Greece Trip Report - Athens, Mykonos, Santorini (long)

[babsbunny]

Hi All!  Just got back from a lovely vacation and wanted to share in case others might be visiting Greece.  Sorry for the long post.

We did 3 nights in Athens, 2 in Mykonos, 4 in Santorini, and then 1 in Athens before flying home. We researched ahead of time and took the metro from the airport to the hotel, which was a savings (35 euro taxi vs 14 euro for two on metro) for 2 people, but not much of a savings if you have 3-4 people for a single taxi. The metro was packed on Friday around noon. I'm so glad I insisted to DH that we take only two roller bags (one each) because we immediately had to carry the bags up and down stairs.  And I'm really glad one roller bag was a light carry-on that I could easily carry.  We stayed at the Acropolis Select which fit our needs but wasn't anything special. We love the Rick Steves Guides to European cities and came prepared with iPods that included his Athens city walk, Acropolis tour, Ancient Agora tour, and Archeological Museum tour - highly recommended as it's free and great to understand cool things you're looking at. We took an organized day trip tour to Delphi which included a guided tour of the ruins which was really informative.

I didn't realize all the ruins there were to see in Athens (compared to Rome), but I was definitely impressed. One thing that took a bit getting used to in Greece is that you are not supposed to flush toilet paper in the toilet (their sewer system can't handle it). Soda is really expensive in restaurants (3 euro!) but cheaper in stores and kiosks. Like Italy, the house wine is cheap but really good. I'm very glad I did not decide to rent a car for even a day as the driving really is nuts (everyone straddles two lanes).  Follow Rick's advice and visit the Acropolis before the crowds start at 10:30 AM (or visit in the late afternoon). If you want to go into churches around Athens, cover your knees and shoulders (pants and t-shirt).

NO ONE takes credit cards - they all want cash.  Ok, this is an exaggeration since a couple people did take credit cards, but nearly everyone did not.  Also, the exchange rate and fees were best at the airport ATM (we got ripped off at the ATM in Mykonos).  Try to break bills early as people really got annoyed with me when I would pull out a 50 or 20 euro bill.

Take the highspeed ferries when you can and make sure you get on the right ferry (we heard about someone that did not). On the highspeeds, everyone left their luggage in the car hold area, so make sure your bag is locked and take your valuables with you to your seat. On the normal speed ferry, we carried our luggage up a couple flights of stairs and sat on the top in the open (where there were way too many people smoking). Prearrange pickups from ferry ports to your hotel, especially in Mykonos where there are apparently only 33 taxis on the whole island.

Being from Texas, it was not unbearable weather for me, but it was hot and very sunny. Put on the sunscreen, wear a hat, drink lots of water, and expect to be a sweaty mess at the end of the day. If you can't pack enough clean clothes for the whole trip, bring some laundry soap so you can freshen things up.

The sunset on Mykonos was awesome. We took a day trip to Delos (45 minute ferry, 18 euro round trip, then 5 euro to get in once you're there). Delos is only one-fifth excavated. There is a small store on the island if you need more water or a snack. Speaking of water, the water on the islands is very salty, so don't drink the tap water much (and you have to pay for bottles at restaurants). Luckily, they keep the bottled water prices reasonable and you can find regular sizes for 0.50 euros and the big bottles for 1 or 2 euro. Soda prices were different at different kiosks (1 euro vs 1.30 euro). If you want to get around the island, consider renting a moped or 4-wheeler (though don't expect it to come with a full tank of gas). Beach hopping is popular on Mykonos as they have many nice beaches.  The buses aren't ideal if you want to hit a few beaches so consider the rental. We took a cab to one popular beach and then took the bus back. Beaches have chairs and umbrellas that cost money. Mykonos is the young island and is crazy like Las Vegas at 2 AM (lots of clubs).

Santorini on the other hand was much more laid back.  There are two main places to be on Santorini: Oia and Fira, both towns on cliffs. We stayed in a traditional cave house on the side of the hill in Oia and it was amazing. The hike between the two was 5-6 miles but has amazing views (leave early in the morning and have lots of sunscreen and water). The cruise ships dock near Fira so it's a much busier place. Everyone goes to Oia to see the sunset, so there's a traffic jam out of the town in the evenings. A boat cruise is highly recommended. We didn't get to hike the volcano, so I can't comment on that (but I did read that you need to wear sneakers if you do - no flips flops). If you go to Santorini, watch The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants first. We saw a lot of sights from the movie and I plan to rewatch it soon. The better beaches are on Mykonos, so don't expect to lounge on the beach all day in Santorini. Sample the wine here before you buy a bunch of bottles as the local recipe has a bit of a medicinal kick to it (though the rose was usually fine).

I found people (business people) in Athens to be a bit rude compared to the people on the islands, though the hotel staff at all hotels was friendly. To be blunt, I loved our trip, but I did like our vacation in Rome a bit more (in case someone is trying to decide which place to go) though I felt a bit more relaxed and safe in Athens compared to Rome (maybe because the ferries felt less pickpockety than trains and tourist sights had less crowds and beggars).

Thanks for reading if you made it this far.