Cyclades itinerary

That is a lot of ferry hopping. Due to ferry schedules you basically use up half a day on every ferry hop.
I just did a dummy booking for today and there is one ferry from Sifnos to Athens departing around 5:30. Chances are good that the ferry schedules will be pretty much the same next year.
Experienced travellers often suggest that they get out to their first island day of arrival in Athens. Logistics are important and doing Athens twice means you have to commute to and from Athens twice. Save Athens for the end of the trip.

Depending on when your flight arrives you might catch a flight from Athens to Naxos on day of arrival. Naxos is lovely and is a good place to get over jet lag. Perhaps you can use one of the days from Athens and add a day to Naxos.

It may be pretty early to book hotels for next May. I have a good relationship with several hotels on Naxos and they are telling me they will not be taking bookings for next year until November.
When I look for hotels I use booking dot com for research. You get pictures and a map for the hotels as well as reviews.

Flights from/to the islands generally are announced in November/December. Ferries can be booked well in advance. We book our ferry trips once we are in Greece. All local travel agents can sell you a ferry ticket. They will have the latest information on strikes, and weather.
For fun this is why you might want another day in Naxos
Around Naxos town 2022 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720299959098
Back to Naxos 2022 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720299940917
St George Beach https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720299943096

Thanks for the tips! we just added an island ... seems too many.
arrive Athens two nights, next morning to Naxos -- stay four nights; 5th day to to Amorgos and stay two nights (this seems doable since they are so close together), next day travel to Santorini (we keep taking this one on and off the itinerary thinking instead to add one more day to Naxos and Paros) from Santorini (if we keep it) to Paros...four nights... then on to Sifnos four nights...back to athens 2 nights. in all, athens is a total of 4 nights. we have been checking the ferry routes and you are right, they open for booking in november though it seems all these routes will have ferries especially from paxos and naxos .. we did a lot of island hopping in croatia where we spent a month traveling by ferry .. it seems easier (fewer islands and they are closer) than Greece which is daunting and why we are limiting our first time to the Cyclades.

I too would recommend that you fly your first day to an island. Naxos has an airport. I agree that three nights in Athens is probably enough. I would add that day to an island.

I do not think it is a good idea to add another island unless you increase the time you are there.

Santorini is easy to fly to, however, because there are multiple flights every day.

thanks! we will take that into consideration. If we stay 4-5 nights in Naxos, is it ok to stay in one area, for instance Agia Anna? Would we need a car to tour the island... or should be stay in Chora Chora (Naxos town) to access public buses to the various beaches?

If you aren't going to have a car, then I would stay central as that is where buses go from. We rented a car for part of the time we were there.

We stayed in Naxos town. I think some of the other locations are best if you want to just enjoy the beach as opposed to seeing the island. We were there four nights. I really wish we had had five. There were things I wanted to see that we just did not have the time for.

thanks! we just booked a hotel for four nights in Naxos. Now we are looking to increase that to five nights and do a day trip to Amorgos instead of staying there for two nights... that would give us time to get from Naxos to Santorini more easily than from Amorgos to Santorini... do Santori or not is the question we are puzzling over right now. if not Santorini, then more time in Naxos and Paros.

added an additional night in Naxos, skipping Santorini and Amorgos (perhaps excursion tours instead of overnights) and on to Paros and Siflos for 5 nights each then to Athens for day trips?

Whether or not to visit Santorini is a very personal decision. However, if it were my trip and it's not, I would definitely visit Santorini. We were there in May 2022 so I speak from firsthand experience. Santorini, IMO, is stunning and so unique. We spent 3 nights there which was perfect for us. We spent a day along the caldera. Also rented a car for a day to explore the rest of the island, and we loved everything we saw. We stayed in Firastefani which is quieter than Oia and Fira. If you decide to visit Santorini, check out the Blue Dolphins Suites. We had a lovely room with a balcony overlooking the caldera for $230 per night.
https://www.bluedolphins.gr/

Thanks for the tips about Santorini! We expect Santorini to be awesome, but the problem is that it's really far south from Naxos/Paros. We think we'll have to save it for another time, or a day cruise if there is such a thing from Paros/Naxos, where we will spend about 5 nights each, finding day trips to islands nearby. We really want to visit Milos and Sifnos on our way back to Athens, which is why we are choosing not to stay in Santorini. Sifnos seems really quiet -- maybe 2 nights -- Milos quite beautiful - three nights Anyone been to either of those two islands?

