My Greece Island Hopping Experience in 2022 - Page 2 of 14

The Itinerary

The trip began with a flight to mainland Greece, specifically the Peloponnese, where I joined my friend and regular travel companion Ed in Kalamata. We’d planned a six-night tour of the area, and I couldn’t wait to start.

In the days that followed, we visited Mystras, climbed Mount Taygetus, spent time in Monemvasia and took a short ferry to Elafonisos before returning to Kalamata, where Ed and I parted ways – he returned to the UK while I took a bus to Athens to catch a ferry from Piraeus to my first Greek island of the trip: Paros.

I’d visited Paros only once before: a brief two-night stay on my first island-hopping holiday in 2017. Although I’d fitted a lot into those days, it hadn’t been enough to experience the island in any great depth and, as a result, has been on my ‘to-do (again)’ list for the past five years! I spent the first week with a friend, then a second solo week, soaking up everything the island had to offer.

After Paros, I was thrilled to tick off another new island: Astypalea. I’d wanted to visit in 2021, but after getting stuck on Kos for several weeks due to bad planning, I had never made it there. I had a great time and – spoiler alert – even spent an unplanned extra two nights there due to a ferry cancellation!

At this point, anyone who’s read my 2021 trip report might start to get a sense of deja vu. I took a ferry from Astypalea to Kos, mainly to meet my girlfriend but also because I’d grown attached to the island the previous year and wanted to return. It certainly didn’t disappoint (female company always helps!), but after another two weeks, I can safely say I’ve had my fill of Kos and don’t think I’ll return for a while – there are too many other islands to explore!

With the cost of holidays soaring in 2022 and on a stricter budget compared to last year, I found myself heading from Kos to Ios via Amorgos. Ios has gradually climbed my list of top Greek destinations, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go back again. I spent an entire week on the island this time and had a blast! I hadn’t planned what to do next, though, and to save money, I headed south to Crete, knowing it’s one of the most affordable islands due to its vast size and wide choice of resorts.

Crete is the island I’ve visited the most over the 30+ years I’ve been travelling to Greece, and it’s always somewhere I can feel relaxed and enjoy Greek life. I spent three weeks in the popular tourist resorts of Stalis and Malia. Though not the type of destinations I typically visit these days, I knew they’d be budget-friendly and that I’d have no trouble keeping myself occupied during the height of the summer season.

When I finally realised I couldn’t spend the rest of my valuable Greek summer staying in Crete, I bit the bullet and booked myself on a long ferry from Heraklion to Piraeus. I’d planned to visit two more new islands: Aegina and Agistri, part of the Argo-Saronic group just off the mainland. My friend Ed had recommended them, and they didn’t disappoint: providing a different flavour of island life due to their proximity to Athens.

I had three more nights to spare before my girlfriend joined me again for her second visit to my trip and chose to spend them exploring Athens: a long overdue experience that, if I’m being honest, I’ve been putting off because I’m not a fan of big cities and tend to find the experience a bit overwhelming, especially alone. As with many things in life, however, anxiety turned to joy as I had a wonderful time seeing the ancient sights of one of the world’s most historic cities and the two days I spent there became one of the highlights of my trip.

The grand finale of my 2022 Greece summer couldn’t be anywhere but Sifnos, my favourite Greek island. I took my girlfriend with me for her first time there, excited to see if she would find it as magical as I do (she did). My parents, who also love Sifnos, arrived the following day. We only had three nights together, but it was a fantastic way to end the trip and left us all with unforgettable memories.

Conclusion

My 2022 Greece Trip was a fantastic experience. In hindsight, I could’ve pushed myself to see more new islands, but revisiting and exploring them to greater depth has its appeal, too. My time on Crete was perhaps a week longer than it needed to be, and once I’d made it to Aegina/Agistri, I regretted not leaving sooner, which would have given me time to include other nearby destinations such as Methana, Poros and/or Hydra.

Visiting Athens was a highlight of the trip. I’d wanted to see the Parthenon for many years but have never liked visiting big cities alone. It turned out fine, though; I’ll remember it for a long time.

Scroll down to read the posts I made about the trip, or click this link to get started: Day 1: Manchester to Kalamata