An athens mykonos santorini crete tour joins Athens with three islands in a row, and this page lays out all twelve days before you look at other tours in Greece.
The page covers the season, the Athens days, the ferries, Mykonos, the Santorini caldera and volcano, the Crete sights from Knossos to the Samaria Gorge, the flight back, and the entry, sea and luggage points.
What is an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, and how does the route run?
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour is a twelve-day plan with Athens at both ends and three islands between them. Ferries carry you to Mykonos, Santorini and Crete in turn. One flight from Crete then brings you back to Athens for the journey home.
The plan runs from north to south. Wikipedia says the Cyclades include about 220 islands, and it calls Santorini the southernmost member of that group. Crete lies further south again. This order lets an athens mykonos santorini crete tour move in one direction without doubling back.
The islands differ greatly in height and population. The highest point of Mykonos is 341 metres, while Mount Ida on Crete reaches 2,456 metres. The census figures Wikipedia quotes give Mykonos 10,704 inhabitants and Santorini 15,480. So an athens mykonos santorini crete tour grows in scale toward the south.
Athens frames the plan at each end. Wikipedia names the Acropolis of Athens and the Daphni Monastery as its two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Athens International Airport is its major airport, so arrival and departure share one city. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour starts and finishes here.
Crete is the hinge of the plan. Wikipedia says the Cyclades lie to the north of it, separated by the Sea of Crete. The coastline of the island is 1,046 kilometres long, and Heraklion stands on the north shore. Two free days see a small part, so an athens mykonos santorini crete tour picks its sights with care.
The twelve days follow a simple path. Day one is the arrival, and day two is the Athens tour. Day three is a ferry day to Mykonos, then day four is free. This is the opening of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Day five sails to Santorini, days six and seven are free, and day eight sails to Crete. Days nine and ten are free on Crete. Day eleven is the flight, and day twelve is the departure. All of it forms one athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The rest of this page covers the season, the ferries and what each island shows. It also covers the two Crete days, the flight back, entry rules, packing, children, access and luggage. A final section collects the questions travellers ask about the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Which season suits an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour meets a rainy season on Mykonos from October until March, as Wikipedia states. Summer brings the dry meltemi wind across the Aegean Sea. The next paragraphs set out both.
Wikipedia describes summer on Mykonos as relatively cool, dry, sunny and pleasant. It credits the seasonal meltemi wind and the moderating sea. The average daily high in summer is about 27 degrees Celsius. This is the setting for the island part of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour in the warm months.
Wikipedia explains that Mykonos has low rainfall because the Pindus mountain range puts it in a rain shadow. The average daily high in winter is around 15 degrees Celsius, and winter nights fall to about 11. Those figures help when you choose the month for an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikivoyage prefers spring and late autumn for Athens. It says heatwaves rarely happen in summer, and it calls winter the low season. The two Athens days of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour follow that pattern, whichever month you choose.
Wikipedia traces the meltemi across the route. Over the central Aegean, the wind blows from the north. The wind turns to the north-west over the southern Aegean and the Cretan sea. The sea days of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour cross that change of direction.
Wikipedia describes Greece as having a predominantly Mediterranean climate, with sunny, dry summers and wet winters. It adds that the Cyclades are generally dry and mild. Higher up in the mountains of Crete, it describes an alpine type with cool summers. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour stays at the coast, so the first description applies.
What happens on each day of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Each day of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour has one main job. Days one and two belong to Athens. Days three, five and eight are ferry days, with free island days between them. Day eleven is the flight, and day twelve is the departure.
- Day 1: Arrival in Athens, then the remaining hours of the day are free.
- Day 2: A morning sightseeing tour takes in the Acropolis rock and its museum, then the day is free.
- Day 3: A transfer to the port of Piraeus, then a ferry ride to Mykonos.
- Day 4: The day on Mykonos is free for sun, sandy beaches and evening life.
- Day 5: A transfer to the pier, then the ferry to Santorini.
- Day 6: The first free day on Santorini, with the whitewashed town of Fira on its steep cliff.
- Day 7: The second free day on Santorini, and one of the two days holds the half-day volcano cruise.
- Day 8: A transfer to the pier, then the ferry to Heraklion on Crete.
- Day 9: A free day on Crete for archaeological sites, museums, beaches and restaurants.
- Day 10: A second free day on Crete, with Chania, Rethymno, Elounda or the Gorge of Samaria as options.
- Day 11: A flight from Heraklion to Athens, a night at the airport, and a free afternoon.
- Day 12: After breakfast, check-in for the departure flight.
Two Athens days open the plan. The first is an arrival day, and the second holds the only fixed morning tour. That gentle start keeps an athens mykonos santorini crete tour calm before the islands begin. Both afternoons stay free for a walk or a rest.
The plan uses three island bases and three ferry mornings. Mykonos gets one free day, and Santorini and Crete get two each. You unpack once per island, and the ferries of days three, five and eight link the bases. This is the core rhythm of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
One flight closes the plan. Crete lies south of the Cyclades, so the flight on day eleven carries you north to Athens. Wikipedia says the Nikos Kazantzakis airport at Heraklion serves international travellers. Day twelve holds only the check-in, so an athens mykonos santorini crete tour ends without a rush.
How do the Athens days work on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The first two days of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour are spent in Athens. Day one covers landing, the hotel transfer and rest. On day two, the morning sightseeing tour covers both the Acropolis and its museum. Both afternoons stay free.
Wikipedia states that Athens is the capital and the largest city of Greece. No other capital on the European mainland sits as far south as Athens. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour begins in a city whose urban area holds over 3.6 million residents. That size explains why the plan gives the capital two full days.
Day one starts at the airport. Wikipedia names the major airport of the city: Athens International Airport. From there, the traveller goes to the hotel by transfer. The rest of the day holds no fixed stop. A quiet first evening suits an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, because three ferry mornings follow.
Day two is the sightseeing tour. It runs in the morning and centres on the Acropolis and its museum. Wikipedia lists the Acropolis of Athens and the Daphni Monastery as the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the city. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour visits the first of them.
The afternoon of day two is free. Wikipedia names the Benaki Museum, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the National Archeological Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art. A traveller can pick one of them or simply walk through the city. A free afternoon keeps the athens mykonos santorini crete tour flexible.
Wikipedia adds that no museum in the world has more ancient Greek antiquities than the National Archeological Museum. A second museum day is not part of the plan, so this is a choice for the free hours. Day three then opens the sea part of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
What do the Acropolis and its museum add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The Acropolis gives an athens mykonos santorini crete tour its first ancient site, with the Parthenon as the key landmark. The Acropolis Museum adds modern galleries. It was built to house every find made on the rock and its slopes. Both fill the morning of day two.
For early Western culture, the Parthenon is a key landmark, as Wikipedia notes. On day two the sightseeing tour of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour centres on that temple. Then it turns to the museum, which lies near the hill’s southeastern slope. It stands on the old road which led up to the sacred rock.
