7 nights / 8 days · Hellenic Republic

Athens, Mykonos and Santorini

The classic Cycladic pair by ferry: three nights in Athens, two on Mykonos and two on Santorini, with the Athens city tour.

Plan this trip See the day-by-day

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Duration: 7 nights / 8 days
Where you stay: Athens → Mykonos → Santorini
Style: Multi-city

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About this trip

The route most people mean when they say Greek islands. Two nights in Athens with the guided half-day, then the ferry out to Mykonos, then the short hop down to Santorini, then back to Piraeus for a last Athens night before the flight. Everything moves by sea, which is slower than flying and considerably better looking.

The two island stops are deliberately unscheduled. Mykonos gets a free day for the beaches and Chora; Santorini gets one for Oia, Fira and Pyrgos, with an island tour by English-speaking driver offered against it. Two nights on each is enough for one full day and two half ones, and not enough to be bored.

What you go for

Mykonos and Santorini by ferry, no domestic flights
A free day on each island rather than a fixed programme
A Santorini island tour offered with an English-speaking driver
The Athens half-day tour, with the Acropolis and its museum

The route

Day by day

Times are the operator's planned schedule. They shift with the season, the light and the traffic on the day.

Day 1
Arrival in Athens
On arrival
Athens International Airport
Met after baggage reclaim and driven into the city privately. Check in at your four-star hotel and take the evening in Athens at your own pace.
Day 2
Athens sightseeing
Morning
The ceremonial city, by coach
A half-day seat-in-coach tour with a guide. It opens at the Panathenaic Stadium, the marble horseshoe rebuilt in Pentelic marble for the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, then the Hellenic Parliament and the changing of the guard at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, where the Evzones do the drill in full dress.
Seen from the coach
Passing sights rather than stops: the surviving columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian's Arch on the old boundary between the Greek city and the Roman one, the neoclassical run of the Academy, the University and the National Library, and Syntagma Square.
Acropolis and Acropolis Museum
The two stops where you get out and walk. Up the rock for the Parthenon, the Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Erechtheion, then down the hill to the museum built to hold what came off it, with the Parthenon gallery on the top floor aligned to the temple itself.
Afternoon
Free. Entrance fees are not in the package price and are paid on the day; the rest of the day is your own.
Day 3
Athens to Mykonos
Overnight: Mykonos
Morning
Breakfast, then a private transfer from the hotel to Piraeus.
The crossing
A shared ferry across to Mykonos, and a transfer to your three-star hotel on arrival.
Afternoon
Free. Chora is the place to start, and it is best walked rather than driven.
Day 4
Mykonos at leisure
Overnight: Mykonos
Full day
Nothing scheduled. The sandy beaches run along the south coast, the shops and galleries are in the lanes of Chora, and the island's own cooking — the cheeses, the onion pie, the seafood — is worth a proper lunch.
Day 5
Mykonos to Santorini
Overnight: Santorini
Morning
Breakfast, then a transfer from your hotel to the port of Mykonos.
The crossing
A shared ferry south to Santorini and a transfer from the port up to your three-star hotel. The evening is free.
Day 6
Santorini
Overnight: Santorini
Full day
Oia, Fira and Pyrgos
The three villages that make the island: Oia at the northern tip, Fira strung along the caldera rim, and Pyrgos inland and uphill, which is the quiet one. An island tour with an English-speaking driver is offered to link them, marked optional, so settle that at the time of booking. Otherwise the day is yours.
Day 7
Santorini to Athens
Morning
Breakfast, then a transfer from your hotel to the port of Santorini.
The crossing
A shared ferry back to Piraeus, then a private transfer to your four-star hotel in Athens. The rest of the day is at your leisure.
Day 8
Departure
Morning
Breakfast at the hotel, then a private transfer to Athens International Airport for your flight home or onward.

Where you stay

Hotel options

Pick a line and the whole trip is costed against it, so you can see what the difference actually buys.

4★ and 3★
- President Hotel or similar, Athens (4★)
- New Aeolos Hotel or similar, Mykonos (3★)
- Amelie Hotel or similar, Santorini (3★)
Quoted on enquiry

Per person, twin share. Land only — international flights are not included. Rates move with the season, the number of you travelling and the hotel line you choose, so we confirm the final figure against your dates before anything is booked.

The detail

What is included

Included

Three nights at a four-star hotel in Athens.
Two nights at a three-star hotel on Mykonos.
Two nights at a three-star hotel on Santorini.
Seven breakfasts.
Half-day guided sightseeing tour of Athens, seat-in-coach.
Santorini island tour with an English-speaking driver, marked optional.
Ferry tickets, Athens to Mykonos to Santorini and back to Athens.
All transfers as set out above.
A 24-hour emergency contact number.

Not included

International flights.
Travel insurance.
Personal expenses.
Gratuities.
Entrance fees.
City tax.
Tour leader.

Entry rules, tourism taxes and health requirements change without notice and depend on your passport. Everything above is confirmed by our operations desk before your booking is finalised.

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