OT - Greek Islands Honeymoon

[KeithK7624]

My fiancée and I decided on the Greek Islands for our Honeymoon. We plan to arrive around June 5-7 and stay through the 18th. So about 10-12 days.

We are thinking one night in Athens, 3 in Mykonos, 3 in Paros, 4 in Santorini.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Alternate itinerary, hotels, private boat charters, things to do, etc?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[RU2007RSLN2010]

One night in Athens is all you need. Santorini has beautiful views and sunsets but 4 days seems long. They don't have as nice beaches as the other islands on your list but it is a nice island to rent a place on top of a cliff and chill. When I went we Airbnb a place with a pool overlooking everything. It was so relaxing. I didn't make it to Milos but have heard they had nicer beaches (and more types of beaches) than the other islands on your list. Enjoy, you two will remember the trip forever!

 

[Abro1975]

We gave a lot of thought to the Greek Islands for our Honeymoon years ago, as then the scene was just taking off and it was becoming a cool Euro hippie scene, especially Mykonos.
But like many others, got persuaded to do Hawaii, namely Kuai and Maui. We loved it of course, scenery and beaches, but always thought about that Greek Island vacation which we still have on the bucket list.

Good luck !

 

[ho26rus]

I have not lost sight of the word " honeymoon " but on Santorini anyway this might be the only chance you might ever see Thera

Thera is a large city going way back in time. Buried by volcanic ash ( 200 feet ) it has been excavated for a decade and it may take 50 -60 years to totally uncover.
You , as things get uncovered, start seeing analogies to Atlantis. What they have found shows a civilization far greater than the balance of the world

Not for every, , perhaps not any, honeymooners four days in Santorini, in season, affords the time to hit up something like this. You have guide books , i am sure, but it seemed you wanted to hear alternatives

 

[Vejai]

One day in Athens to see the Acropolis is good unless you want to see more museums.

Thought Mykanos was ok. Very nice beaches which is good for a honeymoon. Santorini was 10x better IMO in terms of sightseeing, views, and scenery. Make sure you do a catamaran trip whIle you're there.

Car is a must in Santorini but probably not needed in Mykanos or Athens. Hopefully you know how to drive a manual.

 

[knight_ru]

For Athens - def check out the new museum. It is wonderful. Also walk around plaka which is the old marketplace. A day and a half might be better for Athens. If you are the club going types... glyfada has some cool clubs right on the beach which is a short drive from downtown Athens.

As for santorini - it is gorgeous. Check out the red and black sand beaches on the east coast. Sunset at Oia is not to be missed. And the hot springs near the volcano island is very cool.

We are big fans of Rhodes but that is a bit further than your selected islands.

 

[RU31trap]

My fiancée and I decided on the Greek Islands for our Honeymoon. We plan to arrive around June 5-7 and stay through the 18th. So about 10-12 days.

We are thinking one night in Athens, 3 in Mykonos, 3 in Paros, 4 in Santorini.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Alternate itinerary, hotels, private boat charters, things to do, etc?

Any advice is appreciated.

Keith: congratulations and best of luck! I was just wondering with all the social unrest going on in Greece due to their financial situation do you think it's still a good honeymoon destination. I would give it some serious thought.

 

[anvilofstars]

I did Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens and I think your plan looks good. I would probably add a day to Athens. You'll be tired after the flight and you'll need to do a lot of walking to cover everything. Be warned, a lot of Athens is a shit hole (it's what happens I guess when youth unemployment is so high).

Mykonos is a beautiful place, but it's nothing compared to Santorini. The beaches there are okay, but the town/city itself is more of a party town than a honeymoon town. (You'll also need to take a bus from your hotel to the town and back) I would probably cut that part of the trip short and add it to the other locations. The ferry ride from Santorini to Mykonos also got me sick (water was really choppy). Take the seasickness meds before getting on the boat (my suggestion is to buy them in America so you don't have to go looking for them).

My suggestion for Santorini... don't rent a car. We did that, but we saw people renting ATVs to drive around town and I wish I had done that. The views/sunset from the cliff/lighthouse on the opposite side of Oia is much better than Oia itself. Make sure you do that one of the days. I also think Oia might be a better place to stay than Fira in Santorini. Just seems very peaceful, but you might get differing opinions on that one.

 

[knight_ru]

As for the unrest - it is a bit overblown RU31. There is just one neighborhood to avoid but there is no reason to go there anyway. If they stay in the main part of the city and walk around plaka, kolonaki and monastiraki they are fine. Although I am biased since I am Greek.

 

[Vejai]

I did Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens and I think your plan looks good. I would probably add a day to Athens. You'll be tired after the flight and you'll need to do a lot of walking to cover everything. Be warned, a lot of Athens is a shit hole (it's what happens I guess when youth unemployment is so high).

