Greece › Best Places to Visit
Updated: August 31, 2026 • By Santorini Dave
Questions? dave@santorinidave.com
The best places to visit in Greece are Santorini, Athens, Crete, Meteora, Naxos, Nafplio and the Peloponnese, Paros, Milos, Delphi, Rhodes, Mykonos, and Corfu. For a first trip, I recommend Athens, Naxos or Paros, and Santorini. For one destination that can fill an entire week, choose Crete.
Do not overlook mainland Greece. Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Nafplio, Monemvasia, and northern Greece are every bit as rewarding as the islands. On a trip of 10 days or longer, I like to combine at least one mainland stop with the islands.
For realistic routes and recommended nights in each place, see my Greece Itinerary and How Many Days in Greece guides.
My wife and I on our way to the ferry in Naxos.
Best Places in Greece at a Glance
- Best first island: Santorini
- Best city: Athens
- Best destination for a full week: Crete
- Best mainland scenery: Meteora
- Best beaches and families: Naxos
- Best mainland town: Nafplio
- Best for couples: Paros
- Best coastline and boat tours: Milos
- Best ancient site outside Athens: Delphi
- Best beaches and history together: Rhodes
- Best nightlife: Mykonos
- Best green island: Corfu
- Best second city: Thessaloniki
- Best island close to Athens: Hydra
- Best historic hideaway: Monemvasia
- Best quiet Cycladic island: Folegandros
- Best food and hiking island: Sifnos
- Best mainland beaches: Halkidiki
- Best beach escape near Athens: Athens Riviera
- Best green-island pair: Skiathos and Skopelos
My Favorite Greece Trip for First-Time Visitors
Athens → Naxos or Paros → Santorini
- Athens: 2 nights.
- Naxos or Paros: 3 or 4 nights.
- Santorini: 3 or 4 nights.
This is my favorite first-time route because it gives you Athens, a good all-around Cycladic island, and Santorini without trying to see too much.
Choose Naxos for beaches, families, mountain villages, and food. Choose Paros for couples, restaurants, shopping, and a livelier atmosphere. Finish with Santorini for the caldera views, wineries, boat tours, and cliffside hotels.
The 20 Best Places to Visit in Greece
1. Santorini
Santorini is the most visually dramatic destination in Greece and my first choice for a first-time island visit. The caldera villages, cliffside hotels, wineries, boat tours, and Fira-Oia hike are unlike anything else in the country.
The drawbacks are high prices, summer crowds, and beaches that are interesting rather than beautiful. Stay in Imerovigli for views and a quieter atmosphere, Fira for restaurants and transportation, or Oia for beauty and luxury hotels.
Recommended stay: 3 or 4 nights.
Best for: First visits, couples, honeymoons, scenery, and luxury hotels.
Combine with: Naxos, Paros, Milos, or Crete.
The view from Fira toward Imerovigli and Oia in Santorini.
2. Athens
Athens deserves at least two nights on almost every first trip. The Acropolis is the headline attraction, but Plaka, Monastiraki, Koukaki, the markets, museums, rooftop bars, and excellent restaurants are a big part of the experience.
Stay centrally and do not rent a car. Most important sights are within walking distance or an easy metro ride.
Recommended stay: 2 or 3 nights.
Best for: Ancient history, museums, food, and city energy.
Combine with: Almost anywhere in Greece.
The Plaka neighborhood of Athens.
3. Crete
Crete is the best choice if you want one destination with enough to fill a week. It has cities, beaches, archaeological sites, mountain villages, hiking, and some of the best food in Greece.
Crete is enormous. Focus on one region during a short stay. Chania is the best first base for western Crete, while Heraklion is best for Knossos and the archaeological museum.
Recommended stay: 5 to 10 nights.
Best for: Road trips, food, history, beaches, hiking, and longer stays.
Combine with: Santorini, or visit Crete on its own.
Chania is my favorite town in Crete and the best base for exploring the west.
4. Meteora
Meteora is the most spectacular mainland destination in Greece. Monasteries sit on top of enormous rock pillars above Kalambaka and Kastraki.
It can be visited on a long day trip from Athens, but an overnight stay is much better. You can see the monasteries before and after the tour buses arrive and have time for sunset viewpoints and walking trails.
Recommended stay: 1 or 2 nights.
Best for: Scenery, monasteries, photography, and hiking.
