Athens Mykonos Santorini 10-Day Island Hopping Guide

How this itinerary works

Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini is the most popular island-hopping route in Greece and, when done at the right pace, one of the most satisfying. Ten days allows three in Athens, three in Mykonos (with a day trip to Delos), and four in Santorini — enough time in each place to feel you arrived rather than just passed through. The ferry sequence is straightforward: Athens (Piraeus) to Mykonos, Mykonos to Santorini, Santorini to Athens. All by fast catamaran (2–5 hours per leg).

Booking priority: Book ferries, accommodation (especially in Santorini), and the Acropolis ticket before anything else — ideally 3–6 months ahead for July–August travel. These three things sell out; everything else is flexible.

Days 1–3: Athens

Day 1 — Acropolis and the ancient city (07:30–21:00)

Begin at the Acropolis with a 07:30 arrival at the gate. The first 90 minutes on the hill before the crowds arrive set the tone for the entire trip. Pre-book your entry:

Pre-booked Acropolis ticket — skip the queue

For guided context:

Guided Acropolis tour with skip-the-line access

Acropolis Museum (75 minutes, ~€15). Afternoon: Ancient Agora and Monastiraki. Evening: Psyrri for mezze. See our acropolis-tickets-guide and acropolis-museum-guide.

Day 2 — Neighbourhoods, food, and Lycabettus

Central Market and guided food tour in the morning:

Original Athens food tour — markets, mezze, local producers

Syntagma guard change, Kolonaki cafés, Cycladic Art Museum (€14). Afternoon funicular to Lycabettus Hill summit (€7 return), walk down through the pines, Benaki Museum (€12). Evening wine and Acropolis views:

Athens wine and cheese with Acropolis views

Day 3 — Cape Sounion and departure prep

Morning at leisure in Plaka or Anafiotika. Afternoon/evening Cape Sounion sunset:

Cape Sounion sunset small-group tour

Final dinner in Athens. Pack for island travel tomorrow morning (early start). See our cape-sounion-sunset-trip and best-day-trips-from-athens.

Days 4–6: Mykonos

Getting to Mykonos (Day 4)

Fast ferry from Piraeus to Mykonos: 2.5–3.5 hours (SeaJets or Golden Star Ferries). Departures from 07:30 onwards; economy fares €50–90. Book at ferryhopper.com. The boat passes Syros and approaches Mykonos from the west — the first view of the island, with its windmills on the hill above the port, is exactly as photogenic as it is supposed to be.

Arrive midday. Check in and find your bearings. Mykonos town (Chora) is a maze of whitewashed lanes designed to confuse the north wind — and visitors. Get deliberately lost for an hour: this is the correct way to learn Mykonos.

Day 4 afternoon and evening — Mykonos town

Little Venice (15:00–18:00): The neighbourhood of houses built directly over the sea on the western edge of Chora, their wooden balconies jutting over the water. Arrive before sunset for the best light on the balconies. The adjacent windmills (Kato Mili) are 16th-century Venetian grain mills restored and now the island’s most photographed landmark.

Paradise and Super Paradise beaches are on the south coast (bus from the town bus station, €2): organised party beaches with beach clubs, DJs, and sea access. Afternoon swimming only — nights on Mykonos are for the town.

Dinner in Chora: Mykonos has genuinely good food beyond the tourist strip. Aim for a waterfront taverna on the Little Venice side for fried calamari and grilled fish (€30–45 for two), or one of the creative mezze restaurants in the lanes east of the Paraportiani church.

Day 5 — Delos day trip (morning and early afternoon)

The island of Delos — 30 minutes by boat from Mykonos old port — is one of the most remarkable ancient sites in the Aegean: uninhabited, UNESCO-listed, and the mythological birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The entire island was sacred to Apollo and could not be inhabited — no one was permitted to be born or die on it. The excavations cover the entire 5-km-long island, the work of the French School of Athens since 1872, and include the Terrace of the Lions (7 Archaic marble lions in a row, 7th century BC, their originals now in the site museum), the House of Dionysus (extraordinary floor mosaic of the god riding a panther), and the panoramic view from Mount Kynthos at the island’s summit.

The guided day trip from Mykonos makes the most of the limited time on the island:

Mykonos to Delos guided day trip

Ferries run from Mykonos old port at 09:00 and 10:00, returning at 13:00 and 15:00. Entry ~€12. The site is exposed — hat, water, and sunscreen essential. No shade on Delos.

Afternoon and evening (14:00–22:00): Return to Mykonos for a beach afternoon. Psarou Beach is the island’s most glamorous. Agios Ioannis Beach on the south-west is quieter and better for families. Evening: cocktails at Remezzo bar on the Chora seafront, then dinner in the maze.

