Fall 2021 | 30 days
1 Athens (1 night)
2 Lindos (3 nights)
3 Rhodes Town (4 nights)
4 Amorgos (4 nights)
5 Milos (6 nights)
6 Folegandros (4 nights)
7 Santorini (7 nights)
Back to Athens to fly out (1 night)
This was my fifth trip to Greece — it’s my favorite place to travel! — and our second trip together. I wanted Steve to see Rhodes. We did that first before heading to the Cyclades, where we hit some of the less visited islands. We planned our favorite beach town (Perissa) for a relaxing end to our trip. It was a good mix of the old buildings, charming villages, beaches, and walking that we enjoy.
Read more about our planning for this trip
A note on Greek place names: Since Greek has its own alphabet, names don’t always get transliterated the same way. Ἡράκλειον might become Heraklion or Iraklion or a variation on either of those. I’ve tried to include place names in Greek when possible.
Accommodations
$51-$64 per night
Transportation
$890 per person
Sights & Activities
$204 per person
Food & Drink
$50 per day
Our costs for this trip (in US dollars at time of trip). Click a topic for more details.
Fly from home to …
Athens (Αθήνα) – 2 nights
We spent the afternoon we arrived in Athens before boarding an overnight ferry for Rhodes. (We were going to spend the night in a hotel and fly the next day, but this was a little cheaper. And we haven’t been on an overnight ferry.) We also spent a night in Rafina, near the airport, before flying home.
We opted not to do any sightseeing during our brief stops. We spent a couple of days in Athens on our last trip to Greece so we didn’t feel the need to pack anything in. And while we thought we might hit the beach on our last afternoon we did not, though there was one nearby.
If you haven’t been to Athens before I would definitely spend at least a couple of nights there.
Take a boat to …
Lindos (Λίνδος) – 3 nights
Lindos was a nice way to get over jet lag and ease into vacation mode. It’s Greece in microcosm. I made a day trip here the first time I visited Rhodes and thought the village would be a good place to spend a few nights. So we spent the first three nights here.
- Climbed up to the acropolis
- Spent the day at the beach
- Explored the village
Lindos Acropolis
September 12, 2021
It’s not THE acropolis in Athens but it is old and beautiful and has beautiful views from the top. And the climb was not as bad as we feared.
Take the bus to …
Rhodes (Ρόδος) Old Town – 4 nights
We stayed in Rhodes New Town the first time I came here. This time we stayed in the old town, right in the midst of the atmosphere. The Palace of the Grand Master was an unexpected gem and the old town was full of the narrow cobblestone ways and old buildings we wanted. Since I didn’t recall the beach near town being that great we rented a car for a couple of days to explore the rest of the island and drive to a great beach. If we returned to Rhodes we would likely base ourselves here.
- Palace of the Grand Master
- Archeological museum
- Driving the west coast
- Tsambika beach
- The old town in general
Palace of the Grand Master
September 14, 2021
The Palace of the Grand Master is an imposing structure with some beautiful mosaic tile floors, among other things. I don’t know why I didn’t come here the first time I was on Rhodes.
Driving around the Island of Rhodes
September 15, 2021
We spent a day with a rental car driving the west coast of Rhodes (Ρόδος), all the way down to Prasonisi (Πρασονήσι).
Fly to Naxos, then a ferry to …
Amorgos (Αμοργός) – 4 nights
We wanted to hit some of the less-visited Cyclades Islands on this trip. Not too out there. Just a bit off the beaten path. We also wanted to do some hiking on this trip and Amorgos sounded like a good island for that too. It was, though we’re not always the hikers we used to be. We enjoyed the part of the hike that we did do. It was also beautiful and relaxing driving on Amorgos. We skipped Chora since we’ll see other central villages on this trip. Aegiali was a near perfect beach destination. (Except for that steep hill!)
We had planned to take the Blue Star ferry on Saturday between Rhodes and Amorgos but it had stopped for the season. So we flew from Rhodes to Naxos (by way of Athens) and took a ferry from there.