Combine with: Athens, Delphi, Thessaloniki, or northern Greece.
Meteora is one of the wonders of mainland Greece and one of my absolute favorite spots in the country.
5. Naxos
Naxos is the island I recommend most often. It has long sandy beaches, a lively main town, excellent food, mountain villages, family-friendly hotels, and much better value than Santorini or Mykonos.
Stay near Agios Georgios for easy access to Naxos Town, or at Agios Prokopios, Agia Anna, or Plaka for a stronger beach stay. Rent a car for a day or two to explore Halki, Filoti, and Apiranthos.
Recommended stay: 4 or 5 nights.
Best for: Families, beaches, food, villages, and relaxed trips.
Combine with: Santorini, Paros, Mykonos, or Athens.
Agios Georgios, beside Naxos Town, is one of the most family-friendly beaches in Greece.
6. Nafplio and the Peloponnese
Nafplio is my favorite mainland town and the best base for a first trip into the Peloponnese. The old town is attractive and walkable, Palamidi Fortress has excellent views, and Mycenae and Epidaurus are easy day trips.
For a longer trip, continue farther into the Peloponnese for ancient sites, beaches, mountain villages, olive groves, and towns that see far fewer international visitors than the major islands.
Recommended stay: 2 nights in Nafplio; 5 to 10 days for a Peloponnese road trip.
Best for: History, road trips, towns, beaches, and local food.
Combine with: Athens, Delphi, Monemvasia, or Olympia.
The ancient Theater of Epidaurus is one of Greece’s most impressive archaeological sites and an easy day trip from Nafplio.
7. Paros
Paros has good beaches, pretty villages, stylish hotels, excellent restaurants, shopping, and enough nightlife to feel lively without the full Mykonos scene.
Naoussa is the prettiest and most fashionable base. Parikia is more practical for ferries, buses, and a wider range of hotels.
Recommended stay: 3 or 4 nights.
Best for: Couples, restaurants, villages, beaches, and moderate nightlife.
Combine with: Naxos, Santorini, Mykonos, or Antiparos.
Paros has some of the beaches and village charm of Naxos, with more shopping and nightlife.
8. Milos
Milos is my favorite Greek island for exploring by boat. The island has unusual beaches and a spectacular volcanic coastline, with Sarakiniko the most famous sight.
A boat trip to Kleftiko reaches caves, cliffs, and swimming spots that are difficult or impossible to visit by road. A car is useful for exploring the rest of the island.
Recommended stay: 3 or 4 nights.
Best for: Scenery, beaches, boat tours, and couples.
Combine with: Santorini, Sifnos, Folegandros, or Athens.
Milos is as geographically stunning as any island in Greece.
9. Delphi
Delphi is the best ancient site outside Athens and an easy addition to a mainland itinerary. The ruins climb a mountain slope above the valley, which makes Delphi impressive even before you get into the history.
A day trip from Athens works, but I prefer staying overnight. You can visit the archaeological site early before the tour groups arrive and have more time for Delphi itself or nearby Arachova.
Recommended stay: 1 night.
Best for: Archaeology, mountain scenery, and short mainland trips.
Combine with: Athens, Meteora, or the Peloponnese.
Delphi works as a day trip from Athens, but I prefer staying overnight and visiting the archaeological site early.
10. Rhodes
Rhodes has excellent beaches and one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. Rhodes Old Town, Lindos, and the east-coast beaches make it a good choice for families, couples, and anyone who wants enough to do for a full week.
Rhodes is large, hot, and busy in summer, but its size helps spread visitors across many towns and beaches.
Recommended stay: 4 to 7 nights.
Best for: History, beaches, families, and longer resort stays.
Combine with: Symi, Kos, or other Dodecanese islands.
The Palace of the Grand Master is the centerpiece of Rhodes Old Town, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe.
11. Mykonos
Mykonos is the best destination in Greece for nightlife, beach clubs, luxury hotels, and shopping. Mykonos Town is beautiful, and the south-coast beaches are some of the best-organized in Greece.
It is also expensive, crowded, and windy. Mykonos is great if you want what it does well, overpriced if you do not.
Recommended stay: 3 nights.
Best for: Nightlife, beach clubs, luxury hotels, and shopping.
Combine with: Paros, Naxos, Santorini, or Delos.
