My DW would like to go to some of the Greek Islands. I was thinking July of 2019.

Unfortunately, she and boat travel do not get along due to sea sickness.
Is there an itinerary that minimizes travel on water. A half hour trip is ideal, an hour may be doable on calm seas, We don't need to see the best or the most popular. I just want to be able to give her a taste. She likes walking in small towns, beaches, history but is open to anything.

Plane travel is ok on larger planes but puddle jumpers can be problematic. I was think of Crete if the travel time by boat was too long to the islands.
Thanks for any advice on sea sickness but she has tried them all.

Thanks for your thoughts

Corfu would be a very short boat ride. combine with Olympia and ancient Corinth on mainland perhaps. If you fly to Istanbul there are some nice Greek islands right off the Turkish coast.

First of atl, timing ... since I'm guessing you are from the US, I would suggest mid June rather than July, unless July is the only possibility. In both July-August All of Europe jumps into Jumbo Jets and invades the most popular Greek islands ... and you won't have the maximum enjoyment. June is much better.

A VERY easy island to access, with NO rough seas, is just outside Athens .... it's called Aegina (sometmes spelled Egina, and pronounced EGGina). Important: Go there from M - F because its so convenient that Athenians swarm there on the weekend. I've been there in early June weekdays, quite serene, would be fine later in month too, on weekdays.

GETTING TO PORT - Very easy to access from Athens. If you're staying in Central Athens first for a bit of sightseeing, you can simply get the GREEN LINE Metro to the Port of Pireaus & buy a ticket at any of the agencies lining the seafront. If you are coming straight from the Airport, just as easy! there is Now a Suburban train that leaves across from Airport and gets to Piraeus in under an hour Piraeus port getting direct rail link to Athens Airport | News | ekathimerini.com.

WHICH FERRY? - 2 types of Ferries serve Aegina. AVOID the HYDROFOIL. You are stuck inside, in a specific seat, no outside deck, and salt-sprayed windows don't even afford a view. There are fewer Sailings of CONVENTIONAL FERRY, but these are the ones to take (You can see a typical schedule for this year by going to this -- https://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp -- and putting in the 2 ports (Piraeus & Egina), and "any" day for "6" month, and 2018. You'll see regular ferries are outbound about 3 x a day, in the AM, noon, midafternoon, and inbound at 10, 2 and about 6pm. Trip takes about 1 hour, very large vessel (like a small liner) so very stable, glides along, you do not feel any motion at all! , wide-open decks where you can sit and enjoy the seascape -- huge boats, tiny sailboats, cruise ships, gulls, even a dolphin? This super photo album shows a step-by-step visit to Aegina https://www.flickr.com/photos/362647...646139/detail/ on just such a ferry, so you'll know exactly what you'd get and what you'd see.

WHERE TO STAY/ WHAT to DO -- The One-Day activity included seeing the famous monastery (and enjoying the fabulous flowers of June), plus the Awesome mid-island Temple of Aphaia, then going to Ag. Marina beach for lunch. That's OK for a daytrip, but for people staying a bit longer that beach I find is sorta narrow .... Marathonas is better & has some nice & friendly accommodations. This place, La Palma La Palma Marathonas A - AEGINAGREECE.com has a cafe right on the sand, and beside it several small buildings w accommodation. If you're staying 3-4 days, you probably would want to rent a car for part of the time. If you need an automatic-shift car, it would be wise, after you book lodgings, to ask your hotelier to arrange an automatic. And since I see you've traveled to Europe before, I assume you know to go to AAA and pick up a International Driving Permit (no test).

Not sure what you mean by a puddle jumper— does that include regional jets like the Airbus 320 series? If not, you can fly from Athens to all the larger islands, e.g. Crete and Rhodes. Smaller islands are often served by turboprops, which certainly fit your definition of puddle jumpers. It's even possible to fly from one island to another by connecting flights via Athens, and sometimes the combined airfare is surprisingly low. I wouldn't count on that for July, though. Check on the Aegean Airlines website for flights, and when you click on the flight number a little box will appear showing the type of aircraft. https://en.aegeanair.com

www.skyscanner.com is good for local flights in Europe that do not show up on many of the transcontinental search sites.