Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Greek Islands: Athens, Naxos and Santorini
9 days from Athens: the Acropolis at opening, three nights on Naxos and three on Santorini by ferry, then a flight back to Athens.
9 days · Round trip from Athens · up to 12 guests
Athens from Anafiotika, on the slope of the Acropolis, with Lycabettus Hill behind Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Athens_from_Anafiotika,_20240531_1206_9582.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Athens
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 1.5 h on day 4No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Moderate
Mostly easy walking on stone lanes and steps in hilltop towns. Two longer days: the Acropolis on day 2 (about 2 hours on foot on uneven marble and a steady climb) and the Santorini caldera walk on day 7, about 10 km and 3 to 4 hours on path and steps with one climb out of Imerovigli. You can shorten the caldera walk to about 3 km and ride the rest, and skip any walk on Naxos. The optional Mount Zas hike on day 5 is harder: about 6 to 7 km return with about 600 m of climb and almost no shade, to a summit of about 1,000 m.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 995 (estimated price)
- Season
- May to early October
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Acropolis on the first timed entry at 8 am, then the Acropolis Museum and sunset from the Areopagus rock
- Sunset at the Portara on Naxos, the marble gateway of a temple to Apollo that was never finished
- A walk through the old olive groves of the Tragea to Halki, and kitron at a distillery
- Cooking island dishes with a farming family in the Naxos hills, then a long lunch at their table
- Sailing into the Santorini caldera under cliffs about 300 m high
- The caldera walk from Fira to Oia in the cool of the morning, before the crowds
- A day on a small boat: the Nea Kameni crater, a swim at the hot springs and lunch on Thirasia
- Akrotiri, the Bronze Age town buried by the eruption about 3,600 years ago
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 995 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 1.5 h, on day 4.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Athens
Athens International Airport to your hotel in central Athens
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Athens
- Drive about 45 min
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.
Evening
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.
Included
- 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
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
The Acropolis at opening
Athens: the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, Plaka and Anafiotika
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Athens
Morning
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.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Plaka, then the afternoon is free for a rest out of the heat.
Evening
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.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Skip the sunset walk and rest at the hotel; the Areopagus has a short climb on slippery rock.
More active option: Before sunset, add the climb up Filopappou Hill with your guide for the view of the Parthenon from the west.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About 2 hours on foot on the Acropolis on uneven, polished marble with a steady climb to the top; wear shoes with grip.
Ferry to Naxos, sunset at the Portara
Athens to Piraeus, ferry to Naxos, then Naxos Chora on foot
- Breakfast
- Stay in Naxos
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
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.
Afternoon
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.
Included
- 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
Free time: Evening free for dinner in Chora
Activity: The Kastro is a climb on stepped lanes; the Portara walk is flat along the harbour.
Naxos: olive groves, mountain villages and a cooking lesson
Naxos Chora to the Tragea valley, Halki and Apiranthos, then a farm for lunch
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Naxos
- Drive about 1.5 h
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.
Afternoon
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.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Skip the walk and ride with the van straight to Halki.
More active option: A longer walk of about 6 km through the valley via the Byzantine church of Panagia Drosiani, joining the group in Halki.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: The Tragea path is mostly flat, on stone tracks between walls.
Naxos: the Temple of Demeter and a beach day
Naxos Chora to the Temple of Demeter near Sangri, then the west-coast beaches
- Breakfast
- Stay in Naxos
- Drive about 1 h
A slower day.
Morning
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
The evening is free; your guide will point you to a taverna for Naxos potatoes and the local graviera cheese.
Included
- The Temple of Demeter near Sangri with your guide
- Transfers to and from the west-coast beaches (Agios Prokopios or Plaka)
Easier option: Stay in Chora: the Archaeological Museum in the Kastro and a swim at Agios Georgios beach.
More active option: 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.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: 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.
Into the caldera: ferry to Santorini and Akrotiri
Naxos to Santorini by ferry, Athinios port to Akrotiri, then Fira
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Santorini (Fira)
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
The evening is free: walk the rim path from Fira to Firostefani for a sunset far quieter than Oia's.
Included
- 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
Free time: Evening free
Activity: Akrotiri is covered and level, on walkways; allow about 1.5 hours.
The caldera walk from Fira to Oia
Fira to Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia on foot, then back by van
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Santorini (Fira)
- Drive about 18 min
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
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.
Included
- Guided caldera walk from Fira to Oia, about 10 km
- Sit-down lunch in Oia
- Van back to Fira
Easier option: Walk only from Fira to Imerovigli, about 3 km and mostly paved, then ride with the van to Oia for lunch.
More active option: From Oia, walk down the steps to Ammoudi Bay for a swim off the rocks before lunch, and ride back up.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: 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.
A day on the water in the caldera
Santorini: Nea Kameni, the hot springs at Palea Kameni and Thirasia by boat
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Santorini (Fira)
- Drive about 45 min
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.
Afternoon
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.
Evening
Tonight is the farewell dinner at a taverna away from the main crowds, with Santorini's own white Assyrtiko wine.
Included
- 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
Easier option: Stay on the boat at Nea Kameni; the crater path is loose lava with no shade.
More active option: Climb the steps from the harbour on Thirasia to Manolas village before lunch.
Free time: Free time before the farewell dinner
Activity: 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.
Fly to Athens and home
Santorini airport (JTR) to Athens International Airport (ATH)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 12 min
Morning
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.
