Tinos , Naxos and other islands

"Summer" is a looooong time ... and if you can do it in late June or after August 23 or so, a much better experience -- the HIGH season finds the islands SO overloaded with European holidaymakers and package-holiday mobs that it can change the whole atmosphere.

In Naxos, I think you will find almost no rooms available in the hill villages like Apiranthos ... they just don't deal with visitors except by day. You may want to stay ut at the farthest end of the beach strip.. around Mikra Vigli... be aware that from July on, the winds can be fierce.

Of course you know in Tinos that almost any time in August is a problem... all the greeks take the week of Aug 15 off, and in Tinos he sacred Ikon makes it like the "Lourdes" of Greece ... thousands of people flocking to worship. Avoid.

Hi!
Thank you for your reply.
I agree with you about the dates of travel.
Kn tjis case , must i avoid Tinos even after 23 august?

What do you think about Naxos and Ios.Are there the islands where i can find:
Beautiful villages,
-Good nighlife,
-Local festivities festivals,tradionnal music
-A tasty food
-Cultural and archeological curiosities,?

Are there different for the others in the cyclades?

My problem is that i visited most of the cyclades and Dodecanese.
Do you think that i have to chage the destination for the Spoades and the Pelion ?
Riadhou

Again riadh, it would help us give better advice if you'd give at least the approximate dates of travel... is there any objection to this? (Are you in a Witness Protection Program he he he). If you are thinking of going late August through mid-September, you'll be OK as far as crowds, the huge throngs do tend to depart to get their kids back into school. As for the islands you mention, you can find out SO much about their attractions by checking a GOOD guidebook -- I do not have any idea where you live, since you share so little about yourself, are you in a nearby country, an English-speaking country... what??? IF you're near a good library, the ROUGH GUIDE is the best/quickest place to give CANDID answers about an island's appeal AND drawbacks (which are never mentioned in online promotional websites).

You ask : "Naxos and Ios: Are these the islands where i can find: • Beautiful villages • Good nighlife •Local festivities festivals & traditional music • tasty food • Cultural and archeological curiosities,? My comments, on these & others:
• NAXOS - Has ALL of these! After SEpt 1 suggest staying in St. George Beach area because clubs r mainly in the attached Port Town & its so easy to stroll back to hotel late; this SkyMap http://www.skymap.gr/apps/site/viewmap/?mapid=29&cid=305 clearly shows how beach & town interconnect; otherwise, look at Ag. Prokopios IF you can get hotel on beach (LIana hotel is one such). Naxos has wine festivals in early sept, has weekly concerts of traditional Greek music/dance, MANY ancient sites!!!
• IOS - In July-August, is mainly a college fratboy party island; do you like beerkeg parties? Off season, quieter. Beaches fine, no ancient sites of interest
• TINOS - thru Aug 15-20, mainly a huge religious-visit mecca ... and never has much nightlife at all. Friends had a house there and "commuted" 30 mins to Mykonos for business & social life. Its mainly noted for small villages where women do embroidery, and lots of dovecotes, all over. I've never been attracted to either tablecloths or pigeons, so I've skipped Tinos so far.
• PAROS - ANTIPAROS -- Paros has much of interest, but as a place to stay, I enjoy Antiparos so much!! And you may have your cake & eat it too! The strategy would be to stay in Antiparos, right near the tiny port (Mikes Place or Sunday Hotel), and day-trip to Paros to explore Parikia, bus up to Naoussa ... then back on Antiparos, enjoy easy walks to sandy beaches & lovely sunsets.

OTHER CYCLADES - Again, your stinginess with facts is frustrating! You say "My problem is that i visited most of the cyclades" -- but which ones??? Have you been to Milos, Sifnos, Serifos, Amorgos, Folegandros -- I have visited all these and have info on both their attractions & drawbacks, but am not going to bother to describe, if you then say "been there, done that." If you want the BEST advice, you need to give BETTER information.
SPORADES - Again, research can help you decide. Both the guidebooks AND forums like Trip Advisor let us know that your experience can be very mixed; Skiathos is very much a British-holidaymaker "hive" with charter flights and package-vacation crowds - Skopelos & Skyros much less so, because harder to reach -- however, I'm not sure how much in way of ancient sites, and local festivals you'll encounter on either. You MIGHT consider going to Chalki and to SAMOS (in the latter, avoiding the big UK package-holiday centers at Pythagoras etc), Western Samos adored by hikers, great landscapes. Again, you'd need to do quick in-depth research to decide ... both plane tickets and accommodations easier to come by in Samos, Chios and NON-airport Sporades.

Please realize that you are asking a lot at a very late date, and without sufficient facts we may waste our time in trying to develop scenarios for you that are not appropriate ... do fill in the facts, and prepare to act FAST on any bookings advice. Good Luck!

