brotherleelove2004

It gets extremely hot in Athens during the summertime. The SMOG levels are very high. Be sure your hotel room has A/C. 3 nights just about right for a good look through the city.

If such a close connection worries you then I advise you to get back to Athens a day early. Better safe than sorry. 50 minutes doesn't give you much of a cushion.

Heimdall

Angtort, since both legs are with Aegean you can check your bags straight through to Rome. It is a long walk from the domestic flights end of the terminal to the international end, so you will have to hurry to get there.

Taking the afternoon flight to Rome may not be such a bad thing, though. With bags checked through to Rome, and a small carry-on bag, you can take the metro into Athens, spend the day there, and return to the airport in time for your flight.

angtort

Thanks Heimdall, that's a great suggestion. But after arriving in Rome, we plan on taking a 2 1/2 hour train ride south to Salerno and then renting a car and heading further south (another hour). So I'd like to arrive in Rome during the morning so I can make my final destination by nightfall.

So I think I'm going to bump all the other cities (Mykonos/Santorini) up 1 day sooner. So spend 2 nights in Athens, 3 in Mykonos, 3 in Santorin, then come back for the final night in Athens so we can catch an early flight the next day.

MacPrague

ttt

Heimdall

Angtort, sounds like a good plan. With all that travel ahead of you the day you arrive in Italy, getting to Rome as early in the day as possible is a wise decision.

happymz

I'm late in joining in the chat here, but just want to note my experiences staying at Loucas in Santorini last summer - we were there in July which is near peak season, and found it extraordinarily quiet at the hotel because of it's location on the Caldera. Yes, when you leave the hotel gate you are in the middle of Fira, but we loved that - quaint shops, loads of restaurants, bars, etc. within 5 min walk of our room (once we climbed our 127 stair steps, that is - I think we were indeed on the bottom level of the hotel). The view is amazing, the rooms are each individually decorated & designed - we were in a room right next to 2 friends travelling with us & our room was a loft that was entirely different in design from theirs. The front desk staff aren't loaded with personality, but the location truly can't be beat. And, there is a pool! which is key in hot Santorini in summer.

On Mykonos we stayed at Hotel Harmony, which is lovely and new, but very near the port and town, not the beaches (unless you count the town beach, which I wouldn't). We loved it and would consider staying there again, but if you want to be at the beach from what I've heard and read you can't go wrong with the Petasos Beach Hotel.

Good luck - have a great trip!