13 days in Greece w 2 college aged kids

I can only speak to Meteora and Athens.

We took a train from Athens to Meteora and took a guided tour of the area. It appeared that taking a tour was the best way to see the sites, otherwise you will have to rent a car. We returned to Athens that evening. It was a long day, but worthwhile.

With that said, I would add your second day in Meteora to Athens. I think only one day in Athens will be rushed as there is so much to see.

Are your flying from Paris to Santorini? You might be too tired to enjoy the island. I've never been so I can't speak to whether visiting Santorini for one day is worth your time.

Also be aware that ferries can be cancelled because of weather. We chose to fly from Athens to Naxos for this reason.

I'm a bit confused on your flying from Raleigh to Paris then to Athens plus the same route on return home.. Isn't there a flight from your area in the US to Athens? That would be the quickest way to Athens. Unless you can fly cheaper with your original route.

Is there a non-stop flight from Paris to Santorini? I believe you'll have to stop in Athens then make a connection to Santorini making it not worth the hassle of getting there for just a short amount of time.

You may be able to fly direct from Paris to some other island but more than likely you'll have to go through Athens then pick up a flight to your destination.

You can't fly/ferry from Milos to Nafplio. You'll have to go back to Piraeus then drive/bus to Nafplio.

You'll then need to get to Meteora which is a good distance from Nafplio.

Unless you are renting a car upon getting back to Piraeus it will be not worth the effort to get to Meteora from Nafplio.

You need to do more research especially on traveling from one location in Greece to another.

I know it can be overwhelming but I believe your schedule is not do-able.

I also agree more time is needed in Athens as there's a lot to see, not only the archeological sites but so much more.

Again research is your best tool when traveling.

Unless you need to do Santorini I would fly RDU to Athens, even if through Paris like you planned, and have the day or so in Athens and then ferry to Milos.

I'm having a really difficult time planning the route and the modes of
transport.

Here is some information about the modes of transport

Paris →-Santorini

Note that the only direct flight Paris → Santorini on Tuesday May 13th is on Transavia, (Air France - KLM low-cost airline) from Orly airport and not Roissy CDG (Orly airport is closer to Paris than CDG)

I took it several times, it's a flight of a little over 3 hours, and 1 hour time difference, you won't be tired when you arrive in Santorini.

With Transavia there are 3 fares: Basic, Plus and Max. Make sure to carefully check the baggage and cancellation policy depending on the fare you book.

Santorini → Milos

I also don't see any incompatibility to go to Milos from Santorini on Thursday May 15th. (although I'm not a fan of Milos)
You will have at least a Seajet ferry (about 2 hours of travel) and also probably a slow conventional ferry (at least 4 hours of travel)

However, as Tommy said, don't forget that to go from Milos to Nafplio you will have to go through Athens (on Monday May 19th). By ferry you will not be before late afternoon at the port of Piraeus.

So, take one of the morning flights to Athens with Olympic instead

I also think that it is too ambitious to want to go to the Meteora after Nafplio especially since you are not staying more than 2 days in Nafplio. If you go to Nafplio take the opportunity to stay there for 3 days, otherwise what's the point?

Thank you for all your responses. There is a great nonstop flight from Raleigh to Paris on Air France that is really appealing which is the reason for routing ourselves through Paris.

I was looking for a direct flight from Paris directly to a Greek Island, that is why we are thinking of Santorini. I really only want to go to Milos and possibly Sifnos as we want to explore beaches and love mountainous hiking. If there is a way to skip Santorini and just do Milos and Sifnos arriving Milos on 14 and leaving Sifnos on 20, I'd be happy to swap Sifnos for Santorini. Or is tackling 2 islands too much?
If not too much, what is the best way to do Milos and Sifnos coming from Paris?

Also, thanks for the suggestions on the mainland of Greece, I think I'll skip Meteora for this trip and just do Nafplio and Athens for the last half. Thanks in advance for all your suggestions!

Just a warning, based on awful experience (and others may echo it) -- CHAS de GAULLE Is an OK airport if you just want to get to Paris -- but it can be a hellilsh experience if you plan to change planes. Even 2 hours layover is a a hairplulling nightmare -- and Air France is notorious for short transfer-times, and then giving you NO help in making your 2nd flight. The problem its, the airport is laid out like an Octopus with far-flung "wings" ... and one must go from one-to the other on a BUS on the tarmac, which takes forever. PLUS, to do this, you go OUT of security, thtus when you finally get ot your correct area, you need to go through security. Almost no staff speaks Englilsh; an don't give a damn if you mss your connection. On one occasion we gave up, jumped, ran down a "tentacle" into the center, and on to our hallway ... we ran almost a mile, pulling luggage (and I was in my 70s) We were the last people to board the plane... and as it pulled out of the gate toward the takeoff runway I looked out of the window.. and saw the bus arriving.