Mykonos is famous for parties, but the beaches and Mykonos Town are worth visiting even if nightlife is not the main goal.
12. Corfu
Corfu is green, wooded, and completely different from the dry Cyclades. Corfu Town has beautiful Venetian architecture, while the rest of the island has beaches, villages, resorts, and scenic drives.
Corfu does not combine efficiently with Santorini or Mykonos. Make it the main island stay or pair it with northern and western mainland Greece.
Recommended stay: 4 to 7 nights.
Best for: Green scenery, towns, beaches, and longer island stays.
Combine with: Paxos, Ioannina, or mainland Epirus.
Corfu Town at dusk.
13. Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is Greece’s best city for food and nightlife and the natural starting point for northern Greece. It has Byzantine churches, Roman ruins, waterfront walks, markets, museums, and a much more local feel than central Athens.
I especially like Thessaloniki for repeat visitors to Greece or for a trip that continues into Halkidiki, Meteora, or the rest of northern Greece.
Recommended stay: 2 or 3 nights.
Best for: Food, nightlife, Byzantine history, and city breaks.
Combine with: Halkidiki, Meteora, Mount Olympus, or northern Greece.
The White Tower on Thessaloniki’s waterfront.
14. Hydra
Hydra is my favorite island escape close to Athens. It is car-free, compact, easy to reach from Piraeus, and a pleasure to explore on foot.
It can be visited as a day trip, but two nights is much better. The island is at its best in the early morning and evening after day-trippers leave.
Recommended stay: 2 nights.
Best for: Couples, walking, short trips, and car-free travel.
Combine with: Athens, Spetses, or the Peloponnese.
Hydra Town wraps around the island’s car-free harbor. Most visitors get around on foot or by water taxi.
15. Monemvasia
Monemvasia is a medieval stone village hidden on the far side of a huge rock connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway.
Stay overnight rather than visiting for a few hours. The village is especially good after the day-trippers leave, and spending the night is worth the long drive. Monemvasia fits best into a Peloponnese road trip.
Recommended stay: 1 or 2 nights.
Best for: History, romance, architecture, and road trips.
Combine with: Nafplio, Mani, or southern Peloponnese beaches.
The pedestrian-only Lower Town of Monemvasia, with narrow lanes, old stone buildings, small hotels, restaurants, and cafes.
16. Folegandros
Folegandros has dramatic cliffs, an exceptionally pretty main town, walking paths, and a much quieter atmosphere than Santorini or Mykonos.
The beaches require more effort than on Naxos or Paros, and the island has less to do. That is part of the appeal. I like Folegandros for walking, swimming, long dinners, and doing very little.
Recommended stay: 3 nights.
Best for: Quiet trips, couples, hiking, and scenery.
Combine with: Milos, Santorini, or Sifnos.
Some of the best swimming spots on Folegandros require a walk or boat ride, one reason the beaches stay quieter than on the larger Cycladic islands.
17. Sifnos
Sifnos is one of my favorite smaller islands for food and hiking. It has pretty villages, excellent restaurants, good beaches, and a network of walking trails connecting villages, monasteries, and the coast.
It is quieter than Paros and easier than Folegandros for a longer stay. Sifnos suits couples, repeat visitors, and travelers who care more about food and walking than nightlife.
Recommended stay: 3 or 4 nights.
Best for: Food, hiking, villages, and quiet stays.
Combine with: Milos, Serifos, or Athens.
Sifnos has an excellent network of marked hiking trails between villages, monasteries, countryside, and beaches.
18. Halkidiki
Halkidiki has some of the best beaches on mainland Greece. Kassandra is the busiest and most developed peninsula, Sithonia is quieter and more scenic, and Mount Athos is a monastic region with restricted access.
A rental car is the easiest way to explore Halkidiki, and the area combines naturally with Thessaloniki. It is one of the best choices in Greece if beaches are the priority but you do not want an island trip.
Recommended stay: 4 to 7 nights.
Best for: Beaches, road trips, families, and northern Greece itineraries.
Combine with: Thessaloniki or Mount Olympus.
Sithonia has many of Halkidiki’s best beaches, with sandy coves and pine-covered coastline.
19. Athens Riviera
The Athens Riviera stretches south from the city toward Vouliagmeni and Cape Sounion. It is a good choice if you want beaches, resorts, and seaside restaurants without adding another island or ferry trip.
