Greek Island(s)
Oct 15th, 2015, 07:11 AM
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Greek Island(s)
I am planning a trip to Turkey and Greece for May 2016. We plan to tour Turkey first and end up in Ephesus/ Kusadasi where we will take a ferry to Samos and then ferry to another island to explore the Greek Islands eventually ending up in Athens. Does the board have a suggestion for a Greek Island to be our base? We will more than likely stay there most of the time and are looking for an island that is not as touristy as Santorini. We would like for it to have a good beach and some historical/cultural places as well as an authentic eating establishment. Any ideas?
Oct 15th, 2015, 08:47 AM
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Nothing is very touristy in May. Avoid Santorini and Myconos and you will be fine.
Samos is a nice Island with both, good beaches (don't expect saewater temperature to reach more than 20 degrees centigrade in May) and some ancient sites (around Pythagorio).
Islands of easy reach by ferry from Samos are Syros, Patmos, Fourni, Leros and Kalymnos.
Samos is a nice Island with both, good beaches (don't expect saewater temperature to reach more than 20 degrees centigrade in May) and some ancient sites (around Pythagorio).
Islands of easy reach by ferry from Samos are Syros, Patmos, Fourni, Leros and Kalymnos.
Oct 15th, 2015, 09:45 AM
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Supposing you do find your way to Ephesus & then do the hop to Samos, your next challenge will be the ferry routes westward. There used to be a NEL sailing several times weekly with 1st stop @ Naxos (but NEL is now just a memory). I think the ONLY ferry route westward (except for straight to Piraeus) is the Tues & Sunday aft sailing to Mykonos. There are 1-2 sailings daily from Mykonos to Naxos.
Naxos is your perfect island to answer your criteria ... 15 miles of golden sand beaches all in a row ... dramatic inland mountain scenery & villages ... large permanent populations, farming, so not over-touristy despite its attractions. In May everythings open nothing's crowded .. TONS of ancient history (statues, ruins, BEST tiny museum in Cyclades), lots of good tavernas with authentic food,most of them half the price of Santorini, same goes for lodgings. In May suggest u stay at beach adjacent to town, St. George Beach .. lovely for dawn walks, and at night an easy stroll to portside cafes & nightlife. Naxos also has a company that runs dedicated excursion vessel for day trips to Santorini, to Delos-Mykonos, and small offshore islands. You can also get a late morning 1-hr ferry to Paros & stay until 9 pm return ferry ... OR, yu could leave Naxos 2 days early and stay those 2 nights on AntiParos, just off the Paros Port & a real quiet charmer. U can return to mainland via flight (only 1-2 per day) or Blue Star ferry.
Where you are misinformed is thinking you can use an island as a "base". It doesn't work that way because the regular ferry lines are not designed for t he convenience of day-trippers... thus you cannot go early & have a long day on an island: even Paros is not reachable until nearly noon. That "base" idea seems to orginate with people who stay in N. Italy, Tuscany etc. In that country you can get a villa, drive 20-30 miles in a different direction each day, and be home for dinner. On Greek islands, if you drive 30 miles in any direction, you fall into the sea & drown (LOL)
To see a number of islands, you visit one for a few days (don't unpack all the way), then pick up your bag and hop to the next island. That's why they call it "island hopping" instead of "Island basing."
Whatever you call it, mid-May to Mid-June is THE most heavenly time to be in the Greek isles. Temps are perfect, water is "Brisk" but swimmable, and it's a bargain... because for every day you get a day & a half (the sun doesn't set until after 8:30, it's light until nearly 9:30). Enjoy!
Naxos is your perfect island to answer your criteria ... 15 miles of golden sand beaches all in a row ... dramatic inland mountain scenery & villages ... large permanent populations, farming, so not over-touristy despite its attractions. In May everythings open nothing's crowded .. TONS of ancient history (statues, ruins, BEST tiny museum in Cyclades), lots of good tavernas with authentic food,most of them half the price of Santorini, same goes for lodgings. In May suggest u stay at beach adjacent to town, St. George Beach .. lovely for dawn walks, and at night an easy stroll to portside cafes & nightlife. Naxos also has a company that runs dedicated excursion vessel for day trips to Santorini, to Delos-Mykonos, and small offshore islands. You can also get a late morning 1-hr ferry to Paros & stay until 9 pm return ferry ... OR, yu could leave Naxos 2 days early and stay those 2 nights on AntiParos, just off the Paros Port & a real quiet charmer. U can return to mainland via flight (only 1-2 per day) or Blue Star ferry.
