Ferries in Greece

Schedules are generally only available a few months in advance, so you are too early for precise May 2017.

Historically the change from year to year was slight, so this year's summer schedule would give a good indication of what would happen next. With the crisis things are now slightly more erratic but your best bet is still to look at what is happening this year and then check nearer the time for any changes.

There are various sites you can use. This is my favourite, but probably only because it is the one I'm used to.

https://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp

Have a great trip.

Alan

Athens to Santorini is a long trip, longer than I like being on a ferry, consider flying, Aegean Air is a good choice.

You also will not likely see Naxos-Delos ferries on the sites. Delos is uninhabited with only the ancient site, you would need to find a tour or boat service from Naxos to day trip. Travel agencies on Delos offer packages.

Here is a link for the excellent day excursions from Naxos to Delos/Mykonos .... http://visit-cyclades.com/day-cruises/naxos-cruises/120-cruise-to-delos-mykonos The website says the excursions this year began on May 11 .... You won't get an exact date for 2017 yet ... This is why we responders prefer that askers give exact dates if they have them, or as precise as is possible: for instance, "the 2nd week in may" is better than "early may". The more details you have, the better the advice. This is a good trip friends of mine did a photo album of their experience .,.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157637922138466

Thank you very much! It appears, from your information as well as from Greeka.com, we won't be able to tour Delos the first week of May 21017, which affects our planning for the remainder of our trip.
We've found it frustrating to try to plan when so much information is not yet available. If necessary, we can reduce the number of nights we've booked at a given place, but changing flights is altogether a different situation! We've not encountered this lack of information in planning trips to other places. Any ideas welcome...

Not sure what you mean by "changing flights." The Aegean flight(s) would likely be totally separate from your other one(s). There are lots of islands and things to see on them. I'm sure you can find other delightful options.

The advice to use this year's scheduling to rough plan for next year is good. Things are a bit more laid back in Greece and patience is needed.

We spent a month in Greece in the fall of 2014 and it was the most complicated trip I have ever planned in terms of transportation. Directly relevant to your question, I chose to fly from Athens to Santorini because the ferry takes so long and the flight is so short.

The rest of the trip over water was done on ferries, both fast and slow. Even the fast ones slow down if the sea is rough, so you don't want to schedule things too tightly.

By early may 2107 you may be too old to make the trip.

Seriously, one method you might consider to plan all your Ferry trips would be to contact one of the travel agencies listed on Matt Barrett's excellent Greece Travel website. I used one of them on my last trip to the islands, and they provided outstanding service, and arranged all Ferries, transfers, hotels and other details. It was a very "easy" travel experience.

Don't give up on Delos just yet. The tourist season has been extending for the last several years. May is now a busy month and if there's enough demand there will be an excursion offered from Naxos to Delos.

As regards day excursions, this informativ website http://visit-cyclades.com/day-cruises/naxos-cruises gives all the basics. but if you want to know specifics, as regards WHEN they're likely to start, this e-mail [email protected] at the bottom of the page is the Real Deal. She's apparently office-mgr of this outfit, and e-mails back promptly with specifics, very helpful and candid ... gives u good basis for planning.