Vouliagmeni is my favorite base, with luxury hotels, swimming coves, Lake Vouliagmeni, and easy access to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. The Riviera can also work well for the final night before an Athens Airport departure.
Recommended stay: 2 or 3 nights.
Best for: Beaches near Athens, luxury resorts, short stays, and airport convenience.
Combine with: Central Athens, Cape Sounion, or the Peloponnese.
Vouliagmeni is my favorite part of the Athens Riviera, with good beaches, clear water, beach clubs, and easy access from central Athens.
20. Skiathos and Skopelos
Skiathos and Skopelos are green, pine-covered islands in the Sporades. Skiathos is easier to reach and has more hotels and sandy beaches. Skopelos is quieter, less developed, and better for a slower stay.
The islands connect well by ferry, but reaching the Sporades takes more planning than visiting the Cyclades. They are a good alternative for travelers who want green landscapes and beaches rather than the dry scenery of the Cyclades.
Recommended stay: 3 nights on Skiathos and 3 or 4 nights on Skopelos.
Best for: Beaches, green scenery, couples, and relaxed island trips.
Combine with: Each other, Alonissos, or northern mainland Greece.
Skiathos has some of the best sandy beaches in Greece, many backed by pine forest.
Best Places in Greece by Travel Style
- First trip: Athens, Naxos or Paros, and Santorini.
- One-week trip without island hopping: Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, or the Peloponnese.
- Families: Naxos, Crete, Rhodes, or Halkidiki.
- Couples and honeymooners: Santorini, Paros, Milos, Folegandros, or Monemvasia.
- Best beaches: Naxos, Crete, Milos, Rhodes, Halkidiki, and Skiathos.
- History: Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Crete, Rhodes, and the Peloponnese.
- Nightlife: Mykonos, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Paros.
- Food: Crete, Naxos, Sifnos, Thessaloniki, and Athens.
- Hiking: Crete, Sifnos, Folegandros, Meteora, and Naxos.
- Quiet trip: Folegandros, Sifnos, Hydra, Monemvasia, or Skopelos.
- Road trip: Crete, the Peloponnese, northern Greece, or Corfu.
Greek Islands or Mainland Greece?
Choose the islands for beaches, swimming, boat trips, compact towns, and ferry travel. Choose mainland Greece for ancient sites, road trips, mountains, traditional towns, and fewer international tourists.
For a first trip of 10 days or longer, I like combining both. Athens, Nafplio or Delphi, and one or two islands gives you more variety than spending the entire trip island hopping.
See my guides to the best Greek islands and mainland Greece.
How to Combine These Destinations
- Athens + Naxos + Santorini: My favorite first-time route.
- Athens + Paros + Santorini: Better for couples, dining, and nightlife.
- Athens + Nafplio + Naxos or Santorini: Ancient sites, a mainland road trip, and an island stay.
- Athens + Delphi + Meteora: My favorite short mainland route.
- Santorini + Crete: Caldera scenery followed by beaches, food, history, and a road trip.
- Milos + Folegandros + Sifnos: A quieter Cyclades trip with beaches, hiking, and small villages.
- Thessaloniki + Halkidiki: City food and nightlife followed by mainland beaches.
- Skiathos + Skopelos: Sandy beaches, pine forests, and two very different Sporades islands.
Confirm ferry routes before booking nonrefundable hotels. A route that looks logical on a map does not always have a useful direct connection.
See my Greek ferry guide for booking and route advice.
Best Time to Visit Greece
June and September are the best months for most visitors. The weather is warm, swimming is excellent, and the main islands are fully open without the peak crowds and prices of July and August.
May is excellent for sightseeing, hiking, and lower hotel rates, though the sea is cooler.
July and August have the hottest weather, largest crowds, highest prices, and strongest Aegean winds. Book early and visit fewer places.
April and October are best for Athens, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Santorini, Nafplio, Delphi, and Meteora. Smaller resort islands are quieter, and some seasonal businesses and ferry routes have limited schedules.
November through March is best for Athens, Thessaloniki, mainland Greece, and Crete. Most beach resorts and small islands are very quiet.
See my monthly guides, including Greece in April, for weather, swimming, crowds, and seasonal advice.
Best Places in Greece FAQ
What is the best place to visit in Greece?
