10 Day Greece Itinerary: Athens, Paros, Naxos and Santorini, Day by Day

A 10 day Greece itinerary of Athens, Paros, Naxos and Santorini gives each island two or three nights and keeps one night in Athens at each end. Find more trip ideas on Greece Tours. Every day gets its own hour-by-hour plan, with boats and flights, seasons, places to sleep and booking rules around it.

What is a 10 day Greece itinerary through Athens, Paros, Naxos and Santorini?

The route spends nine nights in four places. One night falls in Athens, two on Paros, two on Naxos, three on Santorini and one more in Athens. This 10 day Greece itinerary runs south through the Cyclades and returns to Athens for the flight home.

Private tours, VIP cruises and island plans are sorted by type on the Greece VIP packages page. This page takes the island side of that offer and lays it out as ten days. Each stop gets its own hour-by-hour plan.

Here is the route as a list.

• Athens, night 1: you land on day 1 and sleep in the capital.
• Paros, nights 2 and 3: you arrive on day 2 and leave on day 4.
• Naxos, nights 4 and 5: you arrive on day 4 and leave on day 6.
• Santorini, nights 6, 7 and 8: you arrive on day 6 and leave on day 9.
• Athens, night 9: you arrive on day 9, and day 10 is departure day.

This 10 day Greece itinerary has four legs. They run from Athens out to Paros, across to Naxos, down to Santorini and back to Athens. Four of the ten days start with a packed bag and end in a new place. The other six days start and end in the same bed.

The three islands differ in shape and size. Paros is round. Wikipedia describes it as a plump pear formed by a single mountain of 724 metres. Naxos, eight kilometres to the east across a narrow channel, is the largest island of the Cyclades. Wikipedia counts 20,578 inhabitants on it.

Mount Zeus on Naxos reaches 1,001 metres and is the highest peak in the Cyclades. Santorini is the third island and the only one built on a volcano. Its name is a contraction of Saint Irene, taken from an old church in the village of Perissa.

A 10 day Greece itinerary like this one leaves Mykonos out on purpose. Its sister route on this site, the 9 day Greece itinerary, visits Mykonos and Crete, not Paros and Naxos. The two routes share only Athens and Santorini.

The route suits a traveller who wants three islands in ten days and a short list of hotels. Day 1 and day 10 hold no sightseeing. A late landing or an early flight then costs no planned tour.

How are the ten days of this 10 day Greece itinerary shared between the four stops?

Athens takes the first and last nights, Paros and Naxos take two each, and Santorini takes three. This 10 day Greece itinerary has four leg days, four full island days and two bookend days. The longest stay goes to Santorini.

Each kind of day has its own job.

• Bookend days, day 1 and day 10: landing in Athens and flying out of it.
• Leg days, days 2, 4, 6 and 9: the four moves between stops.
• Full island days, days 3, 5, 7 and 8: one on Paros, one on Naxos and two on Santorini.

Other planners cut ten days in other ways. The blog Abroad with Ash gives Athens two nights, Mykonos three, Paros two and Santorini three. The blog The Wanderful Me spends three nights in Athens and three on Sifnos. It adds three on Milos and a last night in Athens.

Lonely Planet fits Athens, Mykonos, Delos, Paros, Antiparos, Santorini and three days on Crete into ten days. That is seven places. This 10 day Greece itinerary has four stops.

A Passion and a Passport puts Delphi and Meteora on days 2 and 3, then Santorini and Mykonos. Athens opens and closes both of those plans.

This 10 day Greece itinerary gives the capital one night at each end instead. Abroad with Ash wants two nights in Athens because flights from the United States land in the afternoon or evening. That blog keeps one full day for the city.

Here day 1 is for landing, not for the Acropolis. A traveller who wants a full Athens day adds a night at the start. That makes eleven days, and every other day keeps its place in the plan.

Seven of the nine nights in this 10 day Greece itinerary go to the islands. Paros and Naxos each get two nights, so each island holds one full day between its arrival and its departure.

Abroad with Ash notes that an extra day on Paros allows a ferry ride to Antiparos or Naxos. Here Naxos has its own two nights, so Paros needs no side trip.

Santorini gets three nights because it holds more separate things to do than a day can fit. Abroad with Ash lists a hike from Fira to Oia, a sunset catamaran cruise and wine tasting. The same list adds the village of Pyrgos, Akrotiri and lunch at Ammoudi Bay.

In the 10 day Greece itinerary, day 6 holds the arrival on Santorini and day 9 holds the way out. Day 7 and day 8 are the two full days between them. The sections after this one cover the months, the legs and the beds. Then each day gets its own plan, from day 1 to day 10.

When is the right time of year to follow this 10 day Greece itinerary?

June to September gives the driest Santorini days. The 10 day Greece itinerary then meets mean daily highs of 25.1 to 30.2 degrees Celsius on Naxos and Santorini. Santorini rain stays at 3.6 millimetres or less a month.

Two weather tables set these numbers. The Santorini table, from a station at 183 metres, comes from the National Observatory of Athens. The Naxos table, from a station at sea level, comes from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service. Wikipedia prints both.

Rain draws the sharpest line between the months. Santorini records 0.03 millimetres in July and 54.6 in December. Naxos town records 0.9 millimetres in July and 69.0 in December. In July, a 10 day Greece itinerary meets under 1 millimetre of rain on either island.

April and October sit between the extremes. Santorini peaks at 19.6 degrees in April and 22.8 in October. Naxos town peaks at 18.7 and 21.9. October rain is 15.1 millimetres on Santorini and 38.6 on Naxos.

Use these bands to date your 10 day Greece itinerary:

• June to September: Santorini highs of 27.2 to 30.2 degrees, Naxos highs of 25.1 to 27.1, and the fullest ferry timetable.
• April and October: Santorini highs of 19.6 and 22.8 degrees, with 12.1 and 15.1 millimetres of rain.
• November to March: Santorini highs of 14.3 to 19.4 degrees, 33.7 millimetres of November rain, and the low-season ferry timetable.

Where you stand on Naxos matters. Wikipedia says the island has a Mediterranean climate in parts of the island and a hot semi-arid one elsewhere. Inland areas are much wetter and cooler in winter because of their elevation. The Naxos table above describes the coast, so inland stops run cooler.

Boat counts on a 10 day Greece itinerary follow the season too. Ferryhopper lists up to 10 daily crossings between Paros and Naxos in summer. In the low season it lists up to 3. Naxos to Santorini runs all year, with up to 8 daily crossings in summer.

Naxos is a windy island. Wikipedia says seven sports clubs there offer windsurfing and kitesurfing. Leave the evening of Day 6, the Naxos to Santorini sailing, free of fixed plans.

Which boats and flights link the four stops of a 10 day Greece itinerary?

Ferries serve all four legs: Piraeus to Paros, Paros to Naxos, Naxos to Santorini and Santorini back to Athens. Your 10 day Greece itinerary needs four legs in total. The Paros to Naxos hop is the shortest, at 25 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes.

