Popular island hopping itineraries

9.0 Popular island hopping itineraries

9.1 Island hopping in the Cyclades

Recommended Cyclades island hopping route: Mykonos – Naxos – Santorini

Ferry travel times:

Naxos to Santorini: Fast ferry: 1hr 35 min Conventional ferry: 2hrs

Santorini to Mykonos: Fast ferry: 3hrs 10 min

Ferry travel normally possible all year but fast ferries are normally in the summer months only. Separate ferries can be taken between Santorini and Mykonos at other times.

Mykonos

There are two ports on this island; the old port and the new port. The old port is in town and only a few of the smaller fast ferries now dock here. The new port is a bit outside town but can be reached by bus or taxi but many hotels will offer a free transfer. A free transfer can be well worth it especially in the summer when finding a place on the bus, or an available taxi, can be difficult.

While knowing what port you will leave from may be confusing for tourists, all hotel-owners and taxi drivers will know what port to go to. However, this will depend on the ship name, not the name of the company. Some companies will use both ports with their smaller vessels going to the old port. Therefore, it’s well worth noting your ship name and having this ready if organising a transfer.

Mykonos is famous for its nightlife. You might go out for dinner from 8pm but the nightlife really gets going from midnight to dawn. Most of the beach-bars also turn into impromptu night-clubs as dawn approaches. Luckily, if you want to escape to somewhere more peaceful, many islands are just a short hop away, including Santorini and Naxos.

8.4 Santorini

Athinos port is located about 15 minutes from the main town of Fira. There is a bus service, but when arriving in the summer finding a seat can be very difficult with many people rushing to board. Orderly queues don’t generally happen in Greece. It can also be equally hard to find a taxi and therefore if you can organise a transfer, this is often the simplest and best option.

Santorini is famous throughout the world to such an extent that many tourists may know Santorini but may not know it’s in Greece. Santorini draws tourists from all over the globe with its stunning caldera views. The island is also now commonly believed to be the mythical island of Atlantis. Remnants of the amazingly accomplished pre-historic Minoan civilization, supports this view.

While Santorini may have great beaches, it’s not exactly famous for them. Luckily other islands are just a short hop away including Naxos.

8.5 Naxos

Naxos is the biggest island in the Cyclades and has become very popular in recent years. It’s famous for its large pristine beaches like Plaka beach. It’s so long that even in the peak season, at some points, you may find only a handful of people. It’s also famous for its agriculture and therefore its food. There’s not much nightlife on this island but this is more than made up for the quality and number of tavernas.

9.2 Island hopping in the Dodecanese

The second biggest island group in terms of passenger numbers are the Dodecanese. ‘Dodeka’ is the Greek word for twelve and here there are twelve large islands, and about 150 smaller ones. As many of the islands are close together, it’s ideally suited for ferry hopping and you can also hop over to neighbouring Turkey for a day out.

Recommended Dodecanese island hopping route: Rhodes – Tilos – Symi

Ferry travel times:

Rhodes to Tilos: Conventional ferry: 2hrs

Tilos to Symi: Conventional ferry: 1hr 40 min (one sailing per week)

Symi to Rhodes: Fast ferry: 50 min Conventional Ferry: 1hr 25 min

Ferry travel normally possible all year but the Tilos to Symi route and fast ferries may only be available in the summer.

Rhodes

Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese islands and it has one of the biggest airports in Greece. With regular flights from the UK from carriers like Ryanair, EasyJet and Norwegian, it’s an ideal place to start or finish a tour of the Dodecanese islands.

There are four ports in Rhodes. Kolana port is the port for ferries to the other Dodecanese islands and is in the city of Rhodes in the old town. Kameiros Port on the west of the Island also serves the island of Halki. There are also other ports serving cruise ships and international routes to Turkey.

Taxis are available from Kolana port as are busses and you can buy tickets on the bus or before boarding. If there’s not a crazy rush to get on, then it sometimes is worth waiting until close to your departure time as the air-conditioning might only be switched on last minute.

Rhodes may be famous for Faliraki and the club 18-30 crowd but this island, a bit like Crete, really does have it all. You’ll find miles of pristine sandy beaches in the exterior, mountains and forests in the interior and of course castles and churches galore. And there’s also one of the finest medieval towns in the Mediterranean.