I would keep Amorgos, it is one of the most beautiful islands of the Cyclades and it deserves at least 3 full days.

Anyway, from Naxos you will not be able to go to Amorgos.

I have been to all the islands on your itinerary, sometimes 2, sometimes 3 times, and to a few other islands of the Cyclades, most of the time in May June but also sometimes in September, and I can tell you that you will not know all the May/June ferry schedules before mid-March.

Those of Aegean See Lines and Attica Group (Blue Star, Hellenic Seaways) are generally published during March. Those of the Zante ferry "Dionisios Solomos" are published in April (but hardly vary from one year to the next).

Only Seajets publishes them further in advance but they are unreliable and can change at any time.

Try to stay at least 4 full days per island, that's the minimum to enjoy it. Personally I always stay at least 5 days, sometimes up to 10 days and I regret not having seen everything.

To get a good idea of ​​the ferry schedules for 2024, go to:

http://www.openseas.gr/

You can go back in time and look for ferries connections in May/June 2023. Those of 2024 will be significantly similar. The schedules are made on a weekly basis, so be careful to only take into account the day of the week, not the date.

whoa.... now we have to reset! thanks for the information about Amorgos... looks like we should reconsider. Can we get to Amorgos in May from Paros or Naxos? it seemed tricky leaving Amorgos to anywhere...

Amorgos has two ports: Katapola and Aegiali

See Paros→Amorgos Aegiali ferries during mid-June here:

http://www.openseas.gr/PAS/AIG/2023-06-14/2023-06-14/itineraries

Change the destination to "Amorgos Katapola" to see ferries to Katapola port.

I'll let you do the same thing by selecting Naxos as departure

You can change the date, you will have a vision of the whole week.

I also let you do the same by selecting Amorgos Katapola or Aegiali as departure to see to which island you could go to from Amorgos

As I said before, take the day of the week into account.
If you want to take a ferry on June 12, 2024, you need to look at the ferry timetable for June 14, 2023 (which are both Wednesdays)

Regarding Amorgos you can take a look here:

https://amorgos.gr/

And also some photos from our last trip to Amorgos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/io2Wwqhzp9cjbHex9

I would add that Island Hopping is a sometimes risky activity with ferry cancellations for a whole day or two due to bad weather. Or sometimes a sailors' strike or a technical breakdown. The more islands you want to see, the more the risk increases.

By the way, during our last trip to Amorgos in 2019, there were 3 days without any ferries.

So, regarding the weather, once in Greece check this website regularly

https://www.meteo.gr/index-en.cfm

Click on Greece then on Cyclades and select the island.

If you see a wind forecast of 7 Bf or more on a day you need to take a ferry, start thinking about a plan B, especially if you have to take a Seajets ferry.

oh my. a lot to process. Time for a glass of cabernet to puzzle through all of these marvelous suggestions and wisdom.

Cheers! :)))

When you want to do islands hopping, there are several approaches:

The “I don’t care” approach
You don't book anything, you don't look at the ferry schedules, you go where it's possible to go and you look for accommodation when you arrive on an island.

I know people who do like this and who don't even have a cellphone.

If you want to be more foresighted and organized you will have to spend time, a lot of time.

Travel guides like Lonely Planet, official websites like:

https://www.visitgreece.gr

https://www.e-kyklades.gr/travel/?lang=en ,

or services like openseas.gr, ferryhopper.com, Google Maps, Airbnb, Booking, meteo.gr are your friends

(and possibly also some excel sheets to organize everything)

Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube influencers will be your worst enemies

There are tour boats from Naxos and Paros that go to Santorini. As I recall its an excursion so they have a bus to take you around the island.

we are so thankful for all of these tips, websites and we giggled over the live and let live approach -- back in the day... we did this! The very first time I visited Greece during the 80's we were greeted right off the boat by mothers and grandmothers shouting "stay in my place" .. pre-internet and cell phone. But with age comes more caution. We have made free-cancellation reservations via booking.com, understanding things may have to change when the ferry schedules are available. I really like the wait and see till we get there attitude -- but is June busy? Has anyone been to either Milos or Sifnos?