Each leg has its own timings, taken from the Ferryhopper route pages:

• Day 2, Piraeus to Paros: 2 hours 40 minutes to 5 hours. Blue Star Ferries runs the conventional boats and Seajets the high-speed ones. Up to 6 sail each day, all year.
• Day 4, Paros to Naxos: 25 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes from Parikia to Naxos Chora. Blue Star Ferries and Seajets both appear in the schedule tables.
• Day 6, Naxos to Santorini: 1 hour 5 minutes to about 3 hours. Blue Star Ferries and Seajets serve it, and boats arrive at Athinios port.
• Day 9, Santorini to Athens: Ferryhopper lists the Piraeus to Santorini crossing between 4 hours 50 minutes and 11 hours 30 minutes. Fast Ferries, Seajets and Blue Star Ferries all sail it, and summer brings up to 8 daily crossings.

Two distances explain the gap between legs. Wikipedia puts Paros 8 kilometres west of Naxos, across a narrow channel. It puts Paros about 150 kilometres south-east of Piraeus. That is why Day 4 is the shortest leg of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Paros is the junction of the 10 day Greece itinerary. Wikipedia calls Parikia harbour a major Aegean ferry hub. Sailings leave each day for Piraeus, Naxos and Santorini. Santorini links to Piraeus by ferry daily, all year. Our Piraeus to Paros ferry guide covers leg one.

Flights can replace a leg. Wikipedia places Paros airport about 10 kilometres from Parikia port. It says a bus from the nearby bus station and taxis link the airport to the town. Its 1,400 metre runway supports larger aircraft.

Naxos airport sits near Agios Prokopios, 3 kilometres from Naxos City. Its runway is 900 metres long. Wikipedia says that length limits the Sky Express ATR 72-600, which cannot take off at full load there. A flight swap on a 10 day Greece itinerary therefore starts with a seat check on that route.

Santorini has two ports. Wikipedia names Athinios as the ferry port. It names Skala as the old port, where cruise ships anchor and tour boats leave. Passengers reach Fira from Skala by cable car, on foot or by donkey. The central bus station is in Fira, and buses depart from it frequently.

Treat every crossing as a booked seat on a named boat. Ferryhopper lets you combine more than one route in one booking. You pay once and receive all tickets in a single confirmation email. A 10 day Greece itinerary with four legs then sits in one place.

Which area gets each of the nine nights on a 10 day Greece itinerary?

Nine nights fall into five stays. Plaka and Monastiraki are in Athens. Parikia is on Paros, Naxos Town on Naxos and Oia on Santorini. This 10 day Greece itinerary moves your bags four times, once for each ferry or flight leg.

The nights of a 10 day Greece itinerary follow the route. Athens gets one, Paros two, Naxos two, Santorini three, and Athens one more. The list pairs each night with an area.

• Night 1: Plaka, below the Acropolis on its north-eastern side.
• Nights 2 and 3: Parikia, the port town and capital of Paros.
• Nights 4 and 5: Naxos Town, called Chora.
• Nights 6, 7 and 8: Oia, at the north-west end of Santorini.
• Night 9: Monastiraki, beside two metro lines.

Plaka sits between Syntagma Square and Monastiraki Square. Adrianou Street divides the district: Ano Plaka climbs toward the Acropolis and Kato Plaka lies below. Both levels keep the rock within walking distance, so night 1 of this 10 day Greece itinerary needs no taxi. Compare more Athens districts in the Athens stay guide before you book.

Monastiraki station serves Line 1 and Line 3. Line 1 runs from Piraeus to Kifissia, and a section of Line 3 reaches the airport. A ferry arrival at Piraeus and a flight arrival at the airport both lead to a line that stops there.

Parikia lies on the west side of Paros. A windmill stands in its port, and a Venetian castle crowns the village. Dozens of room-hawkers meet the ferry landing, so book the bed before you board. Naoussa, in the north-east corner, is the swap, with a Venetian port and fish restaurants. Buses link the two towns.

Chora has pedestrian-only areas, so the walk from the quay to a hotel runs on foot. The port is too small for cruise ships. Agios Prokopios Beach lies 3 km from town and gives a quieter option. A 10 day Greece itinerary leaves Chora on Day 6, so a bed near the port saves a morning scramble.

Oia stretches almost two kilometres along the caldera edge, 70 to 100 metres above the sea. Caldera hotels come with stairs, so count them before you book. Buses to Oia, Kamari and Perissa run up to every 15 minutes in peak season. Low season stretches the gap to 90 minutes, and services end by 19:00.

Kamari, on the east side, holds beach hotels with larger rooms and pools. Pyrgos, about 7 km from Fira, is among the villages least touched by tourism.

The drive from Exomytis to Oia, end to end across the island, takes about an hour. Leave Oia early on Day 9, because the 10 day Greece itinerary returns to Athens that day.

How do you book and cancel tours during a 10 day Greece itinerary?

Open the listing, pick a date and enter every traveller by age band. All seven listings checked for Paros, Naxos and Santorini carry the Free cancellation label. Place fixed-time tours on the four full days of a 10 day Greece itinerary: Days 3, 5, 7 and 8.

Days 2, 4, 6 and 9 are travel days by ferry or flight. Sea transport depends on weather, and ferries can delay or cancel a departure. A tour booked for the same afternoon then competes with the quay on a 10 day Greece itinerary.

Age bands differ from listing to listing. Three Santorini listings start the Adult band at 13, 11 and 12 years. Their Child bands run from 6 to 12, from 4 to 10 and from 0 to 11. Check the band before you enter a teenager on a 10 day Greece itinerary.

Two of those listings waive the fare for the youngest children. The sailboat covers those aged 5 and younger. The beach tour covers those aged 3 and younger. Add each of these children to the booking anyway, because the operator counts heads for the boat or the van.

The booking form caps each group. The Paros Blue Lagoon cruise lists up to 10 adults. The Naxos small sailing trip lists 9, and the Paros village tour with a local driver lists 8. Book those caps early for a party of five or more.

Duration decides the day. The Blue Lagoon cruise lasts 3.5 hours and the Santorini Greek night lasts 3 hours. The village tour takes 5.5 hours, and the beach tour takes 6. A 10 day Greece itinerary has room for one long outing per island. The Naxos sailing trip takes 9 hours and needs a full day, such as Day 5.

Language is listed per tour. All seven listings offer English. The Naxos sailing trip adds Greek and Ukrainian, and the Santorini beach tour adds Italian and Spanish. Pick the language on the listing before you pay.

Cut-off times differ too. The Santorini sailboat closes 30 minutes before the start. The Oia round-trip transfer closes 10 hours before. Book any tour with a 10-hour cut-off on the evening before.

The data behind each listing carries the Free cancellation label but no cut-off hour. Read the cancellation line on the listing for the exact window, and save it beside your ferry times. That keeps a late ferry from costing a booked tour.

What fills Day 1 of the 10 day Greece itinerary once you land in Athens?

Day 1 is a hotel-first day in Athens with one outing and one meal. No ferry or flight waits on it. The 10 day Greece itinerary saves its early start for Day 2, so a late landing costs you nothing.

Day 1 of this 10 day Greece itinerary starts at the hotel door, not at the runway. The Athens airport guide covers the terminals and the arrivals hall, so this section skips the ride into town. It plans the hours after check-in and ends with an early night.

The early night serves Day 2. That morning the route leaves Athens for Paros. Spend Day 1 on one outing, one meal and a short walk, and keep every choice close to the hotel.