Santorini is my first choice for a first-time island visit. Athens is essential for history and city culture, while Crete is the best destination if you want to spend a full week in one place.
Where should first-time visitors go in Greece?
Spend 2 nights in Athens, 3 or 4 nights in Naxos or Paros, and 3 or 4 nights in Santorini. It is enough variety for a first trip without wasting too much time changing hotels and catching ferries.
What are the most beautiful places in Greece?
Santorini, Meteora, Milos, Monemvasia, Folegandros, Corfu, Zagori, and the western beaches of Crete are among the most beautiful places in Greece.
What is the best Greek island?
Santorini is the best island for a first visit. Naxos is the island I recommend most often, and Crete is the best all-around island for a longer trip.
See my complete guide to the best Greek islands.
How many places should you visit in Greece?
Visit Athens and one island in a week, Athens and two islands in 10 days, or three to four destinations in two weeks.
Every move consumes part of a day. Staying longer in fewer places almost always makes for a better trip.
Is mainland Greece worth visiting?
Yes. Meteora, Delphi, Nafplio, Monemvasia, the Peloponnese, Halkidiki, Thessaloniki, and northern Greece are some of the country’s best destinations.
Mainland Greece is also easier for road trips and less dependent on seasonal ferry schedules.
Should I visit Athens before or after the islands?
Either works. Athens first gives you time to recover from the international flight before taking a ferry or domestic flight. Athens last gives you a buffer before your flight home, which I especially recommend if you are returning from an island by ferry.
If your final island has a convenient flight that connects safely with your international itinerary, you can skip the last night in Athens.
What is the biggest Greece planning mistake?
Trying to visit too many places.
A two-hour ferry does not create a two-hour travel day. Checkout, port transfers, waiting, sailing, arrival, and hotel check-in can consume most of the day.
Santorini Dave was started in 2011 when I posted a short guide to visiting Santorini with kids. Now, my site publishes regularly updated guides to 
Hi Dave.
Great site. I never really considered Greece until I saw your articles now I am hooked on visiting. I have a question, I plan to visit at the end of June, I would like to do 2 islands, definitely Santorini for 5 nights. Which other island would you recommend with great beaches I like calm waters as I am not a swimmer and low crowd volume.
George Zakhia
Naxos would be perfect for you. Great beaches and St George’s Beach near Naxos Town is one of my favorite beaches and also one of the calmest, shallowest, most-protected beaches in Greece.
Hello! I am planning a 9 day trip to Greece with my family. My daughters are 18,21,23. I know for sure I want to go to Santorini, but then stuck on Naxos, Paros, and Crete! There is so much information that I am not sure where to go after Santorini. Mykonos is a little too party scene for my husband and I. Also how do you feel about airbnbs? Trying not to save some money here and there. Laurie
With just 9 days I would forget about Crete – too far from the other islands and too big. Santorini and Naxos would make a great trip. Or add Paros too. If you have 9 full days on the islands then doing all 3 is fine. But if the 9 days you mention includes in and out of Athens then stick to just Naxos and Santorini. On the islands, staying at a hotel always tops an Airbnb experience (for me anyways, but I love great hotels and am not a big Airbnb fan).
Hi Dave!
I’m so happy I came across your blog because it has been extremely helpful. I am visiting Greece the second week of February for my honeymoon. We are planning to do 8 days in Greece. Is it sunny during that time? We are a young couple. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!
You can get pleasant weather in February (sunny and clear) but you definitely won’t be swimming or suntanning. Cool rainy weather is also possible. March is much more likely to have nice weather than February, and then April more likely still. May is when the beach season begins in earnest.
Hi Dave, my wife and I are traveling with 3 young kids (6, 4 and 2). We have 18 nights on the islands and I have narrowed our trip to 3-5 islands including:
Milos, Naxos, Ios, Santorini, and Crete
We are open to other suggestions you may have. What would be your itinerary for 18 nights with 3 young kids?
That sounds great. All wonderful islands. I might consider dropping Ios. Not because it isn’t kid-friendly but just for the sake of cutting down your island hopping and extending your time in Naxos (the most kid-friendly).
Hi Dave. We have friends and family (20 years old to 75) traveling to Greece in August of 2020. We have a total of 11 nights flying in and out of Athens. Would you mind giving me your thoughts on the following below?
Possible itinerary:
Fly into Athens and immediately fly to Crete. Stay around Chania for 3 or 4 nights.