This archaeological museum is dedicated to the finds of the Acropolis. Its objects date from the Bronze Age of Greece up to the Roman and Byzantine periods. According to Wikipedia, its 14,000 square metres of space contain over 4,250 objects. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour sees only a part of that in one morning.
Three levels hold the collections. Wikipedia says visitors first reach the top level, where the Parthenon marbles stand. The first level has a long hall, and its floor slopes like the climb to the rock. Next comes a large trapezoidal hall with archaic finds, and pieces from the Propylaea sit on the same floor.
Set askew on the lower levels, the top level points the same way as the ancient temple. Glass walls let natural light in from all four sides. As on the Parthenon, the marbles point outwards. Glass sections of the floor let visitors look down on the excavations. This detail suits an athens mykonos santorini crete tour with one short morning.
The entrance faces Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. It lies next to Akropoli station on the Athens Metro red line. Wikipedia gives 400 metres as the walking distance from the Parthenon. This page states no opening rules. Before an athens mykonos santorini crete tour begins, read them on the page of the Ministry of Culture.
How does the ferry from Piraeus to Mykonos work on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
On day three an athens mykonos santorini crete tour moves to Piraeus for the ferry to Mykonos. A transfer follows to the island hotel. Wikipedia says Piraeus lies eight kilometres from the city centre to the southwest and is the chief port of Greece.
Piraeus sits on the Saronic Gulf, along its eastern shore. The Athens urban area includes Piraeus as a port city, says Wikipedia. About 4.37 million passengers use it each year, which ranks it fifth in size among Europe’s passenger ports. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour therefore joins a very busy harbour.
The port has a long history. Wikipedia dates the founding of the city to the early fifth century BC. That was when plans to make it the new port of Athens were carried out. The Long Walls once fortified the route from Athens to the port. Today an athens mykonos santorini crete tour covers that road by transfer.
Ancient Piraeus held three harbours of deep water: Cantharus, Zea and Munichia, says Wikipedia. Today the city has 168,151 people at the census. That makes it the fourth largest municipality in Greece. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour thus leaves from a city port, and not from a small pier.
Mykonos is the first island of the route. The highest point of the island rises to 341 metres, and its area is 85.5 square kilometres, says Wikipedia. The west coast holds the largest town, Mykonos or Chora. After the landing, a transfer brings the athens mykonos santorini crete tour to the hotel.
Wikipedia says summer days on Mykonos stay relatively cool, dry and sunny. They owe this to the seasonal cool meltemi wind and the sea. October to March is the rainy season. Wind is a reason to check the sailing before an athens mykonos santorini crete tour sets out.
This page gives no sailing times, because the sources used here state none. Timetables and ticket rules come from the provider you book with. Keep a small bag for the day, and let the transfer carry the main case. Day four on Mykonos is free.
What does Mykonos Town add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Mykonos Town adds whitewashed streets, houses and churches to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikivoyage calls it a Cycladic town with a maze of tiny streets around its harbour. It is also known as Chora.
On day three of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the ferry from Piraeus reaches one of two harbours. One sits in the town itself. The other, at Tourlos, is called the new port and lies 2 km away to the north. Wikivoyage advises a check of the boat’s port before travel.
Wikivoyage says that the conventional ferries mainly berth at Tourlos. Fast catamarans still berth at the town harbour. So the arrival on this athens mykonos santorini crete tour depends on the type of boat. At the town harbour, the coast path into the centre is short and easy.
From Tourlos, Wikivoyage lists a bus, a taxi or a walk. The walk takes about three-quarters of an hour, beside a busy main road with no pavement. On the day the athens mykonos santorini crete tour changes island, the road from the port needs a plan.
Wikivoyage places shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants along the white lanes. It says that rapid growth has not changed the Cycladic character of the old town. Its architecture has remained firmly intact. So the first island town of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour keeps its old look.
Both Wikipedia and Wikivoyage show Little Venice in their pictures of the town. Wikivoyage lists Chora and Ano Mera as the two main communities of the island. Wikipedia places Chora on the west coast and says it is the largest town. This town is the base for the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
What do the beaches and windmills of Mykonos add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The beaches and windmills add sea and wind to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikipedia pairs the island’s beaches with its nightlife and Cycladic architecture. Its Greek nickname means Island of the Winds.
The island has a dry look. Wikipedia says granite makes up the island, and it has no rivers. Two seasonal streams are now reservoirs. The windmills in the Wikipedia pictures suit this open, windy land. For an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the wind is part of the scene.
Wikipedia adds the seasonal cool meltemi wind, which it links to the other Cyclades islands. It gives a winter daily high of around 15 degrees Celsius. Summer nights stay over 24 degrees Celsius. A day on the beach in this athens mykonos santorini crete tour depends on wind as well as sun.
Wikivoyage ties warm, sunny beach weather to the stretch from mid-spring until mid-October. At Platys Gialos, small fishing boats take travellers to the southern beaches. Ornos has places to eat and drink. Agios Stefanos has restaurants, taverns and cafes. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour can use any of these.
Wikivoyage names Elia among the beaches popular with gay visitors. It says the beach is not strictly gay but has parts where gay men and women gather. Wikipedia tells a myth about the big rocks of the island: they are giants turned to stone. Beach hours add colour to the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The weather has a calendar. Wikipedia calls the winters mild and wet. Wikivoyage adds that rain showers can be expected between October and April. It places the meltemi wind in July and August, where it softens the heat a little. Keep this in mind when you choose the month of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
How does the free Mykonos day fit an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The free day on Mykonos gives an athens mykonos santorini crete tour a slow day between two ferries. The pace can be a beach, then the town, then an evening out. Delos is the one bigger idea.
Start the day at the water. Wikipedia lists beaches first among the things Mykonos is known for, with nightlife and traditional Cycladic architecture. In a twelve-day athens mykonos santorini crete tour, this morning gives a rest after the ferry. The two days in Athens come before it. One beach is enough for the morning.
The afternoon belongs to Mykonos Town. Its lanes form a maze, so the walk needs no fixed route. Wikivoyage says the shops, galleries and cafes line the streets. It also says that in March and April the choice is limited. Shops close for renovation until late spring. Season matters for this athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Another idea is the village of Ano Mera. Wikivoyage calls it the only inland settlement on Mykonos and places it 7 km east of Mykonos Town. It centres on a large square lined on three sides with Greek tavernas. The monastery of Panagia Tourliani is its highlight. This gives the athens mykonos santorini crete tour a change of scene.
Wikipedia places Delos close to Mykonos, 2 km away. It adds that Delos has mythological, historical and archaeological weight in Greece. The site is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Wikivoyage says the Delos trip can be arranged on your own, with a tour guide or without. Delos fills the day on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
For a millennium, Delos served as a holy sanctuary, says Wikipedia. Its small sacred lake is kept dry on purpose, to hold back mosquitoes. Only seven of the lions on the Terrace of the Lions remain. Mount Kynthos, its top, is 112 metres high. The digs are extensive and still go on.
