Looking for recommendations for Greece Honeymoon - September 2025

The wife and I did a similar trip last summer. Had an amazing time.

How long are you going for? We spent 3 nights in each- Santorini, Naxos, Athens.

Santorini was fine, but if I were to go back to Greece I would skip it. But you have to do it at least once. We rented a house in Firostefani, right above the "Three bells of Fira" on Google Maps. Oia is the instagram area, but it was way too congested to use as a home base. You will learn that every Greek island has white buildings and blue domes, Oia is just the most famous. Firostefani is centrally located and an easy drive to Oia in the north and other landmarks to the south We had a nice lunch on the water at Ammoudi Bay near Oia- fresh seafood right off the dock.

Our favorite stop was Naxos. We chilled at a beach cafe for 2 days then spent a day driving into the hill towns. We had a house in Stelida, about a 10 minute drive from Chora, the main town. We would sit on the beach all day and then go back home to clean up and drive into Chora for dinner and to enjoy the people watching. There are several beaches on Naxos, we chose Plaka beach. It is the largest and we found a spot that wasn't crowded with several cafes sunbeds and waiter service. Very chill and relaxing. We drove up into the hillside one day and visited several nice towns.

Athens was a different vibe being on the mainland. Busy city, very dirty. We strolled the Plaka neighborhoods in the evening and had some nice dinners on the sidewalks. Visiting the Parthenon is a must, plenty of great restaurants all over town.

Naxos and Santorini are much better if you rent a car. We didn't rent one in Athens, we hired a private driver to/from the airport and used Uber or cabs if needed. Athens is very walkable.

Consider and open jaw flight itinerary to avoid backtracking and wasting precious time. We flew from the States to Santorini, then took a ferry to Naxos. Took a puddle jumper flight from Naxos to Athens, then back to the States from Athens.

It was an amazing trip and the Greek people are very welcoming and gracious. We stayed in Air BnB's in all of the places and everything was excellent.

I just did Greece for the first time this past May, with an itinerary largely matching yours, that was:

Naxos > Milos > Santorini

Naxos was probably my favorite though is still neck-and-neck with Milos for that honor.

Santorini trailing far behind the others, I would go as far as to say it can be skipped.

What are your main goals to get out of the experience? Food? Beaches? Nightlife? History/culture?

Will add some comments about various Cycladic islands, asterisks denote that I haven’t actually visited:

- Naxos: the largest of the Cycladic islands in area, family friendly, affordable, boasts good archeological sites, quaint inland mountain villages, wonderful long sandy beaches lapped by turquoise waters that at the right time of year you can have practically all to yourself. A proud culinary tradition focused on local produce, renowned even amongGreeks for its food. Apeiranthos in the mountains was my favorite traditional village. To Elliniko (Chora town); Doukato (Chora town); Menu µe ??? (Chora town); La Rotanda (near Apeiranthos); Taverna Platanos (Apeiranthos - Bourdain dined here) are among the many highly recommended restos. Stay at least 4 full days. car rental helps massively but tbh (sidebar I am a 10+ year resident of the EU, which means I need to get Dutch license to drive legally anywhere in the EU, this is an expensive and difficult process so I still only have a Stateside license which can trick the rental agencies into handing me the keys to a car, but should an accident occur the insurance companies are investigating my sitch and going in dry hence risk - exit sidebar) - but is not needed you can do and see A LOT of the island with the local buses and hired transfers/taxis.

- Milos: a more off the beaten path yet up-and-coming island. Caters largely to couples looking for..how do you say..rugged luxury. Pricier than Naxos but not unreasonable. The main town Plaka is stunning perched on a hill with excellent sunset views. Good seafood. Some of the best and most exotic beaches in Greece and arguably Europe/the world which it owes to its volcanic geological origins. Quieter than Naxos, if beaches are high on your priority list this island comes highly recommended, as does a visit to neighboring Kimolos for even more exotically blue waters. Stay in Adamas or Pollonia. Recommend staying 3-4 days. Restaurants O Hamos & Medusa are the IG famous can’t miss ones. Sarakiniko Beach, Firiplaka are two of the iconic and unique beaches worth visiting. Here a car rental is more necessary than on Naxos.

