A guide to island hopping in Greece

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Island hopping in Greece is on many people's bucket list. These tips from Lonely Planet will help make the most of your adventure.

In Greece, getting there really is half the adventure and island hopping remains an essential part of the Greek experience. Whether you’re sailing into a colourful harbour, listening to the pounding surf on a sun-drenched deck, or flying low over azure waters in a propeller-driven twin-engine plane, you will undoubtedly be filled with a sense of adventure.

Island highlights

Best for culture
Delos: A stunning archaeological site
Karpathos: Experience Olymbos’ Dorian-based culture
Patmos: See the cave where St John wrote the Book of Revelations
Rhodes: Roam around the medieval Old Town
Crete: Explore the Minoan palace of Knossos.

Best for activities
Mykonos: Dive with dolphins
Crete: Hike Europe’s longest gorge
Karpathos: Try world-class kite-surfing
Kefallonia: Kayak to a remote cove or beach.

Best during low season
Santorini: Watch gorgeous sunsets
Hydra: Escape from Athens
Crete: Medieval cities and mountain villages
Lesvos: Find yourself on this isolated island.

Best for drinking and dining
Santorini: Taste test at local wineries
Ios: Home to top restaurants
Ikaria: Seafood galore
Corfu: Braised meat, risottos and pasta.

Planning essentials
While the local laissez-faire attitude is worth emulating while island hopping, a little bit of planning can also take you a long way. Deciding where and when you want to go and getting your head around routes and schedules before you go will take the work out of your holiday.

Travelling in Greece is that much more enjoyable when you have room to be somewhat flexible and to go with the flow. While transport information is always vulnerable to change, it seems nowhere is this truer than in Greece. Everything from windy weather to striking workers mean planes and boats are regularly subject to delays and cancellations at short notice. Ferry and airline timetables change from year to year and season to season, with ferry companies often ‘winning’ contracts to operate different routes annually. When island hopping, it’s important to remember that no timetable is watertight.

When to go

High season
Over the Easter week and from June until September, lots of boats and planes connect the islands to one another and to the mainland. During this time, the tourist infrastructure is in full swing. However, transport and hotels can sometimes be booked up months in advance. Overnight ferries to and from Athens are best purchased at least a couple weeks in advance if you’re wanting anything more than deck class.

Low season
Out of high season, planning ahead is essential. The number of boats and planes is quite limited and many hoteliers and restaurant owners close shop and head to Athens. In the dead of winter, all but the most popular islands are virtually closed. Before heading off, always check that transport links are up running and book hotels to ensure that they’re open. And don’t go expecting a dip in the sea, unless you’re immune to cold water.

Shoulder season
April, May, September and October are excellent times to hop through the islands. The weather is spring-like; most accommodation, restaurants and sights are open; and transport – though slightly limited – makes it possible to reach most destinations. Most importantly, you won’t be fighting the crowds and everything is relatively cheap.

Travelling by sea

The fleet
With a network covering every inhabited island, the Greek ferry system is vast and varied. The slow rust-buckets that used to ply the seas are nearly a thing of the past. You’ll still find slow boats, but high-speed ferries are increasingly more common and cover most of the popular routes. Local ferries, excursion boats and tiny, private fishing boats called caïques often connect neighbouring islands and islets. You’ll also find water taxis that will take you to isolated beaches and coves. At the other end of the spectrum, hydrofoils and catamarans can cut down travel time drastically. Hydrofoils have seen their heyday but continue to link some of the more remote islands and island groups. Catamarans have taken to the sea in a big way, offering more comfort and coping better with poor weather conditions.

For long-haul ferry travel, it is still possible to board one of the slow boats chugging between the islands and to curl up on deck in your sleeping bag to save a night’s accommodation, but Greece’s domestic ferry scene has undergone a radical transformation in the past decade and these days you can also travel in serious comfort and at a decent speed. The trade off is, of course, that long-haul sea travel can be quite expensive. A bed for the night in a cabin from Piraeus to Rhodes can be more expensive than a discounted airline ticket.

Ticketing
As ferries are prone to delays and cancellations, for short trips it’s often best not to purchase a ticket until it has been confirmed that the ferry is leaving. During high season, or if you need to reserve a car space, you should book in advance. Many ferry companies have online booking services or you can purchase tickets from their local offices and most travel agents in Greece. Agencies selling tickets line the waterfront of most ports, but rarely is there one that sells tickets for every boat, and often an agency is reluctant to give you information about a boat they do not sell tickets for. Most have timetables displayed outside; check these for the next departing boat or ask the limenarhio (port police).

Fares
Ferry prices are fixed by the government, and are determined by the distance of the destination from the port of origin.

High-speed ferries and hydrofoils cost about 20 percent more than the traditional ferries, while catamarans are often 30 percent to 100 percent more expensive than their slower counterparts.

Classes

On smaller boats, hydrofoils and catamarans, there is only one type of ticket available and these days, even on larger vessels, classes are largely a thing of the past. The public spaces on the more modern ferries are generally open to all. What does differ is the level of accommodation that you can purchase for overnight boats.

A ‘deck class’ ticket typically gives you access to the deck and interior, but no overnight accommodation. Next up, aeroplane-type seats give you a reserved, reclining seat in which you will hope to sleep. Then come various shades of cabin accommodation: four-berth, three-berth or two-berth interior cabins are cheaper than their equivalent outside cabins with a porthole. On most boats, cabins are very comfortable, resembling a small hotel room with a private bathroom.

Unless you state otherwise, you will automatically be given deck class when purchasing a ticket. Prices quoted are for deck-class tickets, unless otherwise indicated.

Taking a car
While almost all islands are served by car ferries, they are expensive and to ensure boarding you’ll generally need to secure tickets in advance. A more flexible way to travel is to board as a foot passenger and hire a car on islands that you want to explore. Hiring a car for a day or two is relatively cheap and possible on virtually all islands.

This is an edited extract from Lonely Planet Greek Islands (8th Edition) by Korina Miller, et al. © Lonely Planet 2014. In stores now, RRP: NZ$44.99.