seeking advice on first trip to Greece in late August (10 days)

I think you are moving too fast. You only have one day in Santorini with two nights. I would spend 3.

You cannot see Epidaurus and Mycenae in one day without a car. You also do not have any time allocated to see Nafplio itself. I would spend 3 nights.

You can see the highlights of Athens in 3 days. I would take two days off Athens and add those to Santorini and Nafplio.

I would then have one day trip from Athens. I would probably pick Delphi but then I must admit I haven’t been to Hydra or Posedian in several trips to Greece.

Realize Rick Steve’s groups can move faster than individuals can.

It's far far too late in the game for us to advise you how to organize a trip in just 3 weeks at the very height of High Season. All the places to stay that we know and favor will probably be solidly booked ... and fllights to/from Islands might also be packed. The middle weeks of August are the Most Important Holliday weeks for Greeks... not just foreigners.

My best suggestion is for you to immediately contact two reliable and efficient Athens-based travel agencies that are well known for workng online with North Americans. Fantasy Travel and Dolphin Hellas are recommended frequently on these travel forums; they can put together an itinerary for you, and book hotels and travel etc etc. E=mail them immediatelly -- tonight -- and give them complete specifics: the exact dates/times of day of your arrival/departure flights. Give them your "wish list" and indicate what you are wiling leave out, if this (very rushed) itinerary cannot be realized... perhaps because of transportation. ALSO indicate your desired budget range for hotel rooms (in Euros if possible), and any specifics (ie. rquire queen bed or if not available, then twin beds, rather than a double). Email them both at the same time, and compare how quickly they respond, and their estmate of costs.

I feel this is your best chance at achieving the trip yoiu are so excited about. I"m not sure why you've delayed so long in making arrangements, but there must be some good reason. And I wish you the very best luck in a great first trip to greece.

Thank you! I will be contacting the travel agencies you suggested. I already have made bookings in Athens. And

United was able to book me a through ticket to Santorini and so we will arrive on Wednesday at 2:25 pm there. I was trying to book the return on Sky Express but the website does not seem to be responding when I ask for flights. I am also looking at a ferry option even though it is not clear if all the tiem in checking in for air travel in the return will wash out its time advantage.

RS suggests renting a car to Nafplo and doing Myecenne on the way. And Epidavros on Day 2. Perhaps we will do that. Is it possible to rent a car at Nafplio?

With regard to Temple of Poseidon, from what I have understood, it is a half day trip from Athens. Indeed, if sunset is the goal, then there is a bus which leaves at 16:30 from Athens, and leaves Sounion at 21:00 for Athens.
http://ktelattikis.gr/en/sounion However, it is not clear to me if this will give us time at the Temple of Poseidon so i think we should take some earlier buses on the way out if possible.

I might skip Hydra even though RS places it higher than Santorini.

Btw, RS says that it is possible to do Mycenae and Epidavros in one day by bus. Where do I find the logistics?

Those travel agencies will help you with those ambitious plans you mention,.... with your trip so soon, a do-it-yourself approach, with your current lack of information is not very doable.

RS says that it is possible to visit Mycenae and Epidaurus in one day
by bus.

I assume RS was referring to a shared group tour like this one:

https://landlifetravel.com/tour/mycenae-epidaurus-tour-from-nafplio/

Otherwise, to my knowledge, it isn't possible using public KTEL buses—unless you are very skilled at coordinating schedules and are willing to walk 4 kilometers each way between the bus stop and the Mycenae site.

KTEL bus to Epidaurus from Nafplio:

https://www.ktelargolida.gr/en/asklipiio-epidavros-theater/

KTEL bus to Mycenae from Nafplio:

https://www.ktelargolida.gr/en/mikines/

Thank you. I have now been able to book hotels for all segments of my trip. Yay!

I think it would perhaps be more helpful to provide the information that one knows and leave it for the traveler to see if it is at all possible to make things work.

Thank you, JoLui. This is definitely helpful, and I am also looking into renting a car for my stay. I booked the recommended hotel in Napflio (per RS) and they seem to have some kind of parking.

You can rent a car in Nafplio, although I haven’t done it. I have read accounts of doing so on other people’s trip reports. But the people doing so have taken buses or private transport upon arrival in Athens instead of driving, preferring to wait a few days to rent a car.

