Greek Island Hopping June 2024

In early June a group of Travel Counsellors were invited to go on a G Adventures Highlights of Greece, 7 night Island Hopping trip. This is one of their escorted tours so it was a great opportunity to follow what our customers would experience. The trip started in Athens with an early morning 3hr 15 min flight from Gatwick. As there is only one free day in Athens you would need to pre-book the Acropolis if you wanted to visit or you can add an extra night at the beginning of the trip. Apart from the Acropolis there is not much more to explore so 2 nights here would be enough. The temperature in Athens was 35 degrees and it felt very hot whilst there. The bars, shops and restaurants around the Acropolis itself is fabulous, plenty of places to enjoy the view and a few roof top bars with great views. Our time in Athens was brief as in the morning we left at 5.30am and transferred 45 mins to the port of Rafina to catch the early morning ferry to Tinos, which takes 3.5 hours. Upon arriving in Tinos this is how you imagine Greece to be, unspoilt, typically Greek and quiet. It is a windy island and has some lovely beaches, marina, quaint narrow streets and delicious food. We walked about 25 minutes from our property to the beach and paid 15 euros for 2 sunbeds with umbrella. The sea is an amazing green colour in parts and shallow to walk into. Tip: You cannot drink the water on the islands so always stock up at the supermarket. We were staying for 3 nights here and on our 2nd day the tour included an excursion of a 30 minute ferry to the island of Mykonos. We arrived at the New Port then you take a seabus transfer to the Old Town which costs 2 euros and is a 5 min boat ride. Once arrived at the old town it is beautiful, white washed walls, every picture you take is better than the next. The town has very narrow streets with lots and lots of shops and restaurants, some overlooking the sea. There are a set of windmill houses and one of the most photographed spots in Greece can also be found here. Tip: Arrive early and get to mooch around before the cruise ships get in or check a cruise ship app to see how many and what ships are visiting as you can't move for people once they arrive. I had a lovely Greek Salad for 10 euros which is no more expensive than anywhere else, a restaurant by the sea I am sure would cost more. If you were staying in Mykonos you could take the ferry to Tinos and spend a few hours on the Island (the reverse of what we did), as its only 30 minutes. Mykonos is an expensive island to stay, for accommodation, food and drink so the few hours we had gave us a taste of the Island. On our last day in Tinos it included an Island tour. There are many little villages dotted around and they are very pretty. A lot of the houses and rental properties have amazing views of the sea. There are 150kms of hiking and walking trails plus you can try basket weaving, attend a marble workshop, food tours and cooking tours. You can hire a car in town and the roads are good. 30 mins from town to village near the top. It was lovely to see the different villages in Tinos. At the end of the day our guide walked us to a viewpoint where you can watch the sunset and just enjoy the view, we had some Gyros delivered up there and it was a relaxed way to spend an evening. Note: Sailing is tricky as its so windy on this island. The next day we took a 2 hour ferry to Naxos. Naxos is 3 times bigger than Tinos. It has many more restaurants especially around the harbour and feels much busier than Tinos. We spent a little time at a sandy beach (10 euros for 2 sunbeds and an umbrella) and the water was beautiful and clear. We visited The Door, The Temple of Apollo, which is right by the harbour, just a short walk up the steps. It is a striking structure which overlooks the town. Naxos has pretty streets and alleyways with plenty of shops to mooch around. Our last day in Naxos was a free day and some of the group went hiking, did some windsurfing, walking around the town or enjoying Plaka Beach. This was a lovely relaxed sandy beach with beach service (15 euros for 2 sunbeds and umbrella right on the waters edge). Nice and quiet even though its surrounded by restaurants and hotels. It may not be as quiet in the busier months though. In the evening we took a private sunset cruise with swimming stops, food, music and drink and we even saw dolphins briefly, a great way to end our time in Naxos. This is not part of the G Adventures itinerary so this is a paid optional extra. The next day we took the 3 hour ferry to Santorini. Thira port is very very busy and the winding roads were a little slow. We checked into the hotel and went straight out to start the 10km hike at 5pm from to Imerovigli to Oia. The scenery of the Caldera is stunning, reminded me of the Norwegian Fjords. The walk is part paved, part gravel and although some of it was up and down in places and you would need proper footwear but it wasnt too strenuous. As you come into Oia you can see why it's so popular, its very picture worthy with lovely restaurants and bars. We ate at Flora restaurant with sea views and the food was amazing, I would highly recommend it. The hotel we stayed in Perissa was a 2 min walk to the beach and had plenty of sunbeds, black sand and a few restaurants. We only stayed 1 night and flew home the following day. All the ferries were spacious, comfortable with much needed air conditioning. The temperatures throughout were mid 30's and above as they had a heat wave. Although we were only away a week, it felt much longer in a good way, we fitted a lot in but the itinerary is quite relaxed with a lot of free time. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.