Hello fellow travellers,<BR><BR>my husband and i want to go to greece for 8 days and after spending 3 days in athens want to visit some islands.<BR><BR>a. what mode of transport do you suggest, ferries, or group yaacht/boat trips<BR><BR>b. which islands are nice, not tooo touristy.<BR><BR>thanks for your help,<BR><BR>happy travelling.

I travel to Greece once a year and am of Greek descent so I can tell you this:<BR>The new high speed ferries are wonderful for going island hopping but truthfully 5 days on the islands is short. Make sure you do not overextend and stick to two islands maximum.<BR>Santorini is spectacular but very busy in high season (June - August)Why not spend only 2 days in Athens and have more time on the isles? Think about going to Hydra (close to Athens and no cars on the island) - picturesque.<BR>Flying may be a better option for a short visit. Olympic flies to most larger isles and then you could catch the ferry to nearby islands for day visits.<BR>Remember, there are literally thousands to pick from so make sure you choose islands that are easliy accessible by plane and ferry. Hope this helps

Mashel, Check out www.gpsc.com You can charter a sailboat and skipper for an amazingly affordable price. It will make for a trip you won't soon forget.

Two bits of advice from a seasoned traveller to Greece:<BR>1. yes, do 2 days in Athens and 6 on islands<BR>2. if you have not been to greece before, fly to santorini, then use hydrofoils to get back to athens via either mykonos (busy, youthful) or syros (quiet and elegant main town). Each leg will take 2-4 hours. <BR>If you have been there before, consider Andros and Tinos which are beautiful, hilly, little known and near to the Athenian port of Rafina. <BR>You can read more on the islands on www.i-escape.com (click Greece / Cyclades). You can get ferry times from www.gtp.gr though not all are loaded up yet.

You can't beat Skyros, in my opinion. Not too touristy, beautiful, and the final resting place of British poet Rupert Brooke.

Everybody- thanks for your input. Very helpful.<BR><BR>Mashel

I second on Hydra. Its close to Athens, but very different. Lots of yachts come there too because it has such a nice harbor. Very easy to get away from the tourists.

The site http://www.thomascookpublishing.com/books/index.shtml lists their book Greek Island Hopping 2002. Thomas Cook say This annual favourite covers every Greek Island as well as the mainland and the Turkish coast. The wealth of ferry details and town and island maps are unique to this guidebook. This is one of their guides containing transport information, sightseeing and practical details. Online purchase price 10 pounds 39 pence or about 15 US dollars. But I think you pay a couple of pounds more for postage.<BR><BR>Fax: +44 1733 503596<BR>Email: [email protected]<BR>Address: Thomas Cook Publishing, PO Box 227, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6PU, United Kingdom<BR><BR><BR>Welcome to Europe<BR><BR>Ben Haines, London

Shipping to the US is 5 pounds; it is very quick, however. I've seen this book (or perhaps last year's version) at a bookstore in the US, and it looks excellent.