you can get easyjet flights from Luton to Athens for £26.50 when they first come on sale, i saw them once and nearly booked for the sake of it haha then i realised how much it would cost for me to get to Luton

Hi you can book this trough a travel agent or island wandering them self's
Have done this several times found it best way to see Greece )

Island hopping is so easy done it on and off for years. The greeks are so friendly which makes life much easier weve done it with children, and no pre booking, and never had complications. Personally avoid the touts when you get off the ferry. dont be afraid to shop around and barter.We were in santorini and naxos last august and still found plenty of good accom in both places at reasonable rates. Just be aware of last minute ferry cancelations due to strong winds.........dave

Well, on and off for 25 years I have done around 60 islands most of them more than once. You do have a wide choice of islands in the Cyclades but they can also be done by flying direct to say Santorini or Mykonos on charter flights as well. It will be logistically easier to leave Athens till the end to allow for ferry connections. Going outside of the August hi-season makes accomodation easy to arrange on arrival. The big advantage of not using a package operator is the flexibility to just go to any island.

This is my dream come true, i have read all the books from the library about island hopping. All the time tables are in it. My favourite island that i want to go to is Folengres it has a population of under 500.

Hi Intervoice,

You can check out ferry schedules on the following sites:

http://www.gtp.gr/

http://www.greekislandhopping.com/

Bear in mind that the summer timetables won't have been finalised yet - you need to keep checking up till the last minute. "Greek Island Hopping", by Frewin Poffley, is a very useful book, but remember that schedules will be based on the previous year's. At Piraeus, ferries are grouped together according to destination - I think there is a map in the book. You may need to consider pre-booking tickets if you're travelling in peak season, particularly around 15th August, the festival of Panagia, when many Greek people travel to the islands.

I agree with the previous posts about the Athens stay. You would be better leaving that till the end of your holiday as ferries can be cancelled at the last minute, a bit of a bummer if you're stuck on a remote island with a flight to catch. You could make your way back via one of the islands close to Athens (e.g. Agistri or Aegina) where boats are less likely to be affected by strikes or bad weather and there are so many ferry options you can leave it till the last minute before heading back to the airport - we always spend a couple of days on Agistri before flying home.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Heather

Thanks for all your replies and the mounds of info and tips.