Choosing Delos means giving up the beach and the town on the free day. That is a fair trade for travellers who like ruins. The evening is the liveliest part of the island. Wikipedia describes the nightlife as vibrant. Wikivoyage mentions loud dance clubs and stylish bars. It warns of crowds in July and August.
A harbour walk is enough before the next ferry of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
How does the ferry from Mykonos to Santorini work on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
On day five of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, a ferry carries travellers south from Mykonos to Santorini. It is the second of three crossings in the plan. Wikipedia calls Santorini the southernmost island of the Cyclades, so the route runs down the island chain.
The morning begins with a transfer from the hotel to the pier on Mykonos. The ferry sails from there, and a second transfer follows on Santorini. This day of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour holds one sea crossing and one hotel check-in. No sight is planned between the two transfers.
Wikipedia says the Cyclades have about 220 islands. They are the peaks of a submerged mountain landscape. Just Milos and Santorini among them are volcanic. The same page calls the climate generally dry and mild. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour therefore stays inside one island group until the third ferry leaves for Crete.
Wikipedia places Santorini southeast of the mainland, about 200 km away. The island covers 90 square kilometres of land in total, as the same page states. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour reaches it on the second ferry. Pack a small day bag for the deck, and keep the larger bags with the luggage on board.
Wikipedia notes that Mykonos is also known as the Island of the Winds. The meltemi explains the name. From late spring to mid-September, says Wikipedia, these north winds of the Aegean come in spells. A summer athens mykonos santorini crete tour therefore meets them on the sea route.
In the afternoon the meltemi is at its strongest. Wikipedia says it tends to calm at night, though at times a spell lasts for days. Wikipedia adds that the wind can rise without warning, even when the weather is clear. Ferries between islands cannot always sail then, so a traveller keeps day five free of other plans.
What does the caldera add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The caldera is the large water-filled basin left on Santorini by a volcanic eruption about 3,600 years ago. Wikipedia says it forms a small, circular archipelago. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, it shapes every view of Santorini, the island of days five to eight.
Wikipedia calls Santorini the largest island of the small, circular archipelago that the caldera formed. The municipality has two inhabited islands, Santorini and Therasia. Five more have no residents: Christiana, Aspronisi, Anydros, Palaia Kameni and Nea Kameni. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour visits part of that group by boat.
Wikipedia says the volcano went through a repeating cycle. It erupted, then collapsed into a seawater-filled caldera ringed by small islands. Slowly, magma refilled the basin and built a new volcano. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour crosses a place where this cycle ran again and again.
Before the Minoan eruption, the caldera walls made an almost unbroken ring of islands, as Wikipedia states. The sole entrance was a gap between Aspronisi, a tiny island, and Thera. Just north of Nea Kameni lay a small island where the eruption centred. So this athens mykonos santorini crete tour sails over the old centre.
Wikipedia describes four major eruption phases, and the last one completed the collapse of the caldera. On the Volcanic Explosivity Index, the page rates the eruption at 7. Its column rose 30 to 35 km and reached the stratosphere. White tephra still covers the ground on Santorini in a layer 60 metres thick.
The eruption reached other places too. Wikipedia says tsunamis struck the northern coast of Crete, which lies 110 km away. On Anafi, 27 km to the east, ash layers are 3 metres deep. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour later lands on Crete, so one event links its two southern islands.
How does the arrival on Santorini work on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The ferry of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour docks at Athinios, the primary ferry port of Santorini. Wikipedia places it approximately 10 km south of the capital, Fira. A road then climbs the cliff, and the transfer to the hotel starts at the top.
Wikipedia says no other Santorini port runs regular passenger ferry services. Through Athinios, the island links up with Piraeus, Rhodes, Crete and the other Cyclades islands. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the same port serves day five and day eight. Day eight begins with a transfer back to the pier.
Steep, multi-coloured volcanic cliffs surround Athinios, as Wikipedia describes it. A road winds to the top and zigzags backwards and forward. These cliffs are part of the caldera wall from the section above. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour climbs the road during the hotel transfer.
The plan lists a transfer from the pier to the hotel on day five. Wikipedia says the municipality has its seat at Fira. The ride is therefore a drive up the cliff and along the island. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour does not need a second ferry on Santorini.
The latest census, says Wikipedia, counts 15,480 residents on the island. Its land area is about 73 square kilometres. It is a small island, so each transfer stays short in range. Wikipedia explains the name Santorini. It is short for Saint Irene, and an old church in Perissa village bore that name.
After the transfer, the rest of day five is free. Days six and seven are free as well, and one of them holds the half-day volcano cruise. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the arrival day is for settling in and a first look around. The active days follow.
What do Fira and Oia add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Fira and Oia give an athens mykonos santorini crete tour two towns on the caldera rim. Santorini’s capital and largest town is Fira. In the far north stands Oia, a small village reached from Fira, the island’s transport terminus.
Days six and seven of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour can open in Fira. Wikipedia describes a city whose whitewashed houses were built along the rim of a caldera 400 metres high. The central square is Plateia Theotokopoulou. Banks and pharmacies stand beside the bus and taxi station, so it works as a base for the day.
Two museums stand close together in the town. Wikipedia puts the Archaeological Museum of Thera 30 metres east of the cable car entrance. The Museum of Prehistoric Thera sits by the White Orthodox Cathedral of Ypapanti. Both suit a rainy hour in an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The view from Fira spans an 18 kilometre caldera. Cape Akrotiri marks one end and Cape Ag. Nikolaos the other. Nea Kameni lies at the centre, with Thirassia Island beside it. Wikipedia says large cruise ships anchor in a small harbour that sits between Nea Kameni and Fira. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour can pause here for the view.
Oia spans almost two kilometres of the northern caldera edge. Its height above the sea is 70 to 100 metres. Its main street, Nikolaou Nomikou, is cobbled. The very narrow paths get crowded in the tourist season, according to Wikipedia. Wikipedia states that Fira is 11 kilometres away. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour gives Oia a slow walk.
Sunlight hours in Oia are much longer than in Fira. From this position you can watch the sun set over the caldera. Painted with white lime water, the houses let rain run down so it can be collected. Wikipedia counts 300 steps down to the port. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour needs time for the climb back.
Imerovigli lies between the two towns, on the caldera rim to the north of Fira. Wikipedia names the Monastery of Saint Nikolaos, which stands on the path linking it to Fira. Nearby Skaros Rock carries what is left of a Venetian castle. A free day on this athens mykonos santorini crete tour can use that path.
What do the Santorini beaches add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The Santorini beaches add a volcanic shore to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Within the South Aegean Volcanic Arc, Wikipedia names Santorini as the volcanic centre with the greatest activity. A swim here follows a long volcanic story.
The sources read for this page do not list sand colours, so this page does not promise any. They do give the setting. A large eruption left a caldera surrounded by deposits of volcanic ash that are hundreds of metres deep. Every shore grows from that story. Each beach on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour shares it.
