Ikaria and Samos 2026

Introduction

Having only managed one Greece trip in 2025, I was keen to make 2026 a better year for visiting my favourite country. I carved out two slots in my diary – one in May and one in August – and set about deciding how I was going to spend them.

You can read more about my trip planning process here, so I’ll skip ahead and say that I ended up finding a good itinerary that would take me to two brand-new (to me) islands: Ikaria and Samos.

Itinerary

What’s the itinerary, then?

I’m flying from Manchester (UK) to Athens on Sunday 17th May, then taking a connecting flight to Ikaria. I’ll be staying on Ikaria for five nights so I can really explore the island, then travelling by ferry to Samos on Friday 22nd. I’ll spend the remaining four nights on Samos, before flying direct back to Manchester thanks to a fairly new route operated by Jet2. (Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday!!)

Needless to say, I’m really excited about visiting to new islands, both of which promise lots of fantastic sights to explore, so stay tuned for updates, travel tips, and plenty of inspiration from this adventure through two of Greece’s hidden gems!