The Panathenaic Stadium is the outing for an afternoon arrival. It is the stadium of the first modern Olympic Games. It stands on Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue, across from the statue of the Discobolus of Myron. A ticket also opens the Stadium Museum.

Opening hours decide the order of the day. The stadium runs on two seasons, and the last entry matches the closing time. Check your date against the clock times below before you plan Day 1 of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

• 8 am: the stadium opens every day of the year.
• 5 pm: it closes, with last entry at 5 pm, from November to February.
• 7 pm: it closes, with last entry at 7 pm, from March to October.

The stadium canteen sits on the right side of the entrance. It serves coffee, refreshments and quick snacks. From March to October it opens 8 am to 7 pm. From November to February it opens 9 am to 5 pm. A tired traveller on a 10 day Greece itinerary gets a seat and a drink before the evening.

Herodes Atticus rebuilt the stadium in marble, and it held 50,000 seats. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games. Today it is the finishing point of the annual Athens Classic Marathon. That history sets the tone for the 10 day Greece itinerary.

The stadium also hands the Olympic flame to each host nation. Its news page posts closures of the track for events, so read it before you go. The courtyard gift shop needs no ticket. It opens 9 am to 5 pm from March to October. From November to February it opens 9 am to 3 pm.

A table suits a long travel day better than a seat in a stadium. The listing Athens: Original Athens Food Tour (Full Meal Experience) runs 4 hours and offers a private option. It explores the Varvakios Agora with tastings of mezze, souvlaki pita and pastries. It ends with a meal at a downtown taverna. Free cancellation applies.

The listing shows its start time, so compare it with your landing time before you book. A 4-hour tour works on the 10 day Greece itinerary once you land by midday. A late afternoon landing is better served by the next option.

Kerameikos is the archaeological option. The area lies northwest of the Acropolis, on both sides of the Dipylon Gate. It was the potters’ quarter of the ancient city, and the English word ceramic comes from its name. It was also a cemetery, and the Sacred Way to Eleusis began here.

The gate marks two ancient roads. A wide road ran through the Dipylon Gate to the Platonic Academy. Pericles delivered his funeral oration just outside the walls, at the public graveyard. Add Kerameikos to the 10 day Greece itinerary when you want one outdoor hour.

The metro dig added a find. Builders of Kerameikos metro station uncovered a plague pit holding the remains of 89 people. The pit lies in the northwest corner of the cemetery.

The flat walk is Thiseio. The name refers to the Temple of Hephaestus, which people mistook for a temple of Theseus. The neighbourhood sits among the Agora, Kerameikos and Pnyx sites. Pedestrian streets join it to the old city. The Thiseio metro station serves it. The area holds cafes and open terraces.

It suits the last walk of Day 1 on a 10 day Greece itinerary.

The Pnyx ends that walk. It is a hill less than 1 kilometre west of the Acropolis. The Athenians gathered there for their popular assemblies, which made it one of the early sites of democracy. It is a plain hillside, so bring good shoes.

The Pnyx fits the 10 day Greece itinerary as an open hillside stop.

Pick one outing, then one meal. Keep dinner close to the hotel and finish it early. Day 1 of the 10 day Greece itinerary has done its job when you wake rested. Your bags are then packed for the island leg.

What does day 2 of the 10 day Greece itinerary cover between Athens and Paros?

Day 2 is a sea day from Athens to Paros. Ferries leave Piraeus from about 7:00 until about 17:30, and the fastest crossing takes 2 hours 40 minutes. In this 10 day Greece itinerary, you reach Parikia by the afternoon and spend the evening on foot.

Day 1 ends in Athens, so the first job today is the move to the port. This stage of the 10 day Greece itinerary has one leg and one evening activity. Nothing else is booked, which leaves room for a delayed boat. Ferry types and operators are compared in our guide to Athens to Paros.

The day runs in this order:

• Morning: check out of the Athens hotel and ride metro line 1 to Piraeus.
• Late morning: find your gate and board with the e-ticket.
• Early afternoon: step off in Parikia and drop your bags.
• Late afternoon: walk to the church and the castle.
• Evening: eat your way through the town on a guided food tour.

Piraeus is the western end of Athens Metro line 1. Wikipedia lists it as one of five interchange stations. A short term metro ticket is valid for 90 minutes. Leave the hotel with your bags packed. The 10 day Greece itinerary does not return to Athens until day 9.

At the port, Ferryhopper tells passengers to arrive at least one hour before boarding in summer. Tickets are electronic, so you board straight from your phone. Gates can change. Check the number on your ticket against the display boards.

Ticket offices stand near the gates. Ferryhopper says they open one to two hours before sailing. Use one if the e-ticket fails.

Pick the sailing by arithmetic, since a 10 day Greece itinerary has no slack for a missed boat. Ferryhopper says the first boat leaves at around 7:00 and the last at around 17:30.

Blue Star Ferries runs two or three sailings a day, and Seajets runs one to three. A boat at 17:30 cannot reach Paros before 20:10, even at the fastest time.

So book a boat that leaves late in the morning. A Seajets crossing of 2 hours 40 minutes from 11:00 lands at 13:40. Ferryhopper lists Blue Star Ferries at 4 hours to 5 hours 35 minutes. From 11:00, that puts you in port between 15:00 and 16:35.

Both arrivals keep the evening free. A 10 day Greece itinerary gains from a day-2 plan that starts in the morning, not at dawn.

Both arrivals keep the evening free. A 10 day Greece itinerary gains from a day-2 plan that starts in the morning, not at dawn.

Boats dock in Parikia, which is both the capital of Paros and its main harbour. Wikipedia places the town on a bay on the northwest side of the island. A preserved windmill stands in the port. Wikipedia calls it one of the town’s trademarks. Drop your bags at the hotel before you sightsee.

Use the late afternoon for two sites inside Parikia. Panagia Ekatontapiliani, the Church of 100 Doors, was built in the 4th century on the site of an ancient gymnasium. Wikipedia says it was remodelled in the mid-6th century under the Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great.

The complex holds a main chapel with two more beside it. It also has a baptistery with a cruciform font. Legend counts 99 known doors plus one hidden door. The church was purportedly founded by Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great.

The second site is the castle above the seafront. Wikipedia says it is built almost entirely of marble remains of an ancient temple of Apollo. The same article says Parian marble was the island’s main source of wealth. Walk up before dinner, because day 2 of a 10 day Greece itinerary ends with a booked table.

For the evening, book the tour called “Authentic Food Tour in Paros – Live like a Greek” on GetYourGuide. It runs for 2 hours in the heart of Parikia with a local guide. The listing names 4 stops, with both savory and sweet specialties. Guides speak English, French and Greek.

The listing offers free cancellation. It also asks you to book at least 10 hours ahead. Reserve it while you are on the ferry. A tour on foot suits a travel day, because the boat has already done the moving for you.

Keep the metro ticket, the e-ticket and the tour voucher in one place. Day 2 of the 10 day Greece itinerary has three bookings and no rest stop between them. After the tour, walk back to the hotel and sleep. Nights 2 and 3 are both spent on Paros, so unpack fully.

That unpacking is the point of the day. The next morning starts on the island with no ferry to catch. Two nights in one bed give the 10 day Greece itinerary a full day of sightseeing on Paros.

What does Day 3 of a 10 day Greece itinerary hold on Paros?