Where you are misinformed is thinking you can use an island as a "base". It doesn't work that way because the regular ferry lines are not designed for t he convenience of day-trippers... thus you cannot go early & have a long day on an island: even Paros is not reachable until nearly noon. That "base" idea seems to orginate with people who stay in N. Italy, Tuscany etc. In that country you can get a villa, drive 20-30 miles in a different direction each day, and be home for dinner. On Greek islands, if you drive 30 miles in any direction, you fall into the sea & drown (LOL)
To see a number of islands, you visit one for a few days (don't unpack all the way), then pick up your bag and hop to the next island. That's why they call it "island hopping" instead of "Island basing."
Whatever you call it, mid-May to Mid-June is THE most heavenly time to be in the Greek isles. Temps are perfect, water is "Brisk" but swimmable, and it's a bargain... because for every day you get a day & a half (the sun doesn't set until after 8:30, it's light until nearly 9:30). Enjoy!
Oct 15th, 2015, 05:25 PM
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Thanks so much, Happy Traveler, for the information. Do you know how long the time the journey from Samos to Mykonos takes and then the one from Mykonos to Naxos? Do you think it is possible to get from Samos to Naxos in one day?
Oct 15th, 2015, 06:52 PM
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You can look up ferry schedule on your own.
http://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp
You will not see schedule for next May. In fact, you will not see reliable schedule until about a month ahead. Even, so there are last minutes changes.
Just use the day of the week next week. The May schedule would be more frequent and on more days of the week plus some seasonal only routes. You can get the relative frequencies as well as travel times.
http://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp
You will not see schedule for next May. In fact, you will not see reliable schedule until about a month ahead. Even, so there are last minutes changes.
Just use the day of the week next week. The May schedule would be more frequent and on more days of the week plus some seasonal only routes. You can get the relative frequencies as well as travel times.
Oct 15th, 2015, 07:17 PM
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It was not happy traveler who told you about the Samos-Mykonos-Naxos route, it was me, Travelerjan.
It MAY be possible to get to Naxos in 1 day but don't count on it. May is the most "iffy" month of all, because it's when lines change from Winter to Summer schedules, and also when they take boats off for maintenance.
As Greg said, you cannot get the May schedule from Gtp.gr until Spring. What you CAN do is get an idea of the schedule by using this ferry search site, http://www.openseas.gr/en/index.html which has a handy "roll-back" feature enabling you to see what the schedule was in May 2015. Here's how to work it:
Put in your 2 ports (Samos-Vathi) and Mykonos On the Departure slot, u will see a little calendar box. Click it & up pops an October calendar with arrows at the top. Click the Left-hand arrow, and calendar rolls backward, till you reach May. Then click the DAY of the WEEK when you want to sail (not the date; the 2016 DATE will be different). Let's say you want the second Tuesday. In 2016 that would be May 12, but in 2015 it was May 14, so click on 14th. If it shows no sailing, click the boxes underneath: "Previous Day" and "Next Day" until you find a day with a boat. Then do the same with "Mykonos" and "Naxos". She when the Samos boat arrives in Mykonos, and whether that's before the Naxos-bound boat departs. That's all there is to it. And if the connection doesn't work, that means a night in Mykonos. But hey! This is the Greek Isles, it's ALL good.
It MAY be possible to get to Naxos in 1 day but don't count on it. May is the most "iffy" month of all, because it's when lines change from Winter to Summer schedules, and also when they take boats off for maintenance.
