ujjwal_gandhi

Hi everyone,
My fiancee and I are planning a two-week trip to Greece in the first week of May for our honeymoon.

We both agree that we want quality over quantity. Not interested in packing up and moving every two days. But it's so hard, there are so many amazing places to go! Neither of us has ever been to Greece.

A bit about ourselves :
Age: 29years
Traveling from : Mumbai, India
Arriving in Athens: 7th May, 2018 @ 6:30pm (tickets not booked yet)
Departure from Athens: 21st may, 2018 @ 4:30pm
Interests: culture, food, wine, natural beauty, and generally exploring
Not inclined towards: Museums, art, history
Food: We both are Vegetarians
Internal Travel: We will be relying upon the local bus system for our travels within the islands. I'm not sure if I'll be able to drive on the other side of the road.
Budget(Accommodation, food) : about €100 per day.
We would be booking airbnbs and cook most of the meals ourselves.

the plan is to arrive on 17.5.18 and take the overnight ferry, if any, to one of the islands or spend the night at the airport (arrival, customs, immigration, baggage will take time .. I'm assuming by the time we come out of the airport it'll be arnd 8-8:30) and take the early morning flight or ferry to one of the islands.

We want to visit Santorini and plan to spend the last couple of days in athens( the missus needs to shop )
I need help and suggestions:

1) which island should we visit considering the limited amount of time we have. I am really confused between crete, mykonos, rhodes, naoxs.
Its okay if are not able to cover the entire island.

2) Will we be able to spend time at the beach and will the water be cold in may ?
I have been reading a lot that the water will be cold in water and it'll be really difficult to hit the beaches in early may.

3) Any suggestions for Greek Vegetarian dishes which we should try

Looking foward to your suggestions.
Thank you

kja

" I am really confused between crete, mykonos, rhodes, naoxs." I'm not sure what is confusing you, as they are very different -- and all the guidebooks I consulted made that clear. To briefly summarize and greatly overgeneralize:

• Crete is large and diverse; it holds Minoan ruins, natural scenery of varying types in abundance, Venetian harbors and fortresses, Ottoman influences, a delicious cuisine, some interesting wines, etc.
• Mykonos is known for it's nightlife, along with its windmills and Cycladic architecture.
• Rhodes is some distance away, is also quite large, and is known for its many historic and cultural sites.
• Naxos is, like Mykonos, a Cycladic island with its traditional architecture, but more laid back and less party-hearty.

Good luck!

Heimdall

Since you want to visit Santorini, it would be best to stay within that island group (e.g. Naxos) or Crete. Kja wrote that Mykonos is known for nightlife, and that's true for July and August but not early May. Santorini and Mykonos are the two most expensive islands in Greece, while Naxos is much cheaper but just as nice. Santorini and Naxos would be a good combination along with Athens.

Since you are arriving in the evening it will be too late for a ferry (in most cases even the overnight ferries leave too early for you). What you can do is look for a connecting flight to Santorini or Crete (Heraklion or Chania). Aegean Airlines has late night flights to all three of those airports, and right now are showing Flex tickets (includes one 23 kg bag) for less than €62. That's nearly as cheap as the ferries, and would avoid an Athens hotel bill to catch a flight or ferry the next morning. Wait too long though, and those deals will disappear, so if you decide to fly book as soon as possible. You can wait until you get to Greece to buy ferry tickets.

For what it's worth, I drive on the left where I live, but find it easy to transition to driving on the right. If you can handle Mumbai traffic you will have no problem with early season traffic on the Greek Islands. You will need an International Driving Permit (IDP) to legally drive in Greece.

kja

@ Heimdall: Thanks for the correction!

marymonty

Hello!
Congratulations for your wedding! I know that you will pass a very good time in Greece. I've been there and in my opinion Mykonos is a beautiful island we have to visit once in a lifetime. Enjoy!

Heimdall

Kja, I'm not a clubber (too old for that) but the big clubs in Mykonos Town and the beach parties start around the end of May. Earlier in May will be plenty of small bars and restaurants open to keep most people happy.

Mykonos is very pleasant in May and early June, and it's the best place from which to see the archeological site at the uninhabited island of Delos, which is part of the Mykonos municipality. If you go to Naxos instead it is possible there will be day trips from there to Mykonos/Delos that early in the season, but you will have to ask when you get there. Naxos has more to explore, especially the small mountain villages, and prices for accommodation, meals, and drinks will be lower.

