Greece is amazing and so are its islands. Millions of people dream about visiting the whitewashed Santorini or the enchanting Zakynthos. But how many of them are actually doing it?
Not a lot… It’s a fact that many people are too scared of travelling and going away from their hometown. Many, for example, might find transportation a problem.
And especially in Greece, where you can only travel by boat or plane, that can really hold them back.
But that’s why I’m here… To inform you about the best ways to get around the famous Greek islands.
Another very good choice you can make is to island-hop. That basically means visiting one island right after the other. It’s a constant vacation that might get a bit more tiring but certainly a lot more fun.
So first of all, we need to categorize the islands of Greece into smaller categories. It’s 227 of them. They can’t all have the same best means of transportation right?
Greek Island categories
Let’s start with the Dodecanese. As its name implies, this part of Greece has 12 islands. Dodeka means twelve in Greek. So, part of the Dodecanese are…
- Rhodes
- Kos
- Karpathos
- Kalymnos
- Patmos
- Astypalea
- Simi
- Leros
- Nisyros
- Halki
- Tilos
- Lipsi
And now let’s go on to the Cyclades. These are A LOT so we’re just going to mention the most well-known of them.
- Santorini
- Mykonos
- Paros
- Naxos
- Milos
- Andros
- Syros
- Tinos
Going on, we have Saronic islands…
- Hydra
- Spetses
- Aegina
- Poros
- Agistri
And now, the best ones in my opinion… the Ionian islands.
- Corfu
- Zakynthos
- Kefalonia
- Lefkada
- Ithaca
- Kythira
- Paxi
- Meganisi
And on to the next one… The Sporades.
- Skiathos
- Skopelos
- Alonissos
- Skyros
The Northeastern Aegean islands…
- Lesbos
- Chios
- Samos
- Ikaria
- Limnos
- Thassos
This part of Greece also has some small islands like Psara but I’m not going to mention all of them.
And last but not least, we can’t skip Greece’s two biggest islands… Evoia and Crete. Crete is the biggest one and Evoia the second biggest and they are a category on their own.
Best ways to travel around the Greek islands
Dodecanese
What’s the best way to travel to the Dodecanese? Well, you have 2 options, a ferry and an airplane.
Let’s start with ferries. All of them start from Piraeus and go to all 12 of the islands. These itineraries are done several times per week. And yes, ferries also go from the Dodecanese to Pireaus several times per week.
If you choose to visit in a month different than June, July and August, you’ll find significantly fewer people on the ship and therefore you’ll be able to have your own space and quiet.
But on the other hand, June, July and August are very crowded not only in the Dodecanese but in all Greek islands.
But either way, these ferries always have cabins for each passenger.
Why?
Well, it’s because the trip will take you from 8 all the way up to 21 hours to complete. Yeah… it’s not fun. In order to get to Rhodes for example, you’ll need about 16-18 hours.
Of course, when you hop around the Dodecanese, the amount of time is way less. It could be 2 maybe 3 hours. Then it is easy to just take a ferry between the islands.
There are some itineraries going from Rhodes to Turkey as well.
Now, if you don’t want to spend almost a day on a ship, you can travel by plane.
Rhodes, Kos, Karpathos, Leros and Kalymnos are the only islands with an airport. While Leros and Kalymnos only receive domestic flights, Rhodes, Kos and Karpathos also receive international during the summer season.
I’m telling you, it’s way easier to get to the Dodecanese by plane. It’s only about an hour.
Cyclades
Things in the Cyclades are not much different from the Dodecanese. When you travel to the Cyclades, Pireaus is not your only option.
Rafina and Lavrion are also having itineraries to the Cyclades. These are ports not very far from Pireaus, about half an hour.
The amount of time necessary is also different. To get to Santorini, for example, you’d need about 5 hours but that depends on the ferry company, weather conditions, and other unexpected delays.
Now, about flights, the two main airports in the Cyclades are in Santorini and Mykonos. Many other islands have airports as well, but these two are very very busy and accessible.
They receive domestic flights and international flights only during the summer season.
The maximum time it would get you to reach a Cycladic island is 45 minutes. And around here I think it’s time to mention some pros and cons of ferries and planes.
The best option to travel to a Greek island can vary depending on your preferences. If you want a comfortable place to stay, with many facilities and… you know, some amazing night view of the Aegean Sea, then ferries would be best for you.
On the other hand, if you can’t wait to get to your magical destination, you should take the plane. Yeah, there’s not that much space or convenience but you’ll be there in no time. Plus, planes offer amazing views.
Choosing your way of travelling around the Greek Islands
So…
Convenience and time-consuming = ferries
Fast and kind of uncomfortable = planes
I’m not saying that planes are uncomfortable, I’m just comparing the two and coming to the conclusion that ferries are more comfortable than planes.
Saronic Islands
Unlike the previous islands, the Saronic islands don’t take planes as an option. And that’s because there’s no airport in any of the Saronic islands.
But, ferries can get you there in no time. Trips from Athens to the Saronic islands are usually carried out by high-speed boats and take about 2-3 hours.
The same thing goes for the Sporades. The main difference is that Skiathos has an airport. The only one in the Sporades. I mean, yeah there’s also one in Skyros but that only receives flights from Athens and Thessaloniki.
Speaking of ports, Sporades also receive ferries from Volos and Evoia.
Northeastern Aegean islands are also similar. Ferry itineraries go and come from all of them several times per week. These ferries are both from Pireaus as well as Kavala. Plane itineraries are also available for all islands except Thassos.
Ionian Islands
Ferries to Ionian islands usually come from ports in Western Greece. That could be Patra, Igoumenitsa, Peloponnese and sometimes from Pireaus and Crete.
These ferry trips usually take about 2-3 hours so it’s not that bad.
About planes, Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada and Kythira all have airports. The airport of Lefkada is only open during summer and it receives flights from abroad.
While the airports of Corfu, Zakynthos and Kefalonia operate all year and receive international flights only in summer.
Kythira only receives flights from Athens.
KTEL, which is a bus company, offers itineraries from Athens to Corfu. The price of the ferry is included in your ticket.
Greek Island Hopping
Island hopping is when you’re visiting one island after the other. This is the best way to explore a big part of Greece. It’s also an amazing experience.
So, the most “practical” place to do island hopping is the Cyclades. The islands there are many and not very far between. It shouldn’t be hard or tiring to get to them.
The best way is to get a ferry. The time is 3 hours maximum and the trip is actually fun itself. Travelling by plane for such a small distance is not worth it.
The Dodecanese are also a great option. The islands there are also very close to each other. At least most of them.
And just so you’re 100% covered… I have the best island hopping you can do in Greece. Yeah, THE BEST.
Start things off with Santorini. Stay 3 days there and then visit Amorgos for another 3 days. After that, visit Naxos for 3 days and then Paros for another 3 days. Last but not least, visit Ios and stay there for 2 days. Conclude your adventure by going back to Santorini for 1 more day.
Best ferry companies in Greece
Now that you know everything you need to know, let’s see what are your best options when travelling by boat. Below are the best ferry companies you can find in Greece and links to their websites.
And now let’s see what are the best airplane companies and links to their websites.
Overall
Visiting a Greek island is a great experience but sometimes it takes a little planning. Finding tickets, hopping on and off of ferries, taking planes, etc. It’s not anything crazy, just make sure to go there prepared.