Yianni’s Definitive Guide to the Greek
Islands: A Greek Odyssey
It is with great pleasure (and the
fear of having missed something important) that I introduce Yianni’s Definitive
Guide to the Greek Islands: A Greek
Odyssey.
This will be augmented over time, but
due to popular demand, I am required to publish this quick itinerary and
overview. Yasou!
Here’s a breakdown of a 10 day itinerary
that I’ve taken (more or less) - you can remove a day or two to make it 7-8
days:
Day 1:
Transfers
Fly to Athens, don’t leave the
Airport, and immediately fly directly to the city of Chania, on the island of Crete
(or take a ferry, but this is a long trip – 12 hours).
Day 2, 3, 4, 5 – Island of Crete
In Chania:
Stay/relax near the Port/marina – amazing food, upscale
bars/lounges, and great beaches.
Pandora Suites is the best place, backing onto the harbor… YIANNI
EXCLUSIVE: Ask for the Aphrodite suite,
with its own terrace… http://www.pandorahotel.gr/
A day trip: Samaria Gorge
See the attached link. http://www.we-love-crete.com/samaria-gorge.html This will take a whole day. Best to get a tour from Chania (or right from
your hotel). The bus takes you there
(ask for the tour w. the breakfast), then you walk down 16kms – yes that’s
right. It’s absolutely lovely and a
totally unique experience. You should
however be prepared with proper hiking shoes (or very good running shoes), and
an empty 1-2litre bottle of water (you can re-fill it at each km, in the
fountains that run directly from the river).
Then at the bottom of the gorge, you walk to a little town, have a jump
in the ocean, and a ferry takes you back to your bus (the bottom is not
accessible by car), then back to Chania.
It will be amazing during the late spring (mid-to-end of May), very
lush, and not too hot. Mid-summer it
will be 40-45C. Bring a good hat too!
See if you can arrange to pick-up a car from your hotel in Chania
(morning of day 4?), and drop it off in Heraklion (www.europcar.com). Drive east and across the north shore of the
island, visiting Arkadi Monastery in the mountains, which is sort of the Alamo
of Greece (http://www.crete-kreta.com/arkadi-monastery),
and Rethymnon – take your time and enjoy the mountain villages along the way
and the little fishing villages (definitely ask for some homemade Cretan Raki –
which is basically moonshine!). Just
find any hotel along the way to stay (they’re all mid-level, try near/on the
beach).
Heraklion (aka. Iraklion):
Visit the ruins of the Palace of Knossos (thought to be the ancient
Labyrinth – lots of info on this). Then,
you can drive south from Iraklion up through little rural villages to the
village of Archanes, which is basically an oasis of wine wealth in an otherwise
simple landscape. On the way to
Archanes, there’s a little ancient farmhouse in the village of Vathypetro – it dates
to the Minoan period 16th century B.C. I
would HIGHLY recommend a morning trip to Knossos, followed by the drive to
Archanes, and lunch in one of the tavernas in the little square. There’s one called Lykastros, and it has
amazing cretan cheese, wine, honey, and other treats, and is under a wine-leaf
covered garden. The actual city of
Iraklion is most beautiful in the evening, walking along the pedestrian only paths, but if you don't have time you can explore the marina when you leave
on your ferry.
Day 6-7-8 – Island of Santorini
Take a ferry or flight from Heraklion to Santorini. Book this in advance, as these tend to get
booked early and there are usually only one/two ferries per day (and this will
affect when and for how long you stay in Heraklion). Try for the Fast Ferry – it’s a catamaran and
is twice as fast as a regular ferry. www.ferries.gr. I would suggest talking w. a Greek travel
agent on this as it can get complicated.
See notes at bottom for flight info.
Accommodations. You MUST
stay on the Caldera (that is to say, the cliff overlooking the volcano – see
info on Santorini here http://www.santoriniweb.com/santorini_geography.html). I would suggest staying in Firostefani, it is
lovely and walking distance down along the cliff ridge to the main town of
Fira, but it’s not right in Fira which tends to be very busy. Hotels I would recommend are as follows:
·
Homeric Poems –
in Firostefani www.homericpoems.gr. My profile photo at the top of my blog is of
me on what I refer to as the Puff Daddy suite, with its private deck and plunge
pool. However, there’s also a common infinity
pool farther down. Infinity pools are
basically the norm in Santorini – the island was designed for them (or vice
versa…). Ask for Margherita, if she’s still
the manager, I think, she will remember the Canadians… from 2005! Phone: 011 30 22860 24661 (email manager@homericpoems.gr)
·
Agali
Houses. This also a great spot – next to
Homeric Poems. http://www.agalihouses.gr/home.html
I’ve also stayed at the following, and/or can absolutely recommend:
· - Astra
Apartments (in Imerovigli, north of Firostefani) George Karayiannis, Mgr. Phone: +30-22860-23641, www.astra.gr
· - Andromeda (Imerovigli)
- http://www.andromeda-santorini.com/
· - Kanaves (in
Oia) - http://www.canaves.gr/
Other MUST-DO Activities in Santorini
MUST DO: Tour of the
Volcano and the ancient ruins of Akrotiri.
