Hello Fodorites. My husband and I looking at visiting Sifnos and Naxos next September. There are so many beautiful places and it's very hard to narrow down but these two locations have caught our eye. We will have about 9 or 10 nights including travel from NY and back. We are late 60's (me) and early 70's (husband) and are interesting in a bit of local culture, good food and wine and nice beaches. We are not into much night life besides a nice casual dinner. It looks like the ferry between the two islands is about 3 1/2 hours leaving once around 3:30 in the afternoon. While I have a couple of places in mind in terms of hotel, I was wondering if anyone has been to either of these islands and if you had any feedback on which to do first in terms of ease. I believe we will have to fly in and out of Athens and I haven't looked at those connections yet from Athens, i.e., staying overnight in Athens or just going directly to a ferry to one of the islands. We are interested in the somewhat lesser travelled islands, which it seems like these might be. I have a travel agent that lives in Greece that I could use but half the fun is the planning but I'm wondering how complicated this might be with ferries and such (although we have done those ourselves in the past as well). Also, my friend who has been to Sifnos highly recommends renting a car. I prefer not to but it might be worth it. Any input, greatly appreciated. As I said, we do have accommodations in mind but happy to hear any suggestions and while money is not "not" an object, we are planning to splurge a bit on this trip. Thanks in advance.

A reality check: When you include travel to-from NY, your 10 nights equals Maximum 8 1/2 days actually even less. IF you take a nonstop from NY or Newark (both leave late aft), you arrive ATH Next day at between 9:30 - 11 AM Greek time (your body is of course about 2 am NY time!). Your 10th day is ALL homebound travel. And that "half-day" on arrival will be mostly getting to Naxos... allow 2 hours layover, try to book a 1 pm flight (45 mins)... by the time you are checked into a hotel (hopefully overlooking a beach), it will be late afternoon. For Sifnos, it probably will be even later -- because, no airport... you have taxi to Pireaus port, IF there's an afternoon ferry, then a 3hr? ferry trip... Then, At end of your trip (day 9), you need to be back on mainland, either in Athens, or near Athens airport for final night ... because most nonstops back to N America are in AM.

That's the reality... so you'd really have only 8 days ... and I'd suggest choosing just one of those islands. They're 2 of my very favorites -- in my 13 visits to Greece, i've stayed on Naxos 14 times (yes I know), and Sifnos at least 5. Much to explore and enjoy each place ... and as a first trip, I'd suggest not combining. If you MUST have a 2nd Island, I'd suggest combining Naxos with Antiparos - Paros is a 1-hour ferry from Naxos, and Antiparos is right off shore from Paros Port. VEry walkable Antiparos village & lovely beaches, easy day-visit to Paros. As a combo with Sifnos -- AntiParos is very accessible. A 1-hr ferry Naxos-Paros, and then cute little Antiparos is visible right offshore... either a 25 min or a 10-min ferry to its tiny port village with gorgeous sand beaches right there.. and an easy day trip to Paros port highlights.

As for NAXOS Car rental -- In Naxos, there's a good bus network, that in an extended stay you could combine with a 1-day car rental. . On Naxos, I would suggest a sequnece of aft/evening Day 1 -- walk from beach to town, get oriented Day 2 -- Explore Entire area of fascinating port town + beach time Day 3 - excellent 9-5 bus tour of entire island (including beach-stop @ lunch) Day 4 - 5 - Follow-up to places of interest (perhaps car rental) Day 7-9... possible Antiparos, with Flight from Paros to ATH afternoon of Day 9 (the Paros airport is a 15 min taxi ride from Antiparos ferry dock).

SIFNOS -- has fair bus connections, less frequent than Naxos, between beach villages, and hillside villages. The port (Kamares) has many fans, but I prefer staying in Hillside village or outer beach... so car rental would give more flexibility. Again, I think your first day after arrival (Day 2 in Greece) should be getting oriented, iether in your hillside or beach setting, before getting delivery of Car. I get the impression you know nothing, so far, of either island. An excellent start for Sifnos is this -- http://sifnos.e-sifnos.com/index.htm -- many categories, WITH photos -- click every llink! ANd here's an Island map -- ... not Google, but a good overview.

