Hi all,
I'm attempting to travel to the greek isles soon, and I was hoping to get your recommendations on private tour guides on the islands of Naxos, Santorini, and Crete. I'm traveling with a person who does not use a wheelchair but may use a rollator, has issues with climbing stairs, and can't walk for long without taking a break.
Any recommendations are welcome, along with experiences traveling to these islands with limited mobility.
Thanks!
Are you considering a guide due to the person traveling with you having mobility issues?
I can’t imagine needing a guide for Naxos or Santorini. Perhaps for Crete but we never used one there either.
In Santorini, except for the site of Akrotiri, the main tourist activity is to walk the pedestrian streets of Fira, Oia, and other typical villages, to take pictures of the landscape and the sunset in the middle of the crowd of tourists . Having a guide won't help you navigate the steep streets and climb or descend the many steps in these places.
There are opportunities for guided tours mainly to visit the vineyards or take a boat trip.
For Naxos and Crete, there are enough information resources in travel guides or on the internet to allow you to organize a visit on your own. In Crete you will find guides for specific visits to certain sites but you would need more than 2 weeks to visit Crete in its entirety.
In Naxos there are possibilities of guided boat tours around the island or going to the Delos site.
In Naxos the local bus company KTEL has round the island bus tours. They hit most of the important sites. That may be the best way for you and your companion to see most of the island. There will be some places your companion may choose not to try to walk to bust still get a good experience.
Some images of our trip around Naxos.
Trip around Naxos https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157634605629689
We spent 4 days on Naxos and our original plan was to take the bus around to a few different places. But when I really mapped out trying to see stuff on the bus, I realized it was pretty limited service and would be quite an exhausting day - and we can walk freely for hours, but those buses don't really move you around that conveniently.
In the end, we hired Nicolas with Naxos Discovery Tours. He picked us up in his van and drove us around all day. We saw so much - including a private chapel on someone's property - he stopped and got the key from a woman on site - it was a highlight of our trip. I think the chapel was 600 years old, if my memory is correct. He also took us to an incredible abandoned monastery and a few villages.
It was a day well spent. I think we paid under $300 for the entire private touring day.
I have had great success with Naxos Cultural Tours, they do small group tours and private. Very easy to work with and the owner has an advanced degree in the history you want to know about. We chose a blend of historical along with visiting a local working farm, that included a small hike. I wanted to see more authentic vs. touristy sites. They also do a weekly small group trip to Delos and Mykonos. Katrina is the owner, highly recommend.
I highly recommend Nicolas at Naxos Discovery Tours. He is personable, knowledgeable and one of the best guides we have ever used on our travels. https://www.naxosdiscovery.net/ We saw things with him, that would not have been possible by touring the island ourselves, or with a large tour company. Worth every penny!
On Santorini we used Touring with Kostas, and chose the "A la Carte" tour in order to tailor it to our interests. Kostas is very easy to work with and will ensure that your time with him is well spent. https://santorini-private-guide.com/
Thank you all for your suggestions. I really appreciate it.
