AboutDenny Expertise Greece on a budget, The Islands, Mainland, Athens and its burbs. For the basics on getting around...maybe I can help...I go there yearly and you can`t be as cheap as me .
Experience Worked & lived in Athens area for 5 years. (78-83 Was AFRS Radio Announcer (Denny West)at the time. Last visit: Mar/Sep 2005.
Question Hello, Denny we want to go to Greece next year, but we want to do it the cheapest way possible and not look like a stupid tourist.We live in montreal, quebec and I think the cheapest way is to fly to athens and then take the ferry to all the islands, is it true that once you get of the ferry in santorini there are locals offering you deals to stay at there place?I think I would like to go to mykonos-santorini-crete-phodes what do think how can I do this on a budget? I think were looking for the month of sept.2008 for 2 people is it really hot then too with less tourist, right I don't know or how about the month of the end of June beginning of July is that better?
Thanks so much
Penelope
Answer Yiasou Penelope, thanks so much for your question,
For now I can say that in SEPTEMBER the locals do come to greet you at the ports of call (Santorini/Mykonos anyhow) and offer you rooms that you can bargain with. Usually these rooms are clean but out of town from where you would prefer to be and it will take a long hike or a readily available BUS to get you to where you want to be for the day of nite. The trip BACK to your rooms can be an event, if you leave the party late...as there are few busses and taxi's and alot of people queing for them. I have waited two hours at times (from one AM to 3:am) to get back to a room. Mopeds and car rentals might be for you in that case. At the ports there are also INFO BOOTHS ... if you can fight your way thru the local fray, these booths will have ROOM INFO in town or on the beaches available.
The average cost of a ferry ride, one way, deck class will be between 15-25 Euro depending on distance. Piraeus-Myconos-Santorini and onto Crete and then Rhodes will cost about 100-Euro total. Rooms (Pensiones or rooms-to-let) will be around 40-Euro for a double per nite. that would be 20 X # of nites for one person. Slightly less for a 3 nite stay at any particular place. These rooms go from the totally spartin to the simple and quaint with roof top bars.
Ferrying at nite can also save you a nites lodging as you can sleep on-board the ferry for nothing. Take the regular ferry as it is half the cost of the hydrofoils.
End of June into July is HEART of tourist season ... the Crowds will be huge, temperature over 100 degrees, rooms will be at a premium, prices will be HIGH, and sweat will be everywhere...Only recommended for guys who enjoy going to nude beaches for the 'view' ... otherwise ... FORGET IT !
Write me as the time gets closer and let me check on some particular places, sites on line to go to , etc ...
Practice up on your Greek phrases...
Calh taxiedi
Denny
