Greece island hopping

Lindsey, You might find it helpful to have a look at This Website as there's LOTS of information there on travelling in Greece. I visited some of the islands last year, and used one of the Greek Travel Agencies recommended on the website to plan my visit, including Ferries, Transfers and Hotels. It took a bit of time to get everything arranged, but I was very pleased with the service they provided. How many islands are you planning to visit? You'll probably find it easier to arrange transportation if you choose islands which are in the same "group" (ie: The Cyclades). I arranged my last stop to be on Santorini, as it has an airport which made it easier to travel to my next destination. Good luck with your planning!

If you're going to use a travel agent go with one based in Athens so you have a local to help you if you run into trouble. Fantasy Travel and Dolphin-Hellas Travel are the two Greek agencies most widely-used by visitors. They can tailor an itinerary to your exact needs and wishes. Both have websites and both are known for their reliability and follow-through.

Hello. My husband and I took a Tauck cruise/bus tour of Greece and Turkey, in September. It was 7 days on the boat and 6 days on land. Tauck does a great job. There were protests in Athens, but they didn't bother us. The Tauck tour people are outstanding in their planining and safety issues. You can't go wrong with Tauck. Our tour directors were wonderful. We started in Athens, went to the Greek isles and ended up in Istanbul. We didn't like Istanbul though. Had we known so many people smoke there, we would have never gone to Turkey. It was disgusting. So many people like Turkey, but we are not those people. We have friends who were on an Oceania cruise in Turkey, the same time we were there. They went to Israel on their tour also. They didn't like Istanbul either. Elaine

If you are looking for a tour company because they can help you plan your trip, that makes sense. There are a lot of options in Greece, and if you don't have time to do your own research, an agency can help. But if you're looking at a tour company because you want an ally in the country in case of riots and instability, I don't think it's necessary. You will find the Greek people are your allies. The hotel owners and local island travel/ferry agents have always been very helpful to me. If you have a problem, they will do whatever necessary to help you solve it. Tourists are their lifeblood, and they want to keep us happy and coming back. And almost everyone speaks English. The islands listed in the Greek isles tour by Mediterra Holidays are all relatively large and busy. To find the "real" Greece that I love, I would hope you would include at least one smaller, less touristy island in your trip. I think a great first trip to Greece would be to fly into Athens, and directly to an island (probably Santorini). Then island hop, by ferry, through the Cyclades islands back to Athens. You can easily do all of this on your own. And there are lots of people on this Helpline who would be happy to answer your questions as they come up.

Lindsey, we can help you most, if you give a little more info, such as your age range. Group tours tend to trend older. Also, because people want to cram the most into a short time, they are often a bit rushed and regimented ("bags outside yr door at 6 am" "meet back at the bus in 30 mins" etc). If you want to be more flexible & relaxed, D-I-Y is the way to go yet I appreciate your worries about possible transport hitches, etc (please do not say "riot" that was never the case media like CNN distort actual demonstrations. there is no "danger"). If you are 60+ and want a quality tour, look at "Road Scholar" (formerly Elderhostel) "essence of Greek Isles" gives enough time at each stop; not cheap, but worthwhile. Otherwise, as noted, Greece-based agency is best solution arranges flights, ferries, hotels, transfers at YOUR pace to YOUR isle choices. To the 2 noted, add Aegean Thesaurus. Contact all 3 saying when u want to go, how many days you have, your budget limits, preferred islands and how many days u want on each (advise 3 days min). see who answers fastest, compare. NOTE: agencies often say Santorini & Mykonos, they think Americans demand the 2; but don't be copycat; do some homework. Your library has terrific "overview" guide "Eyewitness: the Greek Isles" that illustrates Isle hi-lights AND shows the ones that link up best for a tour. Example: Paros (or Naxos) - Santorini - Milos or Sifnos NOT Santorini - Corfu -Patmos (impossible). Good luck & happy planning!