If you are coming from Santorini and plan to rent a car, it would make the most sense to rent a car at the airport. We have rented three times from Athens Car Rental and they will meet you at the airport at an agreed upon time. They do not have an airport location which keeps their prices down.

Then you can drive to Nafplio which is not difficult driving and stop to see the cornith canal along the way. You can return the car at the airport and then take a taxi or public transportation into Athens.

BethFL, thank you! Abbycar who I had never heard of previously, is giving a very good rate. I will contact Athens Car Rental. I see that they have a website too.

To address your question from another post

Sorry, but what is EES?

https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/smart-borders/entry-exit-system_en

It is a process you go through.

If you are a non-EU citizen, you will pass through EES at your first entry point to the EU. You will scan your passport, be photographed & fingerprinted. When you exit, and on subsequent entries, you’ll just scan your passport.

Some airports are reporting significant delays, and some have even suspended EES temporarily during busy summer travel.

If you are flying directly into Athens from the US, you’ll go through EES upon arrival. You might keep that in mind if you're planning an airport pickup.

Thank you. We have a three-hour connection to Santorini (United connecting to Sky Express). We will only have carry-on so I anticipate this will be adequate.

Just in case, check Sky Express's carry-on baggage policy; depending on the fare it can be stricter than United's, especially regarding weight.

https://www.skyexpress.gr/en/sky-experience/before-fly/fare-types

In my experience flying with Sky Express, they are accommodating and calculate the total weight of all bags on the same booking which can be a lifesaver if one bag is lighter while another exceeds the maximum weight limit.

JoLui,
Thank you for this! The United ticket indicates that we have two free bags each to check in all the way to Santorini so I was guessing that I could check our carry-on if it fell afoul of the weight restrictions in Athens. The fact that the plane is an ATR means that they will at least gate check the carry-on suitcase.

Of course, coming back from JTR to ATH may be another story. Interestingly, the tickets are more expensive flying from there to ATH on a Friday. I would have thought more people would flock to the island on the day that begins the weekend. Oh, well!

Unless Sky express is very different than Aegean, you won’t be able to carry on a normal sized bag. When we flew to Crete, we were in one ticket so we just checked all the way through. You might consider doing that. We had hiking poles so really had no choice but was nice to not deal with luggage in Athens.

When we flew to Santorini, we had two separate tickets. We had carry on to Athens but had to check to go on the Aegean flight.

Thank you jaydennk, for your detailed and thoughtful response. I am also considering dropping Hydra because it is not completely clear to me that doing it as a day trip is worthwhile per RS guide on what to do. Also, it is the height of summer, and it does not get much wind, again, as per RS, because that is blocked by the peninsula.

For Santorini, I am thinking of staying in Oia (Olympic Villas has been recommended by family) or outside Fira (Ampitheatre Cavehouses). The RS' book suggestions did not respond to my emails (yet).

I am a bit undecided about renting a car to do Napfplio. I am thinking of getting there in the late afternoon, and leaving there late evening on Day 2. So, getting into Athens later in the evening (so basically, that night is being used in Athens just for sleeping). Perhaps a bus can work then, but I am not sure. I am still working out the logistics. Though rental car may offer more flexibility and certainly with Abbycar prices, seems to be comparable to two people traveling by bus everywhere.

Sky Express can operate its ATH-Santorini flights with either ATR72s or Airbus A320s. You can check by looking up your flight on the Sky Express website if you don't already have that information.

Flights operated on ATR72s by Aegean/Olympic, the other Greek airline, do have a more restrictive luggage size policy but strangely, Sky Express flights on those exact same aircraft models don't (go figure!). The only check Sky Express performs is on the weight of your carry-on bag, which is 8 kg for the SKY joy+ fare, whether you're flying on an A320 or an ATR72.

As for your return flight from JTR to ATH, you need to know whether you're flying with Aegean or Olympic, Olympic is Aegean's regional subsidiary, and both airlines use the same reservation system. Olympic flights are on ATR72s with specific maximum luggage size restrictions (55 x 40 x 23 cm ), whereas Aegean flights are on an Airbus A320 without this specific size restrictions.

I hope I was clear enough, this whole carry-on luggage situation is a bit complicated!