Day 3 is the only full day on Paros, between two nights on the island. This 10 day Greece itinerary fills it with a museum, a village tour and a beach. Parikia frames the day at both ends.

Parikia sits on a bay on the north-west side of the island, and Day 3 starts there. This 10 day Greece itinerary has little slack, so the plan orders every stop by its distance from the harbour. Each leg uses one bus line or one pickup, so no hour goes to route planning.

The first slot goes to the Archaeological Museum of Paros. The island’s tourism site lists it as open every day except Tuesday, from 8.30 to 15.30. If Day 3 falls on a Tuesday, walk the old town instead. The 10 day Greece itinerary loses nothing, because the museum only fills the opening slot.

Room A holds archaic and classical sculpture. Room B shows finds from the Neolithic age to the Roman period. The atrium has a Roman mosaic floor, and a marble Gorgon from the 6th century BC stands among the highlights.

The church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani follows. It stands about 400 m from the main square of Parikia and holds a baptistery with a cruciform font. Walk there after the museum, then meet the driver at the harbour for the main block of the day.

That block is the Paros: Authentic Hidden Villages Tour with a Local Driver. The listing gives 5.5 hours and offers pickup. It sells a private group or a small group, with a maximum of 8 participants, and it carries free cancellation.

A local driver-host leads the tour, and the stops stay flexible. The listing needs a booking at least 2 hours ahead. Book it the evening before anyway. That way this 10 day Greece itinerary never depends on a free slot on the morning itself.

The tour country is the east side of the island, which holds the villages of Kephalos. Prodromos, Marmara and Marpissa share an open plain there, below the hill of Kephalos. The monastery of Agios Antonios stands on that hilltop. GetYourGuide files the tour under Prodromos.

Lefkes is an inland mountain village, 10 km from Parikia. The Byzantine road is the walk of the 10 day Greece itinerary. It starts at Louki’s cafe in Lefkes and runs 3.5 km to Prodromos. Parian marble paves it, and the walk takes about 45 minutes. Except for 150 to 200 m, the trail runs downhill.

The trail follows a ridge slope above a ravine, beside the asphalt road. It gives views of the sea and of the west coast of Naxos, the island that Day 4 reaches. Ask the driver-host at booking whether the route includes a Lefkes stop.

The bus is the fallback. The KTEL station in Parikia sits next to the port. One route runs through Kostos, Lefkes, Prodromos and Marpissa to Piso Livadi. A traveller on a self-guided 10 day Greece itinerary can walk the trail downhill and board that bus in Prodromos.

Piso Livadi is the last stop on that route, so the afternoon starts on the beach. Logaras lies south of the village and the port. It is long and sandy with clear water, and sea pines give it natural shade.

Golden Beach is the second option, near Drios on the east coast. It is long and sandy, and it is open to the south. The World Windsurfing Championship ran there in the 90s. A strong wind blows through the strait between Paros and Naxos. Check the sea before you pick a beach on a 10 day Greece itinerary.

Drios fits the 10 day Greece itinerary as a short stop, since it was once the ancient harbour of Paros. Grooves in the shore there mark where boats were driven up the sand. This stop needs only a short walk along the pier and the pebble beach.

Return to Parikia for the evening. Remains of a medieval castle stand above the seafront road. Its walls hold almost only marble taken from an ancient Apollo temple. A walk to the castle fits the hour before dinner.

Naoussa is the other evening choice. The KTEL bus to Naoussa runs through the early hours in summer. Venetians founded the village in the late 14th century, and part of the fortress still stands. Kolymbithres, a beach with granite rocks above the bay of Naoussa, swaps in for Logaras on this plan.

Pack before dinner, because Day 4 begins at the harbour. Travellers who stay longer can follow the Paros itinerary, which sets out plans for two, three and four days. This 10 day Greece itinerary keeps one full day, and the stops above fill it.

What does Day 4 of a 10 day Greece itinerary look like between Paros and Naxos?

Day 4 takes you from Parikia on Paros to Naxos Town by ferry. The afternoon and evening stay free on Naxos. This day of a 10 day Greece itinerary holds one ferry, one hotel change and one guided sunset walk.

Day 4 of the 10 day Greece itinerary begins in Parikia, the island capital and its main harbour. The town sits on the western side of Paros, and its waterfront has cafés and restaurants. That makes it a simple place for a last coffee.

Check out of your hotel early, because the boat is the only fixed appointment of the day.

Check-in rules depend on the company that sails your ferry. One booking site lists 30 minutes before departure for SeaJets foot passengers. It lists two hours for Hellenic Seaways and Blue Star, and three hours for Blue Star camper vans. It also says you need a copy of your ticket before you check in.

Read the line on your own ticket the night before. A missed boat breaks a 10 day Greece itinerary, so arrive early.

Ferryhopper says the e-ticket arrives by email, and you show it on your phone when you board. If your company needs a paper ticket, you collect it at the company ticket office near the departure gates. Ferryhopper says these offices open at least one to two hours before sailing.

The booking site gives about 53 minutes for the Blue Star crossing from Paros to Naxos. For the other companies that share this channel, read the Naxos to Paros ferry guide. The crossing is short, so the afternoon and evening of Day 4 stay free for Naxos.

You land at the port of Naxos, the second island of the 10 day Greece itinerary. The port lies in Naxos Town, locally called Chora.

Wikipedia places the port on the northwestern side of the city. The booking site says the port has cafés, restaurants, shops and car rental. Taxis wait by the port, and KTEL buses serve the island villages.

Summer brings a traffic problem. Wikipedia says daily ferries bring in vehicles and cause traffic jams in the summer months. For this stop of a 10 day Greece itinerary, pick a hotel you can reach on foot from the quay. Then the jams cost you nothing.

Drop your bags at the hotel, wash up and head out. Buy a bottle of water at your first shop, then start the afternoon walk along the seafront.

The seafront promenade is called Paralia. It has a pedestrian street of shops and restaurants. In summer the car road beside it closes at night, so people can walk it. This is the easy afternoon route of the 10 day Greece itinerary, with the harbour beside you. Use it to learn the way back to your hotel before dark.

From the promenade, climb to the Kastro, the old walled town on the hill. It has two gates, the Trani Porta and the Paraporti. The lanes of Bourgos below it were built as a labyrinth to confuse pirates, so keep a map open.

The square in front of the Orthodox Cathedral has an underground museum of the ancient city. One of these stops is enough, so pick the one nearest your hotel.

Do not make a separate trip to the Portara, the marble gate of the unfinished Temple of Apollo. The evening tour of your 10 day Greece itinerary reaches it at sunset, so save your legs for that walk.

The gig for the evening is Naxos: Wine and Mythology Sunset Tour. Its GetYourGuide page lists a length of three hours. The guide leads you through the old town. The sunset comes at the Temple of Apollo, known as the Portara. You also taste local wine.

The page offers free cancellation and asks you to book at least three hours ahead. That cut-off lets you book from the ferry deck once you know you will arrive on time. Booking this way suits a 10 day Greece itinerary, because you commit only when the boat is moving.

• Morning: check out in Parikia, have coffee on the waterfront and find your phone ticket or the ticket office.
• Midday: cross by ferry and walk from the port of Naxos to your hotel.
• Afternoon: walk the Paralia and the Kastro lanes with a bottle of water.
• Evening: take the three-hour wine and sunset walk, then eat in Chora.

