Greek Islands?

eyeball kid

Hi all,
Myself and the girlfriend going to greece in a couple of weeks. Staying in Athens for 3 or 4 days then we want to visit a few islands. We'll have about 7 days to visit the islands and get back to Athens for a flight.

Any recommendations on which Islands we should visit. Not particularly interested in places full of drunken tourists however don't want to end up in places thats completely empty either!

Any recommendations or suggestions?

I've tried looking up in the web however it would be nice to hear from people that were there or are from Greece.

Thanks a million!

yan

eyeball kid wrote:

Hi all,
Myself and the girlfriend going to greece in a couple of weeks. Staying in Athens for 3 or 4 days then we want to visit a few islands. We'll have about 7 days to visit the islands and get back to Athens for a flight.

Any recommendations on which Islands we should visit. Not particularly interested in places full of drunken tourists however don't want to end up in places thats completely empty either!

Any recommendations or suggestions?

I've tried looking up in the web however it would be nice to hear from people that were there or are from Greece.

Thanks a million!

m8 i think u need to be a bit more specific

what do you like to see? what kind of beaches do you prefer? sandy or rocky?
what kind of activities? what kind of nature? green or rocky?

give us some input and u will get some hints

PCros

Its the party months on the Greek Islands so wrong time to go if you dont want "drunken tourists".

Go to Crete, it has a great mix of both. There are a few party towns on the North coast but are all clustered together such as Hersonissos, Malia and Stalis.

The rest of the island is lovely to visit.

run_Forrest_run

I went to Kos a good few years ago..wasn't great. OK, full of loud boozy places but the harbour in the day time was nice and took in an island hopper trip for a day on a nice tall boat...got burnt to a crisp...I was the typical Paddy up the front with the top off, being cooled down by the sea spray with NO sun block on! I was so sore that night!

eyeball kid

yan wrote:

m8 i think u need to be a bit more specific

what do you like to see? what kind of beaches do you prefer? sandy or rocky?
what kind of activities? what kind of nature? green or rocky?

give us some input and u will get some hints

Want to see some historical stuff. Temples, churches, maybe some museums.
Prefer sandy beaches, not overly busy if possible.

Activities - just general relaxing and seeing Greek culture, some nice bars/restaurants.
Looking for something a bit more than just booze and beaches (although a bit of both won't go amis!)

hot fuss

I would recommend Paros and Antiparos. Paros is the bigger of the two and maybe a 3 or 4 hour ferry journey from Athens. I was there a few years ago while travelling around and found it to be a gorgeous island. The island is small enough to see on a scooter, it has gorgeous beaches, has a decent night life without being too hectic - we weren't looking for a party island either! We stayed in a smaller town - Nouassa, I think it was called, and it was perfect for a relaxing and fun holiday.

Then Antiparos is only about a half hour journey from Paros if you fancy a change.

We also went to Syros, which I loved, but it's a lot more built up than the other two.

Santorini is supposed to be stunning by all accounts, but it's a bit of a trek from Athens.

event

got to zakynthos, but only to tsilivi

do not go near laganas

Gordon

hot fuss wrote:

I would recommend Paros and Antiparos. Paros is the bigger of the two and maybe a 3 or 4 hour ferry journey from Athens. I was there a few years ago while travelling around and found it to be a gorgeous island. The island is small enough to see on a scooter, it has gorgeous beaches, has a decent night life without being too hectic - we weren't looking for a party island either! We stayed in a smaller town - Nouassa, I think it was called, and it was perfect for a relaxing and fun holiday.

Then Antiparos is only about a half hour journey from Paros if you fancy a change.

We also went to Syros, which I loved, but it's a lot more built up than the other two.

Santorini is supposed to be stunning by all accounts, but it's a bit of a trek from Athens.

Santorini is in viewing distance from Paros!

I would recommend the Paros/Antiparos combo. I love that island - it has great party life and you can find so many hidden beaches if you go travelling around the island.

One key point though - they don't seem to have proper motorbikes anymore. They have these piddly 4 wheeled bikes that are really really dangerous to drive over 10mph.

