Greek Islands: Athens, Naxos and Santorini

1. Jour 1 : Arrive in Athens

   Athens International Airport to your hotel in central Athens

   • Environ 45 min de route
   • Welcome dinner
   • Nuit : Athens
   Détail du jour 1

   Fly into Athens International Airport (ATH), about 35 km east of the city centre, where a driver meets you in arrivals for the drive to your hotel, within walking distance of Plaka and the Acropolis. To join the evening walk and dinner, plan to land by about 3 pm; the exact meeting time comes with your final itinerary. In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the week: how the ferries and luggage work, why tomorrow starts at the first Acropolis slot, and how we plan the Santorini days around the crowds. Then we walk together past the Zappeion, the 19th-century exhibition hall at the edge of the National Garden, and Hadrian's Arch into Plaka, the old quarter under the north slope of the Acropolis, as the lights come on. Dinner is a welcome meal at a taverna in the neighbourhood: mezze, grilled fish or meat, and a first glass of something Greek.

   Compris

   • Pick-up at Athens International Airport (ATH)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Evening walk past the Zappeion and Hadrian's Arch into Plaka
   • Welcome dinner in Plaka

   Temps libre : Free until the evening briefing

   

2. Jour 2 : The Acropolis at opening

   Athens: the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, Plaka and Anafiotika

   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Athens
   Détail du jour 2

   We walk to the Acropolis for the first timed entry at 8 am, ahead of the heat and of the big tour groups that come up mid-morning. Entry works by time slot, so your tickets are booked in advance. A licensed Athens guide, required for guiding inside Greek archaeological sites, leads the visit with your See Sight Tours guide: the Propylaia gateway, the Parthenon, built between 447 and 432 BC, the Erechtheion with its porch of Caryatids, and the small Temple of Athena Nike. From the rock you look across the city to Lycabettus Hill and down to the sea at Piraeus. We come down past the Theatre of Dionysus to the Acropolis Museum, where the original Caryatids stand and the top-floor gallery lays out the Parthenon frieze in sight of the temple. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Plaka, then the afternoon is free for a rest out of the heat. Late in the day your guide walks the group up through Anafiotika, a tiny quarter of whitewashed houses built by island stonemasons, to the Areopagus rock for sunset over the city.

   Compris

   • The Acropolis on the 8 am timed entry with a licensed guide: the Propylaia, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike
   • The Acropolis Museum
   • Sit-down lunch in Plaka
   • Late-afternoon walk through Anafiotika to the Areopagus for sunset

   Option plus facile : Skip the sunset walk and rest at the hotel; the Areopagus has a short climb on slippery rock.

   Option plus active : Before sunset, add the climb up Filopappou Hill with your guide for the view of the Parthenon from the west.

   Temps libre : Afternoon free

   Activité : About 2 hours on foot on the Acropolis on uneven, polished marble with a steady climb to the top; wear shoes with grip.

3. Jour 3 : Ferry to Naxos, sunset at the Portara

   Athens to Piraeus, ferry to Naxos, then Naxos Chora on foot

   • Environ 30 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Naxos
   Détail du jour 3

   After breakfast we drive about half an hour to the port of Piraeus for a morning ferry to Naxos. Depending on the boat, the crossing takes about four to six hours, usually with a stop at Paros on the way; we book the seats and handle the luggage, and you can sit out on deck as the Cyclades come up out of the sea. We choose a sailing that does not need a pre-dawn pickup. Lunch is your own, on board or at the harbour. Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades, greener and quieter than Mykonos or Santorini, and we stay three nights in Chora, the main town, close to the harbour. After time to settle in, your guide leads a walk up through the lanes of the Kastro, the hilltop quarter built after the Venetian Marco Sanudo made Naxos the seat of his Duchy of the Archipelago in 1207, and back down to the Portara, a monumental marble gateway, all that stands of a temple to Apollo left unfinished around 530 BC. It stands on an islet joined to the harbour by a causeway, and it is where the town comes to watch the sun go down.

   Compris

   • Transfer to Piraeus and ferry tickets to Naxos, with luggage handled
   • Walk through the Kastro, the Venetian old town of Naxos Chora
   • The Portara at sunset

   Temps libre : Evening free for dinner in Chora

   Activité : The Kastro is a climb on stepped lanes; the Portara walk is flat along the harbour.