As Greg said, you cannot get the May schedule from Gtp.gr until Spring. What you CAN do is get an idea of the schedule by using this ferry search site, http://www.openseas.gr/en/index.html which has a handy "roll-back" feature enabling you to see what the schedule was in May 2015. Here's how to work it:
Put in your 2 ports (Samos-Vathi) and Mykonos On the Departure slot, u will see a little calendar box. Click it & up pops an October calendar with arrows at the top. Click the Left-hand arrow, and calendar rolls backward, till you reach May. Then click the DAY of the WEEK when you want to sail (not the date; the 2016 DATE will be different). Let's say you want the second Tuesday. In 2016 that would be May 12, but in 2015 it was May 14, so click on 14th. If it shows no sailing, click the boxes underneath: "Previous Day" and "Next Day" until you find a day with a boat. Then do the same with "Mykonos" and "Naxos". She when the Samos boat arrives in Mykonos, and whether that's before the Naxos-bound boat departs. That's all there is to it. And if the connection doesn't work, that means a night in Mykonos. But hey! This is the Greek Isles, it's ALL good.
Oct 16th, 2015, 06:03 AM
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I don't think that there will be any (Hellenic Seaways) ferry from Samos to Naxos in May. It's a seasonal line.
I don't think that the timetables of May-June 2015 will be a big help (at this time, NEL Lines got bankrupt and there was no service at all until Hellenic Seaways took over end June).
I don't think that the timetables of May-June 2015 will be a big help (at this time, NEL Lines got bankrupt and there was no service at all until Hellenic Seaways took over end June).
Oct 16th, 2015, 06:23 AM
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Neckerd, I did not rely on NEL. Last year's schedule shows that Hellenic DID provide 2x a week from Vathi to Mykonos in May. check OpenSeas. Maybe they were using one of the NEL vessels sold to them??? The schedule says Hellenic.
Oct 16th, 2015, 06:34 AM
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Thanks to everyone who posted. My apologies, travelerjan, for missing the mark on who posted what. I have two other questions: 1) Do you think it would be easier to have our trip start in Greece and go to Turkey and so we would be traveling from Mykonos to Samos rather than Samos to Mykonos? 2) You mentioned in your first post/reply "that supposing we did actually find our way to Ephesus". Are you thinking it will be tough to get to Ephesus from Istanbul?
Again, thanks for all of the information.
Again, thanks for all of the information.
Oct 16th, 2015, 08:08 AM
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Jan: I don't check anything, I believe you. I only remember that the timetables of FB Theophilos and FB Mitilini were never approved and disappeared somewhen in June and that before 2015, Samos bound boats went usually directly from Syros to Karlovasi in low season.
But things seem to have changed and I'm no longer up to date. sorry!
As to Hellenic Seaways, it must have been FB Nissos Mykonos or FB Nissos Rhodos. I don't think that Theofilos, Mitilini and Taxiarchis, all 30-40 years old, will reappear in the Mediterranean.
But things seem to have changed and I'm no longer up to date. sorry!
As to Hellenic Seaways, it must have been FB Nissos Mykonos or FB Nissos Rhodos. I don't think that Theofilos, Mitilini and Taxiarchis, all 30-40 years old, will reappear in the Mediterranean.
Oct 16th, 2015, 04:01 PM
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neckerd, the boat was Nissos Mykonos. I knew someone who took it in May.
Mark, leave your trip the way it is. About getting from Istanbul to Ephesus. here's the best website I've found for travel in Turkey http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/index.html ... VERY informative. Where u need to get is Kusadasi, next to Ephesus, in order to hop to Samos. There ARE busses, but many people choose to do domestic flight to Bodrum. Given Turkey's current situation vis-a-vis Syrian refugees crossing the country to reach the coast .... I'd wonder about busses, myself.
Mark, leave your trip the way it is. About getting from Istanbul to Ephesus. here's the best website I've found for travel in Turkey http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/index.html ... VERY informative. Where u need to get is Kusadasi, next to Ephesus, in order to hop to Samos. There ARE busses, but many people choose to do domestic flight to Bodrum. Given Turkey's current situation vis-a-vis Syrian refugees crossing the country to reach the coast .... I'd wonder about busses, myself.
