Hi All,
We would like your help in planning a 5 day itinerary for Greece islands.
We have already booked the flight to and from Athens .
22 jun - flight Arrive Athens at 14.45 PM
28th jun - Flight departs Athens at 13.45 PM
We want to fill the days in between. santorini is a must .
Thanks a ton for your reaponse .
Five days is really not enough to island hop and split between islands. Pick an island and spend your time there. Why Santorini? It's one of the heavily touristed and expensive islands to visit even for June.
What are you looking for in a Greek Island Experience?
If I am reading your itinerary correct you have June 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 free which is the five days. Are you planning on returning to Athens on the 28 and flying out the same day? If so you are pushing your luck. Most people recommend returning to Athens at least one day before departure in case of delays, cancellations or strikes.
A little more research on your part and/or more info can help you make better choices.
Fly out straight to Santorini on the 22nd. Give yourselves at least 2 hours to make the connection via Aegean Airlines or RyanAir. Save your time on the mainland for the end of your trip so you aren't scrambling back at the last minute for your flight home. Cancellations due to unforseen circumstances do happen once in awhile. There is plenty to see and do on Santorini for several days. Not all hotels are expensive. Use the filter system at www.booking.com to see what you can find within your budget with the sort of location and facilities/services you require. There are also plenty of self-catering accomodations available.
I have just about wrapped up my planning for our trip to Greece and can share some nuggets of wisdom I have gleaned in the process. First of all, many folks warn that you should spend the night before departure in Athens. There are too many unpredictable variables that can prevent you from making your flight home if you stay elsewhere, assuming you're catching an international flight, not an intra-EU one.
You may be able to catch a flight to Santorini the day you arrive, but be sure to allow plenty of time for clearing immigration. A 2:45 arrival doesn't mean that you are even in the terminal by that time. June is high season, so the passport control lines may be long. (Our flight arrives in the evening, so we're sleeping at an airport hotel and continuing on the next morning.).
5 days isn't much time. My suggestion is that, in addition to Santorini, you choose a destination in the Peloponnesus, which will put you close to Athens. Napflio is one charming choice. I've also read some positive things about Aegina.
Before making any unchangeable plans, do check out the transportation questions. Some islands are much harder to get to or much more expensive to get to than others.
Well if Santorini is a must then I would suggest you immediately fly to Santorini on arrival in Athens. There are several flights after you arrive. The 17:15 is probably the most practical but if you wait a couple of hour more you will get a much better fare. Return flight will cost about 472 euros return for two. You can significantly cut that cost if you take early morning or late night flights. Look at Aegean airlines web site for times and fares.
On Santorini you will find everything is very expensive. You are paying all that money for the views of the caldera. This is the place to stretch your budget make sure you have a caldera view.
I would get back to Athens at least the day before your return flight. Two would be even better. Athens around the Acropolis area is well worth two days.
Santorini http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632154800782/
Athens http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632121475515/
Two days on Santorini to see the view, then to Paros or Naxos for a more Greek experience. Is there any way you add some time to this beautiful country?
If you want a caldera view on Santorini yes, you'll pay top dollar for that. But if not, there are plenty of affordable hotels all over the island. It just depends on your budget and your requirements. For example, I'm seeing lots of nice hotels with large swimming pools in the village of Karterados for around €50/night. There is a bus that passes through Karterados that would take you to the beach going one direction and into Fira going the other direction, either in only about 15 minutes.
Map of the island: www.motorinn.gr/santorini-map
My daughter and her friends ( young broke backpackers) rented a place in Kamari..not on caldera.. but near a beach.. it was pretty cheap for Santorini..
Five days.. um. that doesn't really allow much island hopping.. but if Santorini is a must., then do it and Naxos.. we loved Naxos..
And yes, spend night before international flight home from Athens.. by airport or in Athens..
Hi All,
thanks for your response. Please find my plan below :
22nd : Reach athens in afternoon . evening flight to paros.
23,24 - stay in Paros
24- ferry to Santorini's
24,25,26,- santorini
27 - fly to athens .
27- Athens
28 th fly back
Enough with the Santorini already.
Sorry, not your fault but I've read 50 different Greece questions tonight and every single one includes Santorini.
It's like saying, "I have five days in the USA. Las Vegas is a must." Then go to Las Vegas for five days.
There's more to Greece than Santorini . . . what everyone thinks when planning a Greek Island Experience. I would recommend to do a lot more research on Greece and Greek Islands.
You'll discover far more traditional and more local-flavored places to go.
If you have planned on Santorini without doing research on the rest of the country you may miss out on what Greece has to offer other than the tourist-oriented Greece.
Paros and Santorini are good companion islands. You will get an authentic Greek experience in Paros and the bargain prices then on to Santorini for the views crowds and excitement. I think vagabond is making the most of a very limited amount of time.
