations, offer respite from feeling of walking through big city subway stations during a rush hour.
Is Mykonos romantic? It depends on where. If you want a romantic dinner at an outdoor table along the water in Mykonos town for a sunset view, forget that. You will be swarmed by cruise tourists walking around your table yelling to each other trying to take pictures of the sunset.

If you live on the beach in Florida, maybe look at Chania in Crete instead of Paros or Naxos. It's an elegant waterfront city that's a mix of Venetian, Turkish, and Greek culture. We had a wonderful stay there about four years ago in the old town, which is also home to the harbor and a covered spice market.

You can take a tour of the tiny uninhabited islands in the harbor, or walk through the back cobblestone alleys to great tavernas, boutiques, etc. And if you're really ambitious, hike the Samaria (sp??) Gorge, which is Europe's largest.

Chania is about a 45 minute flight from Athens. If you wanted to visit Santorini, you'd have to take the bus or rental car to Heraklion, which is where the ferries/hydrofoils depart. That's about a 2.5 hour ride, as I remember it. And/or you could overnight in Heraklion so that you could visit the Palace of Knossos.

However, if you are still interested in Paros, we're staying in Nauosa, which does remind me a little bit of both Oia and Positano. It's a small city ( actually town??) on a very scenic port. Lots of cobblestone streets, restaurants, cafes, great place to stroll day or night. I've booked Stelia Mare, which is within walking distance of town, but it's good to have a car to explore other areas of the island ( Parikia, where the ferries arrive/depart, Lefkes, and Golden Sunshine Beach). We love it there, but we DON'T live on the beach in Florida!!

Good luck, whatever you decide. But decide soon!!

Sorry, that should've read, Paroikia! That's the main port city in Paros, and much more commercial/built-up/trafficky than Nauosa.

Actually, WWK, most people spell it Parikia (as here: http://www.parosweb.com/paros-webcams/parikia_port.html), but Paroikia is also correct. And the correct spelling of the other town is Naoussa or Naousa (Παροικιά - Νάουσα). Don't worry about it, though — transliteration from the Greek alphabet is seldom exact, so you can get away with different spellings. Haha, my computer's autocorrect just tried to change Naousa to Nausea. ;-)

This is actually very interesting, as you can see the same name written differently, which causes often confusion to non Greeks.

There is an ISO that regulates the transliteration from the Greek to the Latin ( and not english) alphabet.

This is from the Wikipedia :

For Modern Greek, there are multiple different transcription conventions. They differ widely, depending on their purpose, on how close they stay to the conventional letter correspondences of Ancient Greek–based transcription systems, and to what degree they attempt either an exact letter-by-letter transliteration or rather a phonetically based transcription. Standardized formal transcription systems have been defined by the International Organization for Standardization (as ISO 843),[1] by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names,[2] by the Library of Congress,[3] and others.

The different systems can create confusion. For example, the word Άγιος or in polytonic script Ἅγιος ("Holy", "Saint"), common inter alia in many place names, may be variously rendered as Agios, Ayios, or Aghios, or Hagiοs (feminine forms: Agia, Ayia, or Aghia, or Hagia).

Thanks, Heimdall and Clausar for the corrections! Funny that your computer tried to change Naousa to nausea, which of course couldn't be further from what it feels like to visit there!

Heimdall, a question: What do you prefer about Antiparos? I am hoping to get there for the first time this summer. Any guidance on how to spend a day there much appreciated!

Hi WWK,

I fell in love with Antiparos at first sight on a day trip from Parikia. After being on Paros for a few days, visiting Naousa and other places on the island, I decided to go to Antiparos. When I got off the ferry at Antiparos it was mid-afternoon when most Greeks were having their siesta and most visitors were at the beach. I walked from the port up the pedestrian-only main street toward kastro square, and immediately had the feeling "this is my island". It was very peaceful, with only a few cafes open that time of day. I stopped for a quick bite and then headed for the beach. That evening I packed my bags and moved to Antiparos next morning.

The pedestrian-only main street is beautiful, with many buildings draped in bougainvillea. There are interesting shops, and cafes perfect for having breakfast, coffee, or drinks in the evening. The island has several great tavernas, most of them centred around the main street or at the port.

Antiparos Town has five or six beaches within 15 minutes walk from the centre of town. One of them, Sifneiko, is popular with sunset peepers. The view is every bit as good as at Santorini without the crowds.

At the other end of the island in the Agios Georgios (aka San Georgio) area there are many more beaches, some needing a 4X4 to reach. The Soros/Agios Georgios area has many beautiful villas, some owned by "A List" celebrities. Agios Georgios is where, during WWII, Greek patriots smuggled allied servicemen by submarine to Crete. There is a memorial there commemorating the islanders who lost their lives during the operation.

Antiparos is not everyone's cup of tea. It is an island where people go to relax, but not a good choice for first-timers who want to spend their days sightseeing. People seem to gravitate there when they have had their fill of island hopping, many returning year after year since the 70s and 80s. The island is small enough so that people get to know one another, and there is a pleasant mix of Greeks, Scandinavians, Germans, Dutch, and other nationalities.

Even if you don't want to stay overnight, Antiparos is still worth a day trip. I highly recommend one of the round-island boat trips, which take most of the day. You can explore the town, take a bus to the stalactite cave, or just relax on one of the beaches. There are also motorboats for hire, but they are expensive.

If stanbr sees this post he may provide his link for photos of Antiparos. I tend not to take many photos on Antiparos, but here are a few taken over the years: https://www.flickr.com/photos/heimda...7627739415280/

Heimdall,

I really appreciate the wonderful information and photos. Antiparos sounds and looks heavenly. A view "as good as Santorini without the crowds" sounds absolutely tantalizing. I hope to get there in June for a quick visit, and maybe book real time there in the next year or two. Oh, if only vacation time in the U.S. was longer! Many thanks again.

WWK, here are some photos of the Sifneiko sunset, taken from the Facebook Antiparos Photo Gallery:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=3&theater

The last one is my favourite. Note that none of those photos are my own, so credit goes to the individual photographers.