alanwar

I am thinking about a family trip (parents and 2 teenagers) to Greece this upcoming Christmas to New Years and am not sure it is a great idea or if there are things which I should be wary. We want a full day or 2 in Athens to see the Acropolis and the other ruins. My wife wants to go to Santorini. I want to go to Crete.

* I understand that this is the low season but am concerned that there will be enough tourist infrastructure to get around and have places to stay. I also wonder if the holiday weeks will make this even worse. We are mainly interested in the ruins and archeological museums. Will these be open at this time of year ?

* I also understand that ferries are not as reliable in the low season so I am thinking that flying between Athens and Crete and Santorini would be a good idea as opposed to a long ferry ride. Does this make sense ? However will there be reliable ferries between Santorini and Crete ?

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.

Andy33

For Santorini the time of your visit isn't low season, it is out of season altogether. You're unlikely to find any tourist facilities open unless they also serve the winter population, about 15,000 people. The main objectives of the winter transport services are to move people to and from Athens - you'll be lucky to find more than one or two ferries a week Santorini to Crete, and that's in a normal week with no public holidays. As it's the middle of the winter, storms can cause delay or cancellation.

In Crete and Athens you'll have no problems finding hotels and restaurants open all year round, as there are business travellers, and for the same reason services like car hire will be available. Athens does get several heavy snowfalls each winter, so you might even see the Acropolis in the snow.

KLouis

Two small corrections: a) there will be both hotels and restaurants (not many, of course) that are open and b) there are NO ferries between Santorini and Crete in the winter. And also ruin your vacation (although they're sort of fun...).
"Several" means a couple.

All in all, Greece is just beautiful in the winter, not crowded and very, very green.

STBCypriot

Christmas is not a big celebration in Greece, at least not as big as in other countries with a large Christian population. Easter is the major holiday in Greece. I mention this so that you know that things will not be closed extra days because it is Christmas week. Your biggest issue will be that you are visiting during off-season.

Here in Cyprus, in certain places, tourist facilities are essentially shut down from November through April. This may be the case in places like Santorini.

MissJ

I've been to Santorini in February (not a holiday but also out of season) and it was beyond quiet. Nothing going on, very little open. The shops were closed, hotels closed, I got some work done and took some great photos on the deserted walkways of Oia.

KLouis

In other words, best time of the years to visit, with the additional advantage that there will be no mosquitoes around!

alanwar

Thank you for all of the advice here. It turns out that we will have a few days on Crete and then need to spend New Year's Eve in Athens. Since I've got an early flight we are staying at the Sofitel across from the airport however we would like to visit the city for the evening. I am wondering about what may be going on in Athens on new year's eve.

* Is there any kind of public celebration that would make sense for us to attend ? I had read that there is an event at the Parthenon but that there would not be fireworks this year. There are 4 of us - 3 adults and a 16yr old. Am I going to need to be particularly worried about pickpockets and other thieves ? [I apologize if this offends anyone - I grew up in New York City in the 70's and so I try to be always aware of these things]

* We plan to take the metro into the city. However I am a little concerned about finding a taxi after midnight to take us back to the Sofitel airport hotel. Would it be difficult to find a taxi ? Should I book a car service ? I thought about going to a hotel nearby but other suggestions are appreciated.

* Anything else that would be good to know about New Year's in Athens.

Thank you

KLouis

There is usually some kind of "open air concert" on Syntagma (Constitution) square. Worth going to? A matter of taste. As for pickpockets, when/if crowded (depends on the weather) there's always the possibility…
Don't worry about taxis, there are always plenty available, any time of the day, any day of the year.
Not really. You'll just be amazed by the traffic during the entire night. People get together until very early in the morning (or, to be precise, sometimes very late in the morning), often gambling and playing cards.

ozstamps

Thinking of going to Heraklion Crete for NYE, and Larnaca Cyprus for Xmas.

Is there much happening in Heraklion Crete on NYE does anyone know?

We had NYE last year in the Hilton Athens and that was a total sold-out Zoo on the top floor bar there.

Looks like no large chain hotels in Heraklion so might be wise to get downtown and assume there are fireworks and stuff at midnight?

Glen

KLouis

Heraklion on NYE is zoo-ish. The city centre will be packed with youngsters well into the wee hours. Worth seeing that? Well, depends on your preference for what you consider to be fun. My "kids" (in their thirties) love it, I don't!