I also experienced this pre-internet/cell phone era, perhaps we saw the same grandmothers when disembarking from the ferry... :))

I went to Sifnos several times, in May, June and October, and to Milos only once in May (plus another time in September but that was just in transit to go to its little neighbor, Kimolos).

The advantage of May/June is the cheaper prices, fewer people, the flowers blooming, and the longest days of the year

Sifnos is not busy at all during May or June (at least until June 15). Milos is a little busier (there is an airport) but nothing unbearable.

Be aware that half of Milos is classified as a Natura2000 zone where there are no villages, practically no homes, and where you will not be allowed to go with a rental car unless it is a 4 wheel drive.
The bus service is very limited in Milos, if you don't have a rental car you will have problems getting around (and taxis are overpriced). On the other hand, the beaches with their lunar landscapes are astonishing.

https://visit.milos.gr/en/home/

Sifnos has an excellent bus service with the hub being roughly in the center of the island, at Artemonas, right next to the capital Apollonia.

It's also very famous for its gastronomy (and its pottery)

https://sifnos.gr/en/sifnos/

You will also find many very well marked and maintained hiking trails.

https://sifnostrails.com/

Another locally managed website about sifnos which lists activities, restaurants and accommodations

https://www.roomsinsifnos.com/

Sifnos, Sifnos, Sifnos... perfect in late may Early June. I've been to ALL The islands under discussion ... I share the Naxos addiction with Stanbr, but other than that, Sifnos is m y Cycladic love. As noted, excellent bus service, in May-June ideal to stay up in hillside village, bus to a nice beach like Platy Gialos or Vathy for swims, do some hikes... lovely low-key nightlife in lane of Appollonia.. you can bus down to Kamares for a dinnerr too, (taxi back). I enjoy Amorgo, also Folegandros, have been 2x to serifos, 2x to Milos ... but Sifnos... ahhh. Take a look at my fave pension, looking across a valley & out to sea, Grapevine-shaded patio, seems like a world away (but only 500 yards from bus stop with links all over -- http://www.gerontisifnos.gr/en/home/ -- Tell Nikoleta that Janet from Philly sent you.

everyone you have been so kind and helpful! janet and stnbr thankyou for the suggestions and places to stay. Especially the tip about Milos -- which from the photos reminded me a of Sicily and scala des Turchi which is the attraction -- but from all of the posts so far Naxos Paros, Sifnos are keepers. thanks everyone for the tips on working backwards to find a ferry -- great advice. also the winds... someone in my building just now mentioned a ruin -- a 60's hotel -- that has become a place for street art murals, somewhere in south Naxos. so many surprises.

The graffiti on the abandoned Kastraki Hotel are very beautiful, some done by well-known international street artists.

It is here, near Alyko beach:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eGirzX7ZrB92gMVf9

During a stay in Naxos we had a small apartment with a kitchenette, terrace and view of the neighbor's sheep right next door at Skarmoutsos Studios (€45 per night), and with the beach 50 meters away, (car essential),

The problem was to choose where to settle at Pyrgaki beach -))

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xu71VGPCLGNyB9yK6

.

ok! now we have more nights available and no where to go. What do you suggest? we are spending a total of 21 days in greece
Athens 3 nights
Naxos 5 nights
Paros 4 nights
Sifanos 4 nights
that is 16 so far... five left.

seems too short to add another island and guarantee passage back to Athens.
but maybe not?

another possibility is to increase the time in Paros -- does any one like Paros, or recommend a venue?

We are ok with spending the rest of the time in Athens as we see we can take day trips or excursions to other islands we haven't visited.

What do y'all seasoned Greek travelers think?

Add nights in Sifnos and Paros.

4 nights = only 3 full days.

I bet 12 bottles of ouzo and 30 moussakas that you will regret having only stayed 4 nights in these two islands.