You sleep in Naxos Town tonight and again tomorrow, so you unpack once. Day 5 uses the whole island, and this 10 day Greece itinerary keeps your bags still until the Santorini leg.

How do you spend Day 5 of a 10 day Greece itinerary on Naxos?

Day 5 is the one full day on Naxos. It goes to an eight-hour island tour and a sunset walk. The 10 day Greece itinerary gives Naxos two nights, and this day sits between them. The coach does the driving, and the evening stays free for the harbour.

Day 4 ended with the ferry from Paros, so Day 5 opens with no port queue. You catch no boat today and carry no bag between hotels. That is why the 10 day Greece itinerary puts the island loop here and not on the arrival afternoon.

Naxos covers 430 square kilometres, and its top peak, Mount Zas, reaches 1,001 metres. Naxos Town has heavy traffic in summer, and parking gets hard at peak hours. A coach tour removes both problems for one day and hands the road to a driver.

The tour for this day is “Highlights Bus Tour with traditional villages and lunchbreak”. It lasts 8 hours, and the listing shows hotel pickup as available. The summary names authentic villages, ancient sites and landscapes. The loop ends with free time in the coastal village of Apollonas. The listing carries the bestseller label and a 4.6 star rating.

Booking closes 10 hours before departure. A morning start therefore needs a booking made the evening before at the latest. The listing shows free cancellation. Reserve the tour as soon as the ferry is booked. Then Day 5 of the 10 day Greece itinerary is fixed early.

The day runs in four blocks. Each block below names what to do and what to check.

• Morning: eat breakfast, then wait at the pickup point. Confirm the pickup time in your booking window the night before.
• Midday: the coach climbs inland to the villages and the ancient sites in the tour summary.
• Afternoon: the loop ends with free time in Apollonas on the north coast, then the drive back to town.
• Evening: walk to the Portara for sunset, then eat on the seafront promenade.

The title lists a lunch break, so carry a refillable bottle. The tap water in Naxos Town is not pure enough to drink, and residents use filters or bottled water. Fill it before you board, because the coach keeps moving between stops.

Above Apollonas, an ancient marble quarry holds an unfinished kouros. The statue is 10.7 metres tall and weighs around 80 tonnes. Archaeologists hold that it was too heavy to move. The 10 day Greece itinerary gives you one afternoon here, so ask the guide whether the stop includes the quarry.

An unpaved road leads up to the quarry from the village. Wear closed shoes and carry the bottle. The tour summary does not name the kouros, so do not count on the visit until the guide confirms it.

A 09:00 pickup plus eight hours puts the return near 17:00. That leaves the early evening for the Portara. The Portara is a marble doorway, the remains of a temple to Apollo begun around 530 BC and never finished.

The doorway stands on the small islet of Palatia at the northern end of the harbour. A causeway links the islet to the town, and entry to the islet is free. Visitors gather there at sunset.

Daylight on Naxos runs from 9 hours 36 minutes on 21 December to 14 hours 42 minutes on 21 June. Look up the sunset time for your travel date. Plan the walk to reach the doorway before the light fades. The 10 day Greece itinerary leaves no second chance, since Day 6 is a ferry day.

The seafront promenade, called Paralia, is a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants. In summer the road beside it closes to cars at night. The promenade and the Portara share the same harbour front, so dinner follows the sunset on foot.

Too tired for the doorway? The Kastro stands on the hill above the town. Its main gate is called Trani Porta, and a round tower beside the gate houses a museum. A short visit there fits the 10 day Greece itinerary after a long coach day.

If the tour is sold out, two public options reach the villages. The KTEL intercity bus runs from the town and has more departures in summer. Taxis wait by the port. Either swap keeps the 10 day Greece itinerary on schedule for Day 5.

Travellers who want more of the island can read the Naxos 3 day itinerary. It adds the beach and mountain days that this plan skips.

Go to bed early tonight. The 10 day Greece itinerary starts Day 6 with the ferry to Santorini. The bag packs easier the evening before. Set the alarm, leave the tickets where you can reach them, and keep tomorrow clear of other plans.

How does Day 6 of your 10 day Greece itinerary carry you from Naxos to Santorini?

Day 6 is a sea day with one afternoon booking. You sail from Naxos to Santorini, ride to the hotel and join a cooking class. The crossing on this 10 day Greece itinerary lasts anywhere from about 65 minutes up to 3 hours.

Start at the port of Naxos. It sits on the west coast, in the island capital. You can walk to it from the centre of Chora. Ferryhopper says the port is busy in summer, so arrive at least 1 hour before departure. With a rental car, arrive 1.5 hours early.

Check out first and keep your bags moving on this day of the 10 day Greece itinerary. Wikivoyage lists left luggage at the tourist agency in front of the dock. It also lists a private house behind the bus office that works 24 hours. Ticket offices line the quay in Chora, which helps if a sailing changes.

Choose the sailing before anything else. Its arrival time sets every later hour of Day 6 on your 10 day Greece itinerary. Ferryhopper lists the route all year round, and up to 8 departures per day in peak season. Blue Star Ferries and Seajets serve it with conventional ferries and high-speed catamarans.

The boats on this leg of the 10 day Greece itinerary cover 43 nautical miles, about 79 km. The ferries normally run in daylight. High-speed boats have numbered airplane-type seats and no cabins. Conventional Blue Star ships add cabins for 1 to 4 passengers. Both types have air-conditioned lounges and snack bars.

Book the ticket online and check in on your phone. For this 10 day Greece itinerary, Ferryhopper says you board with the e-ticket. You collect no paper ticket at the port. It also lists a free luggage allowance of up to 50 kg on this route. Check the allowance on your own ticket.

A late sailing leaves time for a last look at the Portara, which stands in view of the harbour. An early sailing hands you more of the afternoon. Both fit, because the afternoon holds just one booking.

• Before departure: be at the Naxos port at least 1 hour early with the e-ticket on your phone.
• Crossing: roughly 65 minutes to 3 hours, and the Ferryhopper app shows where the ferry is.
• Arrival: Athinios port, on the southwest side of Santorini.
• Ride to the hotel: about 20 minutes by car to Fira, about 40 minutes to Oia.
• Afternoon: a 3 hour cooking class.

Every ferry on this leg ends at Athinios. Santorini has two ports, but only Athinios takes passenger ferries. The old port of Gialos, in Fira, serves cruise ships and small boats. Athinios gets crowded and hot from June to August.

The port lies 7.5 km from Fira and 20 km from Oia. It has ATMs, car rental desks, cafes and a car park. A public bus links Athinios and Fira on a schedule that follows the ferries, but it fills up in summer. No direct bus runs from Athinios to Oia.

The trip to Oia means a bus to Fira first. Then you take the Fira to Oia bus, which takes under 30 minutes. Taxis run short in peak season, so Ferryhopper recommends a transfer booked in advance. Its partner service watches the ferry in real time and offers 24 hour customer support.

A pre-booked car turns the last step into a straight line from the quay to the hotel. Drop the bags and keep the plan light. The afternoon holds one thing, and the next day is a full Santorini day.