Perissa has a link to the island name. Wikipedia explains the name Santorini as a shortening of Saint Irene. That is the name of an old church in Perissa village. A beach stop here adds a word of history to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Kamari has an older past than the beach shows. Ancient Thera had two harbours, and Wikipedia says the ancient Greek Oia was one of them. It stood where Kamari is now. A swim at Kamari on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour can join a look at that early port.
The ruins of ancient Thera lie on the promontory of Mesa Vouno. Wikipedia dates them to the archaic period, long after the Minoan eruption. Santorini is small and covers about 73 square kilometres. One beach and one site fit a single free day on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikipedia puts the population of Santorini at 15,480 at the census. Its municipality includes Nea Kameni and Palaia Kameni, which are uninhabited. That matters for the beach plan. The shore days of this athens mykonos santorini crete tour are quiet by design. The volcano cruise belongs to the other free day.
What does Akrotiri add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Akrotiri adds a buried Bronze Age settlement to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikipedia calls it a Cycladic site on Santorini, the volcanic island. The Theran eruption covered the town in ash, and that helped to preserve its fine frescoes. Excavation began in the nineteen-sixties.
The dig shows only part of the town. Wikipedia says that of a large town, just the southern tip has been uncovered. It reveals buildings of more than one storey, streets and squares. Wall remains stand as high as eight metres. A visit on this tour feels like walking through a street plan.
Wikipedia compares the site to the Roman ruins of Pompeii, because both were preserved by ash. It adds that the people of Akrotiri were sophisticated. A loom workshop suggests organised weaving for export. The wall paintings and pottery tell the same story. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour meets that Bronze Age world here.
The frescoes are the centre of the visit. Wikipedia lists a scene of women under light canopies, plus two antelopes and a man holding strung fish. Fragments show a seated woman receiving crocus stamens from saffron gatherers. Wikipedia also names the Blue Monkeys fresco and the Spring Fresco, both found in the early years of the dig.
Wikipedia notes that the finds are shown in the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, away from the dig. Only one gold object was found, and no human remains lay in the open. This points to an orderly evacuation, it says. For this athens mykonos santorini crete tour, visit the museum in Fira as well as the site.
A new roof now protects the ruins. The Greek Ministry of Culture publishes the opening days and hours. Check that official page before the day. Akrotiri is a calm stop in an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. It asks for no more than a morning.
What does the volcano cruise add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The volcano cruise gives an athens mykonos santorini crete tour a half day on the water inside the caldera. Wikipedia places Nea Kameni at the centre of that flooded crater. The boat reaches a young volcanic island, a crater walk and a hot spring beside Palea Kameni.
The name Nea Kameni translates as “new burnt”. Its neighbour, Palea Kameni, is named “old burnt”. Eruption after eruption of dacite lava and ash built both islands during the last two thousand years, says Wikipedia. The cruise in an athens mykonos santorini crete tour therefore crosses water that sits above a volcano. Nobody lives on Nea Kameni.
The walk is the main task of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour on Nea Kameni. Wikipedia describes a gravel path that visitors climb to reach the crater summit, 130 metres high. From there, walkers can follow the whole rim in a loop.
Wikipedia states that Nea Kameni measures about two kilometres across and has an almost circular shape. Scientists from a volcano institute watch the island with care. It counts as a protected scientific site. Tourist boats arrive every day in summer, and Wikipedia says there are dozens of them. Stay on the path and leave the rocks in place.
The swim stop of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour sits at Palea Kameni. A hot spring and a small church sit there, according to Wikipedia. You find it southwest of Nea Kameni. The page adds that the island has no good harbour. Bring a swimsuit and a towel.
Thirassia completes the cruise in an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikipedia lists Therasia as an inhabited island of the Santorini municipality, beside Santorini itself. From Fira, the view takes in Nea Kameni with Thirassia in the background. Oia covers the whole island of Therasia. A ferry link to it leaves from Ammoudi.
The crater walk and the hot spring give the cruise day its own pace. Wikipedia also lists the craters of both islands as made of black lava. Fumarolic activity, steam or gas from vents, can be seen and felt in certain spots. Each stop of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour here shows the volcano at work.
How do the free Santorini days fit an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Two free Santorini days turn an athens mykonos santorini crete tour into one active day and one rest day. The cruise and the long walk fill the active day. The rest day keeps the lanes, a slow lunch and the sunset. Neither day needs a fixed timetable.
The active day of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour can start in Fira. Fira sits on the rim of a 400-metre-high caldera, says Wikipedia. The view from the town follows a caldera 18 kilometres long. Cape Akrotiri in the south marks one end, and Cape Ag. Nikolaos marks the other.
The walk from Fira to Oia is the classic task of the active day. Oia lies 11 km from Fira, as Wikipedia notes. Wikipedia names the cobbled main street of Oia, Nikolaou Nomikou, as the main trekking path winding round the caldera. Decide on the morning whether the weather and your legs suit the full distance.
On the rest day of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, Oia needs no long walking. Wikipedia says the village runs for almost two kilometres along the north rim of the caldera. The page says its sunlight hours are longer than in Fira, which suits an evening visit.
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour can also use Fira as a rainy-day or museum stop. The Archaeological Museum of Thera, listed by Wikipedia, stands near the cable car entrance, 30 metres to the east. A second museum, the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, is named too. Both are near the town centre, and a visit needs little planning.
Oia has a quieter side as well. Going down from the village to Ammoudi port takes 300 steps, says Wikipedia. It adds that Oia has very narrow paths, which become crowded in the tourist season. Walk down only if you are ready for the climb back. Keep this idea for the rest day.
The cliff view adds to the rest day. Wikipedia says the cliffs are sheer, volcanic and topped with white houses and churches. It calls Oia the Eagle’s Nest, with views of Palia and Nea Kameni and of Therasia. A sunset from there rounds off a day of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
How does the ferry from Santorini to Crete work on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Day eight of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour is a ferry day. The boat sails south from Santorini to Heraklion, the arrival port on the northern coast of Crete. Wikipedia says that sea separates the Cyclades from Crete.
The crossing leaves the Cyclades behind. As Wikipedia puts it, the southernmost member of that island group is Santorini. Wikipedia places Crete further south. The Libyan Sea runs along its southern side, and the Sea of Crete runs along its northern side. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour treats this crossing as a full travel day.
Heraklion is the first Cretan stop of the plan. Wikipedia calls it the largest city of the Greek islands and the capital of Crete. The city stands on the northern coast. The page says the Venetian wall reached 40 metres in thickness at its thickest points. A fortress also stands in the harbour.
Plan an early start for this day of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Pack the large bag the night before. Keep a small day bag with water, a layer for the deck and your papers. Check the sailing time on the ticket, because this page names none. The plan works when you reach the pier without hurry.
Luggage has to come down from the cliff. Wikipedia names three ways up to Fira from its port: a zigzag path, a cable car or a donkey. Roads reach Fira mainly on the eastern side. So bags travel by road, and the hotel can explain the pickup. Never carry a heavy case on steps.
