Heavily subsidised ferries encouraged Greek island hopping in the 1960s and the tradition has continued despite recent price rises and the rise of the euro. Once the preserve of backpackers, many now prefer more adventurous holidays. All you need are ferry times and a relaxed attitude to timekeeping.
The Greek ferry system is geared to the needs of islanders, not tourists on Greek island hopping jaunts, so most ferries fan out from the mainland ports of Piraeus, Rafina Lavrion and Volos. Island hoppers normally fly to Athens and ferry hop from Piraeus or fly to one of the main islands and launch their Greek island hopping from there.
CYCLADES: This is the ideal Greek island hopping group, having frequent ferries and short journey times. Flying to Mykonos first can save time as it is set in the heart of the Cyclades. As well as the popular tourist islands of Santorini, Paros and Naxos there are many smaller islands worth a visit within ferry hopping distance.
NORTH AEGEAN: These Greek islands are well spread out and ferry connections are not particularly good. Those who go Greek island hopping in these waters usually spend a good few hours sailing between the islands. It is only when you reach Samos that things get better as it is here that they link with the Dodecanese group of Greek islands.
DODECANESE: These offer a variety of Greek islands with lots of historical interest plus the possibility of a trip to nearby Turkey or even to Crete. Ferries link the islands all the way up the Turkish coast from Rhodes in the south to Leros, Lipsi and Samos in the north, so Greek island hopping here is probably at its best.
SPORADES: Good hydrofoil and ferry services run between the three islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos so Greek island hopping is pretty well confined to this trio. Skyros is part of the same group but another matter as far as island hopping is concerned. It can only be reached via Evia and there are no easy links from here to the other island groups.
IONIAN: Despite the islands being close together the Ionians don't lend themselves to Greek island hopping. Ferries are fewer and links not as direct with many Ionian islands acting only as a port of call for ferries from Italy and the mainland. There are regular sailings to Italy though and mainland Greece is nearby.
Planning your Greek island hopping with Greek ferries websites can be a bit of a headache for two main reasons.
1. Spelling - Greek island ferry websites can be very picky about spellings of islands and ports. Heraklion in Crete for example can be listed as Heraklio, Iraklion or Iraklio and islands can be Paxos or Paxi, Lefkas or Lefkhada - get your Greek guidebook out.
2. Routes -The main ferry routes radiate from the mainland. If the islands you seek are on one of these radial routes then Greek island hopping is all well and good. Try the Piraeus - Andros - Tinos - Mykonos - Santorini island chain for example. Finding which Greek islands are connected through a website is not easy. They all ask for departure and destination ports and, if there's no direct route, return a blank result even when there can be a convenient island on the way where you can change ferries.
