Laura The Explaura

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Greek Islands Are A Must

If you go could anywhere in the world, Greece is a place you must visit, and when I am talking about Greece, I mainly mean The Greek Islands.  

Taking a ferry between the islands is a fairly easy and simple process. I booked all my tickets online at viva.gr.  However, you can buy tickets at the port also. I don’t like to push my luck though. I prefer to be organised ahead of time. When choosing your ticket, you have options of four different companies, which have different styles of boats, time periods and prices. It is obviously cheaper to take a longer ride however it's not particularly scenic and the seas are fairly rough and waves are quite large, so you feel it. Trust me, it is a pretty wild ride on the Aegean Sea. Yet, the jetboats handle the waves pretty well. If you are a person who gets seasick though, take your travel calm ahead of time before travelling or ask for a sick bag.

I travelled with SeaJets and a seat is allocated so there is no need to rush or push to the front of the line, I always got their super early, about an hour before departure but there really is no need. The boats are never on time and always running late. Leave your bag downstairs in the racks and take the stairs to the seating areas. There is food on the boat to purchase though keep in mind it is expensive and you will be paying more than if you came prepared with your own snacks.

Of course, flying is an option which is much quicker than time spent on a jetboat however it is much more costly. I guess it just depends on your budget.

The Greek Islands are not really a place where you can prepare your own food so be prepared to eat out a lot. There are some mini markets, the odd fruit store and many bakeries but do not expect huge supermarkets.

The local bus on Santorini is easy to use. The bus picks you up from the new port to Fira which is the main station. And takes you up the steep hill. It is much cheaper than getting a taxi up. Be sure to check the times for going back to the port to catch your ferry as they only leave every two hours or so, and taxies will triple their price to get you there in time, as it’s your only option. The hike along the coast Fira to Oia, is definitely worth doing. It takes about two hours and is beautiful. Aim to be at Oia for sunset and watch in awe as the sun goes down over the town.

The local buses on Mykonos are reliable and cheap to take you to the various beaches. The bus driver may smoke while driving but it is mostly a comfortable ride.

Consider not travelling in or after October for a few months. Everything is closing up after summer. There are fewer people, which you may think is great but that also means there is no atmosphere.

The Greek Islands are hard to describe. The landscape is something I never expected. It is very barren. It is a great place to relax and do absolutely nothing if you choose. Makes a great spot for a honeymoon location. The history is rich. Their traditions and cultures are evident, and the Greek food just tops off the whole experience of travelling the Greek Islands.

Have you been lucky enough to escape to the Greek Islands? What did you think? We would love it if you joined the conversation and left a comment below.