First Time Itinerary Help

You can visit Delos from Naxos as well, so skip Mykonos unless you absolutely have to go there. Add that day to Naxos.

Check to make sure that you can drop car in THessaloniki without a HUGE drop fee. Greece is not USA ... there are few big networks of agencies with fleets of cars constantly going back/forth. Often agency must send a SECOND car (with 2 drivers) in order to pick up a dropped rental... so pick-up fee is major. Some change in recent years, best bets may be int'l firms like Avis, budget etc.

U may not get as much response on this forum regarding Corfu, Parga etc, since Ionian islands are much more a UK & German thing (historic reasons plus extensive package-holiday buildup). At end of trip, suggest flight rather than ferry... w advance planning, tix costs not too different & big time savings (45 mins vs 4-6 hrs).

I think the pace is a little rushed, but that is a personal preference--nothing looks unrealistic.
I take much shorter trips but try to stay at least four nights as much as possible, and you don't get that until day 16. You do say you like a packed itinerary so maybe all the two-night stays don't catch up with you the way they do me.
I have a planned trip for northern Greece, and all I can see is all the things you might miss as you cover such a large area. But I understand why someone would try to pack it all in in case they don't get to return to Greece.

Good suggestions! I checked auto Europe and with one way fees a mini automatic is about $900 for 11 days, steep but doable. Will definitely drop Mykonos and add a day in Naxos if it works. Looked like the only way by ferry to Delos is through Mykonos and figured a flight from there back to Athens would be more likely than from Naxos, thus the only reason I figured we would overnight in Mykonos. In our first itinerary we had both Corfu and Crete but eliminated Crete because we would only have 3 days there and the island is so large I figured we would have to rent a car there. Also the length of the trip was tipping on 28-30 days. We could swap out Corfu for Crete if that is a better choice. My husband does love Italy and the Venetian influence in Corfu and the smaller size of the island is what drew me to consider it. More suggestions please!

While I love Santorini, I would drop one night from Santorini and add it to Naxos , especially if you will do the day trip to Delos from Naxos. I don’t think you have enough time on Naxos. So 3 nights on Santorini and 4 nights on Naxos.

You could then fly from Naxos back to Athens. A short flight, about 45 minutes.

For your last night (after flying back to Athens from Naxos), book the Avra Hotel in Rafina. It has free hourly shuttles to/from the Athens airport and is a short walk to many tavernas at the port. It’s fun way to spend your last night in Greece, rather than at a sterile airport hotel. Request the shuttle when you book the room.

Again, great ideas! Keep 'em coming!

Note that some car rental companies do not allow you to take the car on the ferry, or with additional insurance costs.
Check with rental companies before renting a car.

That said if you no longer go to Corfu, the problem is solved.

There is a good local car rental company with offices in Athens AND Thessaloniki.
I think they have automatic shift (they only have Fords)
Contact https://capitalrent.gr/index.php/en
They can bring you the car to your hotel free of charge (or to the airport) and you can return it to Thessaloniki airport.
It will be much cheaper than what you found at Auto Europe which at 900€ for 11 days is outrageous.

I agree with the other members to remove 1 day from Santorini and eliminate Mykonos from your itinerary.
Zastours for example ( https://zastours.com/) organizes tours to Delos from the port of Naxos (with a stopover in Mykonos)

Be careful, you have planned to return to Athens on the 23rd while your return flight is on the 24th at 8:00 am.
It's a bit risky planning to take the ferry on the 23rd. In case of ferry problem due to bad weather or other, you will have no chance to take your return flight the next morning.
Taking a Naxos-Athens flight would be safer.

I agree with dropping a night in Santorini & adding it to Naxos. Santorini after all is mainly about the Famous View & after you've sat on your balcony for awhile, drinking wine & gazing at the caldera.. what next???. Stay at cliffside in Firostephani, then bus or taxi to OIA early in the morning to enjoy & take pix (the cruise ship mobs flood in @ 10am and cramjam every lane). When cruisers & packaage-tour armies invade, YOU leave... & see rest of Island (it's only 12 mi long). WIneries have great views for sunset viewing without crowds. Then skedaddle to Naxos ... biggest isle in Cyclades, has been idyllic for decades, now alas being discovered, so enjoy before it gets "touricized" like Santorini. If u want Delos, Naxos has a day-excursion there.

Take a day or more away from Santorini, add to Naxos.

I would recommend you pick up car as soon as you arrive and drive directly to Delphi. It's only two hours and it gives you a great head start. Athens proper is some distance from the airport and you are required to be there on day 24 anyway, so save Athens for the last two nights.
You cannot drive from Delphi to Parga and not go to Meteora (or Igoumenitsa to Thessaloniki, for that matter).

The above is totally doable but you're going to be passing by countless treasures and sacrificing much more time than it seems in getting to all those islands. I strongly recommend that you consider tightening this circle up considerably. Don't drive right by a jewel to get to a pre-conception of something better.