The anchor booking for the afternoon is “Santorini: Cooking Class with Lunch and Wine Tasting”. GetYourGuide lists it at 3 hours, with a small group label and a free cancellation label. The listing line says you savor your Greek dishes with a glass of Santorini Vinsanto. It carries 616 reviews.

Match the class slot to the ferry. Take the arrival time and add the ride to the hotel. Add a stop to drop the bags. Then pick the first slot after that on the booking page. Hold the ferry ticket before you book the class, since a late boat cannot make an early slot.

If a sailing is cancelled, Ferryhopper lists two options. You change the ticket to another departure of equal value, or you ask the operator for a full refund. Its travel alerts page tracks strikes and weather halts. Check it on the morning of Day 6 of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Day 6 ends when the class does. Tomorrow is the first full day on Santorini, so tonight needs rest and a charged phone. The 10 day Greece itinerary spends three nights here, and Day 7 holds the first full day.

For the sailing facts on the same crossing in reverse, read the Santorini to Naxos ferry guide. It covers the Santorini port and the boat types from the other side.

What does Day 7 of the 10 day Greece itinerary look like along the Santorini caldera rim?

Day 7 is the first full day on Santorini, and it follows the caldera rim from Fira north to Oia. A guided four-hour walk anchors it. The 10 day Greece itinerary has no ferry or flight today, so the whole day belongs to one island.

Fira is the capital of Santorini, and its bus and taxi station sits on the central square, Plateia Theotokopoulou. Oia is reached from Fira, the transport terminus of the island. That makes Fira both the start and the finish of Day 7 in this 10 day Greece itinerary.

Open the morning with the view. Fira stands on the edge of the caldera. The caldera runs 18 kilometres, from Cape Akrotiri in the south to Cape Ag. Nikolaos in the north. Nea Kameni sits in the centre of the bay, with Thirassia behind it. Day 8 uses those names, so learn them now.

Spend the next hour on one small museum. The Archaeological Museum of Thera is a 30 metre walk from the cable car station, to the east. The Museum of Prehistoric Thera sits at the south-east corner of the Cathedral of Ypapanti. Choose one and keep to the hour, because the walk is the main event.

The anchor booking is the guided walk titled “Santorini: Fira to Oia Caldera Hike with Guide”. GetYourGuide lists it as a small-group guided tour of 4 hours and rates it 5 stars from 24 reviews. Free cancellation applies, and the listing asks for at least 12 hours of notice.

Book it on the day the Day 6 ferry lands. A walk of four hours leaves room in this 10 day Greece itinerary day for the museum and the evening. The booking card shows no meeting point and no start time, so ask the operator for both.

The 10 day Greece itinerary schedule for Day 7 breaks into four blocks.

• View and museum in Fira.
• The guided walk of 4 hours through Imerovigli and past Skaros Rock.
• The length of Oia, from Goulas to Phinikia.
• The road back to Fira.

Oia has a hot, dry summer, and the record high there is 40 degrees Celsius in June. Winter is the wet season. A summer walk is exposed to that heat. Ask which start times run before you pick a slot.

The first village on the route of this 10 day Greece itinerary day is Imerovigli. It stands on the rim north of Fira and has 469 permanent residents. Its churches follow the Cycladic style, and the church of Ai-Stratis stands in the village centre. The Monastery of Saint Nikolaos lies on the path that joins Imerovigli to Fira.

Skaros Rock rises beside the village. A Venetian fortress was finished there in the early 13th century and made Skaros the capital of Venetian Santorini. When Venice took over the island, the settlement held over 200 homes. Later the Ottoman era shifted the centre to Fira and Oia, the two towns this walk connects. A walker on the 10 day Greece itinerary passes the rock early on the route.

Plan the arrival in Oia for the afternoon. The village stretches almost two kilometres along the northern edge of the caldera. It sits between 70 and 100 metres above the sea, and the latest census counted 1,087 residents. Walk the full length instead of stopping at the first lane. That second half fills the afternoon of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

The oldest part of Oia lies on the south-western edge. There stands Goulas, the residential keep of the Agios Nikolaos citadel. The two-story captains’ houses on the highest ground come from the sea-trade age. In the late 19th century the village counted about 130 sailing ships.

Oia grew rich on trade with Alexandria and Russia, and its wine went to France. Steam ships and the move of shipping to Piraeus ended that trade. A magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the middle of the 20th century hit the village hard. Oia then rebuilt itself around visitors.

The lanes of Oia are narrow and fill up in the tourist season. Phinikia lies immediately east of the village, and Tholos lies about 500 metres to the north. Both give room for a walk before dusk, once the afternoon crowd has thinned.

Stay for the evening light, then return the way you came. Fira is 11 kilometres from Oia by road, and the road ends at the Fira bus and taxi station. Book dinner in Fira before you leave Oia, so the last stop of the day needs no search.

The Santorini itinerary page shows how shorter and longer stays share this rim. The island holds three nights of this 10 day Greece itinerary. Day 7 can therefore spend its hours on the walk alone. Day 8 leaves the rim behind and turns to the south and the water.

What fills Day 8 of the 10 day Greece itinerary on Santorini, from the volcano boat to Akrotiri?

Day 8 crosses the caldera by boat in the morning and ends at the Akrotiri ruins in the south. This 10 day Greece itinerary gave Day 7 to the clifftop villages. Day 9 stays free for the trip back to Athens.

The morning starts at the Old Port, called Skala, below Fira. Tour boats leave Skala for Nea Kameni and the other islands of the caldera. You reach the water from Fira by cable car, by foot or on a donkey. Day 8 of the 10 day Greece itinerary puts you on a boat for sightseeing, not for a transfer.

Book one boat first: the “Santorini: Volcanic Islands Cruise with Hot Springs Visit”. GetYourGuide rates it 4.4 stars from 11,621 reviews. The listing offers pickup, free cancellation and a booking cut-off of 1 hour 20 minutes. Tours run in English, Greek, Spanish, French and Italian.

The listing gives a length of 3 to 10 hours, so confirm the length of your departure before you pay. A separate three-hour listing covers only Nea Kameni and the Palea Kameni hot springs. It needs a booking at least 30 minutes ahead.

Nea Kameni comes first, about a 20-minute boat ride from Fira. Nobody lives there. A gravel path climbs to the top of a crater 130 metres high. At the top you can walk the full circuit of the rim. Pack closed shoes for the path.

Steam and sulphur vents show along the way. One active sulphur vent carries the name Jorgo. Scientists monitor the island, and it is a protected site. The crater climb is the main walk of Day 8 in the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Palea Kameni is the next stop. Its only sights are a church and a hot spring. The listing offers a swim in the naturally warmer water. The 10 day Greece itinerary packs swimwear and a towel for this one morning.

The cruise ends the island stops with a second swim near Thirassia. Thirassia is the second largest island of the Santorini group, after Thera. Its villages include Manolas and Ormos Korfou. A public boat line also links Fira, Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni and the old port of Thirassia.

Akrotiri is the afternoon stop. The town lies about 15 km south of Fira, and the ruins sit 2 km south of the town centre. A Bronze Age town stands under one giant canopy there, so heat and rain do not change the plan. The history and the frescoes are on the Akrotiri guide.

