Greek Isles Help
 

Wife and I (in 50's and active) are planning a 2+ week trip to Greek Isles in 2010 and would appreciate help with an "island hopping" itinerary. Its our first time in Greece, so suggestions are welcome...where to fly in/out of; places to stay, travel route -- any help from experienced travelers is appreciated. Thanks :)

There are a lot of experienced Greek travellers on this forum so you should get some really helpful ideas.

What month are you going? This makes a lot of difference as the Greek islands apparently pretty much close up in the off season - about Oct to April I think. In peak season, around Jul/Aug, there will be a lot more ferries etc between islands.

We've had a few trips to Greece, it's a favourite part of the world. One trip was:
fly into Athens
2 nights Athens
fly to Mykonos
4 nights Mykonos
catamaran to Naxos (twice as fast as a ferry but twice the price)
4 nights Naxos
catamaran to Santorini
4 nights Santorini
fly to Athens

This was a great trip but if we did it again we would have flown straight out to an island, after arriving in Athens. Would have saved a lot of time. Then we could have spent a couple of days in Athens at the end of the trip.

On another trip we:
flew to Athens
flew straight out to Chania (Crete)
4 nights Chania
overnight ferry back to Athens/Piraeus
catamaran to Hydra
4 nights Hydra
cat to Piraeus
fly home

Loved Chania, loved Hydra and the overnight ferry was surprisingly good.

Hope this is food for thought.
Kay

You can get the most out of a forum when u have formulated a bit more about what YOU want out of your trip.

You have ample time, so before asking us it’s good to start by exploring guidebooks. Yes, the Internet has a TON of info .... but TOO much! How to sort the good from the junk? With a guide you can zero in on isles that appeal most, & research those, via forums and Googling.

You needn’t BUY a bunch of books, just 1 or 2. My 2-step approach: (1) Browse the shelf at a big bookstore, & see which guides u like most (2) then At biggest local library, see which you can borrow. Older editions OK;you're not seeking hotel prices, just the OVERVIEW. From library, photocopy key pages. Finally, buy new editions of 1-2. My recommends:

FOR VISUAL OVERVIEW: DK "Eyewitness Guide to Greek Isles" -- Graphically SUPER: illustrations help u understand the important ancient AND modern sites & landscapes of each island. Not to take along--but u can photocopy key pages, i.e. schematics of palaces etc for complex ancient sites. PLUS: inside back cover – BEST map of all main ferry routes. I also recommend this as a “Show & Tell” reference for explaining your trip to friends.

FOR PLANNING/HOPPING -- Thos Cooks "Greek Island-Hopping" -- This REALLY shows how to work out a "hop" system via ferries … which islands link up best, and plusses vs. challenges of "high season". Good on fun stuff, budget lodging, beaches. PLUS -- excellent street maps of island towns (Xerox to carry in your day-bag). great for locating hotels etc.

FOR MOST DETAIL with CANDOR - "Lonely Planet" USED to be tops, but alas went “upmarket” and down-hill. Added color photos, axed content. To save money, went for CHEAP maps (grey on grey so they don't photocopy). Instead, I recommend ROUGH GUIDE to GREECE (not just to Islands). Few illustrations but TONS of good text. A big fat book to take, but laid out so you can just pull out sections & “bind” with duct-tape as slim mini-guides.

OTHER GUIDES I LIKE -- FROMMERS lodging/dining choices are upmarket, sightseeing info is sharp and candid. CADOGAN Guides (british) have almost no illustrations, but very perceptive commentary on history & culture. LET'S GO GREECE, still true to back- packers, good tips on nightlife, cheap food/beds, solid on logistics.

Such homework will help u focus in, and be able to sort out the REAL Internet info from the hype. THen come back and ask us for specific personal recommends and we'll be delighted to help! Have fun planning!

Great advice from travelerjan and I particurlaly agree with her book recommendations.

If I had to recommend one it would be the Blue Guide to Greece (Mainland). Very few photographs but, like most in the Blue Guide series, a huge amount of accurate and in depth historical information. The latest edition was 2006. They've been invaluable friends for years!

Bill

Hi there Bill, good to see your name! I hope you're wearing lots of wool in a cold and windy Scottish February!

I'm goin' to Greek already in my mind -- my trip for May 17-June 15 is shaping up super-well, lots of really budget rooms, thrilling ruins (Ancient Messine!!) and great beaches... am bussing around the Pelops then off to the Islands. Wish you were on a Spring schedule as well! - regards TJ

And hi from me, Bill! Your map of the Laka Distict was very helpful in my stop on Mykonos last June. :-)

I can add to your Blue Guide suggestion <i>Greece: An Oxford Archaeological Guide</i> by Christopher Mee &amp; Antony Spawforth.

Ballfamily, both of these guides are very useful if you have an interest in ancient sites, but they concentrate on the mainland rather than islands. Blue Guide also has an edition on Crete. That brings me to a very important point: <b>don't think just islands</b>. The most important archaeological sites are on the mainland, e.g. Athens, Delphi, Peloponnese, so if you have an interest in history, part of your trip should be there.

Hi TJ. It's been a cold winter here and my fingers are suffering. I've not been using the PC just as much, for that reason.

It's great that your planning is going well amd I too wish I was going in May. It would have been great if we all could meet on Naxos.

D. many thanks for the book recommendation. That's exactly the kind I enjoy very much. Amazon is out of stock but I've placed the order and they will send it to me when it becomes available.

Regards,

Bill

Hi Bill,

I believe I got the last copy when I ordered from Amazon.co.uk last month. ;-) Hope you don't have to wait too long. :-)