Greek honeymoon in December, things to watch out for?

Hi folks! My newly wed and I are working on a Greek honeymoon in late December, split between Santorini (to catch whatever we can of the nature scenes and maybe Akrotiri) and Athens (for the Acropolis).

Yes, we know it's off season for the Islands. That's why we're going. We want to take in Santorini without the regular summer crowd. However, we wanted to make sure we covered all our bases for off-season, so we had a few questions.

1) Ferry or Plane to Santorini? Internet research seems to suggest off-season ferry is down to one ferry a day between Athens and Santorini. Same for flights from what I see on Kayak. However, ferry doesn't operate in high winds? Would you guys have any recommendations on which one we should take?

2) Fira or Oia? I see that there are a few choice accommodations that are open that time of the year. If we don't really care for any sort of night life, or even contact with civilization, is there a preferred place to stay? I'm told by friends who have been to Santorini that Oia is prettier, but Fira is where most things happen and would have more things open during off-season?

3) Grexit. Yes, that thing that everybody is talking about. Would this have any serious impact on our travel planning? Will the country erupt into bank runs and riots when/if it happens? Are we better packing our bags and heading to Lisbon instead? For those that have been to Greece these few months, how are things going?

1. Ferry=8 hours. Flight=30 minutes. You decide. That ferry is a very large and stable car ferry from Blue Star Ferries. It has side-thrusting stabilizer engines to keep the ship from heaving side to side. The seas seldom get rough enough for it to be an issue.

2. Oia, without a doubt.

3. IF it happens there will be some unrest. How disruptive it gets is anyone's guess. Basing your decision on whether or not it will happen is futile. At this time "things" are fine.

It's going to be VERY cold in December. You may get sunshine, although it won't be warm. Prepare to be forced to remain indoors. It even snows on Santorini once in a great while in December.

Dr Grey, before more planning, do look at a map, better still, a globe. See the latitude of the Mediterranean/ Aegean ... it is NOT similar to the Caribbean, a common mistake by Americans. Athens has the same latitude as Richmond VA -- and you wouldn't think about a December vacation on Virginia Beach, would you?? And an isle can be more exposed to weather than a seashore. Why not think about Bahamas, Barbados, Martinique ... December is the weather these islands are made for.

2) Fira or Oia? ... Oia is prettier, but Fira is where most things happen and would have more things open during off-season?

I have been to Santorini in January (same motive as you), and I have my doubts that the choice is Oia. First of all, I wonder whether Oia is prettier or whether that is justification of tourism hype. The central region, where Fira is located, is higher (better island views) and more options for casual strolls.

Also, practicalities and logistics at that time of year make Fira the better choice. When I was there bus connections between Oia and Fira were limited to the point of being impractical. There was only one snack shop open at mid day.

Not that anything will be happening in Fira either, but it is the main town, and transport hub. What little that will be open you'll find there.

I'll also stress the point made above about weather. Average daily highs could be around 8-10 celcius. On any day, could be lower, maybe higher. The shorter your trip is, the more likely the risk of being stuck with 3-4 days consecutive cloud and rain .. it tends to come in patches between stretches of sunny days.

Thanks for all the insight folks! Work has been busy so I haven't been able to check in earlier.

Just as a side note, my SO and I are not beach people. Nor are we warm weather people. This weighted in favor of a trip to Greece in December, as cold as it seems.

We're still waiting to see how the whole situation with the EU resolves in the coming weeks. Hopefully things work out!

As long as you know what to expect, and prepare for the weather. With a bit luck weather-wise it can be fine. I've been there in the winter many times. The usual archaeological attractions as good as empty, walking outside can be more pleasant because not so hot. There was a crystal clear day when I was on Santorini: you could see the entire island of Crete to the south, and the cycladic islands to the north.

Just realize that winter will give you a look at real island life: it will be very quiet, depending on island. I sensed that the Santorini locals were utterly fed up with their over-busy tourist season. An island such as Naxos had a much more lived in feel to it, even in January.

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