Ferry to Santorini and stay for 3 or 4 nights.
Ferry to Mykonos and stay for 2 or 3 nights.
Either ferry or fly back to Athens for 2 nights and fly back home. For group of 12 do you have suggestions where to stay in Chania, Oia, Mykonos Town, and Athens? Thank you very much. Your site and information is unbelievable. Best I have ever read!
That sounds like a great itinerary to me. Fun, easy to do, and interesting. Most ferries to Santorini leave Heraklion around 9pm in the morning so you’ll either have to be up early to catch the 2.5 hour bus from Chania to Heraklion or take the bus the previous day and spend one night in Heraklion. From Mykonos to Athens, ferry is much easier than flying. If you want to take multiple rooms and stay in a hotel I have pages for each of those islands on my site. Or if you’d like to stay together in a house or villa then search for villas in Greece on Booking.com.
Hi Dave. I’m curious as to why you always recommend saving Athens for the end? I’m confused as to whether I want that to be my last memory of my Greece vacation? Can you tell me the pros and cons of seeing Athens for 1 night at the beginning or end?
There is no difference unless there is a ferry strike or rough weather that cancels the ferries. In that case, it’s why I recommend having a buffer day or two in Athens so that you don’t miss your flight home.
HI,
Thanks for your very informative guide. Would like to request your suggestion for us. We are 1st time travelers to greece. Planning to spend 8 nights in greece with my wife, no children. Will be traveling from India in June 1st Week.
Was thinking of:
Athens – 2 nights
Santorini – 3 nights
Mykonos – 3 nights
Is the above itinerary suitable for 1st timers to the Greek islands. I also wanted to know your suggestion on the order of visit and mode of transport.
Thanks,
Really appreciate.
Atit
To me, that sounds like a great itinerary for a first time trip to the Greek islands. If you wanted to save yourself a long ferry trip I would ferry Athens to Mykonos, then Mykonos to Santorini, then fly Santorini back to Athens. Otherwise the order doesn’t matter much.
Hello. I will be taking a 40th birthday trip to Greece next year with friends. We are looking at staying 7-9 days and want a mixture of fun, nightlife, beach, and tour. Which islands would you recommend? Crete, Mykonos, Santorini. We are flying from NYC.
Mykonos and Santorini make great bookends to a trip. I recommend flying into one and out of the other. In between, you could visit one of Paros, Naxos, Ios, or Folegandros. But I wouldn’t do more than 3 islands with 7 to 9 days.
Hello! Thank you for all your information. It is fantastic! My husband and I are planning a trip in June. We’ve decided to visit Athens and Santorini, but are struggling to choose from Milos or Mykonos. What are your thoughts?
Mykonos for nightlife and beach. Milos for exploring and boat trips around the island.
Hi Dave,
Do you think Santorini and Milos are too similar and Crete would be more complimentary to Santorini?
Are there day trips near Chania that are close by or are most POI 2 -3 hours away?
Thank you!
Santorini and Milos do have a similar geologic feel but they are still very different as a tourist experience. In many ways Chania feels more similar to the towns of Fira and Oia than anything on Milos. There’s nothing momentous close to Chania – but the town itself is a charmer. Rethymnon is one hour away and worth a visit.
Dave, thanks for your reply above regarding a itinerary for my wife + 3 year old. You mentioned… Fly to Santorini (3 days), ferry to Mykonos (2 or 3 days), then fly back from there. Santorini and Mykonos should both have direct flights from Milan and Venice.
Would you skip going to Athens and not try to go to Naxos? I heard Naxos is great for families.
Yes, with only 5 or 6 days you should go straight to one of the islands. Athens takes at least one full day to tour then you lose a good chunk of another day getting the ferry, so just fly straight to an island. Naxos is great and right in between Mykonos and Santorini … but you don’t have much time. I wouldn’t do any less than 2 nights on any island but if you can make it work, go for it.
Hello Dave,
Hello Dave…I was wondering if you could give me a quick suggestion. My family and I (wife and 3 year old son) will be heading to a wedding in Lake Como, Italy in July this year. My wife has been dying to go to Greece, so we were thinking of heading there before we get to the wedding. I’ve been to Corfu, Santorini, and Mykonos, but I was 21 then and I’m now 41 so I don’t remember much.
