Honeymoon in Greece!

It's way too cold to swim in February and March, the weather will probably not be great for outdoorsy activities in general.

I visited small islands Greece in mid-October, and a big fall storm had swept through just prior. As a result, about 2/3rds of restaurants/cafes/bars closed a week earlier than usually planned and it felt like a ghost town. I'd try to delay your trip until at least late March/early April (although watch out for Easter week, which is the biggest holiday of the year there). It will still be too cold to swim but you'll get better weather, wildflowers, etc.

As for renting a car, I don't see where it would be necessary except for exploring the Peloponnese. You might want one for Crete as well - you're better off asking this on the Greece forum where the experts hang out.

Hi Sarah

Thanks for the response. Being too cold to swim is ok with my fiance. We were just curious. The cooler weather would make for a more relaxing hike too. In terms of it being a ghost town, that sounds like a huge incentive to us. We hate the crowds.

Only issue we really see is some places being closed. I'm assuming there are plenty of grocery stores and stuff to buy/cook our own meals?

Car rental in Peloponnese and Crete seems reasonable (just dont like driving in the major cities, such as Athens). We can rent a 4 wheeler in Santorini I saw which could be fun!

We may consider postponing.

How does the itinerary look? Seem reasonable? Something we are forgetting? "MUST" add?

Your Athens time is fine. The Peloponnese is a large area . . . it depends where in the Peloponnese. Nafplio and surrounding area offers one of Greece's nicest towns and nearby World-Class archeological sites. Four nights there would be good.

Crete is Greece's largest island, almost a country in itself. Four nights, probably Chania area will only be a tease but doable.

Santorini will have people for and against depending on one's taste. Feb/March will not be the best time since the weather will be cool and the Aegean Sea not inviting for a dip.

Why not skip Santorini and spend the extra time in the Peloponnese and/or Crete?

Renting a car would be necessary for the Peloponnese and Crete since they are large areas and bus service while adequate will not go everywhere. It's a lot easier to drive in Greece (other than Athens) than one may think.

While most tourist infrastructure will be closed there are always shops, markets and tavernas open for locals which will give you a more "Greek" experience rather than a tourist once.

If you can go late April or May you may have better weather but there's no bad time to go to Greece.

Thanks Tommy,

We are considering moving our honeymoon back a month or two.

How bad is the tourist crowd in April time frame?
Is April more reasonable?

Thanks! :)

I've never been to Greece in April. I go every year in October so can't say what the crowds would be like. I would assume far less than High Season, maybe comparable to Oct.

IF you wish to swim, you have to go From about May 15 on... still no crowds at all ... I once tried to swim about May 9, chillllly. As for your itinerary... Athens 3=day stay should be last not first, unless you come in after 4 pm, and have had a trip of 16 hrs travel + 7-8 hrs clock-change, in which case, devote 1 night to a collapse in a nearby hotel, then in AM, either fly on to farthest isle destination , or drive to Peloponnese. Santorini visit should be strategically placed so the 3 nights are F-S-S, those days almost no cruise ships, so u need only contend with other group tours... unless u plan this way, Santorini's memories will not be of relaxing, but of huge crowds.

Re cars -- public transport fine in Santorini, OK in Peloponnese if u are willing to stick to the Argolid, and hike around there, otherwise bus skeds are too skimpy to get you to what you want to see in 4 nights (3 days?) Crete is more a COUNTRY than an island, so car rental can be very helpful, even a limited hire: -- fly into Chania, 2 days in area, exploring, THEN 2 days with car -- ending in Heraklion for ferry to Santorini. If I were you, I"d put Peloponnese near end... Nafplio is considered most beautiful Old Town in GReece, so romantic it's called "the proposal capital, " because so many Greek men take their sweethearts there to pop the question ... having been on 25 Islands & a dozen places in mainland, I consider Nafplio sunset on the seafront to be #1. It's easy to access via intercity bus (2.5 hrs on modern hiway). In Athens of course all major highlights are grouped in center, many no-car lanes, car rental NOT recommended.

