Greek island hopping
adonis10
Posts: 1,810 Forumite
Looking for some advice regarding logistics for a 14 day trip to Greece next July/Aug. Definitely want to go to Mykonos and Santorini, and 1/2 others. Ios has been recommended, any others? Obviously want to do it in a smooth (ish) line down from Mykonos by ferry to, probably, ios, maybe one more and then Santorini, from where we will fly home. Needs to be after July 21 as need to go in school hols. Best airport to go from and to is any london, preferably not Stanstead though as looks only to be Ryanair from there.
Current thinking is LHR > Athens (stay 2 nights) > fly to Mykonos, stay 4 nights > ferry to ios (stay 2 nights) > ferry to Santorini, stay 6 nights, or something along those lines. Don't necessarily want to keep on changing hotels so happy to do some day trips to nearby islands.
Current thinking is LHR > Athens (stay 2 nights) > fly to Mykonos, stay 4 nights > ferry to ios (stay 2 nights) > ferry to Santorini, stay 6 nights, or something along those lines. Don't necessarily want to keep on changing hotels so happy to do some day trips to nearby islands.
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Comments
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Join the Blue Star ferries loyalty scheme and check your route on their website.
http://www.bluestarferries.com/site/content.asp?loc=2
I sailed the route Santorini - Ios - Paros - Naxos - Piraeus in July and wanted to get off at each island to explore, so you may need to be strict with yourself. The ship was the Delos which is quite plush with lots of lounges, food options and a shop. I always grab a table at the back of the open air deck and soak it all in, plus you get to meet lots of people there when it fills up in the evenings.
There are faster, more expensive ferry companies, but I prefer Blue Star for the large open air decks. Gives me a chance to get a few vodkas and catch some sun
For the flights, it might be worth you tracking the BA fares from Santorini to London City, and they also fly direct to Heathrow. Also worth looking at the Norwegian Air flights into Gatwick.
For Athens, try to get a cheap one way with Aegean from Heathrow or Gatwick, because the customer service beats BA hands down. Having said that, my next trip to Athens is at Christmas and the rtn fare with BA was £144.0 -
Join the Blue Star ferries loyalty scheme and check your route on their website.
http://www.bluestarferries.com/site/content.asp?loc=2
I sailed the route Santorini - Ios - Paros - Naxos - Piraeus in July and wanted to get off at each island to explore, so you may need to be strict with yourself. The ship was the Delos which is quite plush with lots of lounges, food options and a shop. I always grab a table at the back of the open air deck and soak it all in, plus you get to meet lots of people there when it fills up in the evenings.
There are faster, more expensive ferry companies, but I prefer Blue Star for the large open air decks. Gives me a chance to get a few vodkas and catch some sun
For the flights, it might be worth you tracking the BA fares from Santorini to London City, and they also fly direct to Heathrow. Also worth looking at the Norwegian Air flights into Gatwick.
For Athens, try to get a cheap one way with Aegean from Heathrow or Gatwick, because the customer service beats BA hands down. Having said that, my next trip to Athens is at Christmas and the rtn fare with BA was £144.
Did you like Naxos? Much to see and do?0 -
We island hopped in Aug/Sept, flying to Naxos then went by ferry to Amorgos and Santorini. I'd definitely recommend Naxos as it is so varied with a buzzing port/capital and rolling hills and old villages further afield. It also has some of the best beaches in the Cyclades.
Amorgos was lovely for a few days - much quieter and more rural. We stayed in Chora, which is a fab little place to stay.
Santorini was amazing but incredibly busy at that time of year.
It really depends what you want.somewhere between Heaven and Woolworth's0 -
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Is Athens particularly hot at that time of year?0
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I did it a few years ago. I flew easy jet to Santorini and had a couple of days there. Then I took the slow 7 hour ferry to Naxos for a few days. Stunning Island. Then the ferry to Mykonos and stayed there for a few days before flying home.
The ferries are easy, I did it alone as a single female and was only a little nervous! I did book all of my accommodation beforehand so I knew I had somewhere to stay and where. I also pre booked the ferries which worked out more expensive and really not necessary. I travelled in late June early July.
Thinking about doing something similar next year too and taking in some other Islands. I found the Greek Sun tour operator website and brochure where a great help.Aim to win in 2013 - a holiday somewhere nice, New York break, treats for family & friends & some cash would be lovely!!!0 -
We have done island hopping several years ago. We went three times and visited many islands. It's the best way to experience Greece in my view, especially if you visit the islands without airports. It is so rewarding.
Bear in mind that the ferries operate like spokes of a wheel from the mainland ports, and usually work up and down their line every day. It is possible to cross from one line to another but you need to be aware of where they go
. If you want to be totally spontaneous, as we have done a couple of times, it is easier to work up and down one or two lines. Don't rule out Rafina as a departure port, it's often a better option than Piraeus and there is a bus from the airport.
We never had any accommodation booked, except if we needed a night in Athens at start or end. There are always property owners meeting the ferries and we stayed at some amazing places. It is a fantastic way of seeing the country, especially if you can do about three weeks.
