We are planning on visiting Mykonos, Santorini and either Crete or Corfu. We will be taking day trips from these 3 islands to smaller ones, however we want to avoid packing and unpacking so these 2 islands will be our base.
In what order would you suggest these islands be visited?
And what island do you recommend? Crete or Corfu? Thank you.
Time of year? Corfu is cooler and wetter than the Aegean islands.
How much time will you have for this third island? Crete arguably needs considerably more time than Corfu.
How much time do you plan to spend on Santorini and Mykonos? Those are probably the two most touristy places in Greece and have the most expensive hotels.
Corfu is in the Ionian Sea, not the Aegean Sea, so including Corfu will mean a return by ferry or plane to Athens for a connecting flight or a time-consuming bus/ferry combo to Corfu. Stick with Mykonos, Santorini and Crete, in that order (or the reverse). Fly or ferry back to Athens for your flight home but return at least a day before your departure from Greece so you aren't scrambling back to the mainland at the last minute. In that regard save all your exploration of Athens for the end so you aren't backtracking.
Here's a link to the ferry routes, though this will be a year older next year.
http://www.greeceathensaegeaninfo.com/ferry-info-greece/greek-islands-ferry-chart.htm
Helen, I'm sorry, but "packing & unpacking" is the name of the game in island-hopping. Both the idea of "basing" and "daytrips" from Crete or Santorini are not as easy as you'd think. Many people do this in Italy Spain or France but it doesn't apply in Greece, except in specific places. Here is a good map -http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-maps/images/greece.gif (click to enlarge) which can illustrate what I mean.
DAY TRIPS -- There are no day trips to interesting islands from Santorini --- it is too distant from most islands and schedules of regular ferries are not geared to daytrips. Given the schedules, You'd just get there and have to turn around and go back. Ditto for Crete. Ditto for Mykonos, unless you want to see Tinos for a couple of hours. The islands look close together, but looks are deceiving ... and it's not like Spain or Italy where you can jump on a train & get somewhere 50 miles away in an hour. There are no trains in the sea.
To illustrate, find the 2 islands Naxos & Paros on the map. See how close they seem? From a Naxos beach, Paros is just across the way. But to visit via "regular" ferry, youi'd have to walk or bus, or taxi to a pier, wait for a ferry (and the first one isn't until 11 AM, spend an hour on the ferry, and presto! a whole morning is gone. The "regular" ferries returning are either right in the middle of cocktail/dinner time, or late evening. Too much time waiting & travelling, not enough time enjoying.
You have a better chance if you stay on Naxos or Paros --- because (almost alone among all the Cyclades) these 2 islands have a company with Dedicated Excursion Vessels serving both isles. Boats depart around 8 - 8:45 am, and get you back to your "home" island by 6:30 or 7:30 pm. https://visit-cyclades.com/day-cruises-naxos-cruises/ ... this company offers a number of day-trips: a boat will start from Naxos, stop at Paros, then visit Delos/Mykonos from about 10:30-4:30, then return. Also daytrips from Naxos - Paros, Naxos - Antiparos and more. In fact, if you're just going to Mykonos because it's "famous" and you have no special interest in it except friends were there once, you might consider staying on Naxos or Paros and doing a day-trip to Mykonos.
Crete is another matter. The only day trip is to Santorini, and the reviews are bad; a looong trip, a short stay. Crete is a BIG island -- it's 175+ miles long, its reallly a country... to do more than scratch the surface, you need to spend 5 days, and rent a car. And while in crete, you really miss out if you insist on the same hotel, the same bed for 5 nights. It would be like visiting California for a week, driving all over, and returning to your San Francisco hotel every night. 50% of your time would be spent backtracking.
The No-repacking idea, returning to a "Base" nightly. It will work in Naxos or paros for a visit of 4-5 days or so. Not in Santorini, or in Mykonos or in Crete. You stay a few days, and then move on... that's why it's called island-hopping, not island-basing. Believe me, it's not that burdensome. Just keep most of your stuff in the bag, on a baggage rack, hang up a couple of tops & slacks & relax. You don't have to worry about dressing up; nobody does, in the islands; no Heels, jackets or jewelry to fuss with. Try it, you'll like it!
Thank you so much. You've given me a lot to think about.
I hope I have been of some help, Helen. It will also help us "Greece vets" to suggest scenarios for you, if you can be more specific about WHEN you are going (exact dates if possible) and for HOW LONG. May-June or September (the best times) are VERY VERY different from July-August (the HEAT, the CROWDS)..
Something to think about: if you have say, 15 days (fly on a Friday, arrive early on a saturday, fly back on the 3rd Sunday) that's 14.5 days. If u stay in Airpot and take domestic flight directly to your farthest destination, you can be on a beautiful island immediately. If you then hop back via ferry, to 1-2 isles, then Fly the last "lap", in 14.5 days you could visit Crete (5 days), ferry to Santorini (3 days), ferry to Naxos or Paros (4 days including a day-trip), and finally, fly to Athens for 2.5 days.
If you added 2-3 days -- you could add a Day to Crete and another to Naxos or Paros.
If you added a week -- after your island time you could Fly to ATH, rent a car & drive 2+ hours on a modern highway for 3 days in NAFPLIO (see this photo album https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157632094108982/ ) It's considered the most beautiful Old Town in all of Greece, and so romantic that it's called "the proposal capital of Greece" because so many couples get engaged there. After those 3 days, drive back for your final 2.5 days of Athens sightseeing.
Plenty of options ... and the research adds to the enjoyment!