This page only needs the booking. Pick one ticket type for the 10 day Greece itinerary. The listings differ in their rules:

• An entry ticket with optional self-guided audio in nine languages, bookable 10 minutes ahead and wheelchair accessible.
• An entry ticket with an optional audio guide in English, French, Italian and German, bookable 1 hour ahead.
• A three-hour pass that adds the village castle, with skip-the-line entry, an optional audio guide, free cancellation and 10 hours of notice.

The castle is La Ponta, a Venetian fortress from the 13th century. It stands on a Byzantine watchtower site in the centre of the village. The Ottomans failed to take it, and a 20th-century earthquake reduced it to rubble. The pass listing is new and has no reviews yet.

A guided bus tour of 7 hours offers a land option for the whole day. It joins Prophet Elias, Megalochori, the Akrotiri excavations, Red Beach from above and Perissa Beach, with pickup. Either choice fits the 10 day Greece itinerary, because the next ferry or flight is on Day 9.

Red Beach lies at the end of a hiking trail of about 800 metres that starts at the ruins. Its sand is red and black, and the water near the shore is gravelly. The beach has no showers. Landslides have closed parts of it, so look at what is open before you plan a swim.

White Beach is a black sand and pebble beach lined with white rocks. It can be reached only by boat. A boat from Akrotiri stops at Red, White and Black beaches every 10 to 20 minutes. Akrotiri is the only stop with a pier, so tell the crew where to stop.

At the other stops you step off into the sea and wade ashore. The water stops at waist height for adults, so lift your bag above your head. This beach hop suits the end of Day 8 on the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Finish the day by packing. Day 9 leaves Santorini, and this 10 day Greece itinerary then returns to Athens.

How does Day 9 of a 10 day Greece itinerary take you from Santorini to Athens and into the evening?

Day nine moves you from the island to the capital by plane or by ferry. It ends with one evening tour in Athens. Choose the crossing first, because the whole 10 day Greece itinerary hangs on it today. A plane takes 30 to 45 minutes, and a fast ferry takes 4 to 5 hours.

This day has two versions, and both finish in the same place: Athens, one night before the flight home. You pick between them when you leave the Santorini hotel on day eight. Everything below sorts by the crossing, then by what the evening needs.

Start with the ferry version of the 10 day Greece itinerary. Athinios is the island’s main ferry terminal. The port sits at the base of cliffs, and a steep, winding road leads down to it. Its small size means heavy congestion in peak season.

Check-in windows differ by operator, so read the time on your own ticket:

• Blue Star Ferries and Hellenic Seaways ask all passengers to check in at least two hours before departure.
• SeaJets, Golden Star and Cyclades Fast Ferries list 30 minutes for foot passengers.
• SeaJets reserves the right to deny boarding when a passenger misses the check-in time.

The port has ticket offices, cafes and small shops for the wait. A standard ferry takes 7 to 9 hours to cross, and a fast ferry takes 4 to 5. A reservation does not always come with a seat, so board early and claim one.

Add the numbers to see how much of day nine the sea takes on a 10 day Greece itinerary. A two-hour check-in plus a standard crossing fills 9 to 11 hours. A 30-minute check-in plus a fast crossing fills 4.5 to 5.5 hours. Either way, the evening begins only after the boat docks.

Piraeus is where the ferry version of the 10 day Greece itinerary meets the metro. The station stands near gate E6 and joins Lines 1 and 3. A cruise-day guide gives about 17 minutes on Line 1 to Monastiraki. Line 3 takes about 20 minutes to Monastiraki and 23 to Syntagma.

The seasonal X80 express bus needs about 35 minutes from port to centre. It also needs a 24-hour or three-day tourist ticket bought before boarding. Taxis have no fixed port fare, so check the meter.

The plane version of the 10 day Greece itinerary looks shorter on paper. Santorini airport lies north of Kamari, 6 kilometres from Thira. Aegean Airlines and Sky Express list flights to Athens, and Ryanair adds a seasonal one. One travel guide says bag drop opens only two hours before the flight.

Add the flight of 30 to 45 minutes to that bag drop, and the move takes under three hours.

Rides from the hotel to the airport or to Athinios port sit on our Santorini airport transfers page. Book that ride on day eight and match the pickup to your check-in time.

Metro Line 3 serves Athens airport directly, and it also ends at Piraeus port. A flight and a ferry therefore both reach the city on one line.

The evening is the one fixed booking of day nine. The listing “Athens: Private Evening Sightseeing Tour by Electric Tuk-Tuk” offers a private group tour with pickup. It lasts 2 hours and shows free cancellation. It needs at least 8 hours of notice.

Book the evening of the 10 day Greece itinerary before you leave the island. Set the pickup for your Athens hotel.

The listing describes a drive through streets and narrow alleyways as the city turns from evening to night. It passes emblematic buildings of Athens. A seated tour suits legs that have walked caldera paths for two days. It also suits a traveller who landed after a long crossing. The pace fits a 10 day Greece itinerary that is nearly over.

The order of the day stays the same on the 10 day Greece itinerary, whichever crossing you chose:

• Check out of the Santorini hotel and ride to the terminal.
• Check in: bag drop two hours ahead for the plane, or the operator’s window for the ferry.
• Cross to Athens by plane or ferry.
• Ride the metro, the bus or a taxi to the hotel and drop the bags.
• Meet the tuk-tuk at the hotel for the two-hour evening tour.
• Sleep in Athens, with the flight home on day ten.

That order closes day nine of the 10 day Greece itinerary. It trades a long ferry day for a short flight day only when you accept the earlier bag drop. It also leaves one clear night in Athens before the last morning.

Day 10: how do you leave Athens on the last morning of the 10 day Greece itinerary?

Day ten is one route to the airport and one short morning plan. Pick the ride first, then fill the gap before it. The airport sits 27 kilometres east of the centre. That distance shapes the last morning of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Night nine is your second night in Athens, so the hotel is already in town. Choose the route to Eleftherios Venizelos before breakfast. Three public options reach the same terminal. They differ in the hours they run and in how well they cope with a heavy bag.

The metro is the fixed-timetable option. Wikipedia says a through service to the airport leaves once every 36 minutes on Line 3. Wikivoyage adds that the metro runs from 5:30 to 00:30.

A train with a plane logo on the front goes to the airport. Check that sign on the platform on the last morning of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Luggage space helps on this line, because a 10 day Greece itinerary packs for two climates and four stops. Wikipedia says the airport trains use dual-voltage stock with greater luggage space. Wikivoyage says you can pay at the fare gate with a contactless card or at a vending machine. The station also holds a staffed desk.

Wikivoyage offers a smart habit for day nine. Visit your metro station, tell the agent when you must reach the airport, and ask which train to take. Then day ten holds no guesswork.

The suburban railway is the second rail option. Wikipedia says it runs from 4:30 am to midnight every day. Line A1 links Piraeus with the airport. Wikivoyage says metro and suburban trains stop at the same airport platform. It also says suburban trains run more sparsely than the metro, so read the board first.

The railway suits a 10 day Greece itinerary flight that leaves late in the morning.

The station stands next to the terminal. Wikipedia says an elevated walkway joins the two. Nothing else lies between the platform and the check-in hall.

The express bus covers the hours when the trains sleep. Wikivoyage says buses run 24 hours a day and take 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic.

Before the metro opens, you can buy a ticket at the kiosk beside the Syntagma bus stop. Buses set you down at the departures level, says Wikipedia. That is the simplest ending for a 10 day Greece itinerary.

