Six ready-made itineraries built around real ferry schedules — from a 4-day Saronic weekend to a full 14-day Crete-and-Santorini trip. Pick the shape of your trip, then let the pages for each island fill in the details.
Classic Cyclades — 7 days
Cyclades · EasyThe postcard loop. Whitewashed villages, calderas, and easy high-speed ferries between the three most famous Cyclades. The right first trip if you've never island-hopped Greece before.
- Length
- 7 days
- Best months
- May–October
- Start
- Ferry from Piraeus (~5h to Mykonos)
- Good for
- First-timers, couples, honeymooners.
Windmills, Little Venice, and one big beach-club night to get it out of your system.
Long sandy beaches, mountain villages, and the best food value in the Cyclades.
Oia sunset, caldera hikes, and a wine tour on volcanic soil. End here for the flight home.
Ferry plan: Piraeus → Mykonos → Naxos → Santorini → fly out of JTR. High-speed ferries run daily May–October; book Santorini → Athens (or your onward flight) before you leave home.
Small Cyclades slow loop — 10 days
Cyclades · ModerateA quieter version of the Cyclades. Naxos as a base, then two nights each on three of the small islands most people skip. You'll swim more and spend less.
- Length
- 10 days
- Best months
- June–September
- Start
- Ferry from Piraeus to Naxos (~5h)
- Good for
- Repeat visitors, slow travellers, anyone tired of the crowds.
Anchor island — biggest, cheapest, best beaches for a slow start.
Bike-and-swim island. The prettiest turquoise water in Greece.
The Big Blue — clifftop monastery, hikes, and dramatic scenery.
Almost no tourists, one village, and the sort of quiet you came for.
Ferry plan: The Small Cyclades ferry (Skopelitis / Blue Star) links Naxos with Koufonisia, Amorgos and Donousa 3–6 times per week. Check schedules carefully — some legs run only twice weekly.
Ionian islands — 7 days
Ionian · EasyEmerald water, Venetian old towns, and the greenest islands in Greece. No caldera — this is a different Greece: shorter ferry hops, lush hills, and pasta on the menu.
- Length
- 7 days
- Best months
- May–October
- Start
- Fly Athens → Corfu or Kefalonia (~1h)
- Good for
- Families, first-timers who want green over volcanic.
UNESCO old town, Paleokastritsa's coves, and easy day trips.
Tiny olive-grove island with three of the loveliest harbours in Greece.
Reachable by bridge, but Porto Katsiki and Egremni are among Europe's best beaches.
Ferry plan: Corfu ↔ Paxos runs 1–2× daily in season. Paxos → Lefkada usually via a change at Igoumenitsa or a private transfer; plan a full travel day.
Dodecanese island hop — 10 days
Dodecanese · ModerateCrusader castles, Ottoman minarets, and turquoise coves right off the Turkish coast. Fewer selfie sticks than the Cyclades, more history per square metre.
- Length
- 10 days
- Best months
- May–October
- Start
- Fly Athens → Rhodes (~1h)
- Good for
- History buffs, second-time visitors, couples who want quieter than the Cyclades.
Medieval old town, Lindos acropolis, long swim beaches.
The most beautiful harbour in Greece — pastel neoclassical houses stacked around a bay.
Bike-friendly island with ancient ruins and family-scale beaches.
Monastery of St John, whitewashed Chora, and quiet coves. End here.
Ferry plan: Rhodes → Symi has daily catamarans (~1h). Symi → Kos and Kos → Patmos are Blue Star / Dodekanisos legs, 3–5× per week. Fly out of Kos or take a longer ferry from Patmos.
Saronic weekend — 4 days from Athens
Saronic · EasyThe closest islands to Athens. Perfect long-weekend loop when you don't have time for the Cyclades — car-free lanes, pistachio groves, and horse-drawn taxis.
- Length
- 4 days
- Best months
- April–October
- Start
- Ferry from Piraeus (30 min – 2h)
- Good for
- Short trips, add-on to an Athens city break.
Pistachios and the Temple of Aphaia. 40 minutes from Piraeus.
Sleepy harbour town facing the Peloponnese coast.
No cars, no scooters — donkeys only. Stone mansions above a working port.
Ferry plan: Hellenic Seaways / Blue Star run hourly Flying Dolphins from Piraeus across all three. This is the easiest hop in Greece — no planning needed beyond the return ticket.
Crete + Santorini — 14 days
Crete + Cyclades · ModerateA slower two-week trip. Cross Crete west-to-east with a car, then finish with three nights on Santorini for the caldera views.
- Length
- 14 days
- Best months
- May–October
- Start
- Fly Athens → Heraklion or Chania (~1h)
- Good for
- Two-week trips, mixed interests (history + beach + food), road-trip fans.
Venetian harbour, Samaria gorge, and Balos lagoon day trip.
Old town base for Preveli palm beach and mountain villages.
Knossos, the archaeological museum, and Elounda's beach coves.
Fly or ferry over for the sunset ending.
Ferry plan: Rent a car for Crete — public buses are slow between regions. Heraklion → Santorini ferry runs 1–3× daily (~2h high-speed). Fly out of JTR.