annmary

There are 4 of us travelling to the Greek islands for 12 nights from 15 June 2016. There are so many islands to chose from. Which are the best islands to visit in this time frame. We are 60. Also how are the flights around the islands compared with the ferries.

Heimdall

There are so many islands to chose from.

Exactly! And the mainland too, which has most of the important archaeological sites.

Your question is impossible to answer without more information from you. There are several different island groups in two different seas, including Ionian, Sporades, Cyclades, Northeast Aegean, Dodecanese, Saronic Gulf, and of course Crete.

In your time frame it's best to limit yourself to no more than two islands in one group. If you are a history buff you should consider at least a couple of nights in Athens, and maybe an overnight to Nafplio or Delphi too.

For the most part there are no flights between islands, but lots of flights to the islands from Athens. To get from one island to another means using ferries.

Go to the library or bookstore and get yourself some travel guides. When you have a plan, come back to the forum with specific questions.

artsnletters

I think you could visit three islands in that time frame. You could pick a couple in the Cyclades - most people include Santorini - and then, at least if you are traveling on the right day of the week, you can take the overnight ferry from Santorini to Rhodes and fly back to Athens from there. I spent four days on Rhodes and it really wasn't enough time. There is a lot to see there!

PetrosB3

Tell us your interests. Greece has 227 inhabited islands, so be very specific.

littlejane

Having visited many islands over many years, my favourite was the Cyclades also - Santorini/Paros/Naxos being the combination I liked best, and one that I think gives a good flavour of the different styles of the islands as they are quite close together but all very individual... Whatever you do I would suggest trying to pick two or more islands that have completely different feels from each other so that you have a varied trip.

Maybe have a look at some images of different islands online and see what ones take your fancy? They are really all quite different. Rhodes and Kos would also be a good combination if you are interested in history and exploring ruins. Santorini if you are interested in geology and strange volcanic scenery, and the Greek white houses. Paros and many other islands if you want to see the fishermen hauling in their octopus catches and hanging them up to dry. And I would suggest a whole host of other islands if you are looking for the places the trendy Athenians go for their getaways, or the real un-touristed Greece.

With 12 days if you include Santorini I would suggest flying there - flights are fairly cheap at the moment and the ferry ride is so long (and that sea can be very choppy) so unless you want to take the overnight ferry to save on a hotel cost, I would fly.

isabel

I did the Santorini/Paros/Naxos combo that littlejane suggested and we were very happy with that. We flew into Santorini, ferried to the other two islands and then to Athens, few days there, then rented a car for Delphi and Nafplio.We did 2-3 nights per stop (except Delphi was just one night) and felt it gave us time to see what we wanted and not feel rushed. Of course twice that amount of time would have been even better but most of us are limited in the amount of time we can spend. Point is that just one night on an island really isn't enough but 2-3 can be quite pleasant and not rushed.

Here's my trip report (can't believe it was seven years ago - we are going to Crete this coming summer) - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

Photos www.pbase.com/annforcier/greece