Hi
I have been reading through various posts and notice that the ferry schedules for 2007 won't be published until March.
I am trying to plan a trip to the Cyclades in May, and would like to book my hotels in the next month or so. My problem is that, without the ferry schedules, this is proving difficult as I do not know what days the ferries depart. Would last week in May/first in June be considered the summer schedule?
I plan to fly directly to Crete and then go to Santorini, Mykonos (Delos) and Naxos. Then back to Crete for return journey home. Will there be daily schedules between these islands at that time?

Thanks in advance for your help
J

I usually travel in Greece in mid-May. The summer schedule doesn't start until some time in June... the "spring schedule" is better than winter.

Your Cycladic islands are all the the central area, so frequency is not bad.

CRETE - The slower ferry from Iraklion to Santorini typically goes on (I think) a Tuesday and a Friday, about 8 pm and supposedly arrives a little after midnight but the Friday is usually late(and crowded). The fast boat (large catamaran) goes daily 9:45 am, only from Iraklion.

NAXOS- this should come next; there are almost daily Bllue Star ferries in morning, and a faster (+ more costly) ferrry too. No direct connection from Santorini to Mykonos is my recollection.

MYKONOS - you can get this ferry almost daily from Naxos. IF you are only going to Mykonos in order to visit Delos (and not for the opportunity to stay up all night and spend way more than other islands), then you can get a good 1-day excursion to Delos that will give you plenty of time on that isle to see the ruins etc.

BACK TO CRETE??? -- what is this all about? is this required for some bargain package-tour return (i.e. roundtrip)flight from elsewhere in Europe? Otherwise it does not seem to make sense and wastes a lot of time & ferry travel. I don't know how to advise you on this.

Those of us based in Europe know there are many charter flights to Crete, and that must be what you will be doing. It is true that the May ferry schedules won't be out until next spring, but you can be reasonably assured that the Flying Cat 4 will be doing its run from Heraklion to Santorini, Ios, Paros, and Mykonos and back by then. This year (see http://www.ferries.gr/hfd/) it was running five days per week in May. Throwing Naxos into the mix complicates thing a bit, but it definitely is possible to go from Mykonos to Naxos and then Naxos to Paros (to rejoin the Flying Cat 4).

What I don't understand is why you want to "book my hotels in the next month or so." May is a time when there is a huge surplus of hotel rooms, with owners competing fiercely to get your business. You can wait until you are sure of the ferry timetables, or even wait until you get to each island before contacting a hotel. Book in advance and you will pay top price.

I just received this from Hellenic Seaways, which operates the Flying Cat between Crete, Santorini, Ios, Paros and Mykonos:

Dear Mr. Lee Marks,

In reply to your e-mail dated November 14, 2006, we would like to inform you that our timetables for Spring 2007 have not been officially announced yet. As far as we have been informed, the line from Crete to Cyclades islands by Flying Cat 4, will probably begin on March 30th, 2007 and will operate in daily basis except some Wednesdays. We wish to suggest reverting to our website, at www.hellenicseaways.gr (approximately by the end of January) which is always updated and revised, featuring updated timetables, and prices per person and vessel accommodation as well as possible connections.
Always at your disposal
Best regards
Markou Vasso / Booking dpt
Hellenic Seaways

Thanks to all for the responses.

I am planning on taking direct flights from home (Dublin, Ireland) to Crete, as there is no direct flight to Athens at that time of year (hard to believe). But I will take your comments on the travel time into consideration.
Think I might hold off on the hotel bookings - is it easy to get the good hotels, even at such a late stage? I have been reviewing trip advisor, and have some hotels in mind.
Thanks for putting my mind at ease on the ferries - I had visions of being stranded and as they don't publish timetables until quite late, I was a bit unsure!
Thanks again
J

In May you won't have any trouble booking a room in any hotel. If you have a specific hotel in mind you can call ahead from wherever you are to get your reservation before arrival. Buy an inexpensive OTE phone card at any magazine kiosk or neighborhood market and use one of the public OTE card phones to make the call. Just dial the island code before the actual hotel phone number.

Joools, I agree with brotherleelove. Good idea about the OTE card, or, for that matter using your mobile phone to make the calls. You can pick up a PAYG card from Vodafone Greece or Cosmote, or just use your own phone card if the international charges aren't too high. The only reason for booking in advance, IMHO, would be if you have a particular hotel in mind and don't care how much you pay. It is possible to negotiate prices in May, BTW.

The only tricky part of your itinerary is the Naxos-Mykonos segment. They are on different ferry routes, but I'm sure there is a way to get from one to the other, even if it means going through Paros. Maybe brotherleelove (or Thanos if he sees this post) can help.

Yes, that's right. The highspeed Hellenic Seaways Cat4 used to stop at Naxos, but now apparently does not unless they change again for next season. Instead, just catch a ferry from Naxos over to Paros, an hour away, where you can then connect to a ferry to Mykonos. Use www.gtp.gr later on next year to find out which ferries are running around the time you'll be needing them.

Thanks for that, Lee. Joools, considering what brotherleelove said, you might want to consider a slight change to your itinerary. If your main reason for going to Mykonos is to see Delos, you can do that from Naxos as well. The excursion boat takes longer to get to Delos, but Naxos is a beautiful island. It would also put you on the Central Cyclades ferry route, with frequent sailings to Santorini.

Another option would be to go to Mykonos as planned, but substitute Paros for Naxos. I know Naxos gets rave reviews on this board, but the combination of Paros and nearby Antiparos (10 min ferry ride from Pounta) is hard to beat. Since Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, and Crete are all on the Flying Cat 4 route, that would simplfy your planning.

Thanks for the help, once again. I should have said that I have not yet decided which islands I am going to, for definite. I will take all of your helpful suggestions about ferries to see which are the best options. Good news is that I can now fly home from Athens, so no need to go return to Crete (but I plan on starting there).