I"d be interested to know what agent or agency in Greece you'd plan to use ... For Sifnos, reallly the best reference is Aegean - Thesaurus. This agency now covers almost all of Greece, and has offices in Athens, but tgot its start in Sifnos, and keeps an office right there in port --- and often has resources thatt don't deal w any other agency. When you say you "have places in mind" for hotels, would be interested to hear. In my experience in Greece, the 3 most important criteria are : location, location, location.

In sum, congrats for thinking so far ahead -- particularly in case of my beloved Naxos which alas has been "discovered" so one must strategize in terms of WHEN to go and WHRE to stay -- then you can have the best of it, and avoid the new onrush. For more details, you can PM; i'm done keyboarding for now.

A GOOF >.. When I gave a suggested add-on for SIfnos, I mistakenly repeated ANTIPAROS ... when I meant to say SERIFOS. I'm Sorry for Confusion. SERIFOS is a small island right next to Sifnos... several daily ferries from PIREAUS of about ?3 hours ... and daily ferries of about 40 minutes to/from Sifnos ... and right "o ver the hill" from PORT town is a GOrgeous beach Livadakia, that has just 2 places directly ON Beach... This island I"ve found wonderful for 2 nightts to get over jet-lag, because no "sightseeing" pressures ... just relax at beach, walk into town for dinner, that's it. Again, Aegean Thesaurus is best place for bookings.

You will probably have to fly through Athens -- but why force it? Just enter your starting and ending airports into a search engine and see what options are available. And try to put your flights on the same ticket so the airline is responsible for getting you to your destination if anything goes wrong.

I loved Naxos and was happy with my time there. For my tastes, a week would have been too much; YMMV. I loved the Hotel Grotta there; it still gets wonderful reviews. For my report about time there, see posts # 109 - 119 of:
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

Enjoy!

Last summer, I flew from Montana to Athens and then straight to Naxos (long day, but glad we flew into Naxos to start our trip). We spent four nights on Naxos at Hotel Grotta (great hotel). We initially didn’t rent a car but decided to do a two-day rental once we were there. It was a fun way to explore the rest of the island. A car rental was easy to obtain on short notice (we walked into a rental company and walked out twenty minutes later with a vehicle). After Naxos, we took the ferry to Sifnos (easy other than the water was super choppy so got a little motion sick) and had our hotel pick us up at the port and drop us off at our first Sifnos hotel (Gerofinkas Boutique hotel – beautiful location). We had a car rental company drop off our rental car at the hotel the next day. I recommend driving on Sifnos as it is the best way to see the island, and it gives you a lot more flexibility. We stayed three nights at Gerofinkas and then moved down to Ammos Sifnos Village apartments in Platis Gialos. It was fun to stay on the beach for a couple of days. We did lots of hiking on Sifnos. I loved both islands, but Sifnos was special – it was quiet with great scenery and food.

Thank you all so very much for the great info....so if I am reading correctly, I can fly into Athens and then I can connect to Naxos via plane (rather than ferry) and potentially then ferry from Naxos to Sifnos after a few days, stay a few days in Sifnos if we do decide to add this in and then it sounds like we need to ferry back from Sifnos to Athens, where perhaps we would stay overnight so as not to have too much stress to catch our flight back to NY (of course I have to check the schedules but this is vaguely what sounds like might be best). I look forward to reading your trip report kja and travelerjan, thank you for all your input as well. We are thinking of staying at Verina Astra in Sifnos and Virtu Suites in Naxos. We would probably squeeze out another day or so to do both but will see after I do more research. cubeck, thank you as well....I will check out those hotels. I really prefer to do all of my own booking but many of my friends have booked with Judy Likouris of Likouris Travel Interational and so I am thinking of contacting her. I'm not quite sure how much more expensive it could be but given that this might be a bit complicated, I'm considering it...I believe she also lives in Greece and so I would be interested in her opinion on the itineray.