Keep a spare buffer at both ends of the day. Wikipedia describes the seasonal meltemi wind of the Cyclades, which blows strongly on Mykonos. Rough water can change a sailing, so avoid tight plans for the same evening. A calm transfer to the Heraklion hotel suits the first Crete evening of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The island itself rewards a look from the deck. Wikipedia gives Crete a length of 260 km, running west to east, and 1,046 km of coastline. At its widest point, the island is 60 km across. The Heraklion plan of the athens mykonos santorini crete tour starts on a long north coast.
What does Crete add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour reaches Crete on day eight. Wikipedia ranks Crete fifth by size in the Mediterranean Sea. Inside Greece, it is the largest island and has the biggest population. The plan picks one base there and makes the island the hinge between the ferries and the flight.
Wikipedia places the Dodecanese to the northeast of Crete. The Cyclades lie to the north, and the Sea of Crete separates them from the island. The ferry of day eight crosses that water from Santorini. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour therefore turns south, away from the Cyclades.
The island is long and narrow. Wikipedia gives it 260 kilometres from west to east. The coast of Crete has peninsulas, capes and bays. Wikipedia names the Gramvousa peninsula, Souda Bay and Cape Lithinon among them. Heraklion sits on the north shore, so an athens mykonos santorini crete tour meets that coast first.
Wikipedia says six groups of mountains define the character of Crete. They include the Idi Range, the White Mountains and the Dikti Mountains. Mount Ida is the highest point. This is the landscape behind every day trip of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The mountains give Crete the Amari valley and the Lasithi plateau. Wikipedia also names the caves Diktaion and Idaion, the birthplace of the god Zeus in Greek myth. Two free days cannot cover all of this, and an athens mykonos santorini crete tour does not try to.
The earliest references to the island come from texts of the Syrian city of Mari. Those texts call it Kaptara. The ancient Egyptians called it Keftiu. The trip thus visits an island whose name is over three thousand years old, as the Mycenaean texts show.
Wikipedia says the White Mountains contain the Samaria Gorge, which is a World Biosphere Reserve. Two airports serve international travellers. One is named after Nikos Kazantzakis and stands at Heraklion. The flight home of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour starts from that airport.
What does Heraklion add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Heraklion is the arrival city of day eight of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikipedia counts 179,302 people in the municipality. The city keeps Venetian walls, a sea fortress and an old harbour.
Wikipedia says people have lived in the greater area of Heraklion since at least the seventh millennium BC. The ruins of the Knossos palace lie in the southern edge of the same municipality. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour crosses a modern port city on very old ground.
The city has carried other names. Under Ottoman rule it was called Kandiye. Locals also called it Megalo Kastro, which means Big Castle. The Venetians called it Candia. Old plans for an athens mykonos santorini crete tour in Heraklion can show any of these names.
Venice began to settle families from Venice on Crete in the thirteenth century. Two cultures lived side by side. The Italian Renaissance gave a push to letters and the arts, today called the Cretan Renaissance. A traveller on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour sees Venetian work and Greek daily life together.
Wikipedia says the Venetians built enormous fortifications, and the greater part still stands. The wall has seven bastions, and its thickness peaks at 40 metres in spots. Wikipedia adds a fortress in the harbour. The walk along the wall fits a free hour of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The sea fortress at the harbour is shown on Wikipedia as the Venetian fortress of Koules. Wikivoyage places it over the inner harbour. It gives an athens mykonos santorini crete tour a clear view of the Venetian sea defences.
Wikipedia notes that the Ottomans besieged the city for twenty-one years. At that time it was the longest siege in history. The harbour silted up in Ottoman times, and the bulk of shipping moved to Chania. The Agios Minas Cathedral also stands in the city.
As Wikipedia states, the writer Nikos Kazantzakis lies buried in the Martinengo bastion. The airport carries his name too. Both give an athens mykonos santorini crete tour a quiet, local link to the island.
What do Knossos and the archaeological museum add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Knossos and the Heraklion Archaeological Museum belong together on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. The palace shows the site. The museum keeps the large bulk of the objects found in the Minoan palace at Knossos. Wikipedia dates the first settlement to about seven thousand BC.
Knossos lies south of Heraklion’s historic centre, about five kilometres away. Wikipedia ranks it as the Minoan civilisation’s largest centre and the one with the widest renown. The palace site spreads across around twenty thousand square metres. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour sees only the heart of a wider landscape.
The first palace dates from about the nineteenth century BC. An earthquake probably destroyed it around the seventeenth century BC. It was rebuilt on a larger scale. The rebuilt version had staircases, light wells and drainage systems. Rich wall paintings decorated it. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour sees that later version.
Wikipedia describes the site as restored and maintained for visitation. The Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion manages it. That wording explains the reconstructed look of parts of Knossos on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
An early form of Greek is recorded on the Linear B tablets that were found at Knossos. In later Greek memory, the plan of the palace became the Labyrinth. Wikipedia adds that Knossos became part of Minoan Palatial Centres, a UNESCO site shared with Phaistos, Malia and Zakros. These stories give the visit a thread to follow.
The museum began in the nineteenth century as a simple collection of antiquities. After three destructive earthquakes it nearly collapsed. A sturdy new building then replaced the old one. Wikipedia says its collection spans over 5,500 years. A visit suits an athens mykonos santorini crete tour in the heat of midday.
The galleries run in rooms. Room I has a Neolithic fertility goddess. Room II has the Town Mosaic plaques. Room IV shows the Snake Goddess and a bull’s head rhyton. Room XIII displays Minoan clay coffins, called larnakes. Frescoes hang in Room XIV.
Wikipedia adds that the museum has air conditioning, a shop and a cafe. One room is given to the palace of Zakros. A traveller on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour reads the opening rules on the Ministry of Culture site.
What do Chania and Rethymno add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour gives Crete two free days, and two western cities suit them. Chania sits 145 kilometres from Heraklion, and Rethymno lies 70 kilometres east of Chania. Each is a separate day out from one base, with an old Venetian town to walk.
Chania has about 111,000 inhabitants in its municipality, as Wikipedia counts them. Wikipedia adds that the municipality takes in nearby areas such as Souda and Galatas. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour based at Heraklion, Chania is the longer outing. Rethymno is the nearer choice.
The harbour is the heart of Chania. Wikipedia calls it the Venetian port. The same page links the city’s shape today to Venetian work on its walls. A morning here on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour is a walk through a town built under Venice.
The city is far older than its harbour. Wikipedia says ancient Cydonia held the lands from Chania Bay to the lower slopes of the White Mountains. The Odyssey of Homer mentions its people. Minoan tablets from Knossos give the older name Ku-do-ni-ja. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour meets the Minoan story again here.
The harbour holds a piece of modern history too. Wikipedia reports that the Greek flag was first raised at Fort Firka in the Old Harbour, when Crete joined Greece. The Halepa district shows neoclassical buildings from the Cretan State. Both points suit a slow walk on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Rethymno is the smaller neighbour, with over 35,000 inhabitants. Wikipedia notes that Venice gave the town its own bishop and nobility. A Venetian castle, the Fortezza, still overlooks it. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour gains a compact old quarter here, easy to cross on foot.