I may be able to swing about 5-6 full days in Greece. Is that a good amount of time, or too short. I don’t know if I will be able to swing more. What do you think is the best itinerary for us?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I recommend: Fly to Santorini (3 days), ferry to Mykonos (2 or 3 days), then fly back from there. Santorini and Mykonos should both have direct flights from Milan and Venice.
Hi Dave,
Read your informative blog and found out that I haven’t thought my trip through ! Could you please advise me further?
I have booked my husband and myself a trip to Greece in March. So we were planning to do a day in Athens and then head to Santorini, Mykonos, and Milos. I have now realised that there are no ferries to connect us between the islands.
We arrive in Athens on 10th March and leave Athens for home on 17th March.
We have a few days in between but we are not sure on how to proceed.
Please share your expert opinion on what I can see/do in this time frame?
Thanks sooo much.
Shankz
Yeah, the combination of Santorini, Mykonos, and Milos does not work well in March as there usually are not ferry connections for those islands in that month. I would recommend some combination of Paros, Naxos, and Santorini as there is always a daily ferry between them (and to Athens).
Hi David,
A very good afternoon to you.
I have been reading your blog on Greece holidays.
It would be of great help, if you could provide me on the inputs of my shortlisted below itinerary
Arrival Date – 15-March
Athens – 2 Nights
Shortlisted Hotel – Inn Athens
Mykonos – 3 Nights
Arrival Date – 17-March
Shortlisted Hotels:
Semeli Hotel
Santorini – 3 Nights
Arrival Date – 20-March
Shortlisted Hotels:-
Above Blue
Alta Vista
Person – 2 Adult & 1 toddler (Age-20months)
Also, suggest if there are better choices of hotels other than the above.
I am still confused about whether to travel by air or ferry to these above islands. Ryanair prices are very much discounted when compared to Aegean airline & Olympic Air.
Your valuable inputs on hotel & means of travel will be highly appreciated.
The Inn Athens is very centrally located and an easy walk to metro station, the Plaka, and Acropolis. The scene immediately around the hotel is a little scruffy fun safe and otherwise fine. In Mykonos, I’d go with the Semeli for its more convenient location. In Santorini Above Blue and Alta Vista are both great. Above Blue will have better sunset views. For your itinerary I’d ferry to Mykonos, ferry to Santorini, then fly back to Athens.
Hi Dave
I have been reading a lot on your posts, thank you very much for all the information and tips thus far.
I would like to have your comments on our trip planned this summer between 21 June – 7 July.
Our itinerary so far is (in specific order):
Athens 3 nights
Milos 3 nights
Santorini 3 nights
Naxos 3 nights
Mykonos 3 nights
Would you say that is enough time spent on each island? And do you know where I can find ferry ride schedules, closer to the time, in order to ensure we do have tickets on the specific days, as our accommodation and all will be booked in advance?
Also, would you recommend staying in Kamari/Perissa area on Santorini instead of the more expensive areas?
We would really appreciate your reply and advice.
Thank you in advance!!
Itinerary looks great. 3 nights/2 full days are the minimum I recommend for most people. Yes, you will be busy but busy can be fun as long as you know what you’re getting. GTP.gr is a good site for seeing ferry schedules. Book ferries 1 to 3 months in advance. I recommend staying along the caldera (Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, Oia) not at the beaches.
Hi Dave, thanks so much for providing this wealth of information. It has been incredibly helpful as I plan my first trip to Greece. I will be flying into Athens with a friend & her grade school aged daughters at the end of june. We will have three full days on the mainland & then on the fourth day I will leave for Santorini & they will head home to Ireland. Since they will not be going to the island, they’d like to see more than just the city. We’d like to spend one day in Athens and the other two days in a lovely village. Somewhere by a nice beach would be ideal. We will be taking public transport. Is there anywhere you can recommend or is this trying to do too much in 3 days? Thanks again for your help!
I love Nafplio. It’s a wonderful town/city in the Peloponnese just a few hours from Athens by bus. It’s got a great atmosphere (lots of charming restaurants and shops) and there are several good beaches nearby.
Beginning to make a plan for June, about 15 days for a big anniversary. We are in our 40’s like to relax on the beach or pool, walk or hike and explore. We are into great food and drink, but not into nightclubs. I am looking at the following itinerary:
Fly into Athens, spend 3 nights (two full days)
Naxos, 2 nights
Milos, 2 nights
Santorini 6 nights, fly directly out of Santorini to London.