Amorgos is meant to be a very beautiful beached island.

ladylorenzo

Visit the Ionoan islands... they are absolutely beautiful..Kefalonia in particular. Quaint little villages, beautiful beaches and harbours and plenty of historical sites if you fancy going further inland. We didi a 2 week holiday sailing from island to island with friends of ours and I can safely say it was one of the best holidays I was ever on. You should check out the sailing companines..you can hop on with a few others and sail around the islands..bit pricy but well worth it as you see far more and you also dont have to worry about accom. Enjoy it whereever you go, LL

yan

ladylorenzo wrote:

Visit the Ionoan islands... they are absolutely beautiful..Kefalonia in particular. Quaint little villages, beautiful beaches and harbours and plenty of historical sites if you fancy going further inland. We didi a 2 week holiday sailing from island to island with friends of ours and I can safely say it was one of the best holidays I was ever on. You should check out the sailing companines..you can hop on with a few others and sail around the islands..bit pricy but well worth it as you see far more and you also dont have to worry about accom. Enjoy it whereever you go, LL

i agree with you.... but they are not as pricy as you think. if you consider that you dont pay for accomodation and that you visit plenty of islands and also get access to beaches that noone else can go

as i have said b4 those guys do offer great holidays for very very cheap price check their pictures and u will see what i mean. i have done it and its fu....ng great!

http://www.sailingGR.eu

so in your case eyeball you can fly from athens to samos with aegean airlines directly

Unshelved

Santorini is just beautiful. Stay in Oia - not as relentlessly touristy as the capital Thira. We're just back and we stayed here - www.delfinivillas.com - a room with a caldera view for just €70 per night. Just gorgeous. They're in the middle of a heatwave there at the moment (sigh!) so make sure that you get a room with air conditioning wherever you stay.

If you go to Crete try staying in Chania (lovely Venetian city), then from there get the bus to Omorgos and do the Samaria Gorge walk (every guidebook features this but it's well worth doing), then get the ferry from Aiya Roumelli at the end of the Gorge to Loutro or Paleochora. Loutro is this tiny village that is only accessible by boat and foot - the loudest noise is the sound of the bells on the goats. Paleochora is a lot more lively with nice beaches and bars. Then get the bus back to Chania. If you can't face doing the Gorge walk with all your luggage, leave half of it behind in the bus station in Chania and collect it later - that's what we did.

If you go towards the Ionian islands then I'd recommend Paxos (sometimes called Paxi). It's a bit upmarket and only accessible by ferry from Corfu. The island is tiny with only three villages. There are some great walks that you can do or you could hire bikes. Some lovely restaurants but only two nightclubs. Stony beaches but the even tinier island off Paxos called Antipaxos (about a 10 minute boat ride - loads of boats go there) has one of the most beautiful beaches in Greece.

And drink lots of ouzo and Mythos!

eyeball kid

Do Ferries and accomodation on the Islands need to be booked beforehand?
Thanks

yan

eyeball kid wrote:

Do Ferries and accomodation on the Islands need to be booked beforehand?
Thanks

for ferries you can check on http://www.ferries.gr

it is not essential to book for the slow ferries, but for the fast ones YES!!!

accomodation cannot be a problem as there are always available rooms. if you are looking for hotels then YES you need to book in advance

Unshelved

Do Ferries and accomodation on the Islands need to be booked beforehand?
Thanks

Depends on where and when you're going. If you're going to a larger town like Chania then you're probably okay - you'll find something somewhere. If you're heading for somewhere smaller and you're travelling in August then a lot of places get absolutely packed. Outside of July/August you could probably risk it anywhere.

We ended up sleeping on the beaches a couple of times years ago - I wouldn't recommend it now. Buy a copy of the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide - a lot of the places that they recommend are cheap enough and have websites so you can book online.

As for the ferries - you can usually book most ferries the day before - even the fast ones.

LFC5Times

Athens is a hole mate,real dirty and not nice.

Go to the Acroplis and thats it - you only need 1/2 days in Athens.

yan

LFC5Times wrote:

Athens is a hole mate,real dirty and not nice.

