Greek Isles October suggestions please

I like exploring scenic villages, easy hikes, history, archaeology.

You sound like you want to take it easy and not feel like you have to explore a huge island within a few days, yet have enough interesting things to do, though not necessarily world class scenery or culture - do I get that right?

In that case, I'd probably choose smaller islands that don't seem as overwhelming as Crete or Rhodes which, to me, almost feel like countries in themselves.

Which islands have you seen on your first tour? Have you been to Santorini? If not, I'd recommend that - it's spectacular, it has all of the above (villages, hikes, history, archaeology), and it's not too large to explore in a couple of days. You might add one or two of the other Cyclades islands to that. For archaeology, choose Mykonos (and Delos). For hiking, Paros or Naxos.

The major Cyclades islands all have a pretty reliable bus system so you wouldn't need a car.

The weather should be quite pleasant in October, though there is a chance of rain.

October can be decent weather or it can be really awful, as I discovered a few years ago - wet and windy.

Santorini is like a Greek Disneyland, so wouldn’t be my choice. Most people on this forum only seem to visit their and Mykonos/Naxos, so no doubt you will get lots of recommendations for this combo!

You could visit Crete and have 2 bases here, as it’s a large island with plenty to keep you occupied for weeks.

Alternatively, Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonnisos are a good trio, each with a different character from the hill monasteries of Skopelos to the more chilled out Alonnisos.

We were on both Crete and Paros in October, nice weather, not hot. Fewer crowds. If you do you go to Crete, stay in lovely Chania, one of the most beautiful small cities in Greece, not in Heraklion. Visit Heraklion only to see Knossos and the Archeological Museum.
Rhodes is not near the Cyclades Islands which most visitors want to visit. Paros and Naxos are both good places to get a real Greek Island experience. If you do go to Santorini, two nights is enough. See the famous caldera view , visit Akrotiri and have a meal down at Amoudi Harbor.

I go to Greece every October and have been there early, mid- and late-October, mostly the first half.

For the most part the weather is still good, sunny with mild temps, warm enough for short sleeve shirts during the day and even at night. Just a bit of rain but no wash outs. However, there is no guarantee regarding weather.

The Aegean is still warm from the summer so you can take a dip in the sea.

Prices are lower for accommodations and there will be less tourists.

I would recommend a minimum of 2 days in Athens with 3 being better to fully experience the city.

If you don't want to rent a car then you may miss out on the more traditional and "Greek" parts of the country. If at all possible rent a car otherwise you may not get a full appreciate of where you are staying.

If you don't or can't rent a car you'll need to go to some of the larger islands that have good public transportation like Naxos or Crete. The smaller islands will have limited public transportation after tourist season so it will be early morning and late afternoon schedule. Taxis can be expensive but may be OK once in a while. Most tours will be over so if you don't rent a car you'll have to rely on walking or a taxi.

If you don't mind staying close to your accommodations and walking or taking an occasional taxi then there will be numerous other islands. Some of my favorites are:

Amorgos/Astypalea (can combine)
Tinos/Andros (can combine)
Chios
Sifnos/Milos (can combine)

Other options that I feel will work but haven't been to are: Aegina/Agistri (can combine) or Hydra.

Lots of island options but a bit more research on your part will help make a decision. Check out this website for Greek Islands:
https://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/

I must say that I disagree about some of the things that have been said about Santorini, especially for first-time visitors to the island.

Santorini is like a Greek Disneyland, so wouldn’t be my choice.

If you mean that it is popular and overcrowded in season, I agree. This will not be much of an issue in October though.

If you mean that it is artificial, I disagree. The crater is just spectacular, and there is a reason why it is so popular: The island is just drop-dead gorgeous.

Most people on this forum only seem to visit their and Mykonos/Naxos,
so no doubt you will get lots of recommendations for this combo!

Not sure if you are referring to my posting with this, but I am pretty sure I have visited more Greek islands than most other people in this forum. And I didn't recommend Mykonos for its nightlife or Santorini for its Disney colored sunsets but because Chani expressed an explicit interest in archaeology. None of the other Cycladic islands offer what Santorini and Delos have in terms of archaeology, as far as I am aware.

If you do go to Santorini, two nights is enough.

Now this is something I absolutely disagree about unless you are doing the "All of Europe in two weeks" kind of trip. Two nights mean one day. For me, that would hardly make the trip to the island worthwhile. Within one day, you couldn't even do the two major archaeological sites.

For someone who explicitly likes "scenic villages, easy hikes, history, archaeology", Santorini offers tons of just that.

Thanks to all for the information!!

Anna I took the RS tour - Athens and around the Peloponnese with 2 nights on Hydra. Your description of Santorini makes me want to spend a month there!

I mentioned Greek isles yesterday evening to some friends, and they were very encouraging. They all loved Chania (and since it's my name - and pronounced the same just without the final a) it's a no-brainer. Santorini was recommended, Heraklion only for the museum and Knossos ( just as Suki said). Mykonos was mentioned as worth seeing, in spite of the reputation it has here of party island.

I'm almost ready to pull the plug on flights. Because of the holidays here, prices are ridiculously high on some dates. The best arrangement I could work out with a non-stop flight to one of the islands is:

Outbound to Heraklion, on Sunday Oct 6, non-stop, landing at 9.25 am
Inbound from Athens, on Wednesday Oct 23 at 11.55 pm.

So I have plenty of time on arrival to take the bus ?? to Chania and have time to settle in and get oriented. Then 13 full days (14N) before leaving for Athens on the Sunday 20th for 3 nights. That gives me 3 full days in Athens (3N) (Mon-Wed). I reckon 3 days in Athens should be enough for a return visit.

Looking at a map, it seems logical to go from Crete to Santorini to Naxos (maybe) to Mykonos/Delos to Athens. Can I expect daily ferry service? How to split my nights . . . 4-5 in Chania, 2 in Heraklion (since I understand it's a long bus ride and I need to get there for the ferries too), then 3-5 in Santorini, the rest in Mykonos with a day trip to Delos? Tinos? I want to take it slow, enjoy gazing at the sea and sipping a drink, reading a couple books, lingering over meals. Hotel recommendations?

Greece is close so I don't think of this trip as my only one. And it's quite likely that I'll rent a car on my next visit, I just don't want to be stressed about driving/navigating solo this trip.

I've been to a number of Greek Islands over the years during October, off-season so I don't experience the tourists crowds of summer. Still, there are numerous islands you can go to during July/August that doesn't get the level of tourism like Santorini.

I wouldn't even think about spending one month on Santorini. I haven't been there because of it's reputation for crowds, high prices and a "Disneyland" like atmosphere. Even during October you'll still get the cruise ships showing up spewing out who-knows-how-may tourists. However, many others love it regardless of the crowds and prices.

You may want to check out this recent news article about Santorini and see if you want to be part of the issues with tourism:

https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/01/18/european-parliament-warns-greece-tourists-overrunning-santorini/

Well, I don't know about a month, but our maximum stay on Santorini was two weeks, and I can't say that I was bored a single minute.

This was off-season of course (May), and October should be similar in terms of crowds. There are ways to avoid the crowds for the most part, like choose a hotel not in Fira or Oia but somewhere in between (Firostefani or Imerovigli). Avoid the hours the cruise ship hordes take over parts of Fira and Oia, pick restaurants that are well out of their radius (expensive & bad food), and you'll be fine.

We like to take it slow on our trips and explore one island thoroughly rather than rushing through three, and travel with the attitude "we'll visit another island next year". But that's something everyone has to decide for themselves of course.