Greek Island Hopping
Greek island hopping is a type of vacation in Greece, during which the traveller goes from one island to another to see as many Greek islands as possible. The Greek islands have two characteristics that make island hopping easy. They are divided into several groups, and the distance between them inside the group is very short. Moreover, all year long, ferry and boat routes are scheduled many times per week to allow the local people of the islands to have contact with mainland Greece. Some boat routes, especially to borderline islands of Dodecanese, are subsidised by the Greek state, and thus, the tickets are very cheap.
The distance between the islands of each group can be less than one hour, and many travellers choose to visit more Greek islands during their vacation in Greece, especially in summer, when the itinerary of the ferries and boats offers the possibility to go from one island to another several times within a day. Many maritime companies and booking platforms in Greece offer island passes so that travellers do not have to pay separate tickets but can buy one pass and have flexibility for the routes and schedule at affordable prices.
The ferry companies in Greece with the most inter-island connections are Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways, Sea Jets, Golden Star Ferries, Aegean Speed Lines, Zante Ferries, Fast Ferries and Ionian Group.
Most routes of these companies start from the busiest maritime port for passenger transport, Piraeus, but there are also other starting points, such as the ports of Rafina and Lavrion in Athens, the ports of Patras and Killini in Western Greece, the port of Volos in Thessaly and the port of Thessaloniki, depending on the group of islands located in close proximity to the port.
Groups of islands
When people refer to Greek Island Hopping (see, for example, inter alios Rick Steves and Wikitravel), they divide the islands into distinct clusters. This categorisation comes not only from the administrative regions of Greece, but also from the fact that the islands of each group have unique characteristics that distinguish them from the islands of other groups.
Greek islands are located in the Ionian Sea and Aegean Sea. In the Ionian Sea, is situated the group of Ionian Islands, while in the Aegean Sea are situated the groups of Cyclades, Dodecanese and northern Aegean islands. Part of the Aegean Sea is also the Argosaronic Gulf with the Saronic islands near Athens and the Pagasetic Gulf with Sporades. The distance between the islands of the same group is very short, so that visitors to Greece can choose one group and spend their vacation exploring more islands.
Each group has both popular, touristic islands and untouched, virgin islands. According to The Travelers’ Choice of Trip Advisor for 2016, the best islands in Greece are Zakynthos, Corfu and Kefalonia in the Ionian islands, Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos and Milos in the Cyclades, Rhodes in the Dodecanese, Skiathos in the Sporades and Crete.
The Greek Ministry of Tourism and the Greek National Tourism Organisation promote several campaigns every year that aim to present Greece as a touristic destination for all seasons. In these campaigns, the Greek islands and the possibility they offer for island-hopping play a key role.
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are located on the western side of Greece, in the Ionian Sea, which is part of the Adriatic Sea. These islands are Kythira, Zakynthos (or Zante), Kefalonia, Ithaca, Lefkada, Corfu and Paxi. They are characterised by lush greenery, verdant nature, long sandy beaches with emerald waters and Italian-style architecture, as they were under Venetian rule for 4 centuries.
Cyclades
Cyclades are located on the southern side of Greece, in the part of the Aegean Sea that stretches from Athens to Crete. Some of these islands, like Kythnos, Kea, Serifos, Andros and Tinos, are located very close to Athens (1–3 hours by ferry), while some others are located in the southern part of the Aegean Sea near Crete, such as Santorini, Amorgos and Anafi. Western Cyclades are Sifnos, Milos, Kimolos, Folegandros and Sikinos, while in the middle of the Aegean Sea are located famous Greek Cycladic islands, such as Mykonos, Paros, Antiparos, Syros, Ios and Naxos. Near Naxos, is situated the subgroup of Small Cyclades (Koufonisia, Donousa, Schoinoussa, Irakleia), with tiny unspoiled and authentic islands. Cyclades are distinguished by dry nature, strong winds, constant sunshine, whitewashed houses, long and rich history as well as secluded beaches with turquoise waters.
Dodecanese
The group of Dodecanese Islands is located on the eastern-southern side of the Aegean Sea, in close proximity to Turkey. These islands are Astypalaia, Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Kastellorizo, Halki, Nisyros, Kos, Leipsoi, Karpathos, Kasos, Kalymnos, Leros and Patmos. The characteristics of these islands are their hospitality and authentic character, the deep blue sea waters, the neoclassical architecture and the significant historical sites.
North Aegean Islands
The islands in the northern Aegean Sea are Chios, Lesbos, Samos, Ikaria, Fournoi, Psara, Lemnos, Agios Efstratios and Oinousses. Chios, Lesbos, Samos, Ikaria and Limnos are large islands with touristic facilities, while the other islands are untouched destinations offering total privacy. They share the same characteristics with Dodecanese islands and are also located very close to Turkey.
Saronic Islands
The Saronic Islands are located in close proximity to Athens (1–2 hours by ferry) in the Saronic Gulf. These islands are Salamis, Aegina, Agistri and Poros. Hydra and Spetses are not technically located in the Saronic Gulf, but they are sometimes included in the Saronic islands. They are characterised by crystal-clear sea waters, lush greenery with pine trees, important historical sites and neoclassical architecture.
Sporades
Sporades are located in the Pagasetic Gulf near the town of Volos in Thessaly. These islands are Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonnisos and Skyros. Their characteristics are verdant nature, traditional towns and impressive beaches.
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