Day 6 — Beaches and departure preparation

Mykonos’s best beaches: Kalafatis (east coast, quieter, windy and good for windsurfers), Elia (south coast, the longest beach, a mix of organised and free sections), Panormos (north coast, protected from the Meltemi wind when the south coast is rough). The bus network covers most beaches from the north station (€2–3 per journey).

Afternoon shopping in Chora: Mykonos has good independent jewellery and ceramics boutiques, particularly around Matogianni Street.

Pack tonight. Ferry from Mykonos to Santorini runs daily (SeaJets: 2 hours; Blue Star: 3.5 hours). Departures usually mid-morning. See our santorini-from-athens guide for the Mykonos–Santorini leg.

Days 7–10: Santorini

Getting to Santorini (Day 7 morning)

The Mykonos–Santorini ferry takes 2–3.5 hours depending on the service. Arrive at Athinios port midday. Bus to Fira (€2, 20 minutes), then taxi or bus to accommodation. Check in and absorb the caldera view.

Day 7 afternoon — First Fira and caldera rim walk (14:00–20:00)

Walk the caldera rim from Fira to Firostefani to Imerovigli and back (5 km total, gentle and paved). The view evolves at every bend — new angles on the caldera, new perspectives on the flooded volcanic basin below. Evening in Fira: dinner one block back from the rim for genuine prices (€35–50 for two).

Day 8 — Oia, catamaran caldera cruise (full day)

Morning in Oia: arrive before 10:00 for quiet lanes and blue dome photography. Browse the local wine shops and jewellers. A good Santorini Assyrtiko white wine costs €12–20 per bottle in the local shops; take several home.

Afternoon: caldera catamaran cruise with meal, swimming at the volcanic hot springs, and Santorini views from the water:

Santorini catamaran caldera cruise with meal and drinks

Return to Oia for the sunset (19:30–21:00). The Kasteli ruins viewpoint is crowded — arrive 45 minutes early. The sunset walk back to Fira along the caldera path (12 km, 2.5–3 hours) is a beautiful alternative to the bus and arrives at the same time as the sunset concludes. Bring a torch and a light layer.

Day 9 — Wine tour, Akrotiri, and red beach (full day)

Santorini’s volcanic soil and the Assyrtiko grape produce wines of genuine quality — one of the Aegean’s best-kept secrets outside wine circles. The full island wine and highlights tour also takes in the key landscapes and the best Oia viewpoints:

Santorini highlights, wine tasting, and Oia sunset

Afternoon independently: Akrotiri prehistoric site (€15, 2 hours — the Bronze Age town buried by the 1600 BC eruption, better preserved than Pompeii in some sections). Red Beach (15 minutes walk from Akrotiri, red volcanic cliffs and turquoise water, the smallest and most dramatic beach on the island).

Day 10 — Final morning and return to Athens

Morning swim at Perissa or Perivolos black-sand beach (east coast, organised, good value). Final coffee on the beach. Transfer to Santorini airport (JTR) or Athinios ferry port by midday for the afternoon connection to Athens.

Flight: 45 minutes. Ferry: 5 hours (Piraeus). Either works — the flight is faster; the ferry is a better final act for a 10-day trip that has been entirely on the water.

Practical tips

Ferry booking: ferryhopper.com or directferries.com for comparison. Book all three ferry legs (Piraeus–Mykonos, Mykonos–Santorini, Santorini–Piraeus) at the same time, ideally 2–4 months ahead for summer. Fast catamarans sell out first.

Luggage on ferries: There is no weight limit on Greek ferries, but luggage storage on the SeaJet catamarans is limited. Soft bags are easier than rigid suitcases.

Island hopping order: Athens–Mykonos–Santorini works best because it means arriving in Santorini (the furthest island) by ferry from Mykonos (a short 2-hour hop), and returning home direct from Santorini. Doing it in reverse adds a longer final-day ferry from Mykonos to Athens.

Accommodation booking: Mykonos and Santorini accommodation for July–August should be booked 4–6 months ahead. Caldera-view cave houses in Santorini (Oia/Fira/Imerovigli) are €200–600+ per night in peak season. East-coast beach towns (Perissa, Kamari) offer €80–130 with easy bus access to the caldera side.

Budget: This is not a cheap itinerary in summer. Expect to pay €120–200 per person per day in Santorini (accommodation + food + activities), €100–160 in Mykonos, and €80–120 in Athens. The caldera-view restaurants add 50–100% to the price of a meal vs equivalent quality in a side street.

Detailed ferry and seasonal guidance: See greek-islands-from-athens, santorini-from-athens, and mykonos-from-athens.

Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini: 10-day island-hopping classic