Seven days covers Athens plus Santorini. Fourteen days is the comfortable minimum for Athens, two Cyclades islands, and Crete or Meteora without treating ferries as the holiday.
7 days: Athens and Santorini
Spend two or three nights in Athens (Acropolis, one museum, a Plaka evening). Then four nights on Santorini — one caldera village, a sunset, a winery, and a beach. Fly or take a high-speed ferry from Piraeus (5–8 hours). Book both rooms and boats early for July and August.
10 days: Cyclades hop
Keep a two-night Athens start, then Santorini (3–4 nights) and Mykonos (2–3 nights). Fast ferries make the island hop efficient. This is the better first trip if you want the postcard islands without rushing Crete.
14 days: Grand tour
Athens (2–3 nights), Santorini (3 nights), Mykonos or Naxos (2–3 nights), then Crete (4 nights) or a mainland loop to Meteora. Use ferries for the Cyclades; fly ATH–HER or a night boat if you add Crete. A car on Crete is worth it; a car on Santorini usually is not.
Build a custom version in minutes with the LokaTours trip planner.