Symi harbor, one of our favorite islandsDestinations · Europe

Greek Island Hopping: The 13 Islands We've Visited

We've been to Greece many times, from Aegina, a short ferry ride from Athens, to tiny Telendos, which you can only reach by boat from Kalymnos. Here are the island-hopping routes we've actually done, how we got to each island and how we book ferries. Photos from Sifnos, Symi, Kalymnos and Telendos are below, with more islands on the way.

A favorite Also visited Ferry routes we've taken. Tap an island to jump to how we got there.

Islands visited: 13, over several trips
Our favorites: Sifnos, Milos, Symi, Naxos and Folegandros
How we book ferries: The Ferryhopper app and website
Getting there: Fly into Athens, or straight to an island airport like Kos, Rhodes or Crete

Island-hopping routes we've done

Cyclades

Mykonos
Naxos

Cyclades

Milos
Folegandros
Santorini

Dodecanese

Kos
Kalymnos
Telendos
Symi
Rhodes

Dodecanese

Rhodes
Symi
Back to Rhodes

If you remember three things

Book ferries on Ferryhopper
Routes and times from different ferry companies in one place, with tickets on your phone.
Fly straight to an island
Kos, Rhodes, Crete, Milos, Naxos and Santorini all have airports, so you can skip Athens.
Pair neighbors
Mykonos and Naxos, Milos to Folegandros to Santorini, or a run down the Dodecanese from Kos to Rhodes.

Sifnos, one of our favorites

The Chapel of the Seven Martyrs on its rock below Kastro, Sifnos.

Whitewashed houses around a turquoise bay on Sifnos.

A sandy beach below the mountains on Sifnos.

The harbor on Sifnos, with the mountains behind.

Symi, one of our favorites

A harbor of neoclassical houses stacked up the hillsides, and clear-water beaches around the island.

Symi harbor, lined with houses in every shade of ochre and cream.

Symi town and the harbor from the hill above.

Looking down on the harbor from the mountain above town.

Shops along the waterfront in Symi town.

A vine-shaded, stone-paved lane in Symi town.

Kalymnos and Telendos

Kalymnos is a rugged island with a busy harbor town, Pothia. Little Telendos sits just off its west coast, a short boat ride across the bay.

Pothia, Kalymnos's main town and harbor, from the hillside above.

Pothia harbor, with fishing boats along the quay.

The Monastery of Saint Savvas, on the hill above Pothia.

The view over Pothia from the Monastery of Saint Savvas.

Evening in Myrties, with Telendos across the water.

From our trip

Our Greek island notes

What we've learned getting around the islands, from more than one trip.

Booking ferries

We book every ferry on Ferryhopper.

We book every ferry through the Ferryhopper app and website, and we'd recommend it. It shows routes and times from different ferry companies in one place, and the tickets live on your phone.
Ferry types vary. Our trip from Athens to Sifnos was on a high-speed ferry; others are slower, bigger boats.

Flying in

You don't have to start in Athens.

Several islands have airports, so you don't always have to start in Athens. We flew straight into Kos from elsewhere in Europe, and into Crete and Rhodes.
Milos has a tiny airport with lots of ferry connections onward, which makes it an easy first island in the western Cyclades. Naxos and Santorini have airports too.

Small boats to small islands

The smallest islands come by small boat.

Some islands are only reachable by small local boats. Telendos has no airport and no big ferry: a tiny ferry runs from Kalymnos, just across a small bay.

Islands that pair well

Pair islands that sit close together.

Our routes show combinations that worked for us: Mykonos to Naxos; Milos to Folegandros to Santorini; and a run down the Dodecanese from Kos to Kalymnos and Telendos, then Symi and Rhodes.
Symi is close enough to Rhodes that we've also done it as a simple there-and-back trip from Rhodes.
Near Athens, Aegina is a short ferry ride away, an easy add-on before or after a bigger island trip.

The islands, and how we got there

Cyclades · a favoriteSifnos

High-speed ferry from Athens

See our photos

Cyclades · a favoriteMilos

Flew in to its tiny airport, which has lots of ferry connections

Cyclades · a favoriteFolegandros

Ferry

Cyclades · a favoriteNaxos

Ferry from Mykonos (Naxos has a small airport too)

Dodecanese · a favoriteSymi

Ferry, from Kalymnos and from Rhodes

See our photosDodecaneseKalymnos

Ferry from Kos

See our photosDodecaneseTelendos

A tiny ferry from Kalymnos, just across a small bay

See our photos

DodecaneseKos

Flew in from elsewhere in Europe

DodecaneseRhodes

Both by plane and by ferry

CreteCrete

Flew in

Read our Crete notes

CycladesSantorini

Ferry (it has an airport too)

CycladesMykonos

Our starting point for Naxos

Saronic GulfAegina

A short ferry trip from Athens

60-second drives from the islands

All 60-second drives

Sifnos, Greece | Driving on a Greek IslandWatch on YouTube

Kalymnos, Greece 4K | Aegean Sea Coastal Road POVWatch on YouTube

Kalymnos, Greece | Sunset Drive on a Greek IslandWatch on YouTube

Driving through Kalymnos, GreeceWatch on YouTube

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Going to the Greek islands?

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Compare rental cars Find a stay in the Greek islands ↗

Worth booking

Milos boat trips
Boat days around Milos's coastline.
GetYourGuide Viator
Santorini caldera cruises
Sail around the caldera and the volcano.
GetYourGuide Viator
Symi day trips from Rhodes
A day on Symi by boat from Rhodes.
GetYourGuide Viator
Naxos tours
Villages, beaches and the old town.
GetYourGuide Viator

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