- Santorini: the most touristy spot in all of Greece, much more overpriced, overcrowded and less authentically Greek compared to the others mentioned so far. It does offer unique views with its caldera, and has some redeeming aspects - I recommend the Caldera trek from Fira to Oia (and then completely steering clear of Oia thereafter tourist flooded cesspit that it is). 2 full days and 2 nights is more than adequate if your set on it - if you wanna splurge for the honeymoon aspect a condo on the caldera with private hot tub and/or pool in Imerovigli or Firostefani should do nicely. Note: this is not an island at all renowned for its beaches. Car rental not advised here.

- Paros*: Naxos’s more famous neighbor. I didn’t visit, but my research gave the impression that it has a lot of similarities to its larger neighbor to the east but is a bit more overtouristed, beaches not quite as good, nor the food (though both still excellent all said and done) but with a more IG influencer type crowd (note this element is also present to an extent in Milos). Where it beats out Naxos is nightlife from what I’m told and the combined cosmopolitan quaintness and convenience of Naoussa - if a little party action mixed in, is your bag then Paros makes sense but if nightlife is low on your priorities list skip altogether in favor of Naxos is my two Abe Lincoln heads. Paros is also the second most expensive island mentioned after Santorini from what I’m told. 2-4 days is sufficient here. Not sure about car necessity here but I imagine similar level to Naxos.

- Syros*: have not been but it’s high on my “to-go” list for subsequent visits (which I’m already planning for summer ‘25) - the historic and cultural capital of the Cyclades island group, it has a lively main town that boasts a surely Cycladic but decidedly more Venetian (re: Italian) tinged aesthetic. Home to a university it has a lot more Greek tourists and medium term residents that give it a lively but wholly authentic flair. 2-3 days is sufficient here. Similar car necessity to Naxos maybe even a bit less necessary.

- Koufonisi*: just off the southern coast of Naxos, a small island (no car needed) that probably has similar vibes to Milos and a similar pricetag to Paros. Known for lowkey but upscale vibes and beautiful beaches with turquoise waters. Doable as a day trip from Naxos worst case. 1-2 days is sufficient here. This island is tiny and practically walkable skip a car.

In case you’re willing to hop island groups altogether I also offer some suggestions about the Ionian Islands which I’m eyeing very hard for my Greece 2025 trip…whereas the Cyclades really encapsulate that image of the whitewashed building with blue domes, and arid landscapes surrounded by pristine waters that comes to most Americans minds when envisioning Greece, the Ionians are much more green and lush, with a stauncher Venetian influence (seen in both the cuisine and architecture) while still having its coasts lapped by blue Gatorade colored waters…

- Corfu*: weirdly off the radar for Americans (at least compared to the Cyclades) but very well-known and favored among European sun worshippers, Corfu is large island that offers it all, charming historic main town, great food, blue waters and a developed tourism infrastructure. Look into Paxos and Antipaxos as add-ons or day trips here. If visiting all 3 islands plan at least 5-7 days here. Corfu car helps a lot and is semi necessary.


**Separate**

Crete*: a big enough island to be its own country, Crete really offers the best of Greece from what I hear - stay near Chania and you’ll need at least a week. Car 100% needed to get a proper taste of the island.

Overall, Greece is an amazing country with hospitable people and excellent food, scenery and pace of life, I’m already scheming hard for a more grandiose return in 2025 to do both the Cyclades (Naxos, and maybe Koufonisi & Syros) and Ionian Islands (Corfu, Paxis & Antipaxos) as well as finally checking out Athens - which I still have yet to visit.

Happy to entertain any follow up questions you might have!

thank you to all messages. Great information. Main goals are probably Beaches, Food, History/Culture then nightlife. Love a beer on the beach, but don't necessarily love clubbing.

I am leaning 2 days Athens, 4 day Naxos with maybe a day trip to Paros and 2 days Santorini. Milos is one that we may add based on the recommendation.
Is a day trip from Naxos to Paros possible?

I absolutely LOVE Paros. Love it

Highly recommend.

You want to stay in or near Naoussa

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Main goals are probably Beaches, Food, History/Culture then nightlife. Love a beer on the beach, but don't necessarily love clubbing.

