Hello
My husband and I plan on traveling to Greece for our first time around September 6, 2025 to the 20th. I wanted to stay in Athens for four days three nights do the sights in Athens and plan a day trip Delphi . We also want to southern Peloponnese and Olympia for seven days and Mykonos for 3 days . The thing is not sure the distance between them, is this enough time for each area? We plan on renting a car also.
Any suggestions,recommendations etc.
Thank you
Lisa
Do you have a personal reason to go to Mykonos?
Mykonos is especially famous for being a party island invaded by tourists who come from all over Europe and the world to have fun and see some showbiz stars. From June to September, cruise passengers disembark in Mykonos every day by the thousands.
If that's what you're looking for, go there
Otherwise, if you don't plan on partying all night in beach clubs in swimsuits and it's the white washer houses, blue domes and other typical landscapes of the Cyclades islands seen on tourist brochures, Instagram or other social networks that attract you, you will see them everywhere on the other Cyclades islands, in a more authentic version, and for much less money.
Hello,
My husband just wanted to visit the island because people were saying that’s the island to visit. We don’t drink alcohol beverages.
Choose a beater island than Mykonos. Look at Naxos and Paros, much more of a real Greek experience than party island Mykonos.
As Suki suggests, try another island, Mykonos is not for you.
Buy a travel guide and be careful with commercial sites or blogs, vlogs from internet influencers.
To go to the Cyclades islands, there is first of all the official Greek site:
https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/cyclades/
You will find Naxos and Paros that Suki suggested to you.
I can also suggest Tinos and Sifnos.
Whatever the island, try to stay there for at least 3 days (4 nights) and rent a car if you want to discover the island.
Regarding the distances in the Peloponnese, simply use Google Maps to get an idea of the itineraries and travel time.
Note that it is a fairly mountainous region with a limited road network and a lot of small winding roads. Add about 15% more travel time than Google will tell you.
I’m one of those people who loves Greek antiquity. For someone like me, staying in Mykonos is essenial if one has a dream of visiting Delos. I find it takes a 2 nite stay on Mykonos or one night if you can arrive early in the afternoon for the last boat over…it’s about a 30 minute ride. Stay right at the central square and it’s a 10 minute walk to the Delos ferry port.
I’ve read postings that one can get to Delos from Naxos, but this is a much longer trip and not possible when the winds come up. I’ve not seen any postings where one has actually departed from Naxos to Delos.
Santorini is another island to consider for 3 nites. For the antiquities buff, Fira museum and Akrotiri site are not to be missed.
Yes, hotels are expensive on both Mykonos and Santorini. Food just takes wandering around and finding a cheaper place. If you do choose Santorini, I’d suggest staying in Fira.
We have done the boat excursion from Naxos to Delos twice It makes a quick stop in Paros to pick up more passengers and arrives Delos mid morning. We had 3 hours at the site then sailed to Mykonos for about three hours before returning to Paros and Naxos. Its a long day but it does give you the opportunity to wander around Mykonos town with out having to pay the high price of staying the night.
Some images
Day trip Delos and Mykonos https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157637922138466/
Stanbr, great pix and info. Could you share the months that you made the Naxos-Delos trip? One of our trips was mid-September and they had stopped for the year (2023).
I would like to recommend the Acropolis View Hotel in Athens. I just stayed there last week and was extremely pleased. The location simply can't be beat for the Acropolis and surrounding areas. The view from my room was fantastic and the view from the roof top deck was simply amazing. 2 blocks and you are on the pedestrian street in front of the Acropolis. About 10 minute walk and you are at the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis Metro Stop. Nearby here are multiple restaurants.
When I first drove up to the hotel in my taxi I was a little worried since the outside looks a little dated. However, inside is completely clean, modern, and updated. The front desk staff is friendly and so helpful. When I used Uber to call a taxi, the front desk took the time to speak to the driver in Greek to make sure there wasn't any confusion on where to pick up. They take time to really help with walking directions and were very kind.
Breakfast was good.
I think it was early September 2013. The tourist season was in early shut down mode and as I recall the excursion office was taking reservations for the trip provided they got enough reservations to make it worthwhile. There are two boats Alexander and Naxos star. We prefer Alaxander as its a bit more smooth ride. That late in the season only one of the two boats were still making Delos run.
I would add those days to the Peloponnese and plan a one-night stopover in Delphi as part of the road trip. There is plenty of gorgeous coastline aroudn the peninsula, and I don't see any need to fly to Mykonos.