Wikipedia names further sights in Rethymno: an old city gate known as Megali Porta, and a square called Piazza Rimondi. The Neradje Mosque is now an arts centre. The town has an archaeological museum, a folklore museum and a museum of sea life. Olive oil is a notable product of the area.
What do Agios Nikolaos and Elounda add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The eastern coast adds a lake town and a fortress island to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Agios Nikolaos has a small lagoon beside its harbour. A short road along the shore leads to Elounda, and from there boats cross to the island of Spinalonga.
The name Agios Nikolaos means Saint Nicholas, and Wikipedia calls him the patron saint of sailors. The town has 13,605 inhabitants. Wikipedia places it east of Heraklion, in the region of Lasithi. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, it is the natural base for this side of Crete.
In the middle of the town lies Lake Voulismeni, a lagoon. Wikipedia lists a park on its edge, with a trail, ducks, pigeons and cafes. Fishing boats of the old kind lie there. Small beaches sit within the town, and an archaeological museum is close to the water.
Old settlement lies near the town as well. Wikipedia notes the site of Priniatikos Pyrgos, first settled in the Final Neolithic era. People stayed there through the Minoan Bronze Age and later Greek and Roman times. A traveller on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour who likes ruins can add this site to the day.
Elounda lies about 12 kilometres along the coast road, as Wikipedia puts it. The road hugs the shore and climbs a hill. From the top, a clear day opens the view over Mirabello Bay. The drive is a pleasant link between two stops on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Elounda has 2,254 inhabitants and is part of the Agios Nikolaos municipality. Wikipedia names the ancient city of Olous as its earliest known settlement. The sea took back the bulk of it, and divers can still see parts. Plaka, a fishing village, lies five kilometres north of the main square, facing Spinalonga.
Wikipedia places Spinalonga where the Elounda gulf has its northern mouth. For centuries it stood as a fortress under Venetian rule. A leper colony later used the island, as the page relates. Today nobody lives there. The page ranks it second among Crete’s tourist sites. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour can reach it by a short boat ride.
The island measures only 85,000 square metres. Wikipedia says the highest point stands at about 50 metres. The Venetians armed the fortress with 35 cannons. Pebble beaches ring parts of the coast, and fig, cypress, olive and pine trees add green to the rock.
What does the Samaria Gorge add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The Samaria Gorge adds one long walk to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. The gorge is 16 kilometres long, and the walk through the park takes five to seven hours. The park opens only from late spring to the last day of October.
Samaria Gorge sits in the Chania regional unit, in the island’s south west. The small river that formed it runs between Mount Volakias and the White Mountains. Wikipedia calls it a major attraction of the island, and also a World Biosphere Reserve. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, it is the one day for active walkers.
Two lengths appear in print, and Wikipedia explains both. The figure of 18 kilometres measures the way from Omalos to Agia Roumeli. The gorge alone is 16 kilometres, and it starts at 1,250 metres above sea level. It ends at the Libyan Sea. Pick the right figure when you plan an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The path inside the park is 13 kilometres long. Two more kilometres lead from the exit to Agia Roumeli. The narrowest stretch, known as the Gates, is only four metres wide, and its walls rise almost 300 metres. The park was set up as a refuge for the kri-kri, the Cretan goat.
The Chania Forest Protection Service sets the entry rules. Park hours run from 07:00 to 15:00 each day. Later arrivals are limited to a two-kilometre stretch, starting at Xyloskalo or at Agia Roumeli. The park bans camping, sleeping overnight, lighting fires and swimming in the gorge streams. Check them before adding the gorge to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikipedia describes the usual way: down from the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli. Then walkers take a boat to Sougia or Hora Sfakion, or a coach back to Chania. Boats from Agia Roumeli to Chora Sfakion and to Sougia or Paleochora go at 17:30, as the page lists. Wikipedia calls the walk strenuous in high summer.
What do the beaches of Crete add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, Crete adds a long coast, a palm forest and a red sand cove. Wikivoyage names Agios Pavlos, Balos, Vai, Chrysi Island and Matala as examples and says beaches lie all around the island.
Crete has a long shoreline, and Wikipedia gives the coastline as 1,046 kilometres. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the beach choice is therefore wide. The plan fixes no beach, so a traveller picks the sand that lies closest to the base town.
Vai is the first example Wikivoyage describes. It lies on the far eastern tip of the island. The same page says it has the largest forest of Cretan date palms in Europe. On a route over three islands, an athens mykonos santorini crete tour gains a palm-lined shore.
Matala is the red sand beach among the examples. Wikivoyage says it became known through hippies who lived in caves there in the nineteen sixties. Agios Pavlos lies on the southern coast. Wikivoyage calls the south coast very undeveloped because the terrain is rugged. A southern beach is a longer outing on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Chrysi is a small uninhabited island off the coast of Ierapetra. Wikivoyage says it holds the largest naturally grown Lebanese cedar forest in Europe. It lists Ierapetra as the southernmost city of Europe, with long sandy beaches. That suits an athens mykonos santorini crete tour for a traveller who wants a quiet day by the sea.
Wikivoyage lists the Vai palm forest among the other destinations of Crete. It says the trees are Phoenix theophrastii, a palm species native to the island. This makes Vai a sight as well as a beach. A day there is longer than a stop near the base.
The plan gives two free days, so one can be a sea day. Wikivoyage places the major tourist sites and settlements along the north coast. A beach near the base town keeps the day short. Each athens mykonos santorini crete tour picks its own shore.
How do the two free Crete days fit an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Two free days on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour split into a sea day and a museum day. Wikivoyage says visitors explore the island from a base in one of the main northern cities.
Days nine and ten follow the ferry to Heraklion on day eight. Wikivoyage calls Crete a large island, made doubly so by challenging roads, and says it needs time to explore fully. In an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, two days reach only the near sights. Choosing is therefore part of the plan.
Wikipedia says the island has an elongated shape. Wikivoyage says a major highway crosses the island from end to end, with branches running south from the main cities. One northern base keeps each day trip of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour on that highway.
Wikivoyage says the island has four prefectures: Chania, Rethymnon, Heraklion and Lasithi, from west to east. Heraklion, where the ferry lands, sits in the third. Rethymnon is the one between Chania and Heraklion.
The museum day is easy. Wikivoyage says the major port cities hold respected archaeological museums, and the leading one sits in Heraklion. It also names the Minoan palace of Knossos, outside Heraklion. The sights lie near the base, so this day of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour stays short.
The sea day can be short or long. Wikivoyage warns that long stretches of the main highway have only two lanes that twist and turn. A calm day means the nearest beach. A long outing means one town. Either choice suits an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikivoyage says public transport on Crete is fairly frequent and its timetables are quite trustworthy. It also says the scenery, from the semi-arid east to the greener west, fits in a good day’s drive. For an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, one full-day outing and one half-day outing are enough.