Regarding car rental, I strongly advise against using Abbycar. If you look at reviews for this agency, whether in Athens or elsewhere in Greece the feedback is disastrous.
I also participate in travel forums dedicated to Greece (associated with a very well-known French guidebook), and there are frequent warnings against using Abbycar; people describe them as scammers, thieves, and so on. The responses on the forum are always the same: "Why choose Abbycar when there are so many warnings?"

It’s no mystery: when a price is significantly lower, there’s usually a catch somewhere.

JoLui, thanks very much for the warning with regard to Abbycar, I will skip them. I was thinking they either provide the car or they do not, so how much problem can that create, but I now realize that they can actually claim damages that are made up at the time of return. I guess I will look at other options or take a bus. (I did use Europcar in Spain in my only experience of renting a car in 2016 and they seemed fine to me. However, these things do depend on location and exact local office.)

I do not think I will have that much of an issue with flying out, since it is a consolidated United ticket and the ticket explicitly says that we each have 2 checked-in bags for free. I was thinking that then I can check the main checked-in bag if there is an issue for the ATH-JTR segment.

Of course, the return may be another story. So, I am thinking that we can perhaps take the ferry. The only issue is that the 2:25 pm ferry arrives in Piraeus at 7:50 pm. (Or the 1:15 arrives at 6:55 pm.) But it would be a more fun experience. I notice that Europcar is open till 9:30 at Piraeus port, so this might actually work.

But, as an experiment, would it be possible to take a bus at that late hour to get to Nafplio? Or are we committed to a rental car or a taxi?

Flights operated on ATR72s by Aegean/Olympic, the other Greek airline,
do have a more restrictive luggage size policy but strangely, Sky
Express flights on those exact same aircraft models don't (go
figure!). The only check Sky Express performs is on the weight of your
carry-on bag, which is 8 kg for the SKY joy+ fare, whether you're
flying on an A320 or an ATR72.

My outbound is an ATR2 600 New. From the SKY jet site and looking up by reference number, it appears that the United ticket booking for Skyjet is on a GDSFare there. I do not know what that means.

So, is the 8 kg limit on both the bag plus the personal item? Thanks!

10 days is not very long. I would fly to save time. And buy a ticket that allows you to check a bag.

And rent a car at the airport. As I said, we have always had good prices from Athens Car Rental-much better than the majors. And no problems.

Buses are great but when you are short on time, driving is more efficient.

And rent a car at the airport. As I said, we have always had good
prices from Athens Car Rental-much better than the majors. And no
problems.

Thank you. Athens Car Rentail claimed they have no availability, except for "E3 vehicles (that include automatic station wagons) for which they did not quote a rate. So, my experience with them at this point is unclear. I will probably go with Europcar, Enterprise or SixT.

We reserved this year in January for May so they well may not this close to your trip. We have had really good rates with ACR but even double that with a different company would be worth it for a few days.

The United booking for Skyjet shows a "GDS Fare." I don't know what
that means.

United's fare codes are G for Basic Economy, D for Business Class, and S for Economy. Conclusion: I don't understand it any better than you do, you've got a mix of all fares on a single ticket. Congratulations! :-)

My outbound flight is on a new ATR 72-600.

The "new" ATR 72-600 features, among other things, larger overhead bins. In any case, if your luggage isn't accepted in the cabin, it will be put in the hold, presumably for free.

The 8kg limit applies only to carry-on luggage, the personal item placed under the seat is not included in this limit

The only issue is that the 2:25 PM ferry arrives in Piraeus at 7:50 PM
(or the 1:15 PM one arrives at 6:55 PM).

I don't know what you have planned for the morning of your last day in Santorini, but you could also take a ferry at 9:50 AM that arrives in Piraeus at 3:25 PM.

There are quite a few car rental agencies at the port of Piraeus, including major ones like Hertz, Sixt, and Europcar, and the drive from the port to Nafplio takes less time than the drive from the airport (it's about 30 km shorter from the port).
If you leave the port at 4:00 PM, you'll arrive in Nafplio around 6:00 PM, far too early for dinner.

Whether you take a ferry or a flight from Santorini, if you take the KTEL bus, you won't be able to get to Nafplio any earlier anyway.

It's up to you

The 8kg limit applies only to carry-on luggage, the personal item
placed under the seat is not included in this limit

Oh, then I suspect we are good. The carry-on fits within the size limit and I do not think it will be more than 8 kgs (we can ensure that).