Just checked on VIRTU Siuites.... and do not know anything about it, perhaps it has very upscale decor and uniformed staff etc ... but I don't llike the location at all... it is on Ag Anna beach which is narrow, and can be very crowded even in September... part of the beach is lined almost solid with tavernas cafes, when I'v e been there in May early June, nonstop pop music. Here's the map Google gave me -- https://tinyurl.com/223dx5m4
... I just don't like the vibe of Ag. Anna beacj, lots of returnees, tacky people ... not what I think you want ... If you want to stay that far from Naxos Town, I'd recommend going down a big Farther ... see where the map says Maragas Beach that's where Plaka Beach begins .... the bus route goes along beach. Take a look at Aegean Palace ... 4 star... has 2 pools, and good sunbed area ...( not the AWFUL 4-poster + Mattress horrors that have invaded some areas) It's also near 2 of the more delightful tavernas --- Nikos & Marias, tables right on water's edge, and Petrino's -- the BESt Modern-take on Naxos cuisine... all locally sourced.
If you want a place where you can walk to town along the shore in 20 minutes, Look at VILLA NAXOS, small & somewhat upscale, on Ag Giorgios (St George) beach directly adjacent to Naxos town... SO handy. That beach is shallow (you walk out 100 yards then it drops off), but v clean - all the Naxos beaches are Blue Star rank (look it up) I often stay in St. George... enjoy a morning dip there, or a pre- sunset splash if I've been off hiking or adventurijng... and take a Bus out to Plaka if I want to spend 3-4 hours beaching.
Lots of people here rec0mmend Grotta, I've stayed there 2x ... and it's got a great sunset location, on a high bluff up from the Ferry pier --- but in September the wind roars off the sea and you can't sit out on the tterrace. Also, you have to drive or take bus to actually swim. You can walk down to the town's attraction, but walking back up at night (unlit) not as much fun.

In SIFNOS, I lstay up in hillside for the villages & views -- in September, the dining & evening scene is better up there than on beach... apollonia, artemonas ... lots of small pensions.. I stay in a lovely room w its own vine-covered patio at edge of bluff, looking across a valley & out to sea. That Verina Astra looks very posh, infinity pool, spa etc.. not near aNY actual Greeks, miles from village streets or local life ... you can stay there and not know whether youre in the Carribean or off Sardinia, or off the Coast of Spain... it's in Beautiful-People Land... all scenic views and luxe living. You won't experience Sifnos, or get to know anything about Sifnians or their lives & ways, of course. And for lots of people that's fine.

You don't need to book through a travel agent unless you are not comfortable doing it yourself. You will always pay more, the agency needs to make money too so they will recommend accommodation where they get commission. With the internet (our first trip to Greece was long ago, before that) you can easily research flights, accommodation, restaurants etc. There are other useful travel forums around as well. I always book travel myself, including Greece, I know what I want and enjoy the planning though sometimes at first, a trip can seem overwhelming. It will gradually come together.

Forgot to add that with the time you have, I'd stay on two islands. You'd need to check ferry routes first as islands are often grouped together and if you need to travel back to Piraeus and then out again to second island, that may take a lot of time.

We've been to both islands fairly recently and enjoyed them both. Naxos is bigger and busier (any island with an airport is going to be busy in the summer and I personally wouldn't visit in July or August). It's definitely not 'lesser travelled' (Sifnos seems to be getting more popular too) but both islands are lovely.

We didn't hire a car on either island but we did do a fair amount of hiking. The buses were not frequent but were fine for us. Tours on Naxos are also available. We stayed in Chora on Naxos and Apollonia on Siftnos - and would do the same again but everyone's taste is different and it definitely depends on what you want to do.

If you have a long flight to Athens, there is something to be said to heading to the port for a ferry (an open deck ferry) instead of hanging around the airport for another flight. It's personal choice and depends on timetables. Check openseas.gr for ferry timetables. Like others, I definitely recommend being in Athens the night before your return home. A few days in Athens would be even better.

