Greek Islands with Kids - July 2024

You trying to do way too much. You are talking about 3-4 locations in 9 or 10 days. You lose at least a half day traveling. And going from island to island takes more work than you think and I haven’t done it with pretty young children.

Can you extend your trip? 9 or 10 days is not very long for the effort involved to get to Greece. How many nights in Greece is this actually? Does the 9 or 10 days include travel?

Most Greek vets recommend traveling to first island by plane the same day as arriving in Athens. Then return to Athens at the end of your trip. I have done it on one ticket and on a separate ticket. Both work but on one ticket can be more efficient because can book a tighter connection than can on separate tickets.

We went to Naxos on our first trip to Greece and spent 4 nights. We would have liked 5. Next trip went to Crete where we spent 11 nights and there was still much more to see.

You might consider going to Crete and Athens only. You could go to multiple places on Crete a lot easier than to another island.

I agree with Beth, you are attempting too much in a short period of time especially with two kids. We traveled to England and Ireland with our grand kids last July for 3 weeks. The one big takeaway with kids was spending more time in one location rather than moving every couple of days. Spend some time in Athens, there’s lots to see and do and then visit one of the islands but fly with kids. It’s probably 8 hours on the ferry from Athens to Crete and almost 4 from Athens to Naxos.

As Beth suggested, for such a short travel time.(9 or 10 days?) don't hope to go to more than two islands, otherwise it won't be a vacation but a series of trips from point A to point B, which makes no sense in the Greek islands where the principle is to enjoy landscapes, beaches, villages, and not to pack and unpack your bags every 2 nights.

Day 1: arrive at Athens airport, take a flight the same day to the first island (example: Naxos). Stay 4 nights in Naxos.

Day 5: take a ferry to Paros, stay 4 nights in Paros

Day 9: take a ferry to Athens, stay one night in Athens

Day 10: fly home.

Add one or two nights and you will enjoy Athens more

You could swap Paros and Naxos but if you return by ferry to Athens, the Paros→Piraeus trip is a little shorter (around 2h50 by Highspeed ferry) than the Naxos→Piraeus trip.

Paros ↔ Naxos is less than an hour by ferry.

we could fly back out of Athens, Crete, etc. I do not want to backtrack.?

The other option would indeed be to go only to Crete.

In summer there are also daily flights from Crete to most European capitals. You could find a return flight Crete→US via a city in Europe.

Thanks for the feedback.
With our time, would it be realistic then to fly into Crete and out of Athens.

--- Crete (3 nights)
--- Naxos or Paros (4 nights): Day trip to either Naxos or Paros, Would it be possible to see Milos as well?
--- Athens (2 nights): Acropolis, Parthenon, Panathenaic Stadium

Thanks again.

Your plan is not compatible with your initial message: "we would want to utilize the quickest option. We do not want to be on a ferry for several hours at a time (3 or less)."

If you go to Crete it will take between 4 and 5.5 hours by ferry to go to Naxos or Paros

Moreover, it is on the largest island (Crete) that you stay the shortest.

Taking a day trip to Paros from Naxos or vice versa is possible,
On the other hand, going to Milos from Paros or Naxos is less common due to the location of Milos in the Western Cyclades.

But once again, by only staying 4 nights on an island, that only leaves you 3 full days. It's allready too short to see just one island. Why spend 1/3 of that time to see another island which you won't really be able to visit either given the short time you will stay .

Regarding Athens, the Acropolis is the hill on which the Parthenon is located. So it's the same visit. You will need to pre-book a visit time slot and respect it. Visit the Acropolis as early as possible to avoid the crowds and the heat as it can be over 100F in Athens in July.

The Panathenaic Stadium is not in the same area as the Acropolis but it can be reached easily by taxi or bus if you are staying in a hotel in the Acropolis area.

If you want to do Crete and Athens, you can fly both ways. Otherwise, it is true that Crete is furthest away and not very amenable to a short trip that involves a ferry. But it has enough variety on it, that you do not need to visit other islands. If you want to visit multiple islands, I would not include Crete.

If you stay two nights on and island, you have one day there.

I would agree that just Crete on its own is plenty for 9-10 days. Just fly there as directly as possible. You could stay in 2 different locations if you wanted to.

Athens in July will be boiling hot.

Hi, we just returned from our trip to Mykonos and Santorini with our two kids (11, 13). We did four nights on each. We chose those islands because it was much cheaper to fly there compared to Athens (but I believe that's atypical; we just found a deal). I realize they might not interest you, but I'm just using our itinerary as a baseline. The ferry ride was 2.5 hours (and VERY rough).

I second the feedback that traveling via ferry is harder than it sounds, at least for first-timers. It's not "hard" per se, but it involves transportation to the port, waiting around the port, etc. Also, if your family is anything like mine, relocating is a huge pain. Since your kids are probably too young to help move, all of this becomes a bigger factor. I remember asking my wife "Can you imagine doing this in the summer?"

So, 1-2 islands is a probably a good call, especially if Athens is involved. Feel free to DM me!

Thank you for the information and feedback. With all the factors taken into account, we probably will just fly into Crete, staying at least seven nights. With at least one week there, would we be able to stay in two different places or only one place? We want to avoid touristy crowded areas. We would love to experience the beautiful beaches, local foods, scenery, and take short hikes. What place(s) would you recommend my family of four stay at? We prefer a resort, hotel or B&B that is very close to the sea. We will rent a car too.
Thanks again.