Mykonos is a beautiful place, but it's nothing compared to Santorini. The beaches there are okay, but the town/city itself is more of a party town than a honeymoon town. (You'll also need to take a bus from your hotel to the town and back) I would probably cut that part of the trip short and add it to the other locations. The ferry ride from Santorini to Mykonos also got me sick (water was really choppy). Take the seasickness meds before getting on the boat (my suggestion is to buy them in America so you don't have to go looking for them).

My suggestion for Santorini... don't rent a car. We did that, but we saw people renting ATVs to drive around town and I wish I had done that. The views/sunset from the cliff/lighthouse on the opposite side of Oia is much better than Oia itself. Make sure you do that one of the days. I also think Oia might be a better place to stay than Fira in Santorini. Just seems very peaceful, but you might get differing opinions on that one.

Interesting on the atv. I don't remember those when we were there. Had 4 people though and got one of those suzuki samurai open top jeeps that people tried to get banned here. Fun times.

 

[ecojew]

I would go to Paros first, for a more relaxing "honeymoon," then to Santorini for the attractions others have mentioned. If you are into hiking, try going by boat over to Nea Kameni, the "new" volcano that is rising in the caldera of Santorini. It's already about 300 feet above sea level and that doesn't include its height from the depths of the caldera, which was created when the island's volcano blew its top off in 1630 BC, generating the tsunami that decimated the Minoan civilization on Crete. It's still an active system, which makes the buildings perched precariously along the caldera rim all the more amazing.

I'd save Mykonos for last as that is a big party island, mainly for young Europeans. By then, you might be ready for some serious partying.

And yes, driving stick is absolutely essential. I doubt that many rental agencies even have automatics and if they do, they're probably triple the cost.

 

[RUChoppin]

Agree with those saying 4 days in Santorini seems a bit long. Also keep in mind that it is very tourist-focused once June hits, too... which is great if that's what you're looking for. The island's population is about 15K, but many of them clear out for the summer as the island welcomes 10K+ visitors per day (though they've just put in a limit of no more than 8K cruise passengers daily, which will take full effect for 2017).

I also enjoyed Rhodes and Hania (Crete) while I was there, but spent more of my time on mainland Greece/Turkey than in the islands.

 

[AntiG]

I really recommend Crete.

The port town of Chania is one of the nicest Venetian harbors out there, and you can take an overnight ferry from Athens, definitely a great place to stay. You can rent a car or use the bus to get around to the rest of the island.

Crete also has some of the most beautiful coastal towns and beaches in Europe, there was a fantastic daytrip that I took to Balos & Gramvousa. Balos, Gramvousa, Elafonissi, Matala and Vai have all been featured on several travel lists for "Most beautiful beaches in the world"

If you like hiking, there's the Samarian Gorge.

As far as Santorini goes, the main town to stay there is Oia and you can stay at one of those mountainside hotel caves. I'd suggest to rent a small car there to get around as opposed to waiting for the buses on the side of the road. With the crazy drivers on narrow curvy roads, waiting for the bus can be more hazardous than driving on them.

 

[RUChoppin]

I really recommend Crete.

The port town of Chania is one of the nicest Venetian harbors out there, and you can take an overnight ferry from Athens, definitely a great place to stay. You can rent a car or use the bus to get around to the rest of the island.

Crete also has some of the most beautiful coastal towns and beaches in Europe, there was a fantastic daytrip that I took to Balos & Gramvousa. Balos, Gramvousa, Elafonissi, Matala and Vai have all been featured on several travel lists for "Most beautiful beaches in the world"

If you like hiking, there's the Samarian Gorge.

As far as Santorini goes, the main town there is Oia and you can stay at one of those mountainside hotel caves. I'd suggest to rent a small car there to get around as opposed to waiting for the buses on the side of the road. With the crazy drivers on narrow curvy roads, waiting for the bus can be more hazardous than driving on them.

And if you do go to Crete, you can probably skip Knossos... it's the ruins of an ancient Minoan city, but they've reconstructed and painted sections of it, which makes it feel like "Disney's Minotaurland". I kept expecting a guy in a giant plush bull's head to jump out from behind one of the ruins and start taking pictures with kids.

 

[AntiG]

And if you do go to Crete, you can probably skip Knossos... it's the ruins of an ancient Minoan city, but they've reconstructed and painted sections of it, which makes it feel like "Disney's Minotaurland". I kept expecting a guy in a giant plush bull's head to jump out from behind one of the ruins and start taking pictures with kids.

Agreed, I visited it and it wasn't anything too interesting. I was hoping to see some sort of labyrinth but there wasn't one. Heraklion wasn't anything special either but has a shopping area that my wife enjoyed.