Tilos

Livadia is the island’s port and the largest settlement – but not the capital. However, it is still very much a village. Most islands started off with their capitals in the interior to protect themselves against pirates – but with the advent of tourism, this changed. Tilos stayed the same. In fact, so little has Tilos changed, that nowadays the entire island is recognised as an ecological park. Tilos is a walker’s paradise, with verdant hills dotted with flowers and wild herbs.

Getting off the ferry, you’ll find there is no port as such. Instead you’re left right in the centre of the village of Livadia. So small and scenic is the village, in fact, that the visiting ferries can often look like an anachronism - a Greek word meaning against (ana) time (chrono).

To get around, there’s only one bus route going to some of the main sites and you can also hire a car, moped or bike.

Symi

The port and main town share the name of the island but is divided into two halves. The most beautiful half - Gialós, is where the ferry port is. Here, two and three storey stone houses crowd the harbour – reminiscent of a Venetian village. Each red-tiled house vibrantly painted in shades of indigo, ochre and terracotta. The vista is dominated by the old clock tower. There are few ferry approaches in Greece as stunning as the approach to the island of Symi.

To get around, there are a few buses and a few taxis which you can find near the harbour. There are also water taxis going to the nearby beaches to save you the trouble of taking a bus or walking.

There is also another port on the other side of the island - Panormitis - the location of the island's famous monastery which is visited by people from all over the world. And from here there are ferries to and from Symi town – the chora.

9.3 Island hopping in the Sporades

Despite a modicum of recent fame, these islands remain off the beaten track. There are perhaps no greener group of islands in Greece. If you are used to the often desert-like landscapes of the Cyclades, you may be in for a shock when visiting the Sporades. These 24 islands lie in the northwest Aegean. Only four of the islands remain populated all year round; Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos and Skyros.

Recommended Sporades island hopping route: Skiathos – Skopelos – Alonisos

Ferry travel times:

Skiathos to Glossa (Loutraki): 20 minutes

Skiathos to Skopelos town: One hour

Skopelos town to Alonissos: 25 minutes

Alonissos to Skiathos: 1hr 20 min

Ferry travel normally possible all year.

Skiathos

Skiathos has an airport with regular connections from Athens and in the summer there are also direct charter flights from some smaller carriers like Thomson Airways. There are also regular ferries, year round, from the nearby port town of Volos. The crossing takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. It’s the perfect spot to start a tour of the Sporades.

The port of Skiathos is in Skiathos town and close to the picturesque old port area. There are busses and taxis available, but if you want to explore the unspoilt northern side of the island then you’re better off hiring a car – ideally a 4*4.

The island of Skiathos itself will certainly not disappoint if cosy tavernas, lush green mountains and pristine beaches are what you are after. If it’s clubbing nightlife you want though, the Sporades are possibly not for you.

Skopelos

The next destination on your itinerary should be Skopelos. Here there are actually two main ports. The closest port to Skiathos is on the west side of the island – the port of Loutraki. This port may also be called Glossa – after the nearest town. The second port is the main port and is in the town of Skopelos – the Chora. The ferry from Skiathos to Loutraki takes just twenty minutes but you’ll need an hour to get to Skopeolos town as the ferry goes all the way around the island.

Many people may know about Skopelos from the movie ‘Mama Mia’ which used Skopelos as a filming location. If you’ve seen the film, you’ll know all that Skopelos can offer – pristine beaches, of course, but most importantly – a slice of unspoiled Greece. Despite the popularity of the film, the island remains unspoilt and even in the high season you won’t find as many tourists as compared to some other islands.

Alonissos

Alonissos is the most remote of the Sporades islands and is home to the National Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades - the largest marine protected area in Europe. In fact, the marine park encompasses all of Alonissos island itself and its surrounding un-inhabited islands as well as the sea.

The main port of Alonnisos is called Patitiri and it’s also the largest village on the island. Boat trips to some neighbouring islands are permitted from Patitiri if you really want remoteness. From Patitiri, in the summer, there are busses to some of the main spots on the island. And of course taxis and car hire are available all year.

There are not too many holiday destinations situated in marine parks – let alone the largest in Europe, and so you can imagine how unspoilt a region this is. From Alonissos, it’s only an hour back by ferry to Skiathos to take your plane or ferry back to the mainland.

9.4 A note on taking a taxi to or from the port

While not strictly allowed by law, many taxi drivers will let passengers share a ride and charge each passenger separately for the same journey. Therefore, if you want to share the fare with other people going to the same place, make sure you talk to your fellow passengers before getting in and tell your taxi driver you are all together before you set off. This could lead to quite a saving.

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