Santorini and Naxos

(1) ISLANDS -- You can either spend Time or spend Money. To get a bit more time on the islands, you could fly. On Sept 9 at 12 noon there is an olympic flight that arrives Santorini 12:50. Costs €122,50 but you gain about 12 hours. Thus:

Sept 9 (half day) & Sept 10 and 1/2 day Sept 11 -- SANTORINI ( = 2 full days)
Sept 11 1500 (3pm) Ferry to NAXOS, arrive 19:30pm (5:30 pm)
Evening of Sept 11, All Day Sept 12 & Sept 13 & Sept 14, NAXOS ( = 3 full days)
Sept 15 Back to Athens via FERRY (air flight fullybooked for that day)
BLUE STAR FERRY 9:45am - arrive 3 pm ("reserve economy") = 34€ ... you could also avoid "wasting" that day by taking the 645 pm BLUE STAR arrive around midnight. Your mother should know that the Blue Star Line has the MOST modern vessels in the ferry fleet, and never has cancellations or delays short of a fullblown typhoon. The other disruption this year would be (alas) a strike -- but these are announced way ahead of time, and you could change to a day earlier. So you COULD take that "sunset ferry".

(2) PRIORITIES & COSTS -- Note I suggested 2 days in Santorini/3+ in Naxos: there's SO much more to do in Naxos. Honeymooners Moon on pvt balconies in Santorini but I don't think u are one. BTW you say "I" and then "we". Which is it?

Also note: I recommended a flight. You either have TIME to spend, or you must spend MONEY. your call.

(3) TOURS - skip the stupid boat tour, look at volcano from afar... it's not an active volcano, waste of money/time. If you want an adventure, take bus to Kamari & climb up to Ancient THira. And Naxos has hikes, water sports etc -- AND is a lot cheaper than Santorini... you'll save enough to pay for that fiight.

Kathy,

I was just in Greece, which included time in Athens, the Pelopponese, Naxos and Santorini.

My suggestion would be to minimize your time in Athens. One full day should be enough to see the Acroplis and perhaps spend a bit of time in the Archeological Museum. If you really want three days each in Naxos and Santorini (which is the same time frame I had), there may be some way to achieve that.

I'd suggest leaving Santorini as your last stop. Don't use the Ferry back to Athens as there are easy flights available via Aegean.

You indicated that you're "working with a Greek Travel Agent". I may be able to help with some further information based on my experiences - send me a PM.

Cheers!

Ken I would have agreed with you to do Santorini last and then fly back... except for one thing Santorini was the only island of the 2 that had a flight out on arrival day... If she did as you say, she would wait around until 5:30 pm at the port and not arrive Naxos until very late... wasting an entire day. Under my scenario if she took that "sunset" ferry on Sept 14, she would still hve a full final day on Naxos.

Of course, she COULD do that, and use the day of arrival Sept 9 in Athens -- take metro in, check luggage in lockers in Monastiraki Metro station, and go up o nthe acropolis. Return to Metro station at 3 or so, reclaim luggage, take 30 minute Green Line train to Piraeus, and Blue Star ferry is right across from Metro bldg.

It's Kathy's call.

Are the island flights from Athens on full size aircrafts or are they little small commuter planes or propeller planes? I really don't like flying, which is why I didn't think of it. Also, I didn't represent the times correctly. I leave Rome mid-morning, arrive in Athens at 2:00, and that's why I was going to take the evening Ferry (or plane now) to the islands. I see on the Aegean site, there is a plane to Santorin at 19:30, however the cheaper fares are gone now, and I probably could have just combined the flight from Rome when I booked that last week, but I didn't think of that at the time.

I guess my major concern is, from a local or travellors perspective, is seeing two islands ideal or in the end, would it be more economical yet just as fun and scenic to see only one island, since it is a short time? With an easy itineray, as in only one or two islands, do I need a travel agent, or am I able to get the ferries and transfers without too much trouble on my own?

Kathy,

The Aegean flight that I took was a large AirBus (it looked brand new). I'm assuming that's the type of aircraft they tend to use on the Athens-Santorini route.

IMHO, seeing those two islands would be good if possible, as they're so different.

You could certainly make all the arrangements yourself, but especially if you're dealing with fairly "tight" time schedules, a Travel Agent can make the trip so much easier. That's the method I used this year, and it was great - all the transfers, Hotels and Ferry tickets were taken care of. I was handed an envelope when I reached Piraeus with vouchers for every service I'd be using. Your choice.....

One tip on the Greek Islands though - BUY BOTTLED WATER! The water in Santorini is dreadful and not something you'll want to drink. The water in Naxos is good however it's delivered via lead-lined pipes so I was told by Hotel staff not to drink it. There are small fountains in various places that were supposedly safe for drinking. There are lots of small shops to obtain bottled water, so I didn't find that to be a problem.

Cheers!

Seating capacity on Aegean planes ranges from 68-195 passengers. I usually fly to Santorini on Aegean and don't think I've ever been on a plane of theirs for that run with a capacity smaller than 150+ people.