4. Jour 4 : Naxos: olive groves, mountain villages and a cooking lesson

   Naxos Chora to the Tragea valley, Halki and Apiranthos, then a farm for lunch

   • Environ 1.5 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Naxos
   Détail du jour 4

   Today goes inland, where most Naxos visitors never get. We drive about 25 minutes into the Tragea, a high valley of old olive groves and Byzantine chapels in the middle of the island, and walk an easy path of about 3 km under the trees to Halki, once the island's main inland town. In Halki the Vallindras distillery has made kitron, the island's liqueur distilled from citron leaves, since the 19th century; we look round the old copper stills and taste. Next is Apiranthos, a mountain village built and paved in marble, with narrow lanes and views down to the east coast. Lunch is the main event, at a family farm in the hills: the family shows us how they make a few island dishes from what they grow, everyone lends a hand at the stove, and then we sit down at their table to eat it with local cheese and wine. We are back in Chora by mid-afternoon, with the rest of the day free for a swim at Agios Georgios, the town beach a short walk from the harbour.

   Compris

   • Guided walk of about 3 km through the Tragea olive groves to Halki
   • Kitron tasting at the Vallindras distillery in Halki
   • Apiranthos, the marble village
   • Cooking lesson and lunch at a family farm

   Option plus facile : Skip the walk and ride with the van straight to Halki.

   Option plus active : A longer walk of about 6 km through the valley via the Byzantine church of Panagia Drosiani, joining the group in Halki.

   Temps libre : Late afternoon and evening free

   Activité : The Tragea path is mostly flat, on stone tracks between walls.

   

5. Jour 5 : Naxos: the Temple of Demeter and a beach day

   Naxos Chora to the Temple of Demeter near Sangri, then the west-coast beaches

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   • Nuit : Naxos
   Détail du jour 5

   A slower day. In the cool of the morning we drive about 20 minutes to the Temple of Demeter near Sangri, a marble temple of the 6th century BC set on a low hill among fields, partly rebuilt from its original pieces, with a small site museum beside it. Your guide explains how the island's marble, quarried a few kilometres away, built temples here some 80 years before the Parthenon. Then it is beach time on the west coast. Agios Prokopios and Plaka are long sandy beaches with clear, shallow water and tavernas behind the sand; we drop you where you choose and arrange a lift back to Chora in the afternoon. If you would rather walk, today's active option is Mount Zas, at about 1,000 m the highest point in the Cyclades: a morning hike with your guide from the Aria spring above Filoti, about 6 to 7 km return with about 600 m of climb and no shade, and a view on a clear day across to Paros. The evening is free; your guide will point you to a taverna for Naxos potatoes and the local graviera cheese.

   Compris

   • The Temple of Demeter near Sangri with your guide
   • Transfers to and from the west-coast beaches (Agios Prokopios or Plaka)

   Option plus facile : Stay in Chora: the Archaeological Museum in the Kastro and a swim at Agios Georgios beach.

   Option plus active : Hike Mount Zas with your guide from the Aria spring above Filoti, about 6 to 7 km return with about 600 m of climb and almost no shade to the summit at about 1,000 m, in place of the temple and the beach morning. Start early and carry plenty of water.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : The Temple of Demeter is closed on Tuesdays and on May 1; on those days your guide swaps it for the Archaeological Museum in the Kastro or the mountain village of Filoti. Sunbeds and umbrellas on the beaches are run by the tavernas and paid locally.

6. Jour 6 : Into the caldera: ferry to Santorini and Akrotiri

   Naxos to Santorini by ferry, Athinios port to Akrotiri, then Fira

   • Environ 1 h de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Santorini (Fira)
   Détail du jour 6

   A mid-morning ferry south, about two hours depending on the boat, brings us into the Santorini caldera, and the arrival is one of the sights of the trip: the boat sails in under cliffs about 300 m high, banded red, black and white by old eruptions, with white villages strung along the rim. As on day 3, we choose a sailing that does not need an early pickup, and the times come with your final itinerary. We land at Athinios port, where our van climbs the switchbacks; we stay three nights in or near Fira. Santorini is busy from May to October, and on days when cruise ships call, Fira and Oia fill from late morning, so we plan around that rather than pretend otherwise. After a sit-down lunch in the south of the island we visit Akrotiri, a Bronze Age town buried under ash by the great eruption about 3,600 years ago and kept under a modern roof: two- and three-storey houses, paved streets and storage jars still in place. A licensed site guide explains what the digs found. The evening is free: walk the rim path from Fira to Firostefani for a sunset far quieter than Oia's.

   Compris

   • Ferry tickets from Naxos to Santorini, with luggage handled
   • Transfer from Athinios port
   • Sit-down lunch in the south of Santorini
   • Akrotiri with a licensed site guide

   Temps libre : Evening free

   Activité : Akrotiri is covered and level, on walkways; allow about 1.5 hours.