IF that nonstop is irrestible be SURE to book a connecting flight with at Least 2 lhours layover -- 3 is better. Have you looked at flying to Atlanta or EWR or DC and getting a nonstop to ATHENS from any of those? Also --- YOU need to check Aegean to see if there are flights from Paris to Milos... I doubt it. Good lulck in your planning -- smart of you to start now. I've been helping 2 friend plan a Greece trip for May 3 - 24 and already its a challenge to get the accommodations I recommend both in the Cyclades isles AND Nafplio. Alas, Greece has finally been "discovered" by the whole world it seems.

Sorry, I forgot that by leaving on the 12th your flight land the next day, May 13th.

As your Air France flight arrives at 8:15 a.m. on May 13, you will not be able to fly to Santorini from Paris. The one from Transavia that I mentioned previously leaves too early (11:30 a.m.) and moreover from Orly airport.

However, this day there are 4 flights to Athens from CDG from 11:05 a.m. with the airlines Air France, Aegean and Sky Express.

So I think you will have to make some changes to your itinerary, forgetting an arrival in Santorini on May 13 and planning an arrival in Athens instead.

Also I confirm that only regional flights (from Athens with Turboprop ATRs) arrive in Milos. The runway is too short to accommodate international flights

Thank you all for your responses and all the research you put in Jolui! I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board and rethink this itinerary keeping in mind all your suggestions. I'm wasting days just getting to the islands. I'll report back when I have a better plan in place. Thank you!

Know that if you think in terms of good deals and saving money, since you mentioned Sifnos, going to "consume" Santorini is a big mistake compared to Sifnos. I can guarantee that you will be as charmed, if not more, by Sifnos than by Santorini, for much less money and without the crowds.

I've tweaked the itinerary a little based on suggestions. Does this one look okay?
May 12-May 26
12- fly Raleigh to Paris (CDG), nonstop
13- arrive Paris (CDG) 8:15am, fly to Athens 11:10am
14- ferry to Milos
15- Milos
16- Milos
17- Milos
18- Milos
19- ferry to Piraeus, rent car, drive to Nafplio
20- Nafplio
21- Nafplio
22- Nafplio
23- Athens
24- Athens
25- fly to Paris in A.M.
26- fly Paris to Raleigh early afternoon
On one of the Milos days possibly ferry to Sifnos for a day trip, also really want to do boat trip around Milos another day.
Any thoughts? Is layover at CDG airport enough time for flight at 11:10am? Thanks for all your help!

Here are some thoughts:

Tuesday 13th May: 8:15 Arrival from RDU (CDG terminal 2E)
Transfer Terminal 2E→Terminal 2D, then Aegean Flight CDG → ATH 11:05-15:15:

1 Night in Athens:

When we do this kind of trip we spend a night at the port of Piraeus where there are plenty of hotels for less than 80€ / night and we are at the port to take the first ferry in the morning.

Wednesday May 14: Ferry Piraeus → Milos

See the mid-May 2024 timetable below

http://www.openseas.gr/PIR/MLO/2024-05-14/2024-05-14/itineraries

The ferry timetables work on a weekly basis, Check the day of the week (Wednesday 15th May 2024) and not the date

In May there is no need to book the ferry weeks in advance. You can buy your tickets directly on the ferry company's website a few days before.

Milos 5 nights

In Milos rent a car. Buses in May in Milos are rare and taxis are overpriced (2 taxi rides in MIlos will cost you as much as a day of car rental). Note that half of the island of Milos is a Natura2000 area not accessible except by renting a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Car rental companies are not joking about this and a breakdown requiring assistance in this area will cost you a lot of money.

Monday May 19: Milos → Athens → Nafplio

See Milos → Piraeus ferry timetables for 2024:

http://www.openseas.gr/MLO/PIR/2024-05-21/2024-05-21/itineraries

The first ferries leave early in the morning from Piraeus to the islands, so on the way back to Piraeus even the fastest (Seajet Champion Jet ferries) do not stop in Milos before noon/1pm at the earliest. You won't be back in Piraeus until 4:30pm, which means no earlier than 7/8pm in Nafplio

The other option is to take an early morning flight Milos→Athens with Olympic/Aegean.

• If you buy your tickets early enough it's not much more expensive than the Seajets ferries.