Since you have lots of time to plan, why not do some real research instead of just internet-clicks or depending on reactions of forum folks?? (some may recommend from a narrow knowledge base - i.e., one 4-day "cruise"). Instead, Go to library, get 3-4 guidebooks; ROUGH GUIDE, LONELY PLANET, RICK STEVES (Super for Athens & Mainland, doesn't do islands), EYEWITNESS The Greek Isles + Athens. Here are some visuals from 2 other Graecophiles who 1st came as a young couple from Canada & have been coming back, like me, for 20 years - most of these were taken in May-early June

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

SANTORINI - https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632154800782/

NAFPLIO & AREA - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094108982/

ATHENS - ACROPOLIS AREA - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632121475515/

Scratch 3 nights in Athens. 2 is enough. Try to fit in Mykonos or Rhodes for 3 nights.

I went to Greece last October. After arriving in Athens, I went straight to Nafplio/ Peloponnese, then Crete. I spent my last 5 nights in Athens. Why don’t you go straight to the Peloponnese after getting out of the airport in Athens, and then put all your nights in Athens into one contnuous 4 night period at the end of your trip, instead of 3 nights at the begining and one night at the end?

Edit: I didn’t rent a car for any part of my trip. I took the bus to Mycenae and Epidavros; the bus from Athens to Nafplio, from Heraklion to Chania, from Athens to Delphi. To me it is not worth the cost of renting a car.

Question for Janet-

My husband and I are also doing our honeymoon to Athens and the islands and we head out in a month. Since we land at 2 am we booked three nights in Athens (including the early morning when we land) with the aim to head out to two or three islands. I notice you suggested doing Athens on the backend. Why is that? And just bought the RS Athens pocket-- awesome!

Separately for all others who might have a perspective: we're having a helluva time identifying our preferred islands. We've been thinking: Paros 3 nights, Rhodes 1 night, Santorini 1 night, Kefalonia 1 night. Then back to Athens for 1 night before flying back to Boston. We're now feeling like this may be overly ambitious but we don't know where to make cuts. What would you suggest in terms of itinerary given we want the relaxation and killer views/beaches with nightlife not not necessarily the overwhelming crowds.

Thanks so much!
Alicia

Alice, felicitation on your coming wedding, and congratulations on choosing GREECE for your Honeymoon ... what a wonderful place to make memories in!! That being said, your Game Plan is AWFUL! You have only 9 days in GReece and you aim to visit FIVE places which are all at opposite ends of the GReek landscape! Have you even looked at a Map! It's like a European saying we have a short visit to the USA, we'd like to visit NYC , DC, the Grand Canyon and Seattle. Even using flights, y ou'll spend most of your t ime in transit. No No No.

and BTW, when you need major advice at the last minute, you need to give exact DATES can we actually short-cut your search by helping you find advailable of hotels & transport. "In a Month" is not very useful.

Chief Points --
• DO NOT do ATHENS first -- y ou'll be too exhausted to deal with a bustling modern capital full of major landmarks. Head Straight for the Islands, collapse on a beach, then recuperate, revitalize, rejoice. After a few days out there, you'll be more hip to how Greece "works" and be up for efficient sightseeing in Athens last 2 days. (Another major reason: going itno Central Athens 2x wastes precious hours you Do Not Have. Do Not think you need to do Athens first, just because you land in the wee hours.
• ALTERNATIVE ROUTE -- Go to nearby BnB for 4-5 hours of shut-eye, zip back to the airport for a flight, and before noon, you can be lying on a beautiful BEACH, right next to a lovely balcony room. Doesn't that sound better? There's a 9:25 flight to Naxos still available the whole week of May 13-18. You still have time to change reservations in Athens, if you act TODAY, and if you divulge date details, we can help. BTW, are you going to another European destination FIrst?? Reason I ask is, there is no US flight even with Europe connections that lands at 2 am. Don't give us puzzles like this to solve.