The same ancient people as in Knossos in Crete, there’s a day tour that
takes you through the archeological site, then on a boat to the volcano – you
actually walk/climb up into the volcano itself.
Then you are taken to volcanic springs, where you jump off the boat and
swim into the hot springs… its very cool.
Tours can be booked via your hotel – plan this right when you arrive. There is a shorter version which leaves from
the bottom of Fira Town (take the gondola ride, don’t walk down the 400 steps –
unless you enjoy the smell of donkey dung).
This shorter tour takes you right to the volcano, then onto the hot
springs, then right back (3-4 hours tops).
MUST DO: Town of Oia – you must go to the sunset here and walk
through the village during the day, but would not recommend staying there as
it’s a bit remote. Some of the tours
take you there after the volcano – consider that if you can squeeze it all in
one day.
Sunset in Oia. Instead of seeing the sunset w. the massive
crowd, you can see it from a great roof-deck bar at Pelecanos (http://www.pelekanosrestaurant.gr/).
Very few people know about it, which makes it fantastic! The food isn’t the
best, so see the sunset there, then go somewhere else. Another great (but expensive) restaurant is 1800 in Oia. You can see the sunset from there as well –
it’s absolutely lovely (http://www.oia-1800.com/).
Finally, another great spot for dinner is Feredini – it’s an Italian
restaurant, but very romantic/beautiful (http://www.feredini.gr/).
MUST DO: Katina Fish
Tavern. It’s in Amoudi, the little port at
the bottom of the town of Oia (take a taxi). Here you can have amazing whole
fish, calamari and octopus grilled on the charcoal while sitting right next to
the water, with salad and Fava. It’s a real authentic greek fish tavern.
YIANNI EXCLUSIVE: After lunch, bring your swimsuit and a towel and walk west from Ammoudi bay along the volcanic rocky coast. This is a bit difficult as it's a very thin line between the cliff and the sea. However, after about 300m, you will turn a corner and find the most lovely rocky swimming hole. This is basically unknown to most tourists and the views of the island from there are amazing. There is also an outcropping (a small mini island) about 50m off shore from the swimming hole which houses the ruins of an old Orthodox church. If you swim over to this mini-island there are crude steps you can walk up to the balcony of the old church, and from there you can look up and see the caldera from sea all the way up. There is a platform from which you can jump (about 3-5m?) back into the sea (repeat!). Make sure to wear beach shoes as the volcanic rocks can be sharp.
WINERIES: There’s also several great wineries on Santorini – Boutari Winery is one.
It’s in the middle of the island,
so take a quick cab there (but call to check that they’re there). The tour is very simple, and there are lots
of wine shops in Santorini, so you might want to skip this if you don’t care
how the wine is made in Santorini.
However, there is an amazing grape varietal grown on the island called
“Assyrtiko”, you will want to try. It’s
a dry, crisp white wine – one label is called Kourtakis, and another is called
Koutsoyiannopoulos (which by the size of the name implies it’s a ‘big’ wine!).
For a more down-market experience, hit the eastern and southern beaches – they’re
volcanic black/red, which is interesting. Or you can go back to the caldera and hang out by your infinity pool
instead… you can buy volcanic rock in Thira town!
Finally, jewellery/shopping.
I put this last to save you on your pocket-book. Santorini is a giant jewellery shop. There’s very upscale and simple shopping all
over the main town of Thira – you will be ripped-off if you buy something
expensive, but the trinkets are great.
Day 9 and 10 – back to Athens
Ferry boat will take you to Pireaus, the port city attached to
Athens (or you can fly back). Fly out the
next day.
My somewhat biased recommendation about Athens: Obviously the Acropolis and Parthenon are must-sees,
as is the surrounding hill and ‘Plaka’ or market area. Besides this however, Athens can be a challenge for the first timer - its charms are for those with more knowledge, and I will write more when I discover them. You should definitely plan to spend your
last day/evening on or near the Acropolis, then go home. I would end the evening at a tavern in the
Plaka where they play music and do dancing.
