Hi there. We (my wife, 8yr old and I) were just in Greece during June 12-23 for a total of 11 nights. We broke up our trip: 3 nights in Paros, 3 in Naxos, 4 in Santorini and 1 in Athens. We traveled via ferries and flight from Santorini to Athens. We were quite pleased with our final itinerary. We very much enjoyed both Paros and Naxos. Honestly, don’t regret splitting the two and would be hard to choose one over the other. While both in Paros and Naxos, I found it extemely Peaceful. It was mid June and not crowded whatsoever. We took a day trip from Paros to Mykonos; I believed it was due to a better a ferry itinerary and it was cheaper than from Naxos. Santorini was more crowded of course, but honestly it was not crazy all things considered. Crowded and chaotic is the Amalfi Coast.

We loved Greece. Loved the people and culture.
Rent a car! It’s very economic and makes the experience better. We weren’t planning on driving but ended up renting a car for €30 in Paros. After that, we rented a car everywhere. €35 a day in Naxos and €35 in Santorini. We negotiated the rates which I learned one can negotiate things like that while on the islands.
A car in Santorini wouldn’t be for everyone but after our driving in Paros and Naxos, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We got to see so much more due to the car. Also, it was so economic to do so.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’d love to help.

Thanks casacruz1111. We are planning on renting a car on Naxos for sure. Not too sure we want to on Santorini. We may take a private tour of the island one day. We will walk/taxi/bus to Oia one day, and walk to Fira from Imerovigli. Good to know that we can negotiate car rental prices!

We had a one day car rental delivered to our hotel in Oia. Please do not add your extra day to Santorini. After two visits, I am done with it.

We were enchanted by Santorini. In early October it was uncrowded and drop dead gorgeous. We stayed in the Imerovigli area. It was perfection. We had 5 nights and wished we had more. Were happy we were not spending time to travel to another island. This was our first visit to Greece, and we loved it.

We spent one full day and two nights in Athens. That was more than enough. We were not thrilled with that city at all.

Wow....I am amazed (but now surprised) by the different opinions expressed. The problem is that when you post a question here and get everyone's opinions, you start questioning your original plans! I know it all comes down to personal experiences.

Thank you for sharing your personal experiences. It helps....yet it doesn't!!! MoBro....please elaborate! Thanks.

I think that's part of it, but not all -- it also depends at least as much (if not more so) on what YOU want to see and experience, and in what way.

Response
 

Really? How very interesting. I guess we got lucky .... phew! Although I had read here on the Forums that Santorini is very touristy so maybe I was just mentally prepared and expected the worst. Much to your point about just being mentally ready.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...841956201.jpeg

Breakfast!
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View from our hotel
Buffalo Girl, I'm happy to elaborate. What do you want to know?

We stayed at the Gold Suites, in Imerovigli, which I recommend. It's a smaller place, with great service and lovely suites. We had the smallest suite, a "junior" which was perfect for us because we didn't need a private hot tub or pool! They serve breakfast on your private patio, which you order from their menu. We ate a full breakfast each morning, looking at the unbeatable view. It felt like being in heaven! (Picture below)

We walked on the pathway along the caldera every day. It is breathtaking, especially at night. There are little wine bars and restaurants all along the walk. One restaurant we liked a lot was La Maison. La Maison Restaurant Santorini Restaurant Imerovigli Santorini. It is very small, so you need reservations.

We walked to Fira from our hotel, and cabbed back (only because my mobility was limited). Fira is a tourist trap, which we were happy to escape. It wasn't jam-packed, though when we were there near the end of the season.

Another day, we took public transit to Oaia. It's an easy trip there and back. It's a cute place with gorgeous views and nice restaurants and shops. We were there mid-day, when it's not that crowded, because most people flock there for the sunset. Our sunset from Imerovigli was every bit as good, so we didn't stay with the crowds to watch it at Oaia.

All told, we were very happy we were at Imerovigli.

One day we took a boat trip, arranged through the concierge. It was a smaller group, just up to 14 people, with a fantastic grilled lunch served. We got in the water to snorkel, and otherwise just chatted with other passengers and enjoyed the ride.

We LOVED the service attitude we encountered in the places we visited on Santorini. Seemed they were happy to have visitors.

Thanks for sharing the Santorini information, MoBro!

I wanted to stay in Imerovigli, but a lot of places I was interested in were already booked (for next May/June)! Also, several of the cave accommodations only had one bathroom (we are a group of five). So I've booked a beautiful place in Firostefani. It's on the caldera and fits our needs perfectly. I'll bet the views of Santorini from the water are breathtaking.

Tell me, what did you not like about Athens?

