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one month in greece

we want to spend a month in the greek islands from late april to late may 2014. would you recommend staying on 1 island for the duration, or perhaps go to some others. which would you recommend? we're in our 60's and very active. any tips on accomodations? we're just beginning to plan this trip and thought this might be a good place to start.
thanks for any help!

Posted by
3115 posts

A month is a lot of time. I go to Santorini for a month at a time. The last 2 trips I broke up the time by going to 2 other islands for a few days just to see something different and for a little adventure. But I've been going to Santorini since 1985. If this is your first trip you definitely should see at least one other island if not two. Pick islands that interest you based on what you can discover about their attractions. Get yourselves a copy of T. Cook's "Greek Island Hopping" to help you figure it out. I recommend picking islands in the same group as Santorini so you don't waste time in transit. Check out Paros and Antiparos, or Naxos and Ios, or any combination of these.

Posted by
1383 posts

Ronnie A month is a great length of time. It's enough to do two or three places and still feel like you've been in places long enough to really get to know them. We're around 60 and regular visitors. We really enjoy the more off the beaten track islands which have less tourists and more Greek life: Andros and Syros in particular have a lot of atmosphere and are good for walking or just strolling around. We've written a little bit about both of these on our website greekramblings.org.uk An advantage of Andros is that you can reach it from Rafina, the second port of Athens (after Piraeus) which is quite close to the airport. This means that you can do a circuit starting from Rafina, taking in any other islands and then returning to Piraeus at the end to visit Athens. We find this the best site for ferry schedules http://www.gtp.gr/ There won't be schedules for next year yet but the current ones will give you an idea of what is available. As for accommodation if we are going to be on an island for a while we like to get an apartment. It's nice to have the extra space and means we often have lunch in and save a bit of cash. We've recently been using airbnb a lot and have had some really nice places from their site. https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/Greece Cheers Alan PS Of course flying from Athens to Crete and then working your way back up would also be excellent!

Posted by
4 posts

thank you! your suggestions are helpful. keep them coming! i appreciate the time it takes to post tips.

Posted by
2119 posts

Another option would be to fly directly to Rhodes upon arriving in Athens, and then island-hop up the Dodecanese. You could do it without reservations (except for Rhodes ... I'd reserve the Attiki Hotel there) or advance tickets; just land on an island, spend a day or two or three depending on your interest, and then move on. You could call ahead to the next island the night before you leave, to secure your hotel. Or you could look around for hotels when you arrive on an island. On some islands, hotel owners meet the ferries looking for guests. We love these little islands; aside from Rhodes and Kos, most of them are very lightly traveled. We especially loved Nisyros (tiny island with an active but not erupting volcano that you can walk around inside). Fabulous food on Leros (where you can sleep in a windmill.) You could hop your way up to Samos, and then take a day trip to Ephesus in Turkey, and fly back to Athens from Samos. Be sure to be back in Athens at least 2 nights before your flight home. In addition to the T. Cook Island Hopping Book, use the Lonely Planet Greek Islands guidebook to help plan. Use http://www.gtp.gr/ to look at ferry schedules. The big Blue Star Ferries make regular runs two or three times a week to many island groups, including the Dodecanese. These routes are set further in advance than some of the small ferries, so are useful in planning a route. Its website: http://www.bluestarferries.com/site/content.asp?sel=624&loc=2 And be sure to pack light. You won't need (or want) to carry around a heavy suitcase.