Also, Monastiraki square has not one, not two, but four amazing roof-top bars. These all have great views of the acropolis and you will certainly meet the lovely people of Athens there. The Acropolis Museum is another must see - it's fantastic, even though the best artifacts were stolen by the English 180 years ago
and are housed in the British Museum. But go anyway!
Here’s a Google map of this route:
OPTIONAL LOCATIONS:
If you’re feeling that Crete is too
ambitious for you, there are two other islands which might fit the bill.
1. PAROS. If you fly directly to Santorini instead of Crete first, then the
Island of Paros is on your way back from Santorini to Athens on most ferry
routes. The northern town of Naoussa is
a more charming version of Mykonos (which is also lovely, but can be very busy
in Summer, and is clubby at night – if you don’t like that sort of thing!). The harbour/marina here is my spiritual happy place - beautiful, fun, and filled with light. The town has little pathways and shops and bars/great fish restaurants. You can take little boats from the marina to various beaches
across the bay as well. This is a great ‘chill-out’
island, and you will not be disappointed.
In Naoussa, there’s a great hotel called Stelia Mare. I’ve been there and it’s great. http://www.steliamare.com/ You can check out other spots at www.paros-online.com/paros.htm
2. MYKONOS. The main town is probably the most beautiful in Greece, albeit super crowded. Its large selection of medieval windmills are
a true symbol of the islands in general.
There are many great beaches here, the best being Paradise beach. You can also consider SuperParadise Beach,
but it’s known for its alternative adult-focus, if you know what I mean – and
by that I mean naked gay men. You should
stay in Mykonos town, if you wish to socialize. The Semeli and
Belvedere hotels are the best – they’re owned by sisters. They’re expensive, but even if you don’t stay
there, go for a drink at the Belvedere in the evening (like South Beach,
Miami).
MUST DO: CAPRICE BAR
The sunset at Caprice bar, which is just down the beach from the
beautiful windmills is absolutely amazing.
The area is called Little Venice, because it looks like this:
Make sure to get the huge fruity drinks at Caprice Bar (or one close by), and be careful of getting too close to the water (as in Sept. the waves can get choppy!).
YIANNI EXCLUSIVE: Just a
stone’s throw away from the windmills, down a little narrow alley and then down
some jagged stone steps there is a little bakery, right out of the middle ages,
cut into the basement of other villas. It’s
called “Giora’s Wood Bakery”. Here you
will be able to get absolutely the best greek pastries I’ve ever had (except
from my grandmother and mother – c’mon…).
You just have to ask any of the little street vendors nearby the
windmills – they will know it.
ANOTHER YIANNI EXCLUSIVE:
PANORMOS BEACH!
You will impress your friends when you tell them about this
obscure beach. It’s not accessible via
the bus routes, so it’s very exclusive.
Book a late lunch (2-3pm) ahead of time at Panormos Beach Bar: http://www.panormosbeach.gr/. Lay about on the beach or on the hammock,
then head in for some lunch, then chill out on the beach sofas to soft
electronica music, and end the day with some drinks at the bar (possibly ending
up on one of the beach tables dancing – I don’t know, it just happens). Also, if you’re an animal lover, they let
animals roam free around the (there’s a pig named Achilleas, a horse, several
dogs, and I think a chicken… don’t question this, but I wouldn’t order the pork
souvlaki just as a courtesy to Achilleas).
Make sure to pre-plan the taxi
back, as these become scarce closer to sunset!
There is also a great half/day boat trip to the abandoned island
of Delos, an island off the coast of Mykonos which has an amazing archeological
site (the NATO of the ancient world).
Again, you might consider Mykonos just a night, enroute to another
island (but be mindful of the ferry routes).
http://www.mykonos.com/GenInfo.shtml
Here’s the Google Map, if you include
one/both islands for this route:
3. NAXOS. Near Paros, this is a far more chill and less developed version of Paros. There are actually cows on Naxos and so they have some fantastic cheeses. The main town is lovely, with an iconic Window/Portal up on a hill which is a nice hike to take. Agios Prokopios is perfect for a young couple or a family - all hotels are within walking distance from what is probably one of the nicest sand beaches in Greece. Highly recommended.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS/Advice from a frequent Greek
traveler:
· Map out your week
and schedule the main parts of the trip well in advance (flights, ferries, some
hotels). As you’re only there for a week
or so, there are limits on ferry times (i.e. only one per day or one every two
days between some islands) – missing
them can mean you lose a day. Also, I
wouldn’t do too many islands – the travel between will eat-up most of your
time. Greece is about exploring, but
mostly and relaxing (with plenty of Ouzo).