Go to the Acroplis and thats it - you only need 1/2 days in Athens.

right!!!!! here we are

dont go to thisio, dont go to plaka, dont go to monastiraki, dont go to piraeus, dont go to glifada, dont even dare to go to sounio!

as this guy suggested athens is dirty and a HOLE

what about stay in dublin? u will enjoy in this way a VERY clean city with a lot of interesting places to visit!!!!!!!

LFC5Times

yan wrote:

right!!!!! here we are

dont go to thisio, dont go to plaka, dont go to monastiraki, dont go to piraeus, dont go to glifada, dont even dare to go to sounio!

as this guy suggested athens is dirty and a HOLE

what about stay in dublin? u will enjoy in this way a VERY clean city with a lot of interesting places to visit!!!!!!!

You obviously are a Greek. First of all Dublin is way cleaner,it doesnt smell as bad,doesnt have lepers hanging out of every street corner and where did i mention Dublin in my post ?
All i said was spend 1/2 days in Athens at most.
Get over yourself.

I was there in May, there is nothing to do in Athens,it is a hole,no nightlife,full of sleazy guys so watch your gf doesnt have guys all over here.

Go to the Greek islands for as long as possible.

Unshelved

You obviously are a Greek. First of all Dublin is way cleaner,it doesnt smell as bad,doesnt have lepers hanging out of every street corner and where did i mention Dublin in my post ?
All i said was spend 1/2 days in Athens at most.
Get over yourself.

Utter rubbish. Like all large cities Athens has its share of dodgy areas and shady characters, but it is emphatically NOT a "hole". It's not the best place to visit in the height of summer - the heat and the number of tourists are overwhelming.

But if you visit Athens in the Spring you can see what a lovely place it is - especially around the Plaka area with great restaurants and bars. Apart from the magnificent Acropolis you can visit the Athenian Agora, the Roman Agora, the Temple of Zeus, the Kerameikos Area ... actually I'll shut up now because there's just soooo much to see there that it's a bit mind-boggling.

It's a great city if you give it a chance. The Greeks are THE most charming people and the city is loads of fun with plenty to do.

Gordon

LFC5Times wrote:

You obviously are a Greek. First of all Dublin is way cleaner,it doesnt smell as bad,doesnt have lepers hanging out of every street corner

It's all relative, I'm sure Greek people wouldn't like the constant stench of beer, urine and vomit in central Dublin and the skangers, beggars and junkies that lurk Dublin.

Although this is off topic slightly. I would recommend going to Athens to see the Acropolis, Lykavvitos, go suburban to Kifissia for some cool air, check out some museums - hell even some streets have ancient monuments as you walk over/past them.

I would recommend checking Athens out but for the tourist I'd also only say to stay for 1/2 days. I love the city (lived there for many years) but for tourists it doesn't have a great amount of touristy things to do. That's my opinion though, I could be proved wrong very easily I'm sure. Although Athens now has a bus tour which is a nice step forward.

yan

thank you Gordon, thank you Unshelved

as of mr LFC5Times, i dont have to be greek to admire a city with such a history. but maybe books are very expensive for you my friend to buy one and read....of course the knackers of dublin, cannot be considered lepers, (as they dont beg, they are just happy to steal), so just knackers i think is enough.....

as of the nightlife.... yes right there is not at all, correct Gordon???? did you see any night life in athens all those years u spent there?

anyway to my opinion a visit to athens and rome is a MUST to all of the europeans at least.....

LFC5Times

Its my opinion if you disagree with so what no need to attack my opinion.
If we all had the same opinion life would be boring,no need to get aggresive in your replies.

Just cos some old fogies like it, young people would be bored of Athens after seeng the Acroplis., thats my opinion from a young person.

As to not having money to buy books Yap ? id rather you said that to my face instead of hiding behind a computer screen stating that,i challenge you to say it to my face,it will be interesting what happens after.

PM me and il give you my details.

Gordon

LFC - less of the threatening tone mate.

yan wrote:

as of the nightlife.... yes right there is not at all, correct Gordon???? did you see any night life in athens all those years u spent there?

Damn straight, I would recommend Psiri as the nightlife centre of Athens right now!