Afternoon
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.
Included
- Transfer to Santorini airport (JTR)
- Flight from Santorini to Athens (ATH) with a checked bag
Activity: Book a flight home leaving Athens after about 3 pm.
- Athens2 nights
- Naxos3 nights
- Santorini (Fira)3 nights
- Athensend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: 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.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- First-time visitors who want Athens and the islands without managing ferries themselves
- Solo travellers who want one steady group and a guide on every island
- Walkers who want the caldera path and the Naxos villages, with a free afternoon after
- Travellers who would rather see Santorini early and quietly than at the Oia sunset crush
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: island towns, the Acropolis and the caldera are steps and uneven marble
- A party-island trip to Mykonos or Ios
- Travellers who want a caldera-view luxury suite (ask us about a private trip)
- A winter trip: boats and farm visits run from May to early October
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Athens2 nights
- Naxos3 nights
- Santorini (Fira)3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights in central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard: 2 in Athens within walking distance of the Acropolis, 3 in Naxos Chora, 3 in or near Fira on Santorini
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
- We name each hotel when we confirm your dates
Transport
- Pick-up at Athens International Airport (ATH)
- Ferry tickets from Piraeus to Naxos and from Naxos to Santorini, with luggage handled
- Flight from Santorini (JTR) to Athens (ATH) on the last day, with a checked bag
- Our own van and driver for every transfer and touring day in Athens, on Naxos and on Santorini
- A day boat in the Santorini caldera
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, on every ferry and every island
- Licensed local guides at the Acropolis and Akrotiri
Activities
- Athens: the Acropolis (8 am timed entry), the Acropolis Museum, Plaka, Anafiotika and the Areopagus at sunset
- Naxos: the Kastro and the Portara, the Tragea olive groves, kitron at the Vallindras distillery in Halki, Apiranthos, a cooking lesson at a family farm, the Temple of Demeter, beach transfers
- Santorini: Akrotiri, the caldera walk from Fira to Oia, the boat day with the Nea Kameni crater (entry included), the hot springs and Thirasia
Meals
- Breakfast daily (8)
- 5 lunches: Plaka, the Naxos cooking lesson, south Santorini, Oia and Thirasia
- Welcome dinner in Athens and farewell dinner on Santorini
Not included
- International flights to Athens and home
- Travel insurance
- The ETIAS travel authorisation fee, if it applies to you
- Meals not listed, including dinners on days 2 to 7
- Drinks, except at the welcome and farewell dinners and the farm lunch
- Sunbeds and umbrellas on the beaches
- Tips
- Optional activities you add yourself, such as the Fira cable car or a sunset cruise
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 995 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, five lunches including a cooking lesson on Naxos, welcome and farewell dinners, both ferries with luggage handled, the flight from Santorini back to Athens, airport transfers, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan, including the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, Akrotiri and the caldera boat day.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, the same people from Athens to Santorini. That keeps the ferries and transfers quick, means everyone hears the guide on the Acropolis, and fits the group around one table at lunch.
Who leads the trip, and does the guide come to the islands?
Yes. A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for the whole trip, on both ferries and every island day, and handles tickets, luggage and changes. Greek law requires licensed guides inside archaeological sites, so a licensed local guide joins us at the Acropolis and at Akrotiri.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. The longest day is the Santorini caldera walk, about 10 km and three to four hours on path and steps, which you can shorten to about 3 km and ride the rest. The Acropolis is about two hours on uneven marble. Island towns are lanes and steps.
I'm travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
Rooms are priced for two sharing. A room of your own is from CAD 995 extra, because single rooms on Santorini in summer cost almost as much as doubles. Solo guests are part of the group on every activity and at every group meal, with no difference in the plan.
When is the best time to go to the Greek islands?
May, June and September are the best months: warm, good for walking, and the sea is warm enough to swim from June. July and August are hot and busiest, and the meltemi wind can make crossings rough. The trip runs from May to early October, when the boats and farm visits operate.
How crowded is Santorini, really?
Busy. From May to October, and especially on days when cruise ships call, Fira and Oia fill from late morning, and Oia's lanes are packed at sunset. We plan around it: the caldera walk from 7:30 am, Oia before midday, sunset from Firostefani or Imerovigli, and a day out on the water.
What happens if a ferry is cancelled?
Your guide handles it. Strong wind or a strike can delay or cancel a sailing; we watch the forecast, move you to the next ferry, or switch to a flight where one runs, and rearrange the island days so you keep the main visits. Any extra cost of a change we make is ours.
Why Naxos and not Mykonos or Paros?
Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades and still feels like a working island: mountain villages, olive groves, long sandy beaches and its own cheese, potatoes and kitron. Three nights there give a real village day and a slow beach day, which a quick stop on Mykonos or Paros does not.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. The small group starts from CAD 5,495 per person sharing, taxes included; the private trip starts from CAD 9,890 per person.
Can I travel on my own dates?
Yes. The private trip runs on a date you choose, for your party only, with your own guide. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, ferries, boat day and flight without a guide.
Do I need a visa for Greece?
Canadian and US passport holders do not need a visa for up to 90 days in the Schengen area, which includes Greece. Your passport needs at least three months of validity after you leave. ETIAS, the EU's travel authorisation, has been announced but its start date keeps moving; we tell you at booking whether it applies.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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