My tips for island hopping: 1: Get a current copy of 'Greek Island Hopping' - it is your bible. It is especially useful for Athens too and has excellent information on islands, ferries and routes. 2: Learn a bit of basic Greek. It is so rewarding to be able to at least order food and drink, ask directions and book a bed for the night. 3: Go with the flow, things may not always happen when you expect them to. Be flexible, it's Greece! 4: Notwithstanding 3, ensure you have some leeway to can get back for your flight.
My favourite islands - Andros, Tinos, Paros/Antiparos, Angistri......:think::dance:We're gonna be alright, dancin' on a Saturday night:dance:0 -
We have done island hopping several years ago. We went three times and visited many islands. It's the best way to experience Greece in my view, especially if you visit the islands without airports. It is so rewarding.
Bear in mind that the ferries operate like spokes of a wheel from the mainland ports, and usually work up and down their line every day. It is possible to cross from one line to another but you need to be aware of where they go
. If you want to be totally spontaneous, as we have done a couple of times, it is easier to work up and down one or two lines. Don't rule out Rafina as a departure port, it's often a better option than Piraeus and there is a bus from the airport.
We never had any accommodation booked, except if we needed a night in Athens at start or end. There are always property owners meeting the ferries and we stayed at some amazing places. It is a fantastic way of seeing the country, especially if you can do about three weeks.
My tips for island hopping: 1: Get a current copy of 'Greek Island Hopping' - it is your bible. It is especially useful for Athens too and has excellent information on islands, ferries and routes. 2: Learn a bit of basic Greek. It is so rewarding to be able to at least order food and drink, ask directions and book a bed for the night. 3: Go with the flow, things may not always happen when you expect them to. Be flexible, it's Greece! 4: Notwithstanding 3, ensure you have some leeway to can get back for your flight.
My favourite islands - Andros, Tinos, Paros/Antiparos, Angistri......:think:Looking for some advice regarding logistics for a 14 day trip to Greece next July/Aug. Definitely want to go to Mykonos and Santorini, and 1/2 others. Ios has been recommended, any others? Obviously want to do it in a smooth (ish) line down from Mykonos by ferry to, probably, ios, maybe one more and then Santorini, from where we will fly home. Needs to be after July 21 as need to go in school hols. Best airport to go from and to is any london, preferably not Stanstead though as looks only to be Ryanair from there.
Current thinking is LHR > Athens (stay 2 nights) > fly to Mykonos, stay 4 nights > ferry to ios (stay 2 nights) > ferry to Santorini, stay 6 nights, or something along those lines. Don't necessarily want to keep on changing hotels so happy to do some day trips to nearby islands.
Just a couple of observations - we're island hopping at the moment and staying on Naxos where the weather is fabulous.
You're travelling at the busiest time of the year and hoping to visit two of the busiest,most touristy islands of them all.
I'm not sure you'll get any flavour of the real Greece in much the same way as Torremolinos doesn't give you any flavour of the real Spain.
As others have said pack light,stay flexible and hop islands in the true sense of the word.
Pick a chain of islands - the Cyclades is a good one to start - where ferries and accommodation are plentiful and explore off the beaten track otherwise you're really just better basing yourself in one place.
But don't be under any illusions - the summer months are hot and busy.
This is a good online guide to help you plan.
https://www.greektravel.com0 -
Deleted_User wrote: »Just a couple of observations - we're island hopping at the moment and staying on Naxos where the weather is fabulous.
You're travelling at the busiest time of the year and hoping to visit two of the busiest,most touristy islands of them all.
I'm not sure you'll get any flavour of the real Greece in much the same way as Torremolinos doesn't give you any flavour of the real Spain.
As others have said pack light,stay flexible and hop islands in the true sense of the word.
Pick a chain of islands - the Cyclades is a good one to start - where ferries and accommodation are plentiful and explore off the beaten track otherwise you're really just better basing yourself in one place.
But don't be under any illusions - the summer months are hot and busy.
This is a good online guide to help you plan.
https://www.greektravel.com
Thanks for the advice. We're restricted to school hols (gf is a teacher) so that's unavoidable. Heat isn't an issue, we love it. Being overly tourist-y is annoying, but we'll manage.
Will check out that guide, thanks.0 -
On the subject of when to go, we are fortunate in that we need not travel in school holidays. We were told that the island hopping season for younger backpackers started in mid-July so we always went in late May into June. The heat is not quite so intense then and the islands are usually in full bloom too.
Another thing to beware of is that in the high season, some of the ferries would not let backpackers into the lounges, insisting they had only paid to sit on the open decks - unless thy were Greek, of course! We were middle-aged with trolley cases and not travelling at the busy times so never had this problem. Again, a few words of Greek helps.
Another tip which I forgot: Try to avoid ferries at weekends if possible as they get very crowded with Athenians getting away for the weekend, especially the fast ferries where seats are at a premium.:dance:We're gonna be alright, dancin' on a Saturday night:dance:0
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