Just about everyhwere in Greece, especially islands will be very busy, some islands more so than others and August could be very difficult to have a more traditional Greek Experience with so many tourists around.

Naxos is truly a lovely island with a wonderful combination of Old & New World Greece, archeological/historic sites, pretty interior villages, spectacular mountains, views, beaches and great food. I would recommend St. George Beach area just a short walk from Old Town. Still August will be busy but not over run like Santorini/Mykonos.

Tinos is a gem of an island and turned out to be one of my favorites but August has the religious celebration of a miracle that took place years ago. Tinos Town and surrounding area will be packed with pilgrims and others. However, the island has some of the most beautiful villages I've ever been to in the Cyclades that will rival anywhere else.

Ios as stated is a party-time island that gets packed with young Greeks and others that may be a turn off to some. Yet is very pretty otherwise.

I did a day cruise to Delos/Mykonos and found Delos far better and more interesting since it's a special island filled with ancient remains and was a sacred island to the Greeks. Mykonos, while visually stunning was over-crowded, touristy and pricey but may be tolerable for a day.

I haven't been to Paros but hear it's very nice.

If there is any way you can avoid High Season you'll have a much better and traditional Greek Experience . . . still you can have a wonderful time if you do your research & check out islands that are not the Big Name Islands.

Some islands you didn't mention but are very nice are: Sifnos, Milos, Amorgos, Astypalea, Ikaria, Kythira, Lemnos, Skyros with a lot more you probably never heard about . . . which may be good . . . the lesser known islands can be just as good, if not better than the popular touristed ones, less expensive and more interaction with locals rather than tourists.

Here's a good link for Matt's Greek Islands:
http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/

Are you going in 2017? If so, you obviously need to move quickly.

I have not been to Tinos or Ios but agree that Naxos and Antiparos are good choices. Also Amorgos would be good and is easily accessible from Naxos. On Amorgos, Porto Katapola is a great place to stay if he has a room available.

As an alternative, I would also recommend Lesvos. It is large enough that you could stay in 2 or 3 places on the island over 18 days and get a variety of experiences. I would highly recommend Hotel Votsala near Mytilene for part of your stay. You would probably fly in and out of Lesvos as it is a looong ferry ride from Athens. From Mytilene you can take a ferry to Ayvalik in Turkey & see the ruins at Pergamon in Turkey.

But act quickly if your trip is this year!

Be sure to check the weather before your 1 day excursion to Mykonos! We had no trouble joining a last-minute one day excursion to Delos/Mykonos (from Naxos) last year in early September, but the winds were blowing and it made for a really wild ride on the boat! Lots of people getting seasick (and getting worried). It also made our short stay in Mykonos unpleasant because the wind was blowing so hard that it wasn't too fun to be outdoors exploring. My understanding is that it is common for it to be windy in late summer. We didn't particularly like Englishified Mykonos (especially only being there for a few hours, since we couldn't explore beyond the tourist core) but it is pretty and overall I think I'm glad we at least saw it since you hear so much about it and we would've always wondered what it is like. Expect it to be very postcard-perfect but geared towards tourists (for example, you'll be passing Louis Vuitton stores rather than mom and pop shops).

In Delos, look for a guided tour. There was one available for us at the entrance when we were there, but I'm not sure if this happens all the time. The history there is really cool, but would be better appreciated with a tour guide (the reader boards available there are much more dry).

Very important thing to know about day-excursions to Mykonos/Delos from either Naxos or Paros. 2 boats do this, NAXOS STAR on Tues-Thurs-Sat and MV ALEXANDER on Mon-Wd. The latter is FAR preferable... it's a larger vessel (check the website) http://visit-cyclades.com/day-cruises/naxos-cruises and much smoother ride. The "STAR" is small and can bob around like a cork on windy days, urpsy. And yes, winds are stronger in late summer than early ... late May-early june the water is like glass. Good idea to check weather forecast before you book.

Just to add to Janet's caution about what boat to take from Naxos to Delos/Mykonos. Since we went early October there were not a lot of people on the cruise so we went on the smaller boat. For the most part it was a blue skies, sun and relatively calm water. However, one elderly gentleman got sick . . . everyone else was OK. Still, no guarantee on the weather or conditions of the ocean but overall it was a pleasant cruise and Delos was spectacular and Mykonos so-so (for me anyway)

Thank you for your replies.
I am very interested to visit Tinos among Naxos and astypalaia. i would just like to know if the villages of Tinos could have an active nightlife In August (like kardiani, pyrgos Volax or other villages . i mean are the squares, restaurants, cafes and bars of these villages filled with people who come to spend the evening in the restaurants and cafes , or are they deserted early in the evening ,and the nightlife will take place in Tinos Chora?
Or should i just go to Mykonos and return back to Tinos in the last ferry?

Riadhou