• DROP KEFALONIA and RHODES -- again, did you look at a map? Kef is far in NW, and Rhodes is about as far SE as one can get -- a 20-minute ferry right from the Southern Turkey Coast. Stick to 2 islands in the Cyclades, and then 3 days in Athens. If you'd told me what your exact dates were, I could even tell you good-value hotels that are available in ATHENS & 2 Isles, at the time of your visit.

Endless keyboarding isn't my thing, and Time is of the Essence, so I'm going to PM you to set up a phone chat ... Alice, look up in RH corner where it says "My Account" to see if you get a message. And for those forum-followers who say we should work it all out on this thread, I promise we'll come back to give final details. Over & out.

I just wanted to add to Janet’s advice that I know how tempting it is to look at pictures of Greece and want to go everywhere. The problem is ferry travel only reallyvworks well within an island group and flights all go back through Athens not from island to island. Every move takes a half a day. It is hard at first to wrap your head around these limitations but in the end they are a blessing. I You have to slow down and enjoy greece.

We’ve arrived in Naxos on May 15 - we thought weather was great and didn’t experience crowds / but most everything was open - same with mykonos and we had no issues with temperatures, was warm during day ( not too hot ) but a light sweater in evening was needed . April 15 th is a month earlier - would be ok for sightseeing and hiking I assume , perhaps not swimming ( unless Canadian like us where we would go in anyways lol )

This thread has been a blessing--thank you everyone! Janet and I will chat about it. We're arriving via Istanbul on the 14th and returning on the 22nd. So yes, my plans were indeed a little nuts. Thanks for talking sense into me.

Alicia

This was so so very helpful, but I do have a couple of questions. We are eloping to Santorini in May 2020 (I know early planning). My itinerary is wide open. I have 3-4 days in Santorini but every thing else is up in the air. I have ordered the books suggested and will be reading soon. We are hoping for 18-21 days total: 4 in Santorini for wedding, etc. My list is very loose but currently I have: Naxos, Athens (very little time), Crete (haven't zoned in on the specifics). I am looking for any and all suggestions. We are laid back, not excited about night life. Our goals are the water and experience the greek life. TIA for your suggestions.

Shereet, you need to do several things, namely:
• START your OWN thread -- do not try to "piggyback" on a long thread by someone else -- people who are capable of answering your question may not even click on this thread because they'll think "oh, I already contributed to this thread."
• SAY where you are FROM -- at least which continent! It makes a difference in advice -- how long a trip, how exhausted upon arrival, expectations depending on what nation you come from. We are experienced, but we are not fond of guesswork.
• READ the BOOKS FIRST. You name Santorini then say a main goal is "the water and experiencing the Greek Life " I'm guessing you've not done much research yet -- because Santorini is Not a Beach destination (beaches are black volcanic grit); this isle is mainly about the Famous View... and certainly no longer reflects authentic Greek life (even the waiters are from the Balkans). It's a highly-promoted "must-see" but you need to be realistic about it, and strategize visit to avoid the worst of overwhelming Cruise-Crowds. And reading about the other destinations will help you make good choices to maximize your experience.
• FIGURE your LOGISTICS FIRST -- Figure out your desired Wedding-date First, and work around that. You need to plan a "loop" that will avoid backtracking and give sufficient amount to each place. For your list a workable time-frame could be: FLY to CRETE: 6 days - ferry to SANTORINI (3-4 days) Ferry to NAXOS (5-6 days) Evening ferry OR fly to ATHENS (2-3 days).

• EXPLAIN "ELOPEMENT" -- are you actually doing the legal bit in your own country, then having a Symbolic Ceremony in Santorini??? Many people find this the most feasible solution .... otherwise you will be involved in long complicated plans and use of a Greek wedding planner/official, the need to obtain documents, translate, sign, submit, find appropriate ceremony official etc. It's not like Cinderella, the prince puts you on the white horse & you go to the Castle. You have to deal with officialdom!