I don't know what you have planned for the morning of your last day in
Santorini, but you could also take a ferry at 9:50 AM that arrives in
Piraeus at 3:25 PM.

I was planning to essentially wander around Santorini in the morning and use that half-day. I am not completely sure yet what I am going to do that day.

How do I get from Oia to Fira (if I take the ferry)? Is there a local ferry from Ammoudi?

There are quite a few car rental agencies at the port of Piraeus,
including major ones like Hertz, Sixt, and Europcar, and the drive
from the port to Nafplio takes less time than the drive from the
airport (it's about 30 km shorter from the port).

Thank you! This is good to know. Perhaps, I will go for this then.

I see that from there, I have to take Bus 40 (from Gouba) into town on the day I return (and head to Makrygiannae). Apparently, the metro is not very convenient to take from Piraeus (Europcar that I gave on the map) to Akropoli after 7 pm.

One great way to see several Greek islands like Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, as well as ports like Nafpilo and Ephesus in Turkey is a Med cruise.
I don't see doing three days in Santorini, but if you go to Mykonos, do a visit to nearby Delos.
Athens should have 4-5 days, also Corinth and the Corinth Canal is worth a visit, as is Delphi, Temple of Poseidon.
The Archaeological Museum and New Acropolis Museums are a MUST.Sorry

How do I get from Oia to Fira (if I take the ferry)? Is there a local
ferry from Ammoudi?

No, there are no local ferries. It's either by taxi or KTEL bus.

The Oia-Fira bus schedule is here:

https://ktel-santorini.gr/routes/?route=oia

The last column, "Return," corresponds to departures from Oia.

On this KTEL Santorini website, you won't find the Fira-Port bus schedule because the bus departures to the port from the Fira bus station are synchronized with the ferry departures. This means they leave Fira between 60 and 90 minutes before the ferry's departure time. The exact schedule is posted at the bus station.

Apparently, the metro isn't very convenient to take from Piraeus
(where the Europcar I found on the map was) to Akropoli after 7 pm.

I don't quite understand what you're trying to do. I get the impression you're looking in Athens instead of Piraeus. You don't need to take the bus or the metro, the rental agencies are at the port. Some can even wait for you directly at the ferry dock with the car ready.

Refer to this Google search which lists the rental companies at the port of Piraeus, Europcar Piraeus is listed.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Znx52SgVbFmACXnW9

I don't quite understand what you're trying to do. I get the impression
you're looking in Athens instead of Piraeus. You don't need to take
the bus or the metro, the rental agencies are at the port. Some can
even wait for you directly at the ferry dock with the car ready.

Thank you JoLui. No, I am planning ahead, for when I return to Piraeus to drop the car back, and from there I go to Athens.

The Oia-Fira bus schedule is here:

https://ktel-santorini.gr/routes/?route=oia

The last column, "Return," corresponds to departures from Oia.

Thank you, JoLui. And to get from the airport in Fira to Oia, do I take the bus from the airport to the Thira port first?

Fira, the capital, is the hub for the Santorini bus network. All bus lines depart from and arrive at Fira.

You can check this website for clearer information:

https://santorinibus.com/

However, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the timetables on that website.

JoLui, thank you very much again! These schedules and directions (and also the fact that tickets are bought on the Santorini buses against cash and coins -- I was wondering -- is very helpful). So, this part is now more or less set. I have to now decide on how to spend my time in Nafplio. Basically, I am thinking that I will have the whole of 1 day and the better part of the next (basically, leaving at around 4 pm to get back to Athens Piraeus by around 7:30 to drop the car off).

I am planning ahead, for when I return to Piraeus to drop the car
back, and from there I go to Athens.

The vast majority of car rental companies also have a downtown branch on Syngrou Avenue, located not far from the Acropolis Museum. Europcar is one of them, their branch is called "Athens Acropolis Station". It's here:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/fQw9MHg9t2dXNEp18

Some people might recommend that you avoid returning the car in central Athens because of the traffic. I don't know if they've actually experienced it, but it's a perspective that can be understood for someone who doesn't know how to drive in an urban environment at all. I have done this several times and driven in central Athens on other occasions, and it caused me no problems at all. It's a big city with multi-lane avenues, traffic lights, and quite a bit of traffic on the main roads. Nothing new.

Alternatively there is the option of returning the car to the airport and taking the metro or the bus to the city center.