What do the villages and the food of Crete add to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The villages and the food of Crete add a slower, older side to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikivoyage describes traditional villages and a Cretan table of olive oil, herbs and cheese.
Wikivoyage explains how the villages grew. Coastal settlements were built on hills above the water, so residents saw pirates from afar. Newer villages grew by the sea as tourism boomed from the nineteen sixties. The old upper villages are called epano and the lower ones kato. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour gains from knowing this when asking for directions.
Wikivoyage says even small villages have a main church or two, with smaller chapels. It also says hundreds of monasteries and convents stand on the island. In sleepy villages, donkeys carrying vegetables still pass cars and scooters. These quiet scenes add a calm note to an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Olive oil is the centre of the Cretan table. Wikipedia says olive oil went into cooking, not only salads, while northern Europe mainly used animal fat. Wikivoyage says olive oil factories stand all over Crete and places the olive harvest from October through January. A visit during that season is a bonus for an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikipedia adds wild herbs and aromatic plants to the base of the traditional diet. Wikivoyage describes dakos as a hard bread rusk with olive oil, tomato, feta and olives. It also lists graviera, a hard cheese, and myzithra, a fresh cheese of ewe’s milk. These dishes are the everyday taste of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikivoyage says traditional tavernas line village squares and the sea front. It describes raki as a spirit without aniseed. It says a rakazani at a raki distillery marks the first raki of the season. A meal out is a social occasion of two hours or more. That suits the free days of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikivoyage says the hours after lunch are reserved for resting, and the evening meal comes later. Places that cater to tourists stay open throughout the day and evening. A free day on Crete can follow the same slow rhythm, with a long lunch and a late dinner.
How do the flight back to Athens and the last day work on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
On day eleven, an athens mykonos santorini crete tour leaves Crete by air. The plane takes off from Heraklion International Airport, which Wikipedia names as the main and busiest airport of the island. It lands at Athens International Airport, where a hotel waits for the night. Day twelve is the departure morning.
Wikipedia gives the airport the code HER and says it lies near Nea Alikarnassos. After Athens, it is the busiest airport in the country. Its longer runway is 2,714 metres long. For an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, this is the one flight on the whole route.
The airport carries the name of the Heraklion native Nikos Kazantzakis. Wikipedia lists Agios Nikolaos, Malia, Hersonissos and Elounda among the resorts it serves. A new airport at Kasteli is under construction to replace it. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, ask which of the two your flight uses.
Athens International Airport has the code ATH and takes its name from Eleftherios Venizelos. It has two parallel runways, one 4 km long and one 3.8 km long, as Wikipedia states. A hotel there keeps the last night of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour near the gate.
The airport has two terminals. One is the main building, and the other is a satellite reached by an underground link, as Wikipedia explains. At check-in, ask which one your flight uses. Leave a little extra walking time. The plan keeps day twelve open, with breakfast first and the check-in after it.
Keep a spare buffer before every flight. The plan puts the Crete flight on day eleven and the departure flight a day later. A delay on one day then meets a free afternoon. Each airline sets its own luggage allowance, so read the rules of each flight before you pack.
On the last morning of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the order is simple. Eat breakfast, collect the bags and check in for the departure flight. The airport lies outside the city, so the plan never asks for a second trip into the centre.
Which entry rules and packing points matter on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The first entry point of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour is your travel document. Wikipedia describes the Schengen Area as 27 European countries. They have abolished passport and border control between member states. Your own passport office tells you which document and which rules apply to you.
Check the expiry date of your passport well before you leave. Keep it with your flight papers in a small bag that you carry yourself. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour has one flight and three ferry mornings. Papers are therefore at hand on four days, so never leave them in a hold suitcase.
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour stays in Greece. A plug and socket reference lists type C and type F sockets there. It gives a standard voltage of 230 V at 50 Hz. Travellers from countries with other plugs need an adapter. Others also need to check each device before they plug it in.
Pack shoes with a firm grip. The plan crosses Chora in Mykonos, the cliff town of Fira and the old harbours of Crete. Lanes and stairs are part of the day there. Light shoes that grip smooth stone suit an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikipedia gives summer highs of around 27 degrees Celsius on Mykonos. A sun hat covers the day on land. A light layer covers the ferry decks, since the wind blows on the sea. Pack a small bag for each ferry morning with water, papers and a phone charger. Put the rest in the main suitcase.
Carry the same papers on every leg. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the ferries and the flight all stay inside Greece. The routine is still the same each morning. Check the bag, check the papers, and take a photo of the passport page as a backup.
Which sea conditions and weather points matter on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The meltemi is the main sea point of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. Wikipedia says the winds tend to bring fine and clear weather, and that they temper the summer heat. Wind still shapes sailings between the islands, so each of the three ferry mornings needs a spare buffer.
On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the wind matters on the water. Wikipedia says leisure sailors favour its steady strength. A ferry day is different from a sailing day for pleasure. Keep the day after each ferry free, so one changed sailing does not break the plan.
Wind is part of the island character. Wikipedia says strong winds have eroded parts of Mykonos, where the ground is very rocky. The same page calls summer days there relatively cool, dry and sunny. A light jacket on deck is still a good idea on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikipedia explains that local topography decides the wind direction, which ranges from north-east to north-west. It adds that in summer a low-pressure trough above the Eastern Mediterranean helps the winds blow. So the wind direction can differ from one sailing to the next on this athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
Wikipedia gives the Mykonos rainy season as October to March. The same page puts winter highs at around 15 degrees Celsius. Wikipedia calls the Samaria Gorge walk strenuous at the peak of summer. The gorge measures 16 km, and the park is open from 07:00 to 15:00. The rules ban camping, fires and swimming in the park streams.
Wikipedia puts Crete about 160 km south of the Greek mainland. Heraklion sits on the north shore. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour therefore ends along the northern coast of Crete. Read the sea report on the last morning too.
How does an athens mykonos santorini crete tour work for children, access and heat?
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour suits children and slow walkers when the days follow steps, shade and ferry mornings. Santorini has the steepest ground of the trip. The summer heat of the Cyclades is the other point to plan for. Both are covered below, with the plan’s own limits stated.
On Santorini, an athens mykonos santorini crete tour meets real slopes. Fira is the capital, and Wikipedia gives its caldera a height of 400 metres. From the port, a zigzag footpath leads up, walked or ridden by donkey. A cable car rises from a lower terminal beside the port. Take your time on the way up.
Oia asks for more walking. Wikipedia says 300 steps lead down from the village to its port. The village stands on a steep slope, with passageways between the houses and a central square. Its trekking path, called Nikolaou Nomikou, is cobbled. Steady shoes help, and an athens mykonos santorini crete tour has more steps than first look.
Each island has different ground. Before you book an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, ask the provider about steps at each stop. Ask about the ferry decks and the transfers too. This matters for a child, a pushchair or a wheelchair. This page cannot promise access for any hotel, boat or site.
