Suggestions for Greece Holiday--Athens, Crete, Santorini...

we're heading to london and then greece next month for what i think is a well deserved holiday. i will be packing my thinktank urban disguise 35 with the d3, 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 if i can fit all of that in there. i'm very familiar with london as i travel there for business extensively and we will be mostly visiting friends, but greece is totally new for us. we will be staying in athens, crete and santorini on the greek portion of the trip. i would love to hear suggestions of places to visit, things to see, etc in the parts of greece that we are heading to, especially ones that aren't the normal big tourist destinations that we probably have heard about. thanks, we're really excited about the trip.

richard cohen said:

we're heading to london and then greece next month for what i think is a well deserved holiday. i will be packing my thinktank urban disguise 35 with the d3, 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 if i can fit all of that in there. i'm very familiar with london as i travel there for business extensively and we will be mostly visiting friends, but greece is totally new for us. we will be staying in athens, crete and santorini on the greek portion of the trip. i would love to hear suggestions of places to visit, things to see, etc in the parts of greece that we are heading to, especially ones that aren't the normal big tourist destinations that we probably have heard about. thanks, we're really excited about the trip.

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Hi Richard

Sounds like a great trip. I'm jealous as I love Greece and keep returning every few years. However, you should be aware that August is the busiest month in Greece and Santorini is one of the most touristy islands. It's still spectacular and definitely a must-see but you should expect to be sharing the island with lots of others in August. I'd suggest getting up very early in the mornings when everyone else is still recovering from clubbing the night before and then you might have some more peaceful time to shoot.

Also, you have to pass through Athens coming and going but I'd suggest to continue directly on to the islands by air once your international flight has landed, then you can do the sights of Athens at the end of your trip before you fly out. Saves you spending extra time and money in the big hot city when you could maybe check out another less touristy island.

Mykonos and Santorini are the two most popular and expensive islands but also for good reason, they are both gorgeous. I like Naxos a lot and it's a bit less touristy but basically in August, there will be lots of crowds most places. Crete is a huge island so there are probably lots of smaller places you can dodge the crowds.

My favorite time for Greece is in April/May. There are few tourists, it's not too hot, the whitewash is fresh and all the wildflowers are blooming.
You can check out some of my Greece pix here http://www.msphoto.ca/greece.htm

Also remember with all the whitewash it's a bit like shooting in the snow so your meter is going to want to underexpose. A polarizer is also handy.
Have a great trip

--
Michael Sherman
http://www.msphoto.ca

Greek islands are wonderful to visit and I agree that August is the busiest time (Which is when I went in 2007).

Santorini will give you amazing opportunities for great pictures.

Here are some examples of my pics and these were taken with my old Olympus E1 which I replaced with my current D3. Still the pics came out ok.

You will have a blast especially if you visit Mykonos as well. Try to rent a car from Athens and board their island ferries such as the Blue Star if you go to Mykonos.

We tried renting a car when we reached Mykonos but no luck as they were all rented out.

For Santorini a car is not really needed.

http://forum.fourthirdsphoto . com/showthread.php?t=31194

Try the Ionian Coast and islands (Levkas, Kefallinia, Ithaki). Years ago I asked the cocktail waitress in the Athens Marriott where she went on holiday-she said Levkas-much less crowded and touristy
--
Mike

An other beatiful place to visit if you have the time is noth of Greece,the monasteries of Meteora they are magnifisent from the 15th century.Have fun shooting.
--

mikerudy said:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnadelaide/

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While on Crete, check out the gorges and seaside traditional villages of South-west Crete. The Samaria gorge in the Sfakia area is the longest of Europe. The area is still away from mass tourism:

http://www.sfakia-crete.com

Plenty of superb photo opportunities there. I took my D700 + 14-24 + 24-70 and 70-200 there, and did not regret it.

we don't have flexibility on dates and while i'd like to tour off the beaten path at some point, on our first trip to greece we want to make sure we see some of the 'must see' things that are there--hence athens, santorini and crete. given those locations we're flexible on what to see and do. thanks!

I've been to Crete a couple of times and it's a very pretty island - Santorini however is known to be the nicest in Greece. If you want to take pictures of the coast line don't forget a CPL.

In Crete I would suggest you to rent a car (if you are comfortable driving) and go to the mountains. I think Chania and that area is a little bit nicer but last time I was there I stayed close to Heraklion where you have Knossos etc. See pictures from that trip here: http://www.pbase.com/ronnihansen/crete_2009 (sorry no Nikon back then)
--
Never bite the Apple...

Ronni

http://www.pbase.com/ronnihansen