Crete produces some of the best olive oil in the world too.

For mainland Greece, I also recommend visiting Delphi, Meteora, Olympia and also a trip along the coast of the Peloponnese, it is absolutely fantastic and has a lot of history and great food along the way. Delphi has spectacular mountain views and has the very cool Temple of Apollo and Athena. Olympia has the site of the first Olympic games, Meteora has amazing giant rock formations (the Titans) and have monestaries up on them.

 

[knight_ru]

+1 on driving along the coast of Peloponnesus. Nafplion and Porto Heli and nice towns and both coasts have some wonderful beaches. Monemvasia is pretty cool as well.

 

[RUChoppin]

+1 on Meteora, too. Absolutely gorgeous.

 

[seels2662]

For Athens - def check out the new museum. It is wonderful. Also walk around plaka which is the old marketplace. A day and a half might be better for Athens. If you are the club going types... glyfada has some cool clubs right on the beach which is a short drive from downtown Athens.

As for santorini - it is gorgeous. Check out the red and black sand beaches on the east coast. Sunset at Oia is not to be missed. And the hot springs near the volcano island is very cool.

We are big fans of Rhodes but that is a bit further than your selected islands.

Lol "hot" is a relative term...its like 80 as opposed to the sub 60 degree sea that you have to swim in to get there...but yes it was still fun

 

[RC1978]

Sorry but did not read all of the posts so I might be repetitive. Been to all those places multiple times, I am Greek.

Athens more then a day but not longer then 2-3. Acropolis, Museums, Agora, Syntagma Sq. At night find the Psiri district for dinner an drinks.

Santorini (Thera)- Stay in Oia. Oia Suites right outside of town is great. Restaurant across the street is a fun place and very good food. If going to beaches go over to the Kamari beaches ( the black beach) and you can go to the red beach a few miles away also. Lots on ancient ruins, very impressive.
Or, sit on your balcony with some chilled greek white wine and overlook the caldera, breathtaking.

Mikonos - very pretty but party city at night.

 

[scarletcrew]

We stayed at Hotel Grand Bretagne in Athens and Katikies on Santorini (where we stayed may be Kirini Villas now). On Mykonos we stayed in town since we went in Oct. We did go to the beach one day but it was cold. You may want to stay at the beach in June. I would recommend 2days in Athens to adjust. We stayed in Oia and it is beautiful and relaxing. We did not rent a car. It is easy to walk around Oia and we took a bus or taxi to other parts of the island. Again, it wasn't crowded when we were there so it was easy to get around. It was a great trip and we would love to go back.

 

[flavorguy]

My fiancée and I decided on the Greek Islands for our Honeymoon. We plan to arrive around June 5-7 and stay through the 18th. So about 10-12 days.

We are thinking one night in Athens, 3 in Mykonos, 3 in Paros, 4 in Santorini.

Does anyone have any recommendations? Alternate itinerary, hotels, private boat charters, things to do, etc?

Any advice is appreciated.

My wife and I planned our Greece trip (last Spring) with this firm.... True Greece

3 nights in Athens (you'll need one inbound and one outbound or have some very tight connections to the outer islands)
4 nights in Mykinos
4 nights in Oia (Santorini)

http://www.truegreece.com

 

[scarletcrew]

I want to add that you may want to use a travel agent for a trip to Greece. Our ferry trip got canceled because of rough seas so we ended up having to fly out of Athens instead. The travel agent knew about the cancellation right away and took care of all the arrangements quickly.

 

[RU fan forever]

Hi Keith, I'm also Greek let me tell you
You have some excellent advice
from the board but, I'll give you mine,
First of all congratulations may you have a wonderful life together, remember happy wife
Happy house, any way, are you a history buff?
If you are, spent more time on the mainland,
Why? One day is not enough to see all the history, Olympia sounion meteora, epidavros
Delphi, all within driving distance from the center of Athens, righting the subway is a must some stations are like museums, and so much more, when you arrive at your hotel ask them about the one day cruise, is a three island cruise to Aigina, the Pistachio island best in the world, hydra, and Poros, I suggest you have lunch in hydra, walk towards the back streets and look for hidden jems,
Best food you will have in Greece,
Remember this is a relaxing trip, it will take one day it will cost about 130 euro each but it is well worth it,the acropolis museum is a must, so if I were you I'll spend 3 days in Athens, and the rest I would spend partying in Mykonos, maybe three days, and the rest in Santorini, to relax, don't rent a car in Santorini, take the bus, is slower but much safer, you will never see Greece in two weeks
It really takes years so, don't try,hope I helped!!
Oh and by the way,yes Greece is in turmoil
But, don't be afraid is still a thousand times safer then, any city in the US!! Enjoy!