7. Jour 7 : The caldera walk from Fira to Oia

   Fira to Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia on foot, then back by van

   • Environ 18 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner et repas du midi
   • Nuit : Santorini (Fira)
   Détail du jour 7

   We set off from Fira at about 7:30 am, while the air is cool and before the day's visitors come up the cliff. The path follows the caldera rim for about 10 km to Oia: through Firostefani and Imerovigli, the highest village on the rim, past Skaros rock, where a Venetian castle once stood, then out along open, unpaved hillside with the whole caldera below, small chapels beside the path and Thirasia across the water. Allow three to four hours with stops; it is path, paving and steps, with one climb out of Imerovigli. We reach Oia in the late morning, while its lanes are still walkable, and sit down to lunch at a taverna off the main street. The van brings us back to Fira for a free afternoon by the pool or at the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, where the Akrotiri wall paintings and pots are shown. We skip Oia at sunset on purpose: on summer evenings its lanes are packed. Your guide will show you a quieter place on the rim instead.

   Compris

   • Guided caldera walk from Fira to Oia, about 10 km
   • Sit-down lunch in Oia
   • Van back to Fira

   Option plus facile : Walk only from Fira to Imerovigli, about 3 km and mostly paved, then ride with the van to Oia for lunch.

   Option plus active : From Oia, walk down the steps to Ammoudi Bay for a swim off the rocks before lunch, and ride back up.

   Temps libre : Afternoon and evening free

   Activité : The second long day: about 10 km and 3 to 4 hours, with little shade on the open section beyond Imerovigli. Bring water, a hat and shoes with grip.

8. Jour 8 : A day on the water in the caldera

   Santorini: Nea Kameni, the hot springs at Palea Kameni and Thirasia by boat

   • Environ 45 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
   • Nuit : Santorini (Fira)
   Détail du jour 8

   Today is spent on a small boat in the caldera, either a group charter or a small shared boat, confirmed at booking. First stop is Nea Kameni, the black volcanic island at the centre of the caldera, last active in 1950: a walk of about 30 to 45 minutes on lava paths to the crater, with steam vents underfoot and the white villages strung along the cliffs above. Then we swim off the boat into the warmer, rust-coloured water of the springs by Palea Kameni. We sail on to Thirasia, the quiet island on the far side of the caldera, a piece of the old island rim where a few villages still farm the dry terraces, for lunch at a harbour taverna and a climb up the steps to the village of Manolas for anyone who wants it. Back on board, the afternoon has swimming stops under the cliffs, and we are ashore by late afternoon. Tonight is the farewell dinner at a taverna away from the main crowds, with Santorini's own white Assyrtiko wine.

   Compris

   • Day boat in the caldera with your guide
   • Nea Kameni crater walk, entry included
   • Swim at the hot springs by Palea Kameni
   • Lunch on Thirasia
   • Farewell dinner

   Option plus facile : Stay on the boat at Nea Kameni; the crater path is loose lava with no shade.

   Option plus active : Climb the steps from the harbour on Thirasia to Manolas village before lunch.

   Temps libre : Free time before the farewell dinner

   Activité : Bring a swimsuit, a towel and shoes you can walk on lava in; the swim to the springs is a short one from the boat.

   

9. Jour 9 : Fly to Athens and home

   Santorini airport (JTR) to Athens International Airport (ATH)

   • Environ 12 min de route
   • Petit-déjeuner
   Détail du jour 9

   A last breakfast above the caldera, then a short drive to Santorini airport (JTR) for the flight to Athens, about 45 minutes in the air and included in the price with a checked bag. Flying saves a ferry of five hours or more back to Piraeus and means the last full day on the island is a real one. We book a morning flight that lands at Athens International Airport (ATH) by about midday, with the hotel pickup about two hours before take-off and never before first light, so you can connect to a flight home that leaves after about 3 pm; your guide checks the group in on Santorini and makes sure everyone is through before saying goodbye. If you would like more time, we can add nights on Santorini or in Athens before your flight, and if you are taking a direct summer flight home from Santorini, tell us and we take you to the airport for that instead. Your final itinerary has the flight times, which are set when we confirm the group.

   Compris

   • Transfer to Santorini airport (JTR)
   • Flight from Santorini to Athens (ATH) with a checked bag

   Activité : Book a flight home leaving Athens after about 3 pm.

Faune et météo : May, June and September are warm and the best months to walk; the sea is warm enough to swim from June to early October. July and August are hot (Athens can reach about 40°C) and the meltemi wind blows hard in the Cyclades, which can make crossings rough, so we start early and keep the middle of the day slow.

• Athens2 nuits
• Naxos3 nuits
• Santorini (Fira)3 nuits