Greece - input on some options appreciated - update: change of plans

Jean,

I agree that destinations are excellent but you do need to consider pace. Both Paris and Naxos are good island destinations but you have only 2 nights in each. If you were going on your own, I would certainly suggest consolidating your stay into one island.

The Rick Steve’s tour goes deeper into the Mani Peninsula than the Gate 1 tour. That is a trade off I think for the visits to Paros and Naxos.

Greece is more challenging than Italy to travel with public transportation. The trains are very limited and bus schedules are not always convenient for tourists. For that reason, it is a good place to take a tour if you do not want to drive. Greece is wonderful so I think no matter which trip you take you will enjoy it.

Thank you, BethFL! I do wish the Gate1 was moving slightly slower. Since the zero cost single supplement is expiring in two days, I decided to go for it. I will arrange my own flights and arrive a few days early. I am also tentatively planning to stay an extra week to spend more time on some islands. The tour’s last day is taking the ferry back to Athens, so I will omit that ferry and stay on the islands.

Time to begin learning some Greek language! ; )

Just like BethFL I recommend that you stay longer on the islands. 2 nights on Paros or Naxos is just one full day, which is too short. Over the years I stayed several weeks on Paros and Naxos and have not fully explored them.

So for you I don't see the point in traveling thousands of kilometers and spending money to stay on an island for such a short time. Taking a few extra days is the best thing you can do. Make sure to return to Athens at least the day before your return flight.

For learning basic Greek, check out my old friends at Easy Greek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYtqqfJdeIs&ab

Look at the text in Greek and note that the important thing is to pronounce the tonic accent where there is the accented letter.

For example:

Kalispéra (good morning)

The tonic accent is on the é

So where does the tour end? On Naxos or Paros? Both are worth more time so I would start by spending more time on whichever you end on.

And where does the tour start? Athens? How many nights does the tour spend there? You can see the highlights with three or four nights but of course there are many more things to see.

Since you don’t wish to drive, I think a tour for the mainland and visiting an island or two independently gives you the most bang for your buck.

Hello Jean,

We leave on Wednesday, 9/18/24, on the Gate1 tour you speak of. We have traveled with Rick, and on Gate 1 many times, and I like them both. I can let you know when we get back how we liked the tour, but you will have had to make your decision by then.
I do wish we had more time on the islands, but I am looking at it as an intro to Greece tour, and there are thousands of Greek islands to visit......

Cathy

Cathy, I would love to hear how you like this tour after you’re finished and back home again! I went ahead last night and booked it. I have the tight time restrictions and didn’t want to take a chance on the May RS tour not opening for a single supplement traveler.

JoLui, thank you for your reply! Very helpful!

The tour begins in Athens. I will plan to arrive at least two days early - both for jet lag and also just in case any flights have delays. …and to try out my Greek tourist language words. : ). I will have a buffer day or two there at the end for logistics.

The tour’s last island is Naxos, and then the group takes a long ferry back to Athens for the finale dinner. I will have to skip the final dinner because it makes much more sense to stay on Naxos island longer and then ferry to another island, adding an extra week to my trip. Knowing I have a week of complete freedom at the end will also reduce any frustration of too little non-group time, if the tour itinerary is run pretty tight.

This is exciting! 1st time in Greece!

Jean — I think you’ve made a great decision. You have several options from Naxos. Definitely stay on Naxos for 3-4 more nights, and use one of those days for a daytrip to Mykonos & Delos. And maybe another day for a daytrip to Santorini. Check the cruise ship schedules to see how many ships are in port in both places before booking.

Then ferry to nearby Amorgos for 2-3 nights, for a totally different experience. There are two ports to choose from — we went to Katapola & loved it. We stayed at Porto Katapola hotel, right on the port, with a huge balcony overseeing the water. Wonderful personable owner. And very inexpensive. Little tavernas lining the port. The impressive Hozoviotissa monastery to visit.

