Does anyone have suggestions for spending 2-days in either Myknonos or Santorini during first week of November? The ferry routes are showing as not scheduled. We are hoping to experience one or two islands as part of a broader Greece tour in early November.
Thank you,
MS
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3008 posts
Because of seasonal weather changes, in late October many of the ferries to the islands stop running. By November, the majority of hotels and restaurants close as the weather fizzles out for beaches ( Off Santorini the water temp
averages 68-71 degrees in November). Of the ferries that still run, rough seas can cause their cancellation. You likely will need to fly to Santorini or Mykonos if you want to keep your itinerary intact,
You also could go to one of the islands much closer to Piraeus in 1-2 hours by catamaran/ferry. These include Hydra, Aegina, Poros, and Spetses, Aegina can be reached in 40 minutes.
The beachfront town of Nafplio is a good alternative.
Posted by
victoria, Canada
11540 posts
I’d choose an island that has more of a year round population - by November as noted , many small business close and the owners go back to mainland for winter - since there are so few tourists then .
However an island like Syros , which is in fact the administrative capital of the Cyclades islands and has a year round population might be a good choice. It’s not far from Piraeus , and has a very pretty town with the Venetian influence on the buildings.
Posted by
Canada
1 posts
Hey @mbsanders,
I was in Santorini this past November (November 14-18, 2024). I flew into the island on Sky Express. They have a couple of flights per day and it was fairly reasonably priced. The flight also only takes about 45 minutes.
It was lovely being in Santorini off peak season. The restaurants the locals enjoy are still open (like Metaxi Mas and Kokkalo), hotels are more affordable (I was able to snag a villa with a hot tub and had I gone even in shoulder season that would have been over my budget), and there are still lots of activities to do. I went on a guided tour to the wineries, took a boat tour around the caldera and got to explore the volcano, went to the Museum of Prehistoric Thira, walked the Fira to Oia hike, went to the site of Ancient Thira, and Akrotiri Archaeological Site. I would suggest staying in Fira since it is where more locals live, so it is also easier to find restaurants open.
Posted by
425 posts
off-season Ferry schedules are only published a month or two beforehand FYI