- Hike to Langada from Aegiali
- Drive from Aegiali to the other end of the island
- Hit the beach near Aegiali
Hike to Langada
September 19, 2021
We meant to do the entire Melania loop. Reviews said two hours to do the loop. It took us about that long just to get from Aegiali (Αιγιάλη) to Langada and back. (It was very hot that day.)
Driving around the Island of Amorgos
September 20, 2021
We’d heard that the drive along the spine of Amorgos (Αμοργός) was one of the best in the islands so we rented a car. It is a beautiful drive.
Take a boat to …
Milos (Μήλος) – 6 nights
We flew over this island on our flight from Crete to Athens on our last trip and it looked so fascinating I put it on the short list for a future trip. Plus photos we saw looked enticing. And it has lots of beaches! We adapted our plans to lots of windy weather (which is not uncommon). There’s a lot more to see here than we were able to fit in even with five full days. The central village is pretty and it was handy having a car to see the scenery around the island.
- Hike to Klima
- Drive along the scenic north coast
- Boat tour to Kleftiko and the south coast
- Beach time at two different beaches
A large part of Milos is uninhabitable due to a highly prevalent local viper. Some parts of the coast are only accessible by boat.
Exploring Plaka
September 23, 2021
We stayed near Plaka so we could walk there for dinner. It’s definitely worth a visit if you stay elsewhere on Milos.
Hike to Klima
September 23, 2021
You can drive or take the bus to Klima (κλίμα). We opted to hike down from Plaka (Πλάκα) and back up through Trypiti (Τρυπητή) and Triavasolas.
The North Coast of Milos
September 24, 2021
Milos’ north coast includes must-see Sarakiniko along with a couple of other picturesque spots.
Milos Beaches
September 25, 2021
Milos has LOTS of beaches. We sampled a few, including Firopotamos, Agia Kyriaki, Plathiena.
Milos Sailing Trip
September 26, 2021
Our sailing trip to Kleftico along the south coast of Milos was as beautiful as we hoped for. Try for a day that’s not windy.
Take a boat to …
Folegandros (Φολέγανδρος) – 4 nights
On our last trip we really enjoyed the old town on Naxos. Folegandros was reputed to have one of the nicer villages in the Cyclades and it was. Much smaller than Naxos and based around squares rather than alleys. Like Amorgos it’s a little off the beaten path so it’s quieter. It was super windy while we were there which made outdoor activities not as pleasant. We got a little bored but still enjoyed ourselves. The one hike we did do was NOT what we would call easy. Most of it was well-marked, though it was difficult to find the trail on the parts that weren’t.
- Explore Chora
- Hike to Angali beach (AKA Angali)
- Walk to THE church (you’ll know it when you see it)
- Walk from Chora to the port
Hike to Angali Beach
September 29, 2021
This was far from an easy hike but it was scenic. It can be challenging to find the trail once you get down near the beaches.
Walk to the Church of Panagia
September 30, 2021
It wasn’t nearly as exhausting as it looked from below and the views were expansive.
Take a boat to …
Santorini (also Thira, Θήρα) – 7 nights
Yes, we know Santorini is the very definition of on the beaten path, but Perissa is our favorite beach town so we came back. For a week this time. We had planned to re-do the Thira to Oia hike and be better prepared, and to visit the caldera villages, but we just didn’t feel like leaving the beach! We did try one hike and did a beautiful sunset sail.
As we were leaving we learned that the better part of beach for getting in the water is down by the rock. So I guess we need to go back! (And spoiler, we are!)
- Hike (partway) from Perissa to Ancient Thira
- Boat tour
- Beach time
Hike to Ancient Thera
October 6, 2021
Even if — like us — you don’t make it all the way to ancient Thera, it’s still a hike with beautiful views.
Santorini Sunset Sail
October 7, 2021
We splurged a bit on a sunset sail while on Santorini. There are some views you can really only get from the water.
Fly to Athens, then home …