![]() ![]() Hotels will say, “yes, very close, we drive there together” and then once you get there you realize you’re not walking distance to the beach or main villages. ![]() These are nearly always legit, decent places to stay. In high season the owners of small and budget hotels will meet most ferry arrivals with offers of cheap accommodations. The best way to save money is to make fewer stops (choose 2 or 3 islands and explore them more thoroughly instead of hitting a half-dozen islands each for a night or two). Cheap Island Hoppingįerry tickets in Greece are not expensive but not as cheap as they used to be. The Greek islands with the most flights are Santorini, Mykonos, Crete (both Heraklion and Chania airports), Rhodes, Kos, and Corfu. For example, fly into Athens, ferry through the Cyclades and onwards to Crete, then fly from Crete to western Europe (and home) – there’s no need to return to Athens to get your return flight. If possible try to fly into Greece and out of Greece from different airports to save yourself the time, hassle, and expense of backtracking. The closest Cycladic island (the best island group for island hopping) is 3 or 4 hours from Athens by ferry – and from there the magic begins. Greek Island Hopping from AthensĪthens makes a natural start or finish to Greek island hopping. The best Greek islands make an awesome honeymoon destination. It doesn’t get much more fun and romantic than bouncing from Mykonos (great nightlife) to Naxos (great beaches) to Santorini (jaw-dropping scenery). For cheaper hotels and other smaller islands you have more flexibility and last-minute bookings are possible. The best Santorini hotels, Mykonos hotels, Crete hotels, Paros hotels, and Athens hotels get fully booked 4 to 8 months in advance. The Cyclades – a collection of wonderful small islands that are connected by short frequent ferry routes – makes the best island group for first-time island hoppers. For example, to get from Santorini to Rhodes you may need to ferry to Mykonos and then catch a different ferry onwards to Rhodes. To get from one island group to another requires a bit more planning. But there aren’t ferries between every Greek island. From late May to early October, there are ferry connections between most islands in an island group (the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, the Sporades, the Saronic islands, the Ionian islands) and from Crete to the Cyclades. Your route is only bound by the ferry schedule. For Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete it’s usually better to book tours in advance. Smaller islands also have their own tours but are typically best booked after arrival. These are day trips from or around each island. I highly recommend doing one of the wonderful Santorini tours, Crete tours, or Mykonos tours. Ferry tickets need to be booked for each leg of every itinerary and there is no discount for return tickets or multiple-stop tickets. There are no ferry passes for Greece (though Eurail does include some ferry passes for some of their European train passes). You get better hotels, better choice of flights, better prices, and a better experience by booking hotels, flights, and ferries on your own. It’s fun and easy to book your own trip – and much more rewarding. The best websites for booking a Greek holiday are (for hotels) It’s much better to island hop on your own. Getting around by ferry, sea bus, and water taxi is all part of the fun.
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