Another word about food -- Greek food often has very simple ingredients where you will be able work around. There is yoghurt and cheese, if those are problems. A few dishes may have nuts (of course, desserts, where they are common in traditional dishes). Peanut oil is rarely used, but you can be sure to ask. I don't recall being there in October; I once was in Greece in November and it was raining, and even snowing in the north!

I don't really regard Santorini and Mykonos as being too similar. Santorini is unique with the caladera (and I really enjoyed the southern end near akrotiri and stayed in Oia -- which I agree is much better). Mykonos probably gets the bachelorette rep from the main city and the main beaches with the club scene in the summer; the areas outside of the city are much more chill and Delos is a nice site to see.

Of the three destinations, I have been to Athens (Love!) and Mykonos with a day trip to Delos. Didn't care for Mykonos at all because it was overcrowded, noisy and full of party seekers.

As far as weather: We went for four weeks last half of September/early half October. The plan was to combine beach time and then historical sites. Initially, the weather was unseasonably cold and stormy sea, which is why we ended up on Mykonos; it was the first ferry to leave Paros, where we'd been stuck for about 1 week. We also spent time on Syros (loved it, with small fishing villages, amazing beach, small Greek restaurants with great food) and on the Peloponnese where we really enjoyed the archaeological sites, Epidaurus, Tiryns, Mycenae.

I've been to Crete twice, and would seriously consider it if I were you. It's further south and weather might be more reliable. Plus, there's lots to do and see.

https://www.holiday-weather.com/mykonos/averages/october/#summary-section

What's the weather like in Mykonos in October

October has arrived and the weather is cooling down and the rainfall is increasing as Mykonos prepares for winter.

Temperature

The Average temperature is still in the high teens at 19°C [66 F] with the average high/low temperatures of 15°C [59 F] and 22°C [71 F]. The occasional day can still head to the mid to high 20s and a day by the beach can be enjoyed. The water is warm enough for swimming or partaking in other water sports making this your last chance of the year.

Rain

Average rainfall is increasing and is now up to 167mm falling over 8 days. The chance of rain is still low at 10% but it is getting much heavier when it does fall. Rainfall will start to increase towards the end of the month to the November high of 170mm.

Sunshine Hours

Sunshine hours have dropped off again and now stand at 9 hours but you have a better than 50% chance of a sunny day. The winter low is around 6 hours of sunshine in December which is 50% less than the height of summer. Chances of a cloudy day are 30% so you can still have a warm and sunny holiday this time of year.

Sea Temperature

In October the sea temperature has dropped to 22°C so it is still warm enough for swimming and water sports.

Wind

Days can be quite windy with a 66% chance of a windy day.

Sea Temperature

Temperatures start to drop to the sea temperature low of 17°C in October.

After typing a long reply it just poof disappeared and an advertisment from Houzz popped up. Very aggravating.

Well I apologize for the delay in getting back to everyone with their kind responses. Life got in the way, unfortunately.

Mtndredux- I have never done a pre-planned tour. I have always planned everything myself. I don’t have a choice this time as I am joining a friend who insists on this tour. I really don’t mind, if I want, I will return on my terms.

I appreciate knowing about the walks to the beach and the donkeys. I really don’t think we will be doing much lounging on the beach, but I do love walking and hiking everywhere and have good shoes that will hold up to whatever the donkeys leave behind. Also, good to think about how much time I want to spend at things like the catacombs and pick carefully what I really want to investigate. You have given me much to think about and plan for on a return trip.

Gooster -as you can probably tell I am a little paranoid about the food issue. I have had Greek food many times in NYC but have had a few really awful and scary food experiences (Never with Greek food) which, were the result of being assured the food was safe to eat. Thank you for the reassurance. I will plan on spending as much time in historic and scenic areas away from the main beaches.

