Since u are traveling at HEIGHT of hi season, you cannot (alas) be carefree about just taking a ferry & booking on the fly ... Greeces BIGGEST holiday is Tues Aug. 15 (think 4th july - Memorial Day - Xmas put together), so many greeks take that whole week, plus all the jillions of foreigners. So at that time there is NO "off the beaten path" or "trip Less traveled". If you wan that, you would have needed to book April - June or Sept-Oct. So let's deal with the possible ...
NAXOS -- If you…
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by halaanne
by machosod
Machosod, I advise a bit of research -- yes, Crete's a huge thing to tackle, especially with a short visit AND with a baby! Hydra isn't a good choice eithere .... you'd have to return to Pireaus by ship and then take another ferry to Hydra. PLUS, I think you're like so many, get allured by highly-promoted places, seeing photos, not learning about drawbacks. Hydra doesn't allow cars, you hae to use donkeys to leave port... and VERY inconvenient for those with an INFant!
Your much better…
by KBri
KBri, THANKS So Much! for providing EXACT dates of arrival/departure -- this really helps contributors to give relevant advice (what we hate: "coming in June for a few days" LOL). Our standard advice for achieving maximum time in locations, enjoying, and minimizing travel time is -- Do Athens LAST; you have to be there the night before departure anyway, & going in/out of a big city eats up precious hours. I'd suggest since you arrive in Evening, tired, you just get near to a port for the…
by kenshireen
I would suggest Going to NAXOS for 5 (or 6) days, and staying at Ag. Giorgios beach directly adjacent to the Port town... an easy 15 minute stroll to all the cafes, tavernas, shops & nightlife there, but on the beach very serene at night. Ag. Giorgios gets very crowded at High Season, but in Mid-june, still just pleasantly populated. It's a shallow beach (you wade out about 100 yards to swim), but a big bonus is that in early June, it's a favorite with Scandinavians, and for me, one of the big…
by bushwhacker
APril will be too cold for swimming, and also quite cold sometimes for beach-sitting ... also, some rains still. The best times for travel in Greek islands, hands down , is mid-May thru Mid-june. If you cannot adjust, then prepare for some showers and chills.
As Onyx says, kids don't know where they are ... and the main concern should be, what will be Less Work for Mother (as the old US Tv Ads used to say). Let's face it, even in the most egalitarian marriage, Mom gets most of the child-care…
by eric2
Thanks for acknowledging the efforts we regulars make in trying to help. And you do now see, I hope, how helpful it would be for you to give more context. Vouliagmenis makes perfect sense for a famly that arrives at 6 PM!! And also, you don't say where you're from, your name is Eric, so somehow one assumes you may be from North America, and that your trips to Greece are seldom, or perhaps just Once... and you want to get diffrent things from the visit. When we see that -- French or not -- you…
by JasonYVR
From my experience (and those of many others) of travelling with a toddler and a babe under 6 months -- you are not going to be able to travel much at all ... and Santorini & Mykonos are the two MUST-MISS places on your list. Unbelieveable crowds, heat up to 38°C in July, prices equally high. Your best bet would be Naxos, at St. George beach, the shallow beach adjacent to Porty town -- but you are right it is VERY late to hope for accommodation on/near the beach... most of the Self-catering…
by panz
**Not enough info to advise: please be very detailed. "july" not enough. How many days? Do you want to sail TO the islands, sail AMONG the islands, or just out from Athens for a day sail? Not at all clear?
My advice -- GOOOGLE. I found many options: • Day-sail from Athens • Shared-boat charters that start IN the cyclades (i.e. Mykonos etc) for a week (note: by doing this you may find yourself on a party-party boat). If you just want a day-outing on a nice sailboat, Naxos & Paros have an…
by cheryl7
Hi Cheryl!
Finding the best answer involves Trade-offs -- ideally there would be an isle(1) 1 hour by ferry (2) gorgeous Beach (3) lodgings right on the sand (4) enough facilities open in, but no crowds. My thoughts:
• CLOSE but no CIGAR -- AEGINA = 1 hour ferry but its main beach, Ag Marina, is mediocre. ANGISTRI is 1 hr, but may be really shut down midweek in OCt, HYDRA, as they say, no beaches.
• GOOD BEACHES but NOT Near, no beachside lodging (or mostly closed) -- ANTIPAROS, FOLEGANDROS…
by joyzza
You haven't received responses to this as yet, I note -- perhaps because you're expressing contradictory wishes. You want something "off the beaten path", not crowded, nice mix of beaches/culture --- yet something with a really good public transit system. Question: on this uncrowded, less-visited isle -- who's there to support extensive public transit?? I'm also not a driver, and have visited at least 25 islands, so I understand the need for transit, and sometimes the compromises that are…