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In this case Naxos should be your top choice with Milos not far behind.

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2 days Santorini. Milos is one that we may add based on the recommendation.

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Based on this feedback another appeal to definitely consider Milos instead of Santorini noting that it requires at least three full days minimum IMHO.

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Is a day trip from Naxos to Paros possible?

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Yes but due to the ferry schedules not as convenient as you might hope given proximity. Koufonisi would be a better use of a day trip to another island (or Delos if you’re really into archeological/historical sites), but honestly if nightlife is truly low priority again more reason to skip Paros in favor of Delos or Koufonisi as day trips out of Naxos.

Edit: if you ask me, booking all over again and limiting myself to the Cyclades + Athens, I would do 1.5-2 days in Athens on either end, 5 days in Naxos (including a day excursion to Koufonisi or Delos), 4 days on Milos (including day trip to Kimolos) and 1.5-2 days on Syros

Second edit: if you can shake this hop around excessively urge I would argue for either only Crete or only Cofu/Paxos/Antipaxos + Athens, you’ll honestly get the most dense experience out of those, but if you have 14 days to spare the Cycladic itinerary I mentioned is the same or arguably better experience-wise (YMMV*)

You may want to check out Andros. Great beaches, history, and very laid back. We loved it and I wish we had spent a whole week there.

Did this exact trip a couple years ago. 13 days.

New Orleans —> London —> Santorini —> Naxos —> Paros —> Athens

New orleans has a non stop to London with cheap business class seats. We did this 1st and stayed a day or so. They also have non stops from London to pretty much anywhere in Europe.

Santorini is gorgeous and 100% a must visit. Yes it’s pricier then the other places but you can’t go Greece island hopping and skip Santorini. No need to rent a car in Santorini. Stay in Fira/Firostefani. The public bus HQ is there and it’s like $5 to go anywhere on the island. Buses are nice too

Naxos/Paros definitely cheaper and super chill. Great food at the harbors. Rent a car for Naxos maybe not Paros

Athens. We listened to everyone who said only stay a day or so. Honestly kind of wish we stayed longer. So much history and tons of restaurants and night life. It can be seen in totality for the most part in just 1.5 days but you are gonna work to do it

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I really think people are underselling Santorini. It’s like people saying not to go to the Vatican because it is crowded. It can get crowded because the views you get are absolutely amazing.

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I think Santorini has done an excellent job of marketing itself as a can’t-miss stop in Greece.

But I don’t think it’s truly that. There is a certain degree of uniqueness to the caldera views, but there are in my opinion equally stunning views to be had elsewhere - e.g. watching the sunset from Plaka town on Milos, quaint cycladic architecture of whitewashed buildings capped by light blue domes (just as seen on Santorini), the sun dipping below the horizon nested between the skyward reaching peaks of uninhabited islands in the distance - was much more special and impressive than that the caldera sunset on Santorini for me.

Santorini is no more unmissable than any of the other islands mentioned, I frankly only went because there was a direct flight there from Amsterdam where I live - and used it as a launching point the reach the other Cycladic islands by ferry…

It was fine but I’d have gladly traded every second I spent there for more time on Naxos or Milos - cheaper, better food, less crowded, friendlier service staff and wayyy better beaches…

To each their own, though…

Edit: without having been to Athens I think I agree with you more about Athens than Santorini, I’ll add that I know a lot of people that thoroughly enjoyed it, and will aim to visit it myself on my next trip.

Athens is fine. The problem is unlike other European major cities that have hundreds if not thousands of years of history built upon it, Athens was basically abandoned for a millenium or more until in the 60s. Then they built these horrible buildings everywhere. So it lacks the layers of architectural tapestry of say Rome or Paris or Barcelona. And yes it is kind of filled with bums.

All that said the Acropolis, plaka, Acropolis museum (and the placeholders for the Elgin Marbles), and Olympic stadium are a good way to spend a day and a half.

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My only word of advice is that Athens stinks. You should stay there for one night and visit the Acropolis. I've never talked to a single person that visited Greece and said they wished they spent more time in Athens.

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How much time did you spend there?

I've been 13 times and loved every minute I spent in Athens and wished I had spent more time on at least a few trips. There is far more to Athens than the Acropolis.