Island passage > islands lie in the Aegean Sea

There is nothing like cruising and hopping around the Greek islands.. bring it on!

The islands of Greece are made up of six groups: Cyclades, Dodecanese, Ionian Islands, Northeast Aegean Islands, Sporades and Saronic Gulf Islands. The most well-known group would be the Cyclades, and within that group the more popular islands are Ios and Santorini.

Ios has a reputation of being a “party island” with a very active nightlife. There are many nightclubs, discos and bars on the island, most of which cater to those 25 or under. The capital, Ios Town, is two kilometres inland from the port of Gialos. The most popular beach is Milopotas Beach and is a long, curving stretch of sand where water sports, especially windsurfing, are popular. Koumbara Beach is a 20-minute walk west of Gialos and is less crowded and mainly a nudist beach. Accommodation-wise, the best tip for Ios is to go to the Community Tourist Office where English speaking staff will advise you where the good value-for-money places are.

Santorini, also known as Thira, is known for its scenery, dark volcanic beaches and wines. It is regarded as one of the most spectacular of all the Greek Islands. Santorini has two main beaches, Perissa and Kamari. Perissa is more popular with students and has two youth hostels, camping areas and a casual nightlife. Kamari Beach is more popular with the well-to-do tourists. There are three ports in Santorini: Ia, Skala Fira and Ormos Athinios. Athinios is the main port where there are buses that meet all the ferries to take passengers to Fira, the capital. The port of Ia on the north west side of the island is full of Greek character- the buildings are white with blue roofs. At the south-western tip of Santorini is Akrotiri where there are remains from the civilisation that was destroyed in 1550 BC. This is a popular archaeological site which has just undergone extensive excavations.

The island of Rhodes is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands which take their name from the group of 12 main islands that are the most distant of the Aegean islands. Hippocrates, “the father of medicine” came from this region. Rhodes has many villages, which are nestled in the foothills of its mountains. The heart of Rhodes City is the old town of Rhodes and is enclosed within massive walls. The old town is a mixture of Byzantine, Turkish and Latin architecture. There are various monuments around the island like the Acropolis of Lindos, which is perched atop a 116-metre high rock, the remains of the 20-columned Hellenistic stoa (200 BC), the Byzantine Church of Agios Ioannis and the Temple to Athena.