Heat needs a plan. For Oia, Wikipedia lists 40 degrees Celsius in June as the record high. It calls the summers there hot and dry. Mykonos is different. Its summer high is around 27 degrees, and Wikipedia links the cooler days to the meltemi and the sea. On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, walk in the morning.
Children on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour find the three ferry mornings long, so keep the other days short. A free day on Mykonos or Crete can stay near the hotel, with a beach and a rest. The plan gives no medical advice. Read the Ministry of Culture notices on midday closures.
How does luggage work on the ferries and flights of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Luggage on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour passes through four stages. These are the hotel transfer, the ferry, the pier or airport, and the traveller. The plan holds three ferry mornings and a single flight. Each needs its own packing choice, and the two cases below show how.
The first case is the ferry mornings on days three, five and eight. Among passenger ports in Europe, Piraeus ranks second for traffic, Wikipedia says. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour works well with a wheeled bag and a day bag there. Each line sets its own baggage rules, so read them.
On the ferry, a small bag for the day keeps the big case out of the way. Put water, a sun hat, a light layer for the deck and your tickets in it. Wikipedia calls Mykonos the Island of the Winds. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour is easier with a day bag that closes fully.
Steps change the rule of the big case. Oia has 300 steps down to its port, and Fira has a zigzag path, donkeys and a cable car. A hotel transfer takes the case to the door where roads reach. Beyond that point, a case with wheels becomes a case to carry on this athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
The second case is the flight on day eleven. Wikipedia states that Heraklion and Chania both have airports serving international travellers. Airlines set their own rules for hold bags and cabin bags, and the rules differ between them. For an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, check the airline allowance before the first ferry.
A simple method helps. Pack one main case that stays closed on the ferries and one day bag that opens on the deck. Keep documents and medicine in the day bag, never in the case. Weigh the case at home. The case must pass the ferry, the stairs and the flight of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour.
How does an athens mykonos santorini crete tour compare with flying between the islands?
An athens mykonos santorini crete tour uses ferries from Piraeus to Mykonos, to Santorini and to Crete. Flying between the islands is a different method. Each flight is a separate journey with its own airport, timetable and transfers. This page sets the two ideas side by side and ranks neither.
The islands differ in character, and that shapes each stop. Wikipedia says Mykonos rises to 341 metres and has no rivers, only seasonal streams. The municipality of Santorini includes Therasia, and it covers the uninhabited Nea Kameni too. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour spends its longer days on Crete.
Crete is the end of the line. Wikipedia says the Cyclades are bounded to the south by the Sea of Crete. Crete and its islets form a region of their own. So the last ferry crosses open water to Heraklion on the north shore. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour has one flight home.
The Cyclades are a large group. Wikipedia counts about 220 islands, with Naxos the largest and Syros the one with the biggest population. A ferry for each step uses the sea as the link between them. Each morning ends with a port, a transfer and a hotel. That is how this athens mykonos santorini crete tour keeps its pace.
Flying between islands asks for different choices. Every leg needs the traveller to reach an airport, check in and collect the bag at the end. A flight can save sea time, but it adds transfers at both ends. These are plain facts about the method. Flying and sailing both belong in an athens mykonos santorini crete tour discussion.
Crete itself is long. Wikipedia gives the island a coastline of 1,046 kilometres. One flight on day eleven returns you to Athens from Heraklion, which sits on the north shore. The athens mykonos santorini crete tour keeps airport days to one, and the sea does the rest.
What else do travellers ask about an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Where does the pink sand of Crete come from on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Pink sand is the draw of Elafonisi, which sits by the south western tip of Crete. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour reaches it only as an added day out. Wikipedia says tides and waves deposit pigmented microorganisms there, and these live in partnership with native seaweed.
The name Elafonisi means “Deer Island”, and the island covers 1.5 square kilometres. Shallow water links it to Crete, and in fine weather people wade across. Wikipedia lists no residents on it.
From Heraklion, the town of Chania is 145 kilometres away to the west. Elafonisi is part of the Chania area, so the plan treats it as a separate trip. The coast of Crete runs 1,046 kilometres. An athens mykonos santorini crete tour meets only a small share of its beaches.
How is the old harbour of Chania laid out on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Chania is the western town that an athens mykonos santorini crete tour leaves for a day out from Heraklion. Wikipedia says Rethymno lies 70 kilometres to its east. The Venetians founded Canea on the site of old Kydonia. The Old Harbour is the Venetian port.
The district of Kastelli lies in the Old Town, and excavations there found Minoan remains. In Ottoman times Kastelli and Splantzia were the eastern quarters. The Yali Mosque was built on the harbour, and Fort Firka guards the Old Harbour. Wikipedia adds that the area appears to have been inhabited since the Neolithic Age.
The district of Halepa holds neoclassical embassies and consulates from the days of the Cretan State. Wikipedia gives no walking distances for the harbour, so a traveller checks a local map on the day.
Which Athens museums besides the Acropolis Museum fit an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
The two Athens days of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour leave a free afternoon for one more museum. Wikipedia calls the National Archeological Museum the biggest of its kind in the world for ancient Greek finds. It sits among the museums of Central Athens, which Wikivoyage calls the active heart of the city.
The Museum of Cycladic Art links the city with the islands that follow on this plan. Athens was also the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games, as Wikipedia states. Wikipedia lists the Acropolis Museum with these others, so an athens mykonos santorini crete tour offers a choice.
The medieval Daphni Monastery is the second UNESCO listing in Athens, beside the Acropolis. A traveller reads each museum page for opening days before the visit.
What do Fira museums and the central square offer on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
On an athens mykonos santorini crete tour, the two free days on Santorini are spent around Fira. Wikipedia calls Fira the largest town on the island. Its whitewashed houses sit on the caldera rim. Two museums on the history of Thera serve the town.
The Cathedral of Ypapanti stands where an older church fell in an earthquake. The caldera below the town is 18 kilometres long, as Wikipedia states.
The central square carries the name Plateia Theotokopoulou. Wikipedia lists a bus and taxi station there, plus banks and pharmacies. The roads into Fira come from its eastern side. A zigzag footpath rises from the port, and people climb it on foot or by donkey.
What is the island of Mykonos made of, and where does its water come from on an athens mykonos santorini crete tour?
Mykonos is the first island of an athens mykonos santorini crete tour. It belongs to the Cyclades and to the South Aegean region. Wikipedia says the island is composed mostly of granite. The terrain is very rocky, and the wind has worn parts of it away.
Mykonos covers 85.5 square kilometres. The top of the island lies 341 metres above the sea. Rivers are missing, but seasonal streams exist. Two of these streams have become reservoirs. Wikipedia says the rainy season on Mykonos lasts from October until March.
Each day, 4,500 cubic metres of water come from sea water by reverse osmosis, as Wikipedia states. Myth explains the rocks too, since the large stones are said to be petrified giants. The nickname of Mykonos is the Island of the Winds.