Don't hesitate about the flights. Aegean is a good airline and the planes are fine. There can be a real advantage, depending upon the weather - the flight over the islands can be quite beautiful and you will have a wonderful view of the caldra as you arrive/depart. Have your camera ready - you are visiting one of the most beautiful places in the world.

With such a short time frame, I'd definitely fly from Athens to your first island on the 9th, take a ferry to the second island, and fly back to Athens on the 15th. We have had two experiences in Greece where all ferries stopped running for a day, so now I always fly in and out of Athens.

Are you willing to substitute another island for Naxos, which would enable you to do this? There are numerous islands in the Cyclades (perhaps Milos?). I understand the attraction of Santorini, which is uniquely beautiful although expensive and crowded with tourists. Naxos, though, could easily be substituted with another island. Just go to the Aegean Airlines website with a list of a few options and see what's available.

Thank you all for the advice of flights. I have decided to fly out to Santorini on the 9th, since I am already at the airport, gives me only a few extra evening hours on Santorini, but no big deal! But I really enjoy boat rides, so I don't mind taking ferry home, and the ferries and planes leave the islands around the same time that day anyway.

But Janet, or anyone else with experience, if really no one thinks the Blue Line Ferries ever get cancelled (unless a posted strike), I would prefer to just come back on the 15th and fly home on the 16th? Does anyone else have experience with the Blue Line 2 ferries, which are scheduled (on the websites) at only 6 hours travel time to Santorini (5.5 from Naxos on Blue Star Paros Line), but all info on the internet says ferries take 8-9 + hours from Santorini!!! Which time frame is more accurate, because between the Blue Star 2 Line and the high-speed cataramans, there is only about one hour difference. But YES,9 hours is too long!

The Blue Star Ferry company is extremely reliable, as long as there's no strike. So is the Hellenic Seaways company which offers a highspeed return to Athens in about 5 hours. Both have websites.

I'm not sure what your confusion is, Kathy. The Blue Star takes 5.5 hours from Naxos, and the ferry from Santorini takes about 8 or 9. That is correct. Santorini is much farther from Pireause. Look at a map. (click on it to enlarge) http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-maps/images/greece.gif

You confuse us when you switch to a discussion of Blue Star 1 & 2, talking about how fast they go to Santorini .... I thought we were discussing coming BACK from the islands. Please do not mix apples & oranges, and clearly say which date and which direction you are discussing.

Blue Star 1 & 2 do not go INBOUND from Santorini to Piraeus. They only go OUTBOUND. If you are talking about an outbound sailing on your arrival day, September 9 (a Thursday) there is a Blue star 2 sailing at 19:00 (7 pm) that arrives at midnight, actually 12:01. Is that the one you are talking about?? A numbered (reserve) seat costs 38€ ... other blue star sailings take longer because they stop at 2 islands... this one, the first stop is Santorini.

Sorry to confuse you, Janet, but as you probably know, the numerous greek ferry websites are very confusing and I would have no way of knowing that certain boats only go outbound or inbound. I mean, the sites can't even tell customers the differences in their Seats! ! In fact, the Blue Star boats all have similiar names and just slightly different travel routes and change the travel times every other day! When I looked at the ferry schedule on certain days and they are all called "BLUE STAR", I found it very confusing that some to Santorini took 6 hours and others took 9, so I was just trying to learn and double check if the one I choose really did take only 6 hours! And the travel agent I was working was not being very helpful, so I was trying to see if I could perhaps maximize my time better, which I did! I thought this site was for travellers to help travellers and share personal experiences, not to be critical of others! Anyway, I finished my plans and hopefully all will run smootly without delays and thanks for everyone who calmed my nerves about Ferrys and Planes!

All the Blue Star ferries travel at approximately the same speed. What makes the trip fast or slower is how many islands they stop at on the way to their final destination. If you go to the www.gtp.gr website you can call up the ferry you're interested in and you'll see a list of the islands visited as well as a little animated map with the route.

Am I the only person to have experienced ferry stoppages due to weather in Greece? It happened to us on our first visit to Greece, on September 4, trying to get from Sifnos to Santorini. Not sure what the ferry line was, but we were told that all ferries in the system were cancelled. No ferries had left Athens that day. It was not a strike, just bad weather.

A few years later, on September 15, we were on Samos trying to get to Patmos and the ferries were grounded again due to weather.

Both times, it was just an inconvenience to us, requiring a phone calls to rearrange hotels. But for Kathy, missing a flight home could be extremely expensive and stressful.

I would never advise anyone to trust a ferry to get back to Athens the day before a flight home.

Yes, I have taken all advice. Even though the Blue Star Ferries appear to be very reliable by many sources, I will indeed come back on the 14th, leaving me one full day in Athens before my flight, just in case.

I think you'll be glad you gave yourselves a full day in Athens. Besides the peace of mind, you also will have time to do some sightseeing. I hope you and your mom have a wonderful trip.