places to see in Santorini and Mykonos

A car is the best way to inexpensively explore the island at your own pace.

Visit Akrotiri and Ancient Thera, the island's two excellent archaeological sites, as well as the Museum of Prehistoric Thera in Fira. Have a meal below Oia on the wharf in Amoudi Bay. Take a winery tour. Have lunch or dinner at Metaxi Mas in Exo Gonia and at Taverna Kallisti in Pyrgos.

3 days is enough as we have just returned. Stayed in Fira. We rented quads which was a lot of fun and easy to get around to explore the entire island(s). In Mykonos eat at Kiki's!

I would also look into a catamaran sunset ride, a great perspective of Santorini from the water.

In May, we spent three nights in Santorini. Below are my Santorini comments from what I posted in Trip Reports titled "Trip to Greece May 2016".

In Santorini, we stayed three nights at the Blue Dolphins Hotel in Firostefani. This was by far the most expensive place we stayed, but considering where we were, it was worth the money. Both our balcony and breakfast area had awesome views of the caldera. We would recommend staying here for the views and the great room plus you are just far enough from Fira to be away from the cruise crowds. The first day, we took a five hour cruise on a Spiridakos catamaran. The cost was 150 Euros per person and included hotel pickup/drop-off, buffet lunch and drinks. There were 10-12 plus crew on board. The weather was perfect and cruise very relaxing. There is time to swim in the Mediterranean in clear water and the hot springs. Probably would pass next time on the hot springs as the water is murky with a rocky bottom in the shallow water. The second day we took an all day Nostotravel bus tour of the island. We visited the excavations of Akrotiri (included guide), Black Beach, walking through Megalochori village, a stop at the highest point on the island, Santo wines with wine tasting and Oia village. The tour lasted from 11:30 to 9:00 with hotel pickup/drop-off. I believe the cost was 43 Euros not including meals and Akrotiri entrance fee. Akrotiri city was destroyed in the Theran volcano 3500 years ago and was buried in volcanic ash. Only about 3% of the city has been excavated. It was probably my favorite ancient site we visited in Greece.

From Mykonos take a short boat trip out to Delos. We thought it was excellent. Just google it and see if it hold any interest for you.

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions :)

HI All,
I now know all the places to see in Santorini. But what about Mykonos. I only know of Delos boat tour. What are the other places you would recommend to see in Mykonos?
Also, what would be a good central places to stay in Mykonos?

Unfortunately Mykonos is not all about the "sights". It's mostly a beach/bar-nightclub-party/shop-till-you-drop island, but there is a small archaeological museum. This is what TripAdvisor shows on their Mykonos "Things to Do" page: http://tinyurl.com/jrq4oa5

Mykonos town is lovely and you can easily spend a day just wandering around. Delos is a must see antiquity.
We were there in late October last year and the town seemed to be pretty quiet. I had the impression that the shops that were open only because a cruise ship was in port. It was quite windy as well not beach weather. The wind also prevented us from taking the ferry to Delos. Of course it is entirely possible that the weather will be sunny and warm when you are there.
Here are some images of Delos and Mykonos take on a day excursion from Naxos. The final 34 images were taken last October.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157637922138466/

Thanks so much for your insights. Will Mykonos be windy and cold even in 1st week of October? Does that mean Naxos will be a better option for us in October and just doing a day trip to Mykonos from there?

"Will Mykonos be windy and cold even in 1st week of October?" There is a place on the RS site that gives weather info about various places during the year. Perhaps that will give some insight. Whichever you decide to visit, the key is to remain flexible, adaptable, prepared to go with the flow.

We were in Mykonos late in October. You will be there in early October which dramatically increases you chance of good weather. There is a regular poster here who always does Greece in October and he has not mentioned bad weather at all.

Thanks so much Guys. Do we need to rent a car in Mykonos if we stay in Mykonos Town? Is public transport good to major attractions/beaches etc.

Thanks so much Guys. Do we need to rent a car in Mykonos if we stay in Mykonos Town? Is public transport good to major attractions/beaches etc.