Greece - Advice on itinerary dilemma

My reaction to the van tour of the classical sites would be the same as yours--and I am not even a beach person. I've been to Greece three times and have managed to avoid Delphi, Mycenae, etc. So I say: Do your own thing. Greece is safe as long as you don't do something stupid like get blind drunk and wander down dark alleys at 2 AM.

I’d break away. A van tour doesn’t sound that appealing to me either.

I was in Naxos this year and loved it. Lovely beaches and wonderful mountain villages. I would feel very comfortable going there as a single woman.

It is a reasonable ferry ride to Santorini too.

I would fly to Naxos though.

We all loved the hotel we stayed in Naxos-Kymata. Hotel was nice enough but what was wonderful was the people at the front desk. They were so helpful-ordered take out for us to be delivered ect. It would be the kind of place I would want to go to if I was traveling alone.

We were in Greece in May and went to Delphi, Meteora, and Olympia and also Santorini. We spent three days in Santorini and that was plenty for us. It is a beautiful place and we loved where we stayed. We also loved Delphi, Meteora, and Olympia. We did a private tour of those three and it took three days. If you are interested in D, M, or O, then maybe you could do your own day trip to one of those and then spend your other time in Santorini or another island.

I am not a beach person. I live 10 miles from the Mediterranean and haven't seen it since October when I flew over it to Morocco. In fact I think I see it more from the air in any given year than on the ground. I love history and archaeological sites and there are many good ones - biblical, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Ottoman, none Greek though - that I can and do drive to in 2-3 hours. I visit as many as I can when I go to Europe.

2 years ago I took the RS tour to the Peloponnese and loved it. We went to a lot of ancient ruins that were interesting but not really very impressive by my standards (yeah I know that's snooty). Many of them had small museums with very good collections, but none as good as the National Archaeology Museum (I went twice) and the Acropolis Museum in Athens. I thought the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora were much more impressive and in better condition. What I loved the most in the Peloponnese were the seaside towns and villages. I could happily have spent days alternately walking along the shore and sitting on the beach! When I think of Greece, I think of the white stucco buildings and blue, blue ocean That wasn't in my head before I went, but now it's my major memory of Greece.

My tour guide said that the only place you have to worry at all about safety is in Athens and then you just need to be vigilant against petty theft. Santorini is high on my list I'm also female and older than you. I had no fears or unpleasantness anywhere in Athens on my own, even late at night.

Go to Santorini!

I was in Santorini last April and found it very touristy. The beaches were not the kind I am used to. More rocky and less sandy.
It was too cold for us to swim. Crete had some lovely beaches with sand.

I don’t understand your itinerary. If you are going to Corfu for a week you will have plenty of lovely beach time there. Santorini is a spectacular island for it’s scenic views but not great beaches. You don’t say how many days the van tour is. It covers many sites and there are significant distances between those sites. Hopefully they don’t spend more time driving than exploring.

Greek beaches are unique and wonderful. Every beach is different. The water in September is pleasantly warm and beautifully clean and clear. I think there is a higher salinity in the Mediterranean so it’s easier to float. But you have to get away from the greater Athens area. All around the Peloponnesian peninsula there are good beaches. Yes, enjoy the sea!

Heya Soozmoose!
Like the previous poster, I too am a little fuzzy on the itinerary; can you clarify it a bit?
We spent 2 weeks in Greece this past September, and the weather was ideal, so you should be in for some great beach time!

If you are spending a week on Corfu, you should get plenty of beach opportunities there.
My ideal Greek island mental image was the same as what you described: deep blue sky, azure waters, accenting crisp white Cycladic buildings (with a healthy sprinkle of blue-domed churches too!). Well, book a caldera-view room on Santorini, and drink in the views to your heart’s content, that’s what we did. We spent 2 & 1/2 days there, and loved every minute of it!

However, we also squeezed in 2 days to visit Meteora, and it, along with our time on Santorini, were the highlights of an otherwise amazing trip!!

Bottom line? 1)Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t trade the Meteora memories for anything.

2) Maybe take a day or 2 from the Corfu time, and add it to Santorini, to bask in that Cycladic dream. We heard Red beach, on the south shore, is beautiful!

3) Enjoy as much beach time when you do go to Corfu.
Regardless, have an amazing time!!

Get away from the van with one of the other single females in your group and head to the beach/Santorini! There are archaeological sites there as well. Consider going to just Meteora or one must see mainland sight, then spend the rest of your time the way you envision. You won't regret it.