The day before your flight home, take an early morning ferry back to Naxos & then ferry or fly back to Athens. We like staying in Rafina at the Avra hotel. There’s a free shuttle to & from airport that you need to reserve in advance. It’s a nice little port with tavernas to enjoy your last night in Greece. I can pretty much guarantee you will be returning.

Like Charlene, I had also thought of Amorgos. But I wouldn’t do it after spending more time on Naxos but before. Ever since we had ferries cancelled because of a strike, I have been paranoid to count on a ferry close to time for an international flight. I would also fly back to Athens instead of taking the ferry. Storms can also disrupt ferries.

I have stayed at same hotel as Charlene and also liked it because you can walk around and get a last meal by the sea.

Personally, I wouldn’t spend my Naxos time taking day trips to other islands as there is much to see on Naxos. We spent four nights there and really would have liked more time.

Another way to do it is to stay on Naxos first and then move to another island with an airport for a second island stay. Amorgos does not have an airport. You would need to stay within the Cyclades island group.

I agree with Charlene: you definitely want to get back to the mainland at least a day before your flight as ferries are sometimes cancelled for strikes or bad weather.

That’s a good point, BethFL & Marty!

These are the locations where I stay during the itinerary with the Gate 1 tour, so I can’t go to a different island until I have been at Naxos. But, after the two nights at Naxos, I could go anywhere.

I am planning to skip the 4+ hr. ferry ride back to Athens and just stay on some islands for several nights before a flight back to Athens or Paris, or Amsterdam for a couple of days. If I chose Amsterdam or Paris, that would be one less airport connection (2 instead of 3) for my final flight day back home.

2 nights Athens
1 night Olympia
2 nights Monemvasia
2 nights Nauplion
(Includes short flight to Mykonos before staying…). 2 nights Paros
2 nights Naxos (4+ hr ferry back to Athens)
1 night Athens

Before going any further in thinking where do to fly into, check to see what islands you can fly from and get to Paris or Amsterdam. I am thinking that you likely will have to connect in Athens. So it may not help as much as much as you hope.

But maybe it would be less grueling trip if you spend a couple nights in Paris or Amsterdam.

I did that flying from Sardinia last year. I flew to London and then spent two nights before flying home.

Hi BethFL, I won’t book any flights for several months, but it looks like Transavia has a nonstop each day from Santorini to Paris Orly. They offer 2/week to Amsterdam which is too sporadic when I would be taking my international flight a few days later.

EasyJet also has some direct daily options to London Gatwick, too.

Jean, I did the RS Greece tour this past May and it was amazing. I loved the mix of lots of history and ancient sites, then ending up on Hydra for the beautiful island experience. Reading about all of your travels, I feel you definitely will want the amazing history and antiquities as well as the island vibe. It looks like this Gate 1 tour gives you both. One of our solo travelers spoke highly of the Gate 1 tours she had taken. I hadn’t heard of the company before.

Our tour ended May 24 and I felt like we were lucky to be leaving then as the amount of fellow tourists were really growing. And I was so impressed with the Greek people we dealt with, so kind and welcoming and when you use Greek their faces would light up, they really appreciated the effort. And an easy language, it isn’t!

You will love it!

Santorini does have flights to other European airports. My brother in law flew from Dulles via Munich to Santorini.

I wasn’t sure that you were thinking of visiting Santorini which is why I said something about flights. You can take a ferry easily from Naxos to Santorini.

Even though I think you would love Amorgos, the logistics now point to Santorini as a good choice for you to visit after Naxos.

It’s crowded and expensive, but Santorini is a uniquely beautiful place. And if you do a search of this forum, you’ll find many tips on how to make the most of your visit.

Then it’s an easy flight to your connecting city in Europe.

I have decided to change my plans for next May. 2025 is the year I need to be kind to myself. I am going back to my most recent happy place - the Puglia region of Italy.

I will leave this post instead of delete it since it could be helpful for others, and maybe in a future year for my travels,