bryan8523

My girlfriend and I are trying to decide whether 30 days is enough time to explore the Greek Islands and possibly travel to South Italy and surrounding areas or if we should focus on the Islands. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Eloise

If I had 30 days in Greece (I've had 21 days, several times), I would certainly give some of that time to exploring the mainland and taking in the classical Greek sites.

brotherleelove2004

My usual routine is to spend 30 days at a time travelling, and I've done so several times in Greece. I prefer to set myself up on one island and take short side trips to the others nearby, but hopping from one to another is also a good way to do it, especially if you've never been before. I would recommend that you choose one island group so you don't waste too much time moving around. The Cyclades are very popular as are the Dodecanese, but any group will provide you with a satisfying experience.

Rooms are readily available without much hassle except for mid-July through August, and even then you can always find something, so why not just take it one day and one island at a time, and if at some point you decide to go to Italy, get yourselves back to Athens for either a flight or a ferry to Italy (ferry from Patras or Igoumenitsa). Travelling this way will give you the greatest sense of freedom and allow you maximum flexibility, for me the BEST way to travel anywhere.

bryan8523

thank you very much for the insight. Any recommendations on where to focus in the islands?

brotherleelove2004

I keep going back to Santorini in the Cyclades. It's my all-time favorite, for me the most spectacular and timeless island in the Aegean. But there are plenty of other islands nearby. Ios is great for the 20-something party scene. Naxos is large and has a reputation for very good beaches. Same for Paros. Mykonos is a high-energy upscale destination with a famous history as the "jet-setter's island."

There are many "lesser" Cyclades islands also reachable from Santorini, Anafi, Folegandros, Therassia and Sikinos, all of which are much quieter and with less tourist infrastructure. Ferry service to some of these is less frequent, so you have to plan accordingly.

Here's a link to an excellent ferry website to help you get an idea of what's out there. Be advised that the summer schedules are just now starting to be posted, so some of the 'from-till' dates are only good until the middle of March, others for later on. Hopefully by the end of April the summer schedule will be posted, but it's always a good idea to check locally before attempting to move from island to island in case of any last-minute changes.

brotherleelove2004

http://www.gtp.gr/

bryan8523

thank you very much- you have been ver helpful

NYerr

Also consider Crete, it is quite large and has very different areas where you can split your stay, so that can be added to the Cyclades visits.