Paros and Sifnos are the two islands where I spent the most time (around 1 month in each island in cumulative stays), and although I never stay in the same places, I am far from having seen everything on these islands .

Otherwise see Serifos, it is on the route between Sifnos and Athens.

This is Serifos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oKHaiozCg6GChRD36

https://serifos.gr/en/

Or Kimolos, small, not so easy to reach and completely protected from mass tourism could also be a good option.

This is Kimolos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xu3oPZrM8q93oA9WA

https://www.aegeanislands.gr/islands/kimolos/

You could also add a day in Athens if you have any left.

If this is your first trip to Greece, you should probably stay on Santorini for two nights. Then you will have seen it and won’t have to return there on your next trip to Greece.

I agree with Suki. Visit Santorini on this trip — in fact, start with Santorini. It ‘s gorgeous and well worth a visit. Fly directly to Santorini and stay 3 or 4 nights to get over any jet lag.

Then I’d suggest a ferry directly to Amorgos. You’ll enjoy the contrast of the two islands! We stayed in Katapola, at the very affordable Pension Katapola right on the harbor. We had a huge balcony overlooking the port and loved watching all the boats coming & going. Great little hikes around the island — see the amazing Hozoviotissa monastery. I’d stay 4 nights.

From there, it’s a quick ferry ride to Naxos. You got great advice from others — I’d add, be sure to find Boulamatsis for a home-cooked dinner overlooking the ferry port, and Flisvos Sportsclub at the other end of St George Beach for ouzo at sunset. Stay 5 or 6 nights.

Then for a complete change of pace, take a ferry to Paros and then a little boat to Antiparos and relax for 3-4 days. This is a great little walkable island. Not much to see…there’s a cave with stalactites & stalagmites. And this is home to “A Lazy Day with Captain Ben” — a day-long boat trip (it also picks up passengers in Paros) that takes you around the island, stopping at a beach for lunch & swimming. So much fun.

The combination of these 4 completely different islands will be a good introduction to Greece. You’ll be rested & relaxed & ready for your final 3-4 days in Athens.

Since there is a lot of pressure advising you to see Santorini :-)), note that you can go there on a daytrip from Paros (Piso Livadi port) with Polos Tours. It's €75 round trip (no more expensive than the fast ferry).

https://polostoursparos.com/

I have been to Santorini twice and apart from the wineries and the archaeological site of Akrotiri this is the last place I would recommend to anyone who wants to see the Greek Islands. Take a daytrip to Santorini, that way you will have your own opinion.

Please ignore the mischievous post by Concerned Local ... JoLui was giving a veteran's warning to a newbie of how to get a glimpse of Santorini without the horror-hassle. This good advice only helps newcomers avoid pitfalls, it does not cause them to "despoil" lesser-known isles. Concerned Local, cool your jets.

As the OP is looking for another island to go to, I would advise him to choose one among those which are the subject of documentaries on ERTFLIX, but it's going to be a big hassle to help him(her) with the ferry schedules :))

That doesn't stop him(her) from watching: (English subtitles selectable)
We are very far from Santorini and Mykonos...

https://www.ertflix.gr/en/series/ser.219380-nesia-sten-akre

I think original poster is from US or Canada ... I've learned that ERTFLIX is now viewable here if you have ROKU.

hello again JoLui, Janet, Stanbr, Concernedlocal, Charlene, Suki (hopefully not leaving anyone out!) your links, photos, tips, suggestions have been invaluable so far. We liked the "change of pace" idea and one of us (the brasilian) appreciates the beach tips, but being from that country with an array of small beach towns and villages is becoming more focused on not missing the touristy things... while the other one of us -- likes the mix of small villages nature and local economy (not so touristy). so to compromise... we are going to attempt Santorini from Paros and booked a place in Oia.
we have 20 nights and so far we are in deep for 15
Athens 2 nights
Naxos 5 nights
Paros 4 nights
Santorini 4 nights
now we have to get back to Athens, and we have 5 nights to do this.
we can fly straight to Athens (for 5 nights though?)
or see about a fast ferry to one island in between, either Sifnos or Amorgos (highly recommended) .. or fly to Mykonos? (deep in tourism territory!)