We were just not taken with Athens, compared to other cities we have loved (Amsterdam, Seville, Rome, Quebec City. . ..).

I'm not sure if I can explain why it didn't Wow us.

It seemed dirty and grimy, at least in the city where we were walking distance to the Acropolis. The restaurants we saw as we walked around, didn't seem all that attractive. We stayed at the Hotel Grande Bretagne. This trip was a bit of a splurge, and that hotel is amazing. The breakfast buffet is served rooftop, with gorgeous views. We stayed two nights, so had just one full day in Athens proper.

On the way home, we stayed one night at the Westin Athens, Astir Palace Beach Resort, which is out of the hubbub of Athens itself, and suited us for our final night in Greece.

Hope this helps!

BUffalo Girl, about Athens ---
MoBro stayed at one of the swankier hotels right on Syntagma Square -- and that location in itself could have led to the reaction. Traffic there is Amazing, 24-7, and streets leading off it. It's on N Side of square, and if one walks W from square down busy streets like Mitropolis, or into busy Monastiraki Square, there are to be sure, some "grimy" looks with shuttered shops that have a lot of Graffiti. after many visits to Athens, I have settled on a more serene area, just SOUTH of the Acropolis or S. E.

See This map - http://www.orangesmile.com/destinati...ns-map-big.jpg (click & it gets huuuge; to orient, locate Acropolis & put in Center). In this area, many streets are no-cars lanes, much quieter, lots of Greenery. Stay away from hotels on AMALIAS avneue which has 6 lanes of traffic day/night (also its continuation as SYNGROU), but just to WEST of it, no-car lanes, quiet & trees, also Just S. of Acropolis, wide pedestrian promenade, AND the new Acropolis Museum (#24 on map). Just a block or so away is Hotel Herodion, high floors have balconies w superb views, all rooms have balconies, & it has a rooftop terrace & restaurant... a block or so beyond, its Sister hotel Phillipos, also high floors w. balcony views. Inquriing so far ahead, am sure the best-located rooms are available (TIP: if you look at Trip Advisor Guest reviews, there's a click-box "room tips" which people tell what to ask for). I think if you choose locations like this --- going West from Hadrian's Arch, then just South in MAKRIGIANNI area, & upper part of KOUKAKI, you will find quiet, small walkable streets, not dingy.

Of course, with 5 of you, you may be seeking an apt... but VRBO is not so good for this, just because they often want a full week, AND they don't tell u exactly where you'll be until after you commit (boo!). These days booking.com has gone beyond hotels, to have listings of individual owners' apts, and there can be some VERY good deals in 1 or 2BR apts right in the areas I've mentioned. I would only caution you to check carefully on check-in/check-out requirements... sometimes people lock themselves into accoms. like this, then find they cannot arrive until evening, when no one is there to let them in.

As always, thanks travelerjan!!!

Good points, travelerjan! We would have been happy to see no-car lanes and greenery.

That's exactly what we were missing. What we saw was mostly concrete storefronts with graffiti, and metal security gates.

Mo-Bro -- Right, lessons learned, for your next trip to Greece.... in choosing a hotel, a website and a (Carefully angled) rooftop view can look swell, but also wise to glance at you-tube & other sources, for a walking-look at the various neighborhoods ... study some maps & note where the wide multi-lane thoroughfares are. A map like the above clearly shows all the "no-car" lanes, and gives an idea of which areas are quieter.

Although we are staying in villas on the islands, I'm thinking we may just stay in a hotel while in Athens. We can split up into a couple of rooms as long as the hotel has a public space.

I read about the Kerameikos neighborhood today (link below). Any thoughts?

Travelerjan, I will check out your suggestions.

Oops, here is the link,

https://www.greece10best.com/athens-...-in-the-world/

link doesn't work ... go look at that map of Athens kerameikos is waaaaay west of things. I took a metro to Thissio and walked to Kerameikos cemetery in june .. a long hot walk back. Do you plan taking lots of taxis?

Hopefully, the link will work. It doesn't look too far from the acropolis on a map and the article says it is only a 10 minute walk to the historic center. The neighborhood might be worth a visit, even if we don't stay there.

https://www.greece10best.com/athens-...-in-the-world/

Now that I have the islands planned I am just starting to take a look at Athens.

Looks can be deceiving ... if "the historic center" means the acropolis it sure is not a 10 minute walk ... try 45. But an article of course is more appealing than a forum thread.

Personally, I'm glad I visited the Kerameikos area, but I would not have wanted to stay there. It seemed to me an area that was split between overly-touristed and surprisingly deserted, and it wasn't close enough to the things I most wanted to see to have made it a good base for my time in the city. JMO.