Greek Island Hopping 101

I just returned from some time in Greece and wanted to rub everyone’s nose in it with a post about it. Sorry, I mean, recommend some things.

This is my fifth trip to Greece. I’ve been to the islands of Paros, Ios, Naxos, Santorini, Folegandros, Mykonos, Corfu, Zakynthos and of course, the capital, Athens, where I snuck into the Acropolis at night and had a frappe under the moonlight*.

Here are some of the things I’ve loved and advocate – because I love a recommendation when I travel – on my two favourite Greek islands, although Athens certainly gets a mention.

Handy and a little bit aggressive hint: Go in September. It’s the BEST time to go. The weather is perfect, the sea is at a delicious temperature and there are still enough visitors to make it buzz, but not the heaving crowds you get in July and August.

Santorini

A deserving bucket-list spot. Santorini is breathtaking. The whole place is the stuff of postcards. (Literally, all those white walls and blue orb churches you’ve seen illustrating the allure of the Greek islands are from here.) I recommend staying in Thira/Fira (town) which will give you more options of, well, everything, and the view is no less spectacular than Oia, which is 15 minutes away on the tip of the island and known as the more expensive, Honeymoony bit. It’s also where the sunset is particularly dazzling/world famous, though, so it’s worth a visit, even if just for the day.

Accommodation on the caldera (cliffside with ocean views) is the opposite of cheap. As with any holiday, it depends on your budget and the kind of view you like to wake up to. That said, some sniffing about could land you a cute cave-style (not nearly as crude as it sounds, it just means they’re built into the side of the island) room on the caldera if your heart is set on it. I stayed in a beautiful place in Thira a few years back called Aria Lito, which is in the main shopping/town part of Thira, but you feel like you’re in an elegantly restored French farmhouse. It’s gorgeous.