Be careful not to return to Athens at the last minute.
The warning regarding possible ferry cancellations due to bad weather, strikes or breakdowns remains valid for your trip back to Athens.

So plan at least 2 nights in Athens before your return flight. You can even stay 5 days in Athens without getting bored. I always stay at least 4 or 5 nights in Athens, or even more, where there are plenty of things to see and do outside of the touristy areas. But I admit to being an Athens lover.

I hope you won't be disappointed to stay 4 nights in Santorini, in my opinion if it's just to see what 95% of tourists come to see it's at least 1 night wasted. But it's up to you.

Given that Mykonos is the complete opposite of Sifnos or Amorgos in terms of atmosphere, prices and lifestyle, I don't know what to advise you anymore other than giving you an example of what you can find in Mykonos , if this is what the brasilian one is looking for and if you are prepared to spend A LOT of money to have fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMpaksY4sTE

In comparison to what you can experience in Sifnos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhzuSLu4ONE

Or in Amorgos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9VAnEf3TQk

No need to tell you what I will choose. :))

So, show these videos to your co-travelers and make your own choice.

hi Jolui! on my first trip to Greece in the 80's I visited Mykonos and see from your video it hasn't changed much! If we go at all it would be a day trip or tour. We also agree we need plenty of lead time to return to Athens. We don't think we have planned for enough time in Paros. From Santorini we are planning to return to Paros for three nights in a different location on the island. (or we could return to Naxos, though both seem roughly to have the same access to Athens?) We plan, if every thing goes well, to return to Athens for three nights/4 days, giving ourselves three solid days to get out of Paros back to Athens -- hopefully this is enough time. We'll definitely book a ferry in advance from Paros to Athens. Since we are planning on staying the bulk of our time on Naxos and Paraos, when we arrive we'll see what is available for day excursions (not ferries!) to Milos, Sifanos, Amorgos, Antiparos.. smaller islands... nearby. So we think we have the big pieces figured out (we booked hotels for all 20 nights -- free cancellation) and next we need to look micro at ferry schedules. it's kind of risky booking ferries in advance, but it seems that the final ferry from Paros to Athens needs to be definitely booked way in advance. Thank you again for the back-in-time ferry suggestions -- very helpful and encouraging.

We've traveled exclusively by ferry in Croatia up and down the coast (love the small islands and beaches there) and by bus throughout Sicily and are pretty adept at managing to find public transportation. We've put off going to Greece for a while now since is seems so daunting, but with everyone's help I think we have a handle on things,

Next (after ferry seeking), we'll look for places to eat, things to see, and food not to miss in Greece!

Your idea of ​​returning for 3 days to Paros (or Naxos) is not a good idea at all, by doing this you will waste a precious time and a lot of Euros. Any ferry trip from one island to another involves:

1/ pack your bags,

2/ Leave before 10 or 11 a.m. due to hotel checkout

3/ Go to the port (bus, Taxi, rental car, walking)

4/ Drop off the rental car if you had one

5/ Wait for the ferry (they are not always on time)

6/ Travel by ferry for a few hours,

7/ Once you arrive on the other island, find a way to go to your accommodation, bus, taxi, or possibly rent a car again.

8/ Go to your accommodation,

9/ Wait for check-in time if you arrive too early,

10/ Unpack your luggage.

It’s almost an entire day of vacation that goes into logistics and transportation expenses.

If you want to extend your stay on Paros, go to Antiparos for 2 or 3 days, it is 15 minutes by ferry from the port of Punda in Paros, but do not make unnecessary and expensive return trips between Santorini and Paros.

https://antiparos.com/

For your return to Athens by ferry you absolutely do not need to book in advance. Whether from Paros or Naxos there will be at least 4 or 5 ferries per day and no problem with seat availability.

Do like everyone used to traveling to the Greek islands, wait until you are on an island to buy your ferry tickets for your next trip.

The official Paros website:

https://www.paros.gr/en/

Some more or less recent photos of Paros:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EHVn2vM531MXcopY7