Island Hopping - Cruiese - Ferries

Because of the many wondrous islands of Greece, travelers are most often undecided on which islands to visit first. To solve such problem, vacation packages include the option of island hopping. Most of the Greek island hopping tours offer two things: hotel accommodations and ferry tickets. Hotels typically serve breakfast to travelers. At the beginning or end of each tour, there are half-day tours to Athens or party nights in the Plaka. When a traveler sets his foot on an island, he can have the time of his life until the time on his ferry ticket arrives.


Greek ferries are the principal modes of transport available in Greece to reach one island and another. The trips in ferries are often made to be enjoyed as a cruise. Islands like Crete, Lesvos, and Rhodes are best accessed through a ferry because the trip takes overnight. A trip through a ferry is like enjoying oneself in a big hotel in motion. A nice cabin for two persons should cost a traveler one-hundred twenty Euros or more. The island of Santorini must be reached by a ferry because the breathtaking view is worth the ten-hour trip.

The most famous ferries are the Flying Dolphins which resemble planes more than ferries. The Flying Dolphins serve the Saronic Islands. In these dolphins, one sits in airplane seats unless he wants to stand by the door and get a great view of the islands that go by while the trip seems to be in a turbulent flight. The windows are covered with salt and spray that makes passengers unable to see anything from outside. The Aeolis Express and other huge high-speed catamarans and super ferries are offering trips that are like being on a spaceship on the waters. These feature rows of comfortable seats, televisions, tables, snack bars, and game rooms. These ferries are more expensive but they can take a traveler to Mykonos harbor in less than three hours and in Sifnos in about two-and-a-half hours. The high speed catamarans can also take travelers to Santorini in less than five hours and in Lesvos or Crete in six hours.

The discovery of Greece and its wonders have shoved off the times when old ladies would meet travelers getting off the ferries to offer them a room in their homes. This old concept has been overwhelmed by the signs of fancy hotels and the hotels that the old ladies built themselves. The island hopping to Greece has also become a monopoly for companies offering ferry boat rides who fight over the most famous routes of the islands. A traveler can also no longer create his own list of the islands he would want to visit nor can he jump into the boat that makes the first connection to the islands of his choice. Today, island hopping in Greece requires a traveler an extensive planning by considering the itineraries of hotels and ferries, his own budget, his schedule, and the places in the Greek islands that he would want to visit.