Are the transfers between these islands doable? I originally was only going to choose Athens, Santorini, plus one other island, but I am smitten by both Naxos and Milos. It looks like there is enough difference between islands to make it worth the trip, but is it too much moving around? I want to be able both relax and explore each place.
Thank you so much for your opinions and advice!
DeAnne Garrehy
Yes, I think this sounds very doable and transfers between islands should be fine (Naxos to Milos is the one I have the most concern about – it’s possible you have to switch ferries somewhere between the two islands). I don’t know your particular interests but for most people I would drop one night from Athens and add it to Naxos and maybe even drop Santorini to 5 nights and add that day to Milos.
Trying to decide between Kos and Rhodes for a June holiday. What would you say are the strengths, weaknesses, and characteristics of both. (It could be just my wife and I, but also inviting others, so hard to know what we’re looking for yet. At this point need a general comparison of both islands.)
Rhodes and Kos are a bit like Ying and Yang: so different in many ways yet they complement each other perfectly. Rhodes is the mature big sister; Kos the little sister wanting to wear her big sister’s shoes. Both are islands geared towards international package tourism and attract large numbers of visitors wanting sun, sand and relaxation. Both share similar cultural traits – they are part of the Dodecanese island chain and are no more than two hours apart from each by fast catamaran or an hour or so longer by one of the regular connecting ferries.
Rhodes: the bigger and more diversified island of the two boasting an exquisite Old Town and a string of beach resorts running mainly down the southeast coast with an overlap running from the northern tip of the island back down to the airport on the northwest side. The island’s attraction to the score of cruise ships that make Rhodes’ harbour an obligatory stop is the well-preserved mediaeval Old Town. Completely enclosed within its own fortifications, the narrow streets are either full of restaurants, cafés and shops and strolling visitors, or almost completely untouched by time with abandoned houses and locked wooden gates with intriguing door handles. Outside the Old Town is the New Town, also a popular destination because of its fashionable clothes and shoe shops and restaurants and also a pretty decent beach scene. Excursion boats to other parts of the island leave from here, while ferries and the island’s catamarans arrive and depart from two harbours a little way further south of the New Town.
The southeast coast is a contiguous strip of hotels and beachscapes starting with the upper-market hotels of the Faliraki Riviera and petering out at the decidedly quieter and serene scene of the southern coastline centred on Gennadi. In between, the village of Lindos bursts out like a Cycladic theme park marking the half way point down the island’s coast. It is long here that you will find Rhodes’ best beaches. It northwest coastal scene, on the contrary, is much more muted and less developed mainly because it doesn’t have the beaches, but does get most of the winds.
Kos: is long and skinny and its shape vaguely reminds one of a whale, seemingly swimming into the embracing Turkish gulf of Gökova. It’s taken negative press in the last couple of years – from ‘uninvited refugees’ to an earthquake earlier this year. The refugees never were a problem and the earthquake shook part of Kos’ Old Town and has since been cleaned up. The island has a cosier, more intimate feel and while, like Rhodes, it has a mountain scene, the feel is mainly flat and rolling and for that reason cycling is enormously popular here and quite feasible along the meandering backroads of the north coast. Kos’ Old Town is not as extensive or in any way as picturesque as Rhodes’: the appeal of Kos lies in its relative compactness, its sunny demeanour and the high quality of its accommodation. Boutique hotels do not feature as prominently as they do in Rhodes, but on the luxury side there are some quite stunning places. Its excellent beach scene is hidden from casual view along a swathe of golden sand running along the cusp of Kefalos Bay in the south. Beaches elsewhere (and by comparison) are generally average. Oddly, one of the most popular beaches is a thermal springs beach made up of pebbles and warmed by hot artesian water. That’s just around the corner of the eastern tip of the island basically where the island’s road network ends.
So the toss-up between the two? They are touristy islands but still lived-in Greek islands. They make a good duo so half your time in one and half in the other with day visits to neighbouring islands such as Halki, Tilos, or Symi (from Rhodes) and Kalymnos, Nisyros, and Pserimos (from Kos) will give a total of 8 Dodecanese islands for the price of two! June and September are good shoulder periods to travel, so good luck. It’s win-win all the way.