Greek Island Hopping

What could be better than spending your summer hopping from one Greek island to the next, with complete flexibility over where you go and how long you spend in each place? It’s not the sort of holiday which appeals to everyone, but with the bare minimum of planning, can be one of the most memorable holidays for people of all ages.

Planning your Greek adventure

If you like the idea of island hopping but are not the adventurous type, there are package holidays available to take the stress and planning away. This may be a good option if you are a less than confident traveller, or are planning a trip with small children. If you want to do things yourself, then there are lots of websites which can help. A good starting place is the Interrail website, where you can buy passes entitling you to a month’s travel on Greek ferries. This covers two international trips from Italy to Greece and back again if you wish, and four domestic trips between 27 different Greek islands including the popular destinations of Crete, Rhodes and Santorini. You can of course purchase additional crossings if you wish and your pass will give a discount on these. Children aged up to 11 travel free, and travellers between 12 and 27 qualify for an additional youth discount.

Things to Consider

There’s lots to think about when you’re planning this sort of trip. Here are just a few of them:

Accommodation – Greek islands are popular summer destinations and it might be unrealistic to think that you can just turn up and find somewhere to stay. Some crossings, for example from Athens/Piraeus to Crete, are overnight, so you may prefer to book a cabin.
Mapping – not every Greek island is connected to every other Greek island and if you have a ticket which is limited in the number of crossings you can take careful planning will help minimise your time on board a ship as well as your expenses. Consider options such as taking a budget flight from Athens to the furthest island on your itinerary, and then working your way back.
Luggage – an island hopping holiday is all about travelling light, and you’ll have to carry all of your possessions with you. Leave the heavy suitcases at home and stick to a rucksack. Take as few clothes as you can get away with and don’t take loads of documents with you either – passport, EHIC and a credit card should be sufficient.
Money – One of the main problems faced by island hoppers and backpackers is getting to a cash machine. Nobody likes carrying large sums of money with them, so do what you can from the UK in terms of booking and pre-paying for accommodation and travel.
Language skills – don’t expect that all staff, in all ferry ports will speak good English. Having an app or phrase book with you will help you get on the right ship, and make yourself understood with any new Greek friends you meet on your travels.