Itinerary Review Please!

Scot: With itineraries, it's more likely you'll get an answer if you make it easier for us to read it. It's not your fault, it's the programming of the site.

Here's how: go back to your post, click the Edit button (under your name & location), then insert a 2nd line break (press enter one more time) after each day. On this site line breaks require pressing Enter twice.

Oh, I'm sorry. Fixed. :)

I'm wondering how much research you've actually done on the Greek ferry system. Rome>Athens: By ferry this actually means a bus or train from Rome to Bari or Brindisi, then a ferry across to Patras or Igoumenitsa, then another bus to Athens, all of which can take up to 24 hours. Athens>Patmos (night ferry): There is no ferry for this. You will have to take a ferry to either Samos or Rhodes or Kos to catch a connecting ferry to Patmos. This will interrupt your proposed itinerary and might even require you to spend one of your nights on one of these islands so you can catch the next ferry to Patmos, depending on the schedules.

http://www.openseas.gr/OPENSEAS/index_en.vm

http://www.greekferries.gr

Yeah, I hadn't pieced together how to get from Italy to Greece yet. But on GreekIslands.gr, there is a Blue Star night ferry from Piraeus to Patmos leaving at 23:55 and arriving at 07:25. I guess that's not direct?

No, it's direct. Good catch, I hadn't spotted that one. But you're looking at a 2009 schedule and that particular departure time is Saturday-only. This year there apparently are a total of 3 ferries each week from Athens to Patmos. You'll have to wait until the schedule for 2010 is posted before making your plans for that leg of your trip, and depending on the days it will be available next year-if at all-your overall scheduling might run into more snags.

http://www.bluestarferries.com/site/content.asp?sel=624&loc=2

As far as Italy>Athens is concerned, keep an eye out for the airfare sales on the Aegean Airlines website. They're offering some super-cheap saver fares, although nothing yet for next June. Go to their website and sign up for their newsletter so you get automatic updates. When they send you the upudate you'll have to clik on the fine print at the top of the page to get the English version. You can also get cheap domestic flights from Athens to Samos and Rhodes this way.

http://www.aegeanair.com/default.aspx

You might consider reversing your Italian portion and fly into Rome. I can't remember the airline, but I know that there is a low budget option that goes from Venice to Athens. We flew it 2 years ago from Athens to Venice. This may save you a day, and you can explore Delphi and other Greek sights from Athens.

How would it save a day? It seems like, if anything, it would take more time as the flights are longer.

There are some budget flights from Rome to Athens but I'll keep your advice in mind and compare them with Venice-Athens flights.

So some transportation issues aside which I'll wait to work when the schedules are posted, but is the amount of time in each city sufficient? Anything we should add or omit?