...would we be able to stay in two different places or only one place?

You could stay in two different places, but I'd advise against it. By the time your relocation is complete, you will have used up at least three quarters of the day, and will probably be so tired you'll not want to do anything else that day. Just something to consider.

Thank you all again for the feedback.
If it is easier with the unpacking / packing, we are open to stay in only one base. However, our family has been traveling to Europe for six years now (with kids) so we can handle the logistics of any type of trip.

Would it make sense to stay more towards the northwest side of the island? The beaches and Gorge of Samaria look amazing. If we did stay in the northwest, would it make sense to fly into and out of Chania? If flights are a lot cheaper into and out of Heraklion, would the drive be very long? Or should two bases then be recommended as we have about 6-7 days.
Thanks again.

I Recommend you fly in to CHANIA & back out the same way. You'll be flying into/out of Athens... and most domestic flights to CHANIA or HERAKLION are same fare .. and you want to minimize logistics. FOr your family needs & convenience, I recommend that you say just outside of Chania, just off a good beach, with a good local bus that can get you into Old Town Chania in 15 mins or so, for sightseeing shopping etc. This way, you only need rent a car for longer-distance advanturing.
Here's a good online Map of Crete to show you all the road networks AND the terrain (Mountains!) -- very important when you consider day-trips: https://www.explorecrete.com/crete-maps/images/Crete-eot.png

ACCOMODATION - there are many villages/beaches on Crete North Shore that have become "package-tour 'hives'" with packs of Europe holiday-makers -- but there are some places more diverse. A family-friendly hotel/apt complex option I've found for familiies like your is just off Ag. Marina beach West of Chania (see map) -- called Golden Sand. This isn't their website - http://www.travel-to-crete.com/hotels/chrissiakti/goldensand/ -- but I like the compact way it describes the facility. Its just 200 yards from a Great Beach, has family apartments, a pool, cafe, recreation area etc. Right near a bus stop to CHANIA Family-owned run ... Not fancy but VERY convenient. Trip Advisor has GOOD reviews from families. If I were you I'd write an email DIRECT to owner (as listed on site) and give your dates & requirements &ask avaiilability. TIPI: it always a great idea to write a polite letter full of enthusiasm for the island, and for what you read about their place -- for Greeks, the lodging business is personal, and they respond very well to appreciation.

ADVENTURES - u could do a 1-day car rental if you wanted to do a gorge walk, but remember July could be VERY Hot -- over 90*. Check weather forecast... and do NOT do Samaria - IMBROS gorge is gorgeous, and NOT crowded, and only a 3-4 hour walk vs 7+... OK for your kids (TIP: do bring foldable hiking sticks, or make some from local shrubs/trees... goge paths are largely ROCK, size of softballs, & you need sticks just for balance). CHANIA OLD TOWN - lots to see & do and a FAB Naval museum (w full-size re-creation of a 3-tiered ancient rowing galley!!).. also many oldnarrow lanes to explore. Here are pix by a RS top contributor and photo ace --

WESTERN CRETE - https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632115757899/
CHANIA - https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632117917828

Hello Tar Heel Traveler - I'm also a fellow Tar Heel '94 (husband too). While I live in Vienna, we went as a family to Crete in the Spring and loved it. We flew into Chania (amazing, but agreed that Rethimno was more amazing). We rented a car and stayed in two locations - in Chania in a beautiful old townhouse one block from the harbor (airbnb) and Villa Ariadne in the small village of Maza. We made trips each day from Maza to the beaches and hiking, but came back to dinner every night at Maza Cafeneion, a restaurant with no menu. Best day trip was Balos Beach. If you ever come to Vienna, we are the family walking around with our Carolina hats on. Go Heels!

Emily you mentioned family, did you also travel with young children? Info about keeping them happy is always valuable! Also, did you do all that in a week, or were you lucky enough to have 2 weeks? PS my son's been in Greensboro since college - 25 years - but friends still call him Yankee Boy....

Janet - our kids (ages 11 and 18) were with us. We did 7 nights (2 in Chania and 5 in Maza). Our day trips from Maza included Rethimno, Balos Beach, Elafonissi Beach and Preveli Beach. Otherwise we just hung out at our house and pool.

A different idea:

Stay in Chania for 4 nights and go to Sougia for 3. Sougia is on southwest coast of Crete. It is a beach town but not an upscale one. It has wonderful restaurants though. We went the in 2022 as did my son and his girlfriend. It captured all of our hearts. We met many people who return year after year.

The beach is composed of large pebbles not sand though so will need water shoes. The water is gorgeous. There is a water taxi you can take to a different beach (we hiked there and took water taxi back). You also could take ferry to Agia Roumeli and hike a bit of the Samarian Gorge trail. We hiked a good part of the trail from the bottom which would be much better with children as it avoids the steepest part and you can turn around when you want.

We took the bus which was easy and allows you to enjoy the view through the mountains.

Thanks for all the tips and information. We are very close to making the decision to visit Crete. It looks amazing!
So for flights, I usually book 4-6 months out from the trip. With the the trip about 7 months out, the prices appear to be very expensive, compared to my other European Travels. We would prefer to have one stop, if possible. We can fly out of any airport in North Carolina (ILM, RDU, etc.). I prefer to fly into Chania, but if I can save money, Heraklion would work too.
What are your thoughts and suggestions?

Thanks again.