Travel to Greece in July

Binay, we cannot possibly plan the trip you ask for, because it is impossible. In 10 days, in High Season, when so many places are already booked, and transportation too!! In 10 days you can do 3 places at most. Perhaps Santorini, Mykonos and Athens since you seem focussed on the most famous & expensive places. In order to get what you want -- and you want a LOT!! -- you need a travel agent -- and we "Greece veterans" always say, use a GREEK travel agency, since if problems arise, they know how to fix them immediately. There are three that are well-known on these forums -- because they are used to working with overseas clients, by e-mail, and are highly praised. They are Dolphin-Hellas, Fantasy Travel, and Aegean-Thesaurus ... all have websites & offices in Athens & elsewhere.

Here's what to do: • Immediately, TODAY: E-mail all 3 of them • Give them ALL KEY DETAILS -- your exact dates/time of day of both arrival flight & Departure flight • Tell them your desired 3 destinations (more than 3 is not realistic) • Tell them your priorities (beaches, shopping, sports), so they won't think you want museum tours • IMPORTANT: give them your desired budget range per night for hotel rooms ("3-4 star" means nothing in Greece) • Ask them each for a proposed Itinerary and a cost estimate within 3 days. Then -- see which one answers most quickly & has the best service.

I too would narrow your scope. Transport in Greece takes an inordinate amount of time, basically a big chunk of each day you travel.

Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini is a doable trip, Crete by itself or in combination with just Santorini would be OK, Rhodes is a bit far flung to work in, maybe with Crete by itself, but not with Santorini or Mykonos.

Figure Athens can be the day of your arrival (leaving for the islands the next day) and preferably a whole day or more at the end of your trip before flying home. If you were to have enough time in Athens, you could take one of the organized day trips to Delphi.

As for transport, I suggest flying for any transport between Athens and Santorini, Crete, or Rhodes; for between islands (except maybe Crete to Rhodes) the Ferry is about your only choice. So for Santorini and Mykonos, fly to Santorini, ferry to Mykonos, Ferry back to Athens.

As for trying to fit everything in or make the most of it, accept that you cnnot fit everything into one trip, and making the most of it can be accomplished as easily in 2-3 places as 6 or 7, especially on a honeymoon.

You will waste a LOT of precious time in transit between Santorini and Rhodes. Choose one island group or the other, not both.

I have to agree with everyone . . . you are asking too much for the time you have. I would go to Athens then pick two islands and split the rest of the time there and remember to get back to Athens a day in advance of your departure. One thing I have learned from my travels to Greece is to slow down and enjoy your time there rather than spending so much of it traveling from one spot to another. I know everyone wants to see and do as much as possible on their holiday but it's more important to enjoy what you are experiencing and get quality rather than quantity.

In case, 10-12 days is short to cover the must visit places of Greece, we are open to increase the duration. But, kindly mention which are the must visit places. Also, which islands form part of the group of islands in Santorini and Rhodes.

The only reply i have been getting is that its not possible to get what i want in 10-12 days. Kindly help me with whats possible or better say whats must to cover on visiting Greece. Which islands/places i should not miss. I dont think i would be visiting Greece ever again as there are many more places in the world to cover ;) so do not want to visit any must visit place. I hope you all understand.

Kindly bear with me and help me plan my travel. Thanks!!

Do you have a Greece guide book yet? If so, great. If not, I would suggest you get one a long time ago. You can buy a RS Greece guide book elsewhere on this web site. I spent a month in Greece last year and purposely avoided the summer months where it can get REAL hot there. I see that the RS Greece Tour forecasts 88*F for the average temperature for July. With only 10 or 12 days to spend in Greece, I would recommend that you pick out TWO locations to spend your time.

Hie All.. Thanks for the valuable feedback you all have provided. It has surely given me a fair idea of how to plan my trip.

Please do not get offended. What i am seeking is not an expert travel agent advise from you all but experienced advice as you all have must visited Greece yourself. I am already in contact with travel agents to design the package. I am not concerned with the cost they would charge.

Thanks all once again!!

The areas in Greece you mentioned you want to go to are the most heavily touristed parts of the country, especially July . . . the high season . . . do you like crowds (mostly tourists), higher prices, congestion, people bumping into you . . . then go to those areas you listed.

However, there are numerous places to go to in Greece: the mainland and many other islands that offer a more local feel and less touristy atmosphere. I would suggest looking at Matt's Greek Guide on the internet. It's one of the best sources of info for all of Greece. Most people hear about Athens, Santorini & Mykonos and while I like Athens many others don't want to spend that much time there. I think it's worth a few days to explore what it has to offer. Santorini & Mykonos are two of the most popular Greek Islands . . . rightly so because they offer many visual wonders, but that means EVERYONE wants to go there and everyone does, except those who know better and want a more real Greek Island such as Sifnos, Milos, Naxos, and many other less popular but very Greek islands. Get a good guide book, decide what you want from a trip to Greece, the kind of island or part of the mainland you want to experience, your budget is a big factor.

Unless you have already booked flights, I would plan on doing this trip next year as you have left it far too late to book peak season for this year in some of the most touristy places in Greece that you are suggesting visiting. You will now be left with the most expensive or inferior accommodation that is now available. Alternatively, look at some of the Ionian islands which are great but may have some availability left.

Athens will be very hot in mid July.