Greek Island Travel by Ferry

Cruising past Santorini's volcano

Did you know that there are thousands of islands in Greece?  Of these, only around 200 are inhabited and about 20 have their own airport, which means travelers must arrive via ferry, just like in Mama Mia!  For the most famous islands like Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete, you usually have the option of a high or slow speed boat to get you there from the mainland.  The high speed boat is usually at least double the price, but saves you hours of time!

 

A couple of weeks ago we traveled to the small island of Syros and only had the option of the slooooow ferry.  A flight would have been 15 minutes, but it took us 9 hours to arrive because we stopped at so many islands along the way {I felt like I could've swam there faster!}.  While people, motorcycles, cars, and trucks were getting on and off our boat, I was on the top deck enjoying the view and deciding which islands I hoped to visit one day.  :)  

Here are a few pictures I snapped of some of the ports we saw traveling to and from Syros:

Folegandros

Pulling up in Folegandros we could tell right away that it was very small and remote; only 700 people live on the island - it seems like the perfect place to just get away.  It is very close to Santorini and we've heard that it has great beaches.

Sikinos

The close neighbor of Folegandros, the water was beautifully different here than the deep Santorini blue we've been used to seeing these last couple of months.  Looks just like the Caribbean, no? 

Ios

Ios has a party island reputation, it could be the Greek Ibiza.  We couldn't see much of the town from the port, but we did spot this party boat blasting pop hits next to us.

Paros

Paros, first famous for its marble, seemed the most interesting to me.  It is larger than Santorini and I loved the palm tree lined streets that I could see from the ferry.  This island seems to offer something for everyone.  There are many ferries connecting Paros with Santorini, so it would be easy to visit both.

Naxos

This island is HUGE!  It is the largest island of the Cyclades and is the most self-sufficient do to its fertile soil.  There is a lot of history here - we were even able to see ruins from the port.   

Syros

We were very surprised to pull into such a big city.  Not only that, but the architecture had color!  The port photos didn't come out so well (dusk + iPhone = badly lit pics), but believe me when I say that the port city {and capital} of the island was beautiful!

Santorini

On our return from Syros it took us 11 hours to arrive.  This was our view at the bottom of the caldera as the bridge was pulling down to let us off that night..  Finally!

Have you visited any Greek islands?
Which one, if any, is on your wish list?