Greece Travel Forum

My wife and I are going to Greece as part of a two month excursion to Europe next year (general theme: history, architecture). We were originally only going to Athens but have decided to add a day or two in Santorini to relax as by then we would have already spent 8 days in egypt and 4 days in istanbul. Does this itinerary sound ok...
Athens Day 1 - arrive 12pm 9/june. 4 hour round trip to Temple of Poseidon.
Athens Day 2 - Acropolis. Roman Agora. Olypieion. Overnight ferry to Santorini?
Santorini Day 1 - Relax... maybe take a bus around the island. Sunset at Oia.
Santorini Day 2 - Relax. maybe walk from Fira to Oia. Overnight ferry to Athens.
Athens Day 3 - Straight to airport - fly to Budapest in the a.m.

question.. if we catch the overnight ferry to santorini what time do we get into santorini? i.e. do we see the sunrise whilst on the ferry? or should we instead stay the night in Athens and either fly or take a high speed ferry to santorini in the morning? what would be more romantic? what about returning to Athens.. what time does the overnight ferry get into athens?

Hi!

As your time in Greece is so limited, I would encourage you to leave Santorini for your next trip: it's one of the farthest islands from Athens, and your "relaxing" 2 days on the island will be a hectic rush.

Instead, you can go to the island of Hydra in the Saronic Gulf, a short ferry journey from Piraeus, it's beautiful and can be very romantic as well!

As for Athens, again, considering your limited time, I suggest skipping the Temple of Poseidon and spending more time in the city itself: there are some excellent museums, including the New Acropolis Museum, the Archeological Museum, the Goulandris Cycladic Art Museum... Stroll around the Plaka and Anafiotika... Have coffee in one of the fashionable cafes in Kolonaki...

Enjoy!
Ilan

You have barely 3˝ days in Greece, so I don't see where 'relaxing' comes into it.

What you have there is impossible. Overnight ferries are not so frequent only about every 2 days so it just won't work. Even just going to Santorini by ferry will result in 1 day on the island and ˝ day in Athens.

You need a re-think, essentially it amounts to Staying in Athens.

ok.. so I've added another day and night to Athens as I am NOT missing the Temple of Posiedon. itenerary now looks like this...
Athens Day 1 - Arrive late morning - Acropolis light show in evening
Athens Day 2 - Acropolis - Roman Agora - Acropolis Museum
Athens Day 3 - Olypieion - Temple of Posiedon
Santorini Day 1 - High Speed ferry in a.m. to Santorini (arrive early afternoon)
Santorini Day 2 - Relax
Santorini Day 3 - catch high speed ferry in a.m. back to Athens, fly to next destination

does this sound better?

Itinerary is ok but very tiring if you ask me. It sounds to me like lets see the Temple of Poseidon and hurry. I wouldnt be in such a rush...
Also dont worry about Oia. It will not be crowded so early in the summer.

And you would leave Greece during summer to go to Budhapest???

after greece we have decided to fly to berlin instead, we are skipping budapest altogether...

Are you in a some kind of race ? :) Because if you don't, you MUST tell yourself & your wife that you are ! :)

In 2 months, from your post...you'd be in Egypt, in Istanbul, in Berlin & Greece.
If you ask me if it's possible to do all these in 2 months my answer would be YES ! You can even include Budapest ! :) :)

But why only 4 days in Greece ?
Does that mean you'd spend 56 days in the other destinations ?

Greece-wise :
Why don't you fly to Santorini ? You can book the flight as earlier as possible.
Have you booked the room in Santorini ? How are you moving around in Santorini ?

There are many issues to think about when we travel.
You'd walk around so much & seeing many things in Athens alone. Do you think you'd have the energy & the eyesight to see more ?
It's easy to say YES but it's not the same as being there in the actual place.
can you walk under the hot sun ?
Women have moods when they travel, I know ! :)
What if the wife doesn't want to see a place, she just wants to sit somewhere, sipping drinks & maybe do a bit of shopping...would you oblige ?
Or would you tell her..."take your time but I'm going there to see the places that I REALLY want to see !"

Traveling is fun but it could also about making or breaking a relationship ! :)
There are so many things (behaviour-wise) that we are exposing to our spouse about ourself !

Your trip is do-able if ONLY you pre-book everything ! EVERYTHING !
Your flights & the connections, your hotel rooms...& maybe you'd book tours in those cities ?
Otherwise, it'd be walking around so much, taking taxis, taking buses...asking for directions, finding a place to eat & to drink...rushing, rushing, rushing & more rushing ! It's okay, both of you have the energy, right ?

Remember, EACH city especially in diffrent countries or in different continents ISN'T the same !

You'll be in Egypt just to be in Cairo only ? Aren't you not crusing the Nile ?
You'll be in Istanbul for how long ?
Honeslt, Budapest is more amazing than Berlin ! :)

Traveling is also about making decisions.
Before leaving home, we need to plan.
Booking flights, booking rooms.
Which places to see, which places not to see. etc.

While traveling, we need to plan.
What if the flights are late, would that affect your connecting flights ?
What if the places that you want to see are closed, or in renovation or not as the same as how you picture them to be ? :) :)

Worst, worker strikes, volcanic ash (who would have expected that !!), illnesses, not enough sleep & rest...what to wear, what to buy etc etc etc...are things that you'd experience on any trip !

The aftermath of traveling, we also need to plan. Those bills that need to be settled ! The back-to-normal life syndrome...etc :)

My advice, be flexible !
It's not just your trip but your wife's as well.
Don't rush too much, it's good for the best of you !

If you see so much in one trip...you don't have time to really appreciate what you see & experience together.
It's all just about chasing time only !
Come on, the places that you want to see won't go away. You could always plan another trip & experience it all over again with your wife ! Think of a long relationship with your wife...you want to travel again & again & again but in your own pace.

Right ?