Greece - cruising v. island hopping

DH and I are trying to plan a trip to Greek Islands this summer for about 9 days. In your opinion, is it better (and/or less expensive) to see the Greek Islands by way of a cruise or should we just plan it ourselves? If you went on a cruise, did you regret not having more time a particular island? TIA!

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

We are doing Greece in May-- and while our trip I think will be different than the one you are planning-- it seems as though the travel (by boat) at least from Athens to Santorini is VERY long-- like 8 hours vs an hour flight.

I am not sure of the distance b/t the other islands-- but, from researching hotels, etc. they all seem so charming and I think you can soak up more of the culture if you stayed at each island for a few days, as opposed to cruising and staying on a ship.

For 9 days-- I would do 2 islands-- maybe Santorini and Mykynos and see what the boat ride is b/t those islands-- but definitely fly from Athens.

edited or typo

Message edited 3/15/2007 11:03:06 AM.

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

we went for our honeymoon and we did a cruise, it would have cost more $$ if we didnt, plus we really like cruising... fm if you want more details about it, we had a great time

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

Thanks ladies! I didn't realize the boatride from Athen to Mykonos is so long!

We'll think on it some more, but you might be getting FM.

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

How long are you staying, and what are your interests?

You should look to the Ionian Islands, they are far more beautiful in my opinion and a lot more quieter. They also have cruises. Depending on what you are looking for of course.

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

Posted by july06bride

we went for our honeymoon and we did a cruise, it would have cost more $$ if we didnt, plus we really like cruising... fm if you want more details about it, we had a great time

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

We went to several islands in Greece on our HM. Greece is beautiful. I'm sure you'll love it.

I'd rather island hop b/c usually with a cruise, you only have 1 day in each place. I prefer spending more time on a few islands and exploring different areas of the island on my own.

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping

We did a 12-day Mediterranean Cruise (Mostly Italy & Greece) in June last year... I liked the cruise because the time spent sailing was overnight... you wake up and are at a new place... no time wasted on flying/train/driving/boat during the day. I liked that you got one day each, because that gave us the chance to see as many places as possible, since we probably wont be going back there for a looong time.

Re: Greece - cruising v. island hopping