If you know where you're going and all you want is transport and accommodation, then I can't really see what an agent will be able to add that you can't easily arrange yourselves. Your time is very limited but I can see why you would like to visit two locations (plus Athens), especially if it is your first visit to Greece. Enjoy yourselves!

Wow! Again, I thank you all for the detailed information. I will go over it all and if you don't mind, come back with questions after doing more research as well. I think we are going to bag our two original hotel choices and look at Hotel Grotta, as we do want to be closer to town and it does get such great reviews. Would it make any sense at all to stay there for a few days and also stay at a beautiful beach location in Naxos? Not crazy about moving in the same area but we really want to be able to look out and see that beautiful Aegean that we have been dreaming about. I am very glad I started this early as I am sure I am going to drive myself crazy until I settle (and hopefully not my husband and all of you!). I do very much want to go to Sifnos but will have to look at plane/ferry schedules and weigh out all options. To be continued and thank you very much!

Some rooms at the Hotel Grotta afford views of the sea. The breakfast room and terrace have glorious views.

If you decide to spend your whole trip on Naxos you could move hotels but for about 4 nights, it hardly seems worth it. If your room at Hotel Grotta doesn't have a view, you are still close to the sea, up on a rise, and will have seaviews from other parts of the hotel.

I enjoy the buzz of Naxos Town in the evenings, and the beaches of Ag Prokopios and Plaka during the day. I’ve never stayed at Hotel Grotta, but that would be a good choice for me. From Hotel Grotta you are near the old town, the ferry docks and the bus station. Buses run frequently to Ag Prokopios and Plaka, so you can be on the beaches in about 15 minutes from town.

Were it me I would not change hotels, but stay the whole time on Naxos at Hotel Grotta. Sea views from my hotel room aren’t important to me, but if they are to you look at hotels in the St George (Agios Georgios) part of town.

I have been in touch with Hotel Grotta and will be booking there so that's one hurdle! I think we may book for four nights there and then four nights in Sifnos. I'm seeing a flight that connects from NY on Delta (which we prefer) that has about a two-hour connecting time. I know that you never know about flight delays but without checking luggage, it looks like this might be okay from what I am reading about the proximity of the terminals in Athens. I think we prefer to do the connecting flights rather than the ferry as it will save us on time (if it all goes well!). I also see the ferry to Sifnos is only offered once a day at around 3:30 getting in at around 7 PM so we would, in that case, probably book for nights in Sifnos since we are essentially losing a day there. I have also emailed Gerofinikas as it looks like a great spot so thank you. And yes, if we were going to move hotels on Naxos than I was thinking of staying there for our entire stay and more than the four nights but we really do want to go to Sifnos. Also, I assume that the later in September we go the better in terms of crowds or do you think it makes must difference once we get past Labor Day? I want to be sure to have nice weather. Great info from you all and again, I thank you. Thank you!

Two hours layover is plenty between ATH arrival and domestic plane departure... Both are in ATH main terminal (the auxiliary terminal is used almost excllusively for European flights and/or budget airlines). Also, expect Delta on-time arrival; I always recommend taking nonstops from N America., because they're 99% on time; even if they have departure delays, they make up time during that looong stretch over the Atlantic. Most delays in Greece-bound flights occur at European connections at a busy airport.

I think you will be pleased with Hotel Grotta - fantastic breakfast, and it is in a great location. We had a sea view room with incredible sunset views overlooking the Temple of Apollo.

Thanks so much cubek. I just sent in my reservation and it sounds ideal! travelerjan, it is actually one hour and 45 minutes in between but sounds like we will be okay, barring the unforeseen.

Sounds like a nice plan! I truly enjoyed the Hotel Grotta and hope you do, too.

The only difference I can think of for early vs. late September would be if you want to visit Delos from Naxos, which I highly recommend. IIRC, the relavant ferry doesn't run every day and at some point, the number of options drops. If that's of interest to you, you would be wise to check the schedules.

Thank you....I booked the Hotel Grotta for arrival on September 10th so this should be perfect. I'm sure we will love it!