Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Of course I am researching as much as I can online, but unbiased traveler insights would be very welcome.
We would "like to" stay in one place and explore other islands FROM that location, but is that feasible? Changing locations and accommodations every few days gets old.
Our favorite things to do are exploring the old city streets, enjoying views, old architecture, sitting in sidewalk cafes and people-watching, and relaxing at the beaches. Museums kind of secondary; shopping not at all. Don't need fancy restaurants. I can't do overly physical stuff so hiking is out, though I can handle the steep streets/stairs.
Snorkeling in protected waters would be fabulous too. Any suggestions? There are so many islands, it's hard to know where to start. Thanks to you seasoned travelers.
Of course I am researching as much as I can online, but unbiased traveler insights would be very welcome.
We would "like to" stay in one place and explore other islands FROM that location, but is that feasible? Changing locations and accommodations every few days gets old.
Our favorite things to do are exploring the old city streets, enjoying views, old architecture, sitting in sidewalk cafes and people-watching, and relaxing at the beaches. Museums kind of secondary; shopping not at all. Don't need fancy restaurants. I can't do overly physical stuff so hiking is out, though I can handle the steep streets/stairs.
Snorkeling in protected waters would be fabulous too. Any suggestions? There are so many islands, it's hard to know where to start. Thanks to you seasoned travelers.
It's been awhile since I've been to the Greek Islands. We spent most of our time in Santorini then took a ferry to another island, can't remember which. You have to remember some of these islands are party islands, basically for young Europeans looking for a cheap place to party all night. Be aware of that if you are looking for a quite place and solitude. Beaches also kind of suck, at least the ones we saw. Rocky and all, we didn't spend much time there.
Santorini however was big enough to explore, had a beautiful setting, a few different seaside villages, had some ancient ruins really worth going to.
I don't know if it's practical to use one as a base to explore the other islands, just a bit too far apart as I remember, at least by the public ferries.
I spent a few months on Crete, it is the largest island, so you would be able to rent a car & drive around. Of course it is 40 years since I was there, so it is probably more built up now, but have fun whichever one you go to. There are some great ruins on the island too.
I agree with the suggestion to consider Crete. I'd also suggest looking at Naxos. It's a big island, has a great old town with a Venetian-era castle, a ruined Greek temple you can walk right up to, nice beaches, hiking, lots of cultural things to do - but right now the main harbor is too small for the big cruise ships to dock, so it's still relatively unspoiled. And from there you can visit Delos and Mykonos as day trips.
The islands are pretty far apart and ferry schedules do not accommodate day trips,especially between island groups.
But there are island “pairs” for example the Mykonos and Delos in the Cyclades where day trips are possible. Or choose a large island like Crete or Rhodes as suggested above.
After much research we chose Santorini and Naxos which were two very different islands (in both terrain and vibe) in the same group.
20 years ago, we went to Santorini and Mykonos, and had a great time. A couple of colleagues have been to Santorini recently, and raved about how good it was. You can't really do day trips to other islands, since they are too far apart. Pick two, and have fun.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
