A 7 day Greek island hopping itinerary

The rule that makes or breaks the trip

Two islands in seven days. That is the answer for almost every group.

The arithmetic: each island change costs you the morning of departure, the ferry itself of two to five hours, and the afternoon of arrival. That is roughly one full day per move. Three islands means two moves, which is two of your seven days spent in transit, plus the tax of packing and unpacking.

A group that does four islands in a week will spend more time on ferries and in ports than on beaches, will be exhausted, and will not have seen any of the islands properly. It looks impressive on a map and it is a bad holiday.

The best 7 day route

Athens, Naxos, Santorini. It is the standard route because it works.

Naxos is the largest Cycladic island, has the best beaches in the group, a real town rather than a resort, mountain villages inland, and prices roughly 40 percent below Santorini. It is the island that people are surprised by.

Santorini is the famous one, and it is genuinely spectacular: a flooded volcanic caldera with towns balanced on the rim. It is also crowded, expensive, and has poor beaches. Two or three nights is correct, a week is too many.

Finishing in Santorini means you fly home from there rather than backtracking to Athens, which saves a whole day.

• Day 1: arrive Athens, one night, Acropolis in the evening light
• Day 2: morning ferry to Naxos, afternoon on the beach
• Days 3 and 4: Naxos, beaches plus one inland village day
• Day 5: ferry to Santorini, sunset in Oia or Imerovigli
• Days 6 and 7: Santorini, caldera walk, boat to the volcano, fly home

Alternative routes by group type

For beaches and quiet: Athens, Milos, Folegandros. Milos has the most extraordinary coastline in Greece, including Sarakiniko, which looks like a lunar landscape. Folegandros is small, dramatic, and largely undeveloped.

For nightlife: Athens, Mykonos, Paros. Mykonos is the party island and is genuinely expensive, with beach club sunbeds running EUR 80 to EUR 200 a pair. Paros has good nightlife at a third of the price.

For a group that wants variety: Athens, Naxos, Paros. The two islands are 45 minutes apart by ferry, which is the shortest hop in the Cyclades and makes the move painless.

For the Dodecanese instead: Rhodes and Symi, flying into Rhodes. Symi is a 50 minute boat ride and one of the most beautiful harbours in Greece.

Ferries, the part groups get wrong

There are two kinds: conventional ferries, slower, cheaper, more stable, and carrying cars; and high-speed catamarans, roughly twice as fast, twice the price, and cancelled far more readily in wind.

Book as soon as schedules open, typically January to March for the summer. In July and August, popular routes genuinely sell out, particularly for groups of six or more travelling together.

The critical rule: never schedule a ferry on the day of your international flight home. The meltemi, a strong northerly wind, blows through July and August and cancels sailings, sometimes for two days. Fly home from the island you end on, or leave a full buffer day in Athens.

• Book ferries as soon as schedules open, January to March
• High-speed catamarans are cancelled far more often than conventional ferries
• Never take a ferry on your international departure day
• Athens has two ports: Piraeus for most routes, Rafina for some, and they are 90 minutes apart
• Arrive at the port 30 to 45 minutes early, boarding is chaotic

What it costs

Per person for seven days excluding international flights, group of four to six, sharing accommodation, in June or September:

• Accommodation: EUR 350 to EUR 700 for six nights
• Ferries, Athens to Naxos to Santorini: EUR 70 to EUR 140 total
• Food: EUR 180 to EUR 320 for the week eating out twice a day
• Boat trip or beach day: EUR 40 to EUR 90
• Local transport and one scooter or car day: EUR 40 to EUR 90
• Drinks: EUR 80 to EUR 250 depending entirely on the group

When to go

June and September are the correct months. Water is warm, temperatures are 26 to 30C, the islands are open and functioning, and prices are 30 to 50 percent below August.

July and August are hot, at 32 to 38C, extremely crowded, the most expensive, and the meltemi wind peaks. August in particular is when Greeks themselves holiday, so domestic demand adds to the international crowd.

May and early October are cheaper still with water at 19 to 22C, which is swimmable for some and not for others. Outside late April to late October, most island infrastructure closes.

The practical group notes

Book accommodation with a shared terrace or roof. Greek island evenings start with a drink on a terrace at 20:00 and a group without one ends up in a bar spending three times as much.

Renting a car or two scooters for one day per island transforms the trip. The best beaches on Naxos, Milos, and Paros are not reachable on foot or by the limited bus.

Eat late. Greek dinner is 21:00 to 23:00. A group eating at 19:00 gets the tourist service and the tourist menu.

Carry cash. Many beach tavernas, small ferries, and island buses are cash-only, and ATMs on small islands run out in August.