Nosoccermom-Thank you for the detailed reply. We are planning on the middle of October. The weather information is very useful. However, we all know that weather has never been reliable and with global warming you never know what is going to happen. Crete is out on this trip but doesn’t mean I can’t plan for the next trip.

I often return to places I have been to before if I enjoy them and want to explore. I have never been disappointed on return trips. I often find the return trips even better than the first.

I think you will have a wonderful time and I think the food situation will be to your liking as well.

Nosoccer, We def want to return to Greece and I'd love to hear what you faves were or if you would share some photos. The problem I have with researching destinations is that it can be hard to find suggestions about where to go. Most travel writing assumes you are going to a certain place and suggests what to do while there; very little of it says "don't bother going to such and such."

weird, just wrote a long reply to mtn, and it's all gone :(

I lived in greece for a few months last year (my husband was working there so I moved the kids over for the spring and summer)

anyway, mid late october will be beautiful but not beach weather unless you get extremely lucky. if you could back it up to september or the 1st week of october, you might have better luck. That said, it will still be beautiful just chilly at night, or windy. But still worth going. Just pack layers. Athens will be nice, not as dreadfully hot as in the summer and again, chilly at night.

I think you will find the food situation to be just fine. They use lots and lots of olive oil, not as much butter for actual cooking, and yogurt is often on the side. But there will bet lots of cheese, but again, think you can avoid it.. They have lots of grilled meats, vegetable dips, incredible salads etc.

Id personally skip mykonos. Go to naxos or paros instead. Santorini is a honeymoon destination for a reason; it is just stunning and worth it. Plus it won't be that crowded in october (in fact, some hotels close).

Nosoccer mom that is so frustrating. I have had trouble with this post from the beginning. Now I write in Word then cut and paste into the post.

Manrdredux- I will share when I return. I too find the travel writers have an over positive attitude about things or don't steer you to more local places. One of the things I love about the GW is this kind of personal advice from a diverse community.

NYCish for me and the purpose of this trip the weather sounds perfect. I do not want to be sweating while sightseeing. Unfortunately I can't skip Mykonos but will be ready to spend time as far away from the party crowd as possible. Santorini sounds lovely and I will put my camera to good use.

Thank you all for the reassurance for this trip. I will be sure to share my thoughts when I return.

I don't have anything to add other than with the allergies - When I travel to a place I don't know the language I will carry some small notes with allergy information written in both English and the native language to provide to the server. This has proven very helpful for us (kid was the allergic one when I started, and now it is me). You can print out several on an 8x11 sheet and cut them out so small to carry with you. Sometimes they take it to the kitchen and other times they return it. Hence having several. Even though most places know English it is at times a bit complicated to explain so this proved easier and left me more confident. We put on there Severely allergic and potential life threatening if exposed to or in contact with and to please prepare food with washed equipment to avoid a reaction. We also had epi-pens. Mine are not as severe so just asking them to not include as an ingredient.

Lyfia-Yes, I have thought of that but not acted on the written notice. I will this time. The reason I am so frustrated is I have had servers assure me there are no nuts in something and yes there is. I am the annoying customer who insists they check there is no nut oil, flour or extract. I can't tell you the number of times I am told, " But that's not a nut." Or worse "No it is nut free." to find they just don't see any nuts.

I had no allergies until I was a young adult and they have just gotten worse as I have gotten older. I wish there was something to fix this issue. I feel for the children who must always be vigilant.

This is very timely as my best friends from college and I are going to Greece. We all turned 50 this year and we decided to celebrate it together, just us girls. We will be in Athens for 4 days, so we are doing the usual touristy stuff and have time to go to Meteora.

My son has nuts and egg allergies. What I did in the past was get a written note from a person who knows the language and write it down, stating all the allergies my son has. We went to our favorite Thai place and asked the owner or manager to write it down in their language. When we went to France, i asked a friend who knew a French woman to do the same. And of course, epi-pens and proximity to a hospital.

SO jealous you will see Meteora. We had to take that our of our itinerary.