· Give yourself
plenty of time for inefficiency. It’s a
pastime in Greece to be late. Arriving early for ferries, etc. is probably
a good idea – there’s always a great little tavern at the port, with Greek
coffee, some sweets, an English newspaper, and ouzo (there’s a brand of ouzo
called “Arvanitis” – which I can obviously highly recommend!)
· The mainland,
Delphi/Olympia/Meteora. I haven’t included any
info on the mainland, as typically the first-time traveler wants to see the
islands. I have been to see the Oracle
of Delphi and the ruins near Olympia (home of the first Olympic Games) and these
are such historically amazing places and of great importance to see. However I would suggest that you could leave
this for a later trip – always best to keep something saved for next time!). If you’re adamant about seeing these, get
back to Athens early and book a day bus-tour from a hotel –I have done this and
they are an amazing treat.
·
Feast days -
Festivals. Try and find out about any religious
feast days that are happening on various islands and plan to be there on those
days/evenings. These are incredibly fun
and will give you a real authentic experience, with dancing, food, etc. I went to one in Crete years back and still
remember it as the best experience. Typically from 1st to 16th of August there are festivals most days as this is the period around Panagia - the feast day of the Virgin Mary.
· Language. Frankly, you’d be better off speaking German or Russian than Greek during the summers! That
said, everyone speaks English, so you’ll have no trouble. Of course, a bit of Greek is always
appreciated by the locals.
Flights/Transportation:
Internal flights - the Athens airport is brand new and lovely
(believe me, it’s 1000% better than the original one, which was 4th
world at best!). The local island
hopping planes are small, but there is no flight longer than 60 minutes, so
it's not a problem. The
national airline Olympic Airlines was sold off, and the new “Olympic Air” has
taken over. Their website is www.olympicair.com. You should also look into Aegean Airlines as
well - it has many of the same routes and I believe better service (which is a
relative term in Greece – i.e. the staff don’t argue with you as much!) www.aegeanair.com. I’ve suggested just one one-way flight
combined w. ferries in this itinerary –
however, if you want to fly everywhere, you can (flights are about the same
price as a ferries in May/early June, assuming you book in advance).
Ferries. I would take the high-speed ferry boat - they have the new
high-speed catamaran-like ferries that reduce the time by 70% and almost remove
the sea-sickness factor. You can make
arrangements via www.ferries.gr. It’s not a great site - any Greek travel
agent can also assist you on this (as well as your flights). In Toronto, I’ve used Rex Travel 416-469-1161,
and Mr. Travel - 416-461-2424 in the past.
Car – a good idea to rent one on Crete - if you do the route I
suggested - but I wouldn’t recommend in Santorini (just take a taxi, no more
than 12 Euros from top to bottom of the island). They drive on the right side of the road, but
make sure someone can drive stick shift.
Mopeds. DO NOT rent Mopeds on Santorini. The roads are notoriously narrow and almost
negligently dangerous - people drive like mad.
Just take a taxi – there are stands everywhere, and restaurants will
book them for you before you leave. I
recall arriving on the ferry boat one year and looking down at the crowd waiting to board
you would think this was a hospital ship with all the broken legs, casts, head
bandages, etc.
FINAL NOTE. The
bad news is that Greek unions love to strike – so be aware of this during the summer months when booking ferries and flights. That said, there are
strikes every year in Greece, usually in June/July. While
the Greeks are far more socialist than you would imagine, keep in mind that they are absolutely 100%
focused on Tourism. It’s their
lifeline. the people are amazing and will be really glad to
see you - you will be taken care of perhaps better now than in many other years as competition from Turkey, Croatia, Italy, etc. continues to affect tourism. You will have the opportunity to bargain on certain things (or just ask ‘is that your best
price?’ at least). Athens will still be great fun in the right neighbourhoods - Monistiraki is my favourite - but you will see graffiti on walls and possibly some protests around Syntagma Square - the parliament. Don’t worry about
that – there’s been graffiti there for 2,500 years!
Just get to the islands or lesser populated mainland venues and enjoy!
Cheers, and Kalo Taxithi (Bon Voyage)!
Some Greek Thoughts from my friend Zorba:
The Full Catastrophe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHAqdZ2f5cM
Dance? Did you say… Dance?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeNsr_nQEfE&feature=player_detailpage#t=6s
Life is Trouble, only Death is
not: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DJQu9RQYWs&NR=1
A Great Big Crazy Plan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Shza4rsUU&feature=related