Crete is a very large island, and easy to reach from Santorini (or vice-versa) once the daily catamaran service starts in April. I prefer the smaller islands where it is easier to get around by public transport, but Crete will give you more of everything you are interested in than the islands of the Cyclades.

Ujjwal_gandi, you asked about weather for swimming. It will be warm enough for sunbathing, but seawater temperatures will be around 18-20° C that time of year — warm enough for a quick dip and a dash back to your beach towel. Lots of people will be swimming while you are there.

anniesweetiepie

Hello!

Congrats on your wedding <3
Now, let's see...

1) which island should we visit considering the limited amount of time we have. I am really confused between crete, mykonos, rhodes, naoxs.
For Crete you'll need at least 7 days for every district. One week for Chania, one week for Heraclion etc. It is a huge island. Even Greeks can't see it all with one visit...
For Naxos you'll need 1-2 weeks, there is plenty of sightseeing (many ancient ruins) and you can use it as your based to get around the Cyclades. You can visit from there other islands like Paros, Ios, Santorini, Mykonos, Amorgos or even Crete.
It has great food, delicious local products and beautiful beaches. Koufonisia are really close. Check on google for the following beaches Parthena Beach (Naxos), MIkri Vigla (Naxos), Gala Beach (Koufonisia), Italida Beach (koufonisia)!
Paros is great for any visitor. It is my 1st pick regarding the Cyclades. Great food choices, nice beaches, interesting lifestyle and nightlife.
Rhodes is big as well. When it comes to the Dodecanese I think that Kos and Astypalea are more beautiful.


2) Will we be able to spend time at the beach and will the water be cold in may ?
Some people hit the beaches in May, but from personal experience I can say that it is cold. At that time of the year it is better to choose places in southern Greece like the Peloponesse, Crete and Rhodes. As you go south it gets warmer.

Example: The average day time temperatures sits around a very pleasant 20°C, highs generally peak around 25°C, while the average minimum temperatures is around 16°C come nightfall.
Average daytime temperature rises up to an inviting 24 degrees Celsius with highs going a bit above that figure and lows rarely dropping below 15 degrees.
For more please check this.

3) Any suggestions for Greek Vegetarian dishes which we should try
I don't think you'll have any problems with the food in Greece. They eat a lot of meat, but the land is rich in vegetables and fruit so you'll have plenty of different plates to try!
Eat horta, homemade pita (spinach pie-spanakopita, zucchini pie, onion pie and leek pie.), anything with eggplant will be delicious...
You should also try dolamdakia, potato or tomato or zucchini fritters. There are plenty of vegetable casseroles. The famous "lathera".
Basically vegetables cooked in olive oil and tomato. This can include green beans, okra, stuffed tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and legumes.

Odin

<<dolamdakia>> I assume this is an attempt to mean dolmades or dolmathakia, ie stuffed vines leaves, if so, be aware that some versions contain minced meat so make sure you check which ones are on the menu before ordering. Many Greek dishes are meatless however meat stock can be used to prepare them, dolmades included. Spanakopita usually contains feta cheese which is made with rennet, an animal product and contains eggs, as do many of the pittes mentioned in the above post. Horta are wild greens and are served steamed or boiled with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice, the greens can be bitter depending which ones have been picked (dandelions are bitter), I find them delicious. Fasolaki (fresh green beans cooked with tomato and sometimes potato) in season is truly wonderful if you can find it on a restaurant menu (and if they can cook it properly) and yemista (stuffed) vegetables with rice are too - make sure the dish is cooked without meat stock. Dips such as tahini, houmous, tzatziki, skordalia, fava (famous in Santorini) are usually safe bets. Lentils cooked with rice is also delicious, as is pourgouri (in Cyprus they serve this with Greek yoghurt) but make sure they are cooked with vegetable stock if you are a strict vegetarian.

anniesweetiepie

Hi! Yes, I meant 'dolmadakia'. I miss typed. I had them without meat in Naxos last year. I didn't know they could contain meat. You always have to ask and clarify if you are careful with what you eat. I totally get it. Lentils and fava are very tasty! Gigades is a nice plate too when made in the oven with tomato and onions.

