Greece › Island Hopping › Itinerary
By Santorini Dave
The Itinerary
This was a 15-day island-hopping trip from Athens to Santorini. I booked all our Greek ferries through ferryhopper.com. This is what our itinerary looked like on the Ferryhopper app.
The Trip
Day 1: Entering the Athens metro for the train to the Piraeus ferry port. Just tap your phone to pay (with Apple Pay or Google Wallet), no special app or card necessary.
Finding our ferry in Piraeus.
Arriving in Tinos and exploring the Chora. In the Cyclades, “Chora” is the common name for an island’s largest town.
Day 2: Drinking some coffee and watching ferries come and go from our little pool.
Our first of many gyros.
The colorful Tinos Chora.
Day 3: Hopping the ferry to Mykonos.
For our first meal in Mykonos we hit one of our favorite spots: Nikolas Taverna on Agia Anna Beach.
Beach time at Platis Gialos.
Good seafood at Nikos Gallop.
The private beach at our hotel.
Day 4 & 5: Ano Mera, an inland village in Mykonos.
My wife and I on a very windy day in Mykonos Town.
Lunch in Mykonos Town.
The iconic windmills.
The shops and lanes of Mykonos Town are always fun.
Day 6: Breakfast at our hotel.
A final beach drink before heading to the ferry.
Hopping to Paros.
Arriving in Paros.
We stayed in Parikia, a great town and a good base for exploring the island.
Getting the bus to Naoussa.
Dinner and sunset at the Naoussa harbor.
Day 7: Lots to see in Parikia’s Kastro neighborhood including the remains of the Frankish castle built in 1260.
Day trip to Antiparos.
Arriving at the Antiparos Chora. Shops and restaurants are an easy walk from the boat dock.
The Antiparos port.
There’s a pedestrian-only street that leads away from the port to the Chora’s main square.
Great traditional dishes at Taverna Manos in Chora.
Back to Paros.
Sunset watchers in Parikia.
Day 8: Ferry to Naxos.
Arriving in the Naxos Chora. Loads of good hotels are an easy walk from the port.
But first: gyros. It’s called gyros portion when you get it on a plate.
Sunset in Naxos Chora.
Some Naxian dishes at one of my favorite restaurants in Naxos, Boulamatsis.
Day 9: Morning walk on St George’s beach.
Breakfast at our hotel.
The Portara of Naxos (or Temple of Apollo) and a little strip of sand in the Chora.
Not much of a beach but still a great spot for a swim.
Pastitsio, one of my favorite Greek dishes, at To Elliniko in the Chora.
Day 10: Early morning walk up to the Kastro, the old Venetian town area of the Chora.
And then to the port …
… to catch a ferry to Koufonisia.
But first a quick stop in Iraklia.
And then Schinoussa.
My favorite spot on the boat.
Arriving in Koufonisia.
Our hotel was a quick 5-minute walk from the port. The Chora is set on a gorgeous harbor, backed by a few small streets with a handful of shops, cafes, and restaurants.
Lunch time: Dakos Salad.
Sunset seating at a little bar on the water.
Then dinner on one of the streets back from the port.
Day 11: Morning walk around the town and nearby waterfront.
Some beach time.
Then drinks and dinner in the Chora.
A couple more gyros from a popular local spot.
Day 12: Some more walking, this time to a natural pool a 20-minute stroll from the Chora.
Lunch at the beach.
Then ferry to Dounousa.
This was a very rough ferry. I stayed up top, my wife went below where several people got sick.
But all was calm when we arrived in Donousa.
Our hotel was separated from the Chora by a stretch of beach.
A church on the back lanes of the Chora.
Day 13: Grabbed some coffee and pastries in the Chora and brought them back to our hotel.
Walking into town for lunch.
Some swimmers jumping in from the port.
A 30-minute walk from the Chora is another good beach.
Day 14: Ferry to Amorgos.
Arriving in Amorgos. Fishing nets drying in the Aegiali port.
Aegiali has a good beach backed by cafes and restaurants.
A charming little town center.
And some beautiful spots to watch the sunset.
Day 15: The bus stop in Aegiali.
A 30-minute bus ride got us to Amorgos’ other port, Katapola.
The back lanes of Katapola.
The original plan was to spend the night in Katapola but it was so windy we feared our ferry might be canceled the next day, so thought it best to try that day’s ferry instead.
When you take the smaller ferries, like this SuperJet, be sure to grab some sick bags just in case. We didn’t need them but some people did.
Arriving in Santorini just after sunset.
Where We Stayed
The view from our balcony at A For Athens Hotel in Athens.
Infinity View Hotel in Tinos.
Petasos Beach Hotel in Mykonos.
Argonauta Hotel in Paros.
Nissaki Beach Hotel in Naxos.
Utopia Hotel in Koufonisia.
Mikres Cyclades Apartments in Donousa.
Erisimo Apartments in Aegiali, Amorgos.
Eleni on the Beach Hotel in Katapola, Amorgos.
Katikies Hotel in Oia, Santorini.
About Santorini Dave