itinerary help! 2 weeks in JUne

Just for a little clarification, you mention “heavy on islands,” but does 7-8 island days mean that about half your anticipated days would be on the mainland? So Athens, or more than Athens? And will you be flying in and out of Athens, regardless?

We just spent 2 weeks last month (October) just on Crete -1 island - but it has quite a variety of locations. Crete offers beaches, mountains, cities, towns, and also rural areas with just you and olive trees and some sheep. Southernmost point in Europe. Oh, and you’re amidst History the whole time, but can visit sights or drive on by. If the teens want some exercise with fascinating scenery, Crete offers a lot of hikes in a number of gorges around the island. We had a rental car, covering quite a lot of Crete, but it’s big enough that we certainly didn’t cover it all.

Just 2 of us, and we had hotel rooms the whole time. Hotel rooms were fine for 2, but you might need to search for rooms that sleep 3.

It would help if you could be more specific -- "June" is a long time, and crowds vary from early to very end. Re lodging, you might do well wih Airbnb in ATHENS if you are Very choosy about location and get near to the landmarks - don't be seduced by pretty photos into taking a far-away spot. Booking.com now offers many apts, and the advantage is, you see exact locations... try to stay within 1 mile of acropolis.

In islands, especially like Naxos, Antiparos, Paros & the like, some of the best locations are NOT AirBnb ... the on-beach places are often small hotels 10-20 units ... many of them are 1 br studios, perfect for you guys... a BR for the parents, then large main room with 2 daybeds + Kitchenette/table & chairs + balcony (they can add another roll-in cot). OR you can get 2 studios side-by-side, one for parents, another for teens. Advantage = 2 bathrooms! In 2 weeks, you'll be happiest trying just 2 islands plus Athens... but you might be able to do 3 islands (2 short stay, 1 longer stay) IF you have an efficient itinerary, and you're good at getting organized, getting up, moving out. HOwever, I remember my kids as teens, and their hormones keep them up late at night and impossible to rout out of bed in the AM.... factors like this can drive parents nuts, if the itinerary is too ambitious.

How about doing some homework? Not just cruising thru websites, but looking at some guidebooks -- websites can be great on promoting "eye candy" and famous "must-sees" but they aren't as good at revealing downside of some spots. One exception that I DO like, very candid website, from the UK, is blessedly blunt about mediocre beaches, overcrowded tacky "resort" areas etc... and tells all the good beaches. http://www.greekisland.co.uk However, Guide-books have to be balanced, or they won't keep selling -- so go to your library & borrow an armful. Make your teens go thru them & nominate. Look at Rough GUide, Lonely PLanet -- and If you can get it in Australia, Let's Go Greece is aimed at teens/collegians.

Thank you SOOO much you so wise travelled parents. That is great advice!!! Keep it coming!

We went to Santorini and Naxos with our three young adult children (20-26). Does your crew like hiking? We did hikes on both islands I would recommend. They jumped off a man made "cliff" om Santorini (volcanic beaches) and swam at beautiful beaches on Naxos. We visited a couple historical sites on both as well.

I would recommend both of these island for first timers, although Santorini was crowded when we were there in May. So it may be too crowded to be enjoyable depending on when in June. We flew first to Santorini and stayed 3 nights and then ferried to Naxos and stayed four nights but would have loved one more in Naxos.

I agree that two islands (or Crete) would be best. It takes time to move and with my group (there were seven of us altogether) I felt like we had a good pacing which balanced new experiences with the time and aggravation of moving.

We stayed in a air bnb in Santorini in Oia but in a hotel in Naxos. There were no well located air bnbs in Naxos that would house all of us.

My kids were a bit older but they were so taken with Greece that they never slept in! They even were out of our rental in Santorini one day before 7 am so they could take pictures with out the crowds! But best to be flexible in your planning to allow for it. For me that meant finding locations where I could get up and walk around without waiting for other people as opposed to a beautiful but isolated spot requiring a car.

lmf, Beth & I supplied all the sensible advice we can give without further infor, such as your budget range (in Euros not AUD) per room per night, plus rapprox date of arrival. Why? Because (1) it wastes time to suggest lodgings that are out of your $$ comfort range and (2) the day of week you arrive & even time of day affects options. Again, why? Because IF you can stand another short (50 mins) flight upon arrival, you can zip to your first island without getting involved with a busy big city right at the start, and instead have your 1st sunset overlooking the sea.

For instance, you could follow Beth's itinerary (and mine on several trips) and first head to Santorini (3 nights & 2 days), then ferry for 2 hrs or so to Island #2 (Naxos is my favorite) for 5-6 days/nights then return to mainland ... if 3 days in Athens is enough for you, then upon arrival there, either at airport or seaport, you could grab a car rental and zip off (only 2.5 hours on modern highway) to a fab spot on the end of a peninsula -- Nafplio, considered THE most beautiful town in Greece. It has fortresses, castles, ruins, beaches, great food, nightlife, the works. Here's a NONcommercial website of highlights http://www.visitnafplio.com/ and some pix of the place & surrounding attractions, taken in May-june - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094108982/ Save the last 2 or 3 days for the famous landmarks of Athens... by saving it for last, it will mean much more to you. ANd it's always best to be on the mainland at least the day before your homebound flight, in case of any transport glitches.

BASIC TIPS about Santorini -- weekday crowding is horrific (up to 5 cruise ships docked!!), so best strategy is to arrive on a Friday or Sat, leave on Monday, also, to stay on cliff-side but in area bypassed by tour busses -- Firostephani has rimside places w. great views but not crowded day or night. Book rooms there, bus in early AM to OIA to stroll before the throngs invade, then leave. Not a beach island (you'll learn by reading), it's mainly about the Famous View. Every teen I know has loooved Naxos.

Hi Laura, I am sort of an expert on this, as I went on an island-hopping trip in the Aegean Sea with my wife and kids (12 and 14 year olds) last year. I highly recommend the Lesser Cyclades in the Aegean Sea, ie smallish islands near Paros or Mykonos. They are all picturesque and not that famous, so you will see there many locals. We loved Koufonisia (2 small islands, one of them uninhabited, the other apparently a popular destination for young Greeks). Irakleia and Schoinoussa were also lovely, but our favourite one would be Donousa – Kedros is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen!

Now, there is a local ferry, I think from Paros, but I would recommend booking boat rental in Paros or Mykonos to visit all these islands at your own pace. Enjoy!

Do you mean you have 7-8 days for islands and the rest of the 2 weeks on the mainland?

Amorgos is a beautiful island that doesn't get the crowds like the "Big Name" islands. You could combine it with Astypalea with the most beautiful Greek Chora I've been to and the islands are on the same route.

Another wonderful and really "Greek" island is Tinos. It has some of the most beautiful villages I've been to on my numerous trips to the islands with fantastic mountain landscape and scenery on the west end of the island. You could combine it with Syros which is on the same ferry line.

Chios is lovely with the fantastic Mastic Villages in the south, beautiful scenery and the spectacular abandoned mountain top village of Anavatos with it sad history.

Lesvos is the third largest of the Greek Islands and has something for everyone.

Crete is Greece's largest islands and another one with something for all.

Lots of options for islands:

https://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/