• It's a 45 minute flight instead of a minimum of 3.5 hours by ferry

• You arrive at the airport where it's easier to rent a car than at the port of Piraeus

The first flights Milos→Athens on May 19th are at 8:20am and 10:35am. (The 8:20am flight is currently €56 with ComfortFlex fare with 23Kg checked baggage, which is a good deal). By taking the 8:20am flight you can be in Nafplio for lunch time!
The Milos→Athens flights are on ATR 42/72 aircraft, the carry-on bag cannot exceed 55cm x 40cm x 23cm and 8kg.

https://www.olympicair.com/en/

No specific comments on travel logistics for the following nights in Nafplio and Athens
If you return the car at the airport you can then go to your hotel in Athens by taxi (€40), bus (€5.50) or metro (€9)
You can also return the car in town where most rental agencies have an office on Syggrou Avenue near the Acropolis Museum.

possibly ferry to Sifnos for a day trip

The ferry schedules often make this kind of daytrip impossible. moreover it is useless to stay on an island only one day, it is basically like going to a city by train and only staying at the station and its surroundings. Especially since in Sifnos the port is in Kamares which is not the most interesting place nor the capital.

On the other hand from Milos you can go to Kimolos, a nice little island accessible from the port of Pollonia, north of Milos in 30 minutes with the ferry Osia Methodia (you can take the ferry with the rental car) There are 5 to 6 ferry rotations per day.

Some (short) videos from recent years:

Kimolos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CExrd2fxaa5Y3PXBA

Sifnos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/J25UpQRzWwhYn7hp6

Milos

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jYGrpdK5tZkufuGt7

I don't have very good memories of Milos which I didn't like very much, especially since I had sunstroke there which was quite disturbing for half of the stay. :))

wow...just wow... Thank you for all your helpful links and details you did researching for me. I'll look at each in detail. Thank you Jolui!

Hope it was helpful.

In Milos you can do daily cruises, boat tours and even fishing trips, shared or private, by checking with local excursion agencies. These agencies are numerous in Adamantas, the port.

An example among others:

https://www.kleftiko-milos.gr/

We are taking Lufthansa to Athens via Frankfurt in May from Raleigh. You might want to look into that.

Hi all, I'm back now after the holidays. I appreciate all your help so far.

After doing a little more research it seems like Naxos may be more first-timer friendly than Milos. I tried to squeeze Milos and Naxos in but transport didn't seem to work out. (Trying to get Blue Star ferry for motion sickness reasons when I add Milos into the mix makes it difficult) At this point, I'm thinking of swapping Milos for Naxos and adding Santorini instead of Nafplio when we get back to the mainland. So basically doing all Greek Islands with 3 nights in Athens at the end. I'm hoping we are not beached out by the end of it :)

It would look something like this:
12- RDU-Paris
13- arrive Paris 8:15am, fly to Athens 11:10am, overnight Pireaus
14- ferry to Naxos AM
15- Naxos
16- Naxos
17- Naxos
18- Naxos
19- ferry to Santorini
20- Santorini
21- Santorini
22- ferry to Pireaus
23- Athens
24- Athens
25- fly to Paris AM
26- fly Paris to RDU
**Please let me know your thoughts on this, we wanted something more varied with mtns or hiking so if you have any suggestions, I'd be open to them. The only thing booked at this point are the flights to Paris and to Athens. Thanks in advance for any input!

Do you have something against flying?? Santorini - ATH is 50 mins, vs ?8+ hours? on the Blue Star. If you act now, you may get % off on air tickets. then on arrival just take flat-rate taxi (or Uber or Welcome Pickups) to central athens hotel.

Trying to get Blue Star ferry for motion sickness reasons when I add
Milos into the mix makes it difficult

Blue Star ferries do not operate on the Western Cyclades route which includes Milos, but there are other conventional ferries.

The ferries that connect Naxos and Milos daily are the small Seajets inter-island catamarans which are rather unpleasant if you are prone to seasickness. (and they are often delayed)

Your new itinerary works better in my opinion, although I am desperate to alway see the same itinerary :))

You could also start with Santorini by taking a flight upon arrival in Athens on May 13th, then go to Naxos by ferry, then Naxos → Piraeus by ferry to return to Athens.
This would make you spend less time on ferries, especially the Santorini → Piraeus which takes about 8 hours on a conventional Blue Star ferry.

There are plenty of things to do if you want to explore Naxos provided you rent a car.

If you only stay in Naxos Town and the surrounding area, such as the crowded beach of Agios Georgios, sorry I can't help you.
Otherwise this map can help you, you will find among other things some hikes that I have done (most of them in a loop, so no logistical problems).

About hikes, be careful of the heat, even in May. Leave early with plenty of water.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1d7GZMjFODUlB8lf7EPSXQRwu-YXaKxw&usp=sharing

I would fly to and from the islands especially if prone to motion sickness. There are more flights to Santorini than Naxos so if you want to go to those two islands, I would start with Santorini.

Then ferry to Naxos. And fly back from Naxos.

We did this in 2018 and then rented a car and drove to Naplio. We returned the car at the airport and took public transportation into Athens. We had young adult children with us. We may have had more time than you though. This is how we allocated time:

Santorini 3 nights
Naxos 4 nights
Nafplio 4 nights
Athens 3 nights for total of 14 nights in Greece.