Greek Islands

First of all, if your sole reason for going to Mykonos is so you can see Delos you should know that there are excursion boat daytrips to Delos from Naxos and Paros. 4 nights per island minimum is what I recommend for getting into the rhythm of island life, so your thinking is right on there. As for ferry connections, go to http://www.openseas.gr/OPENSEAS/index_en.vm and use the calendar function to backtrack to last September to see what sort of ferry connections were available. Just don't expect them to be exactly the same next September, and stay flexible. Next September's schedule won't be available until mid-summer sometime.

Carol, Your plan looks well organized, although taking the RS Peloponnese drive in eight days won't leave much time to "linger" in any of the locations (his tour takes 14-days to cover the Peloponnese). You might find it very helpful to have a look at This Website, as there's LOTS of information on travelling in Greece, including tips on using the Ferries. I was in Hydra, Naxos and Santorini last year (as well as the Peloponnese) and all of them were fantastic. I decided to use one of the Greek Travel Agencies to arrange Ferry tickets and transfers, and it worked really well. One point to mention - especially on the islands, be prepared to use bottled water, as the tap water is dreadful in some locations (and may not be safe in some cases). Bottled water is readily available. Good luck with your planning!

Thanks for your responses. We will consider dropping Mykonos as we're not into night life and there doesn't seem to be many sights. Our main reason was to go to Delos so we'll see if we can get there from Naxos. We can then add another day, if it warrants, to either Naxos or Santorini and use the extra days for the Peloponnese. Will also check into flying directly to the islands and maybe renting the car in Piraeus and returning it in Athens to avoid doubling back, which will give us more time in Athens. Our driving trip pretty much came from RS book. We did check the RS tour and of the 14 days one is just dinner, one day in Athens, one day in Hydra, one day just breakfast and the remainder is the Peloponnese. So we're pretty close but by adding a couple more days we can now take it more slowly and enjoy the sights. One other question: Should we rent a car on Santorini & Naxos? It seems there's so much to see and a car would be convenient. Any thought?
Thank you for your suggestions! We always find help on this forum. We do appreciate them.

Carol......You are going to have a great trip. Four nights each on Naxos and Santorini is, to me, perfect. You may want to add a day for Delos. We did rent a car on both islands and would do it again. They are small cars and not too expensive. Our hotel arranged it for us. If I recall correctly you will need a local drivers license but they are sold by the car rental places. You can pick up a car at the airport or the ferry port - saves you the cabfare. We arrived in Athens and flew directly to Santorini on Aegean Air - this worked very well and the island hop can be fun and also not expensive. If you have an extra day(s) add them to the Peloponnese part of your trip.

"If I recall correctly you will need a local drivers license but they are sold by the car rental places....." Couldn't be further from reality. There is no such thing as a "local drivers license" issued to tourists. What you do need is an International Driving Permit, which you can pick up for $15 (plus a photo fee if you don't bring 2 passport photos with you) from your local AAA office, no test or membership required. Some rental agents will rent you a car without one but if you get in an accident you will be in a steaming s**pile of trouble if you can't produce it upon demand for the local police. Not only that, but your insurance will be invalidated because you will have been driving illegally.*

Carol, The information that Lee provided is absolutely correct. You WILL need the compulsory International Driver's Permit for driving in Greece. I rented a car on Santorini last year, and they DID ask to see the IDP. Regarding your question on whether to rent a car, my suggestion would be to rent a car at least on Santorini, as getting around by public transportation can take awhile. You'll have to be vigilant for those @#$% Quads on the road, as they're all over the place, and they don't move very quickly. Whether to rent a Car on Naxos will depend on what you want to do and see. I considered using a rental car there, but decided to take a day tour with a local firm. The Hotel made all the arrangements for me. It was basically a full day in a "Greyhound" size Bus, and covered a number of points of interest on the island, including a Distillery that produces Kitron. The tour was quite interesting and of course I brought back a few "samples" to enjoy. You might also want to try Mastika while in Greece. It's probably an "acquired taste" but I quite enjoyed it. Cheers!

Thanks for your responses! We're pretty sure we'll rent a car on Naxos and Santorini for at least one day each. We have added a day to Naxos. We always get an international drivers license when planning on renting a car - it's better to be safe than sorry! Also, we have added a couple of days to the Peloponnese. Although our dates are pretty set, we have not yet made plane reservations but we like to have a good plan and then adjust as needed as we get closer to the time. Thank you all so much for your help!