Greece itinerary?---

The FIRST rule for efficient itinerary, minimizing backtracking is NOT to go into Athens 2x, wastes precious hours, and since you will need to be in Athens (or a hotel near airport) the night BEFORE your homebound flight --- it makes sense to do Athens LAST. Other reasons (1) more fun to get over jet lag on an island and (2) when you've been "in country" for 9-10 days, you'll be hip to Greek ways of doing things & equipped to tackle a large modern city and (3) when y ou've visited ancient sites, soaked up some history, the famous Athens landmarks & museum treasures will resonate SO much more. Ok Athens Last. Here's a basic Scenario

DAY 1 - ASAP connect to flight to SANTORINI (50 mins vs 8-9 hrs ferry). Yes, $$$ but time is money too. It's All about the Famous Caldera View, so stay near the rim (I recommend Firostephani -- it's walkable to Fira Town, easy busride to famous Oia, but it is bypassed by bus tours & HUUUGE cruise crowds, so it's serene day & night). Santorini is costly & not "representative" so enjoy the view, avoid the throngs, and after 2 nights, take a 10:45 Champion Jet fast ferry or a 3:15 Blue Star regular ferry (both have open decks for pix-taking on departure) to y our Next Island ----

DAY 3 -- NAXOS or PAROS - both have history, beaches, nightlife, not mobbed in May, Naxos has more dramatic inland landscapes (mountains, marble, many hillside villages), but it's up to YOU to do homework & decide -- we can advise, but not substitute for your own research effort. Either one is worth staying 4 full days!

DAY 7?8? -- Fly in AM to ATH Airport (ferries eat up a precious day -- UNLESS you take the evening Blue Star 6 or 7pm - midnight). If you Fly, u can rent car @ Airport and drive 2.5 hours on Greeces' MOST modern intercity road to NAFPLIO, best base for your Ancient-Sites "Ruin-o-Rama". To minimize backtracking, save Epidaurus for your departure day, and hit it in the AM, en route back to ATHENS.... try to arrive ATH hotel by afternoon Sat 5/18, latest since you leave on 5/22 & Athens NEED at least 3 days... plan what you need/want to see & judge accordingly.

HYDRA -- I would skip it this trip -- R. Steves books/programs etc always Plug Hydra because it's on his tours, or it's an easy daytrip for his tours that are all-mainland, so people can say they've done an island... but if you hit 2 Cycladic isles as above, Hydra will not be a biggie for you.

OOOPS! I overlooked Delphi! In that case, I would say -- FLY to NAXOS, and just do a day-trip to Santorini, if you want to say you've seen it (all your cruise-ship friends will say Did u See Santorini?) ... that way you save a day & a half ... thus, when you fly back to ATH airport, and drive to Nafplio, on way BACK, you can hang a LEft, after re-crossing the Corinth Canal & go to delphi late afternoon. Check into a hotel, see the museum at 5 or 6 pm (it wil be EMPTY), and nex morning at 8 AM, enter the ruins site. You'll have 2+ hours before the bus-tours invade, plenty of time to enjoy site. THen drive back to ATH as before. You can either drop car at Airport & take a X95 bus OR the Metro to your Central Athens Hotel.

I would decide on just one island experience, given your available time and desire to minimize hotel changes.

Joe, that is what I was suggesting .... just stay on NAXOS ... and do a day-trip to Santorini on the HM Alexander... no change of hotel.