travelerjan

Annie, that's SO right, yum yum, only its Gigantes = giant beans they look like what Americans call "butter beans" ... large brownish limabean shape but taste SO much better!!! And by the way, many of the best vegetarian dishes on a Greek Menu are so-called "mezedes" (which means appetizer... also side dishes) ... many people make a meal of 3 of these, or 5 for 2 people, never ordering a main course. In fact, when ordering you might order 4 Mezedes or side dishes for 2 people (the waiter will bring them all at the same time) before ordering more ... newcomers are always surprized at the SIZE of these servings. that's because Greek dishes are designed for sharing with fellow-diners. Greeks don't understand a person eating alone. Why would you do that? They ask.

anniesweetiepie

Hello traveljan! Yes, they are delicious! I've been to Greece several times. I am not that good at spelling Greek food lol but I am awesome at consuming it I love mezedes too... I've been to Paros, Naxos and Crete and had some of the best treats around! I also went to Volos before visiting Mt. Pelion. They had some pretty unusual dishes to accompany their tsipouro not for vegans though.

ujjwal_gandhi

Hey Everyone,
Thank you for the suggestion and sorry for replying so late .. was caught up with work..
So tickets have finally been booked:
Arrival in Athens: 5th May, 2018 @ 6:45 pm.
Departure from Athens: 18th May, 2018 @ 3pm.
So the trip has been cut short to 12 days.

Here's the tentative plan A:

5th May, 2018
Arrival in Athens: 6:45 pm,
Customs, Immigration, baggage claim should take about 1.5 hours.
Spend the night at the airport or take the ferry to chania at 2100hrs.


6th May, 2018
Morning flight to Chania.
Arrival in Chania at 9am.
Spend the day Walking around in Chania old town
Night in Chania

7th May, 2018
Head to one of the beaches near Chania
Night in Chania

8th May, 2018
Do a day from chania (Any suggestions)

9th May, 2018
Head to one of the white sand, turquoise water beaches (any suggestions) near Chania

10th May, 2018
Head to Heraklion
Explore Heraklion

11th May, 2018
Take the ferry to Santorini
(Any suggestions as to where to stay in Santorini) ( Near Kamari Beach, Oia, Fira)
Explore Santorini

12th May, 2018
Day in Santoirini

13th May, 2018
Take the ferry to one of the islands
(Would be missus wants to party and spend time at some on the beaches )
Suggestions please

14th May, 2018
Spend time at the island

16th May, 2018
Ferry to Athens

17th May, 2018
Day in Athens

18th May, 2018
Flight back to India

Is this doable to does it involve too much to moving around with our luggage.
or should we do the trip the other way round..
spend the first 3 days in Athens and then continue our trip to Crete and Santorini?

We won't be visiting a lot of museums and archaeological sites. We would prefer to spend time at the beaches in the morning and party in the evening and just explore the area.

Since we are traveling in the first half of may, a lot of the clubs and bars would be closed, so Mykonos is out of the picture in this trip.

Should I drop the day in Heraklion and spend that day in Santorini or some other island ?

Should I completely drop the idea of traveling to the third island and instead spend time in Athens ?

Looking forward to your suggestions and sorry once again for the delay in replying

Heimdall

You have a workable plan, and I wouldn't alter it much. The one thing that makes me pause for thought is the statement: "Would be missus wants to party and spend time at some on the beaches." You have the beaches part covered on Crete, and perhaps the black sand beaches of Santorini, but there is not much chance of partying on any of the islands that early in the season. Clubs will be open in Athens, though, so in order not to disappoint, perhaps you should spend more time there at the end of the trip.

Where to cut time to allow for extra days in Athens? Unless you want to see the archaeological museum and/or Knossos, head straight for Santorini the morning after you arrive in Heraklion. I don't see the point in taking the ferry to a sleepy island (13th May, 2018) just to go to a beach, so skip the third island and add more time to Crete, Santorini or Athens.

clausar

You want to spend 2 days at the beach....
In the first half of May the water will be too cold for swimming ( especially if you come from India), so in my opinion it doesn't make much sense to drive all the way down to Elafonissi or even Balos
when you can spend your time elsewhere.....

Chania does have an active nightlife, choices on Santorini will be limited.. Santorini isn't famous for clubbing anyway... ( at least not for my definition of clubbing )