Athens to Rhodes: 4 days?

April 30, 2008 5:29 AM

Greek Isles: How do I get from Athens to Rhodes in 4 days?

Hi AskMeFi- this is a followup to my earlier travel post. My gf and I want to island hop from Athens to Rhodes in around 4 days in the second half of May.

We have found a ferry site that lets you enter islands and dates and then displays different companies and schedules, but it feels like some sort of crazy logic puzzle: we will get almost there and then hit a deadend. We are worried about getting stuck for a few days since our time is limited.

Is there anyway to find our path ahead of time, or do we just have to wing it? Can anyone recommend an agency that knows the ferries well? Is flying a solution? Is having a timeline like this not really an option when visiting the Greek Isles?

Thanks for your help!
cgs

posted by cgs to Travel & Transportation around Greece (5 answers total)

I'm in the midst of booking ferries for Greek islands for my honeymoon. Your first port of call should be Greek Island Hopping and do try and get the book too -- it's by far the best guide around.

Pireaus is the centre of a big spoke, and all of the groups of islands go from there. You can hop between the individual islands within groups, but it's a bit more difficult to reliably go from one group to another without going back to Pireaus.

Another thing to remember is that you might not be able to book everything online yet -- the final link in my plan (Santorini to Crete) at the end of June is not open for reservations so far.

Good luck.
posted by randomination at 6:41 AM on April 30, 2008

(Personally, I would actually go from Athens to Rhodes first, and then spend some time hopping round the assorted islands.)
posted by randomination at 6:44 AM on April 30, 2008

Yeah, the ferries are, sad to say, a bit of a nightmare to book ahead of time, although in my experience it was pretty easy once you were there to just hop on one and go once you're ready. More info here, and book Rhodes-specific ferry online, here (probably a good starting place for the rest of your ferry trips as well).

You might want to consider a low-cost cruise that hits your desired ports of call, however - mostly the ship travels at night whilst you dance/drink/sleep and then you wake up in Rhodes, et. al. to explore the day away.

I liked Rhodes a lot, definitely consider renting a motorbike and getting outside the old city and exploring some of the local areas surrounding it.
posted by allkindsoftime at 7:17 AM on April 30, 2008

Is flying a solution?

In your shoes I'd fly into Rhodes and spend the four days visiting some of the nearer islands.


Is having a timeline like this not really an option when visiting the Greek Isles?

They're certainly not the place for tightly scheduled, deadline oriented travel. Ferries run late, and sometimes not at all if the weather is uncooperative. The phrase "It's not running today. Maybe tomorrow if the weather gets better" would pretty much destroy all of your plans.
posted by tkolar at 8:32 AM on April 30, 2008

Yeah, I agree. The ferries are a pain to book in advance before you get there. When you can talk to Greek travel agents face to face, you'll find the best travel options will be a lot clearer. Rhodes should be an overnight ferry from Athens. Weekly ferry schedules come out in the Athens News on Friday, for the whole week. You should get a copy as soon as you get to the airport or you arrive in Athens. But keep in mind, even that schedule might not be totally accurate.

There is an online Greek ferry booking site but I have never used it so I cannot guarantee its worth.

Greek transport, as said above, is not really the most tightly scheduled or deadline-oriented. So play it by ear and when you're waiting for a ferry just relax on a beach somewhere. Things probably won't always go according to plan but remember that there's no reason to stress out or be in a hurry... just think about it... you're in freakin' GREECE! Enjoy yourself! :)
posted by miss lynnster at 12:18 PM on April 30, 2008