A car ride is the door-to-door choice. Wikivoyage lists legal taxi surcharges for airport trips and heavy bags. It also says the higher night rate applies from midnight to 5:00 am. Our page on Athens airport transfers lays out the private options.

Keep your bag in front of you on any metro train. Wikivoyage warns of pickpockets, especially at the interchanges with the airport line. It notes that locals carry their bags in front. Do the same with the bags of your 10 day Greece itinerary.

Next comes the terminal. Wikipedia describes a main building on three levels: arrivals, departures and a food court. All 153 check-in desks stand in the main terminal. Hall A serves flights to non-Schengen and non-European countries. Hall B serves flights within Schengen and domestic flights.

Find your hall on the boarding pass before you queue. Every 10 day Greece itinerary flight home leaves from one of the two halls.

A satellite terminal sits apart from the main building. Wikipedia says an underground link with moving walkways joins it to the main terminal.

Now the gap before the ride. The morning has room for one short stop, and the flight time decides which one:

• Early flight: go straight from breakfast to the ride.
• Midday flight: one walk of an hour near the metro line.
• Afternoon flight: one guided tour of about two and a half hours.

Three short stops fit the walk. The guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier change on the hour, every hour, says Wikivoyage. On Sundays a band joins the 11:00 ceremony.

The Sunday flea market runs in the morning at Avissinia Square, at the west end of Ifaistou Street. Dionysiou Areopagitou Street is a pedestrian way under the southern slope of the Acropolis, with views of the Parthenon.

The flea market sign stands beside Monastiraki station, says Wikivoyage, and Line 3 stops there. A walk from that station suits the 10 day Greece itinerary on a Sunday.

A guide suits the afternoon flight. The listing “Athens: Greek Street Food Tour” runs 2.5 hours. It offers a private option and shows free cancellation. It needs booking at least two hours ahead. Lock it in on day nine, once the flight time is known.

A tasting tour is a meal, so pick the ride with it in mind. Add up the tour, the ride and the airport margin, and work backwards from the flight. If the sum does not fit, drop the tour and keep the walk.

The order of the morning is the same for every flight:

• Breakfast and a bag check of the room.
• The walk or the tour.
• The ride to the airport.
• Your hall, then the check-in desk.

That order closes the 10 day Greece itinerary: four stops, nine nights and a flight home from Athens.

Which legs of this 10 day Greece itinerary can you shorten or swap?

Four swaps keep the route sound: skip Naxos, skip Paros, add a side trip from Paros, or fly one leg. Each swap changes one leg of the 10 day Greece itinerary and leaves the other nights alone. The times below come from Ferryhopper and Wikipedia.

The first swap drops Naxos and sails from Paros straight to Santorini. Ferryhopper lists the crossing at 1 hr 45 min to 4 hr 5 min. The vessel, the route and the weather set the time. Blue Star Ferries, Golden Star Ferries and Seajets serve it all year. Up to 8 daily connections run in the summer high season.

Ferryhopper adds that certain sailings call at Naxos or Ios on the way. The stop counts in the total time. The two freed nights then go to Santorini. That turns the 10 day Greece itinerary into a three-island plan with a longer stay on the caldera.

The second swap drops Paros and sails from Athens to Naxos. Ferryhopper gives the Athens to Naxos ferry as 3 hours to 9 hours 45 minutes. It lists three Athens ports for the route: Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio. Naxos then holds Days 2 to 5 of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

The third swap adds a side trip. Ferryhopper says Ios lies less than 1 hr from Paros by ferry. A day on Ios fits into Day 3. The trip uses up the free hours of that day, so drop the beach time you planned there.

The fourth swap replaces a ferry with a flight. Wikipedia places Naxos Island Airport 3 km from Naxos City and lists Olympic Air and Sky Express flights to Athens. The runway is 900 m long. Wikipedia says that length keeps the Sky Express ATR 72-600 from taking off at full load.

An expansion programme adds 300 m of runway to the south. Check the flight schedule for your travel week before you swap a ferry for a plane.

A traveller who wants one booking for the island stretch has another route. The eight-day guided package based in Naoussa on Paros joins excursions to Mykonos, Naxos and Sifnos. It adds hotel stays and breakfast. It replaces the plan above, so pick one or the other for your 10 day Greece itinerary.

Two wider guides help when you rebuild the order of the 10 day Greece itinerary. The island-hopping planner compares groups of islands and sample routes. A first-timer guide to the Greek islands covers getting there, getting around and sample plans for 7 to 10 days. Change one leg at a time, so the booked nights around it stay in place.

What do travellers ask about this 10 day Greece itinerary?

Questions cluster around wind, cancelled boats, single bookings, airports and day trips. The answers draw on Wikipedia and Ferryhopper. Each one belongs to a single leg of the 10 day Greece itinerary. You can act on it in one booking step.

Can wind keep you on an island for days?

Wikipedia says the etesian winds of the Aegean come up in clear weather without warning. They sometimes last for days without a break. Inter-island ferries are among the vessels that cannot sail in such conditions.

That matters for the Paros, Naxos and Santorini legs of the 10 day Greece itinerary. Keep the afternoon free on a travel day, so one late boat does not break the next hotel night.

Which other islands lie a short sail from Paros?

Ferryhopper gives Paros to Syros as 45 min to 1.5 hr. It gives Paros to Mykonos as 35 min to 4 hr. The range depends on the vessel type and the weather. Read the timetable of your travel dates before a day trip from Paros on the 10 day Greece itinerary.

Can you book every ferry in one purchase?

Yes. Ferryhopper says one reservation can combine more than one route. You make one payment, and all the bookings arrive in a single confirmation email. That makes the ferry legs of the 10 day Greece itinerary easier to change as a set.

How far is Paros airport from the port?

Wikipedia puts Paros Airport, code PAS, in the southwest of the island, about 10 km from the port of Parikia. A bus links it to Parikia from the nearby bus station, and taxis serve any place on the island. The runway is 1,400 m long. The airport replaced the old one on 25 July.

Is Paros a workable day trip from Santorini?

Ferryhopper does not recommend a same-day round trip between the two islands. Early departures from Santorini run between 06:35 and 08:10 and reach Paros before 10:30. The last ferries back leave from around 19:00. Spend at least one night on Paros, as this 10 day Greece itinerary does.

Do the Paros to Santorini boats have cabins?

High-speed ferries on the Santorini to Paros route have no cabins. They sell numbered airplane-type seats, says Ferryhopper. Blue Star Ferries runs conventional vessels with 4-bed cabins on the same route. Pick the boat type that suits your leg of the 10 day Greece itinerary.

How much luggage fits on the Paros to Santorini boats?

Each operator sets its own luggage rule, says Ferryhopper. Seajets allows up to 50 kg. Blue Star Ferries allows 1 piece of luggage up to 50 kg per passenger. Golden Star Ferries sets no weight limit. Bags have no check-in step on the 10 day Greece itinerary. Keep them beside you or leave them in the luggage area.

How far apart are Paros and Santorini?

Ferryhopper gives the distance as 43 nautical miles, around 80 km. The ferry leaves Santorini from the port of Athinios and arrives at Parikia on Paros. Ferryhopper says Parikia has one terminal for all ferries to and from Athens, Santorini and other islands.