Island hopping in Greece is highly recommended. Everyone is familiar with the complete sun holidays offered on Tui or Sunweb but so much more is possible. After all, Greece is huge and with more than 200 inhabited islands, it is ideal for island hopping. Many islands have been popular holiday destinations for years such as Santorini, Zakyntos and Mykonos but also unknown islands such as Sifnos and Milos are worthwhile. But how does island hopping in Greece work, how do you plan such a trip and what budget should you consider? Read on quickly as we explain it all to you below!
General information on Greece
Are you working on a travel plan for Greece? Then check out our tips for the best travel period, daily budget and transport to and in Greece. You can find all information about Greece here.
This is how to island hop in Greece
Let's start with the fact that island hopping in Greece is suitable for all types of travellers and for every budget. With millions of visitors every year, there is a suitable accommodation, activity and restaurant for everyone. In addition, transport is incredibly well organised and you have several options.
Step 1: Choose the islands you want to visit.
Greece consists of hundreds of inhabited islands and thousands of uninhabited islands. All these islands in turn belong to different island groups. We list four different island groups below to give you a direction. If you choose a particular island group, you can then choose between which islands you want to island hop.
Island hopping among the Cyclades islands in Greece.
Last summer, we went island-hopping among the Cyclades islands. These are the most famous and perhaps the most beautiful islands in Greece. The Cyclades, is a group of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea which lie below Athens. Some of the islands belonging to the Cyclades islands are: Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos, Ios, Paros, Milos and Sifnos.
Read also: Island hopping among the Cyclades islands, 3-week round trip
Read also: 10x The best Instagram photospots in Santorini, Greece (with map)
Island hopping at the Ionian Islands in Greece.
The Ionian Islands can be found west of Greece near Albania. The seven largest islands are: Corfu, Lefkas, Zakynthos, Ithaka, Kefalonia, Pazi, Zakynthos and Kythira.
Island hopping at the Dodecanese islands in Greece.
The Dodecanese islands lie off the coast of Turkey. This archipelago includes an awful lot of islands. The best-known islands are Karpathos, Kos and Rhodes.
Island hopping at the Northern Sporades in Greece.
The Northern Sporades can be found in the north-western Aegean Sea. We must honestly say that we had not heard of this before. You'll find the islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos, among others.
Can't decide? Then take a look at our itinerary: Island hopping among the Cyclades islands, 3-week round trip (END ONLINE).
Tip: Do you find it a bit complicated to arrange an island hop holiday yourself? Then take a look at well-known travel organisations such as Tui or Sunweb. You can book complete island hopping holidays here. You will find several options at the bottom of this blog!
Step 2: Book a plane ticket to Greece.
Once you've chosen the islands, it's time to book your plane ticket. You can fly to a number of Greek islands but unfortunately not to all of them. So it is important to take this into account when planning your trip. In addition, keep in mind that in high season, prices can go up a lot. It may then be cheaper to book a plane ticket to Athens and take a ferry from there to one of the islands. We booked our tickets at Transavia.
Tip: Always compare available flight tickets. We use Google Flights or Skyscanner.
Step 3: Book your own hotel via booking.com
Once again, island hopping in Greece is suitable for all types of travellers. In Greece, and incredibly affordable accommodation can be found. At booking.com you can find accommodations for many islands.
Tip: You can easily save money by not eating out every day. We booked accommodation with private kitchens during our tour of the Cyclades islands.
Tip: We often book our accommodations 1-2 days in advance. Going in high season? Bear in mind that your accommodation may be fully booked. So always make sure you have several options or book your accommodation far in advance.
Step 4: Arrange your ferry tickets.
You can book your ferry tickets in several ways.
Buy ticket at the port: The first option is to book your ticket on the spot. We bought a ticket at the port each time, a day before we left. This gives you complete freedom to leave an island earlier or later. Besides, it is also the cheapest option. It saves you several euros each time compared to the price indicated online. However, we did look for the sailing schedule online in advance via directferries.co.uk.
Directferries.co.uk: We used the website directferries.co.uk when looking for the right ferry. You can see on this website when, how often and with which company you can book a ferry ticket. We always chose the cheapest option. It may take you longer but it often saves you hundreds of euros.
Tip: If you book a ticket through direct ferries, you still need to have the official boarding pass printed out at a ticket office at the port. Just the confirmation e-mail is not enough to get on the boat. Printing out an official boarding pass can vary from €1 to €€5.
Interrail.eu: The last option is island hopping via Interrail Greek Island pass from interrail.eu. You can then use several ferries with one pass. There are two types of passes. Check the website to see which Greek Island Pass from Interrail.eu best suits your travel plans.
Step 5: Arrange your own transport.
As soon as we arrive somewhere, arranging our own transport is one of our priorities. After all, it gives you the freedom to go whenever you want. You can easily rent a quad, scooter, motorbike or car through your hotel or from one of the many rental shops. Depending on the season, you should consider the following prices.
| Car | €25+ euro |
| Quad (ATV) | €25 - €45 |
| Engine | €18 - €30 |
| Scooter | €15 - €19 |
*Prices depend on the model, number of days and location where you rent.
*The more days you rent, the more discount you can expect.
Are you travelling in high season? Then arrange your transport in advance and opt for a car. This is because during the high season it is incredibly busy and hot, which means you can definitely appreciate an air conditioner. If you want to be 100% sure this is done right, book your car with well-known companies such as Sunnycars.co.uk. With Sunnycars.co.uk, you pay an all-in rental fee and therefore you won't face any crazy surprises when you pick up your car at the airport or port. In many places in Greece you can rent a car via Sunnycars.co.uk rent a car.
Book complete island-hopping holidays
We understand that not everyone immediately thinks; Yes, let's go. Do you still find it a bit complicated to arrange an island hop holiday yourself? Then take a look at well-known travel organisations such as Tui or Sunweb. You can book complete island hopping holidays here.
- TUI.co.uk: 15-day fly-drive surprising Cyclades - Mykonos, Naoussa, Naxos, Kamari.
- TUI.co.uk: 8-day fly-drive island hopping Iconic Islands - Zakynthos, Kefalonia AND Ithaca.
- TUI.co.uk: 8-day fly-drive Mykonos & Santorini.
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