Greek island hopping has always been on the bucket list of mine, ever since I visited Santorini with my sister seven years ago. I fell in love with Greece at that time and vowed one day to return and island hop to experience other islands. Finally seven years later, while living in the UK on Tier 5 visa, I had the opportunity to schedule a trip to Greece headed for Mykonos, Milos and Santorini.
MYKONOS
How to get to Mykonos: We flew into Mykonos airport from London via Easyjet. As it was peak season (August), airfare cost us around €85 for a one way ticket (we also bought a one way ticket from Santorini back to London). Alternatively, there are ferries from Athens (Piraeus port) to Mykonos via Seajets which is the fastest boat. To check for prices and schedules, a website I use is ferryhopper. Just keep in mind that ferries tend to be late, usually about 30 minutes to 45 minutes just because of the high winds in the seas.
How to get to Mykonos Old Town from the Airport or New Port: If this is your first time in Mykonos, I would 100% recommend you stay in Mykonos Old Town. There are buses from the Airport that go to Mykonos Old Town Southern Bus Station. If you arrive at the New Port (all ferries arrive at the New Port now), there is a Seabus situated near the entrance of the port (there will also be a man shouting ‘Seabus!’ so just walk towards him and he will direct you to the counter where you purchase tickets) that will take you to Mykonos Ferry Terminal aka. Old Port as well as Mykonos Town Hall. From the Ferry Terminal there are bus connections depending on where you are staying. Otherwise, disembark at Mykonos Town Hall and walk to your hotel. Mykonos Old Town is small and everything is within walkable distance. No cars are allowed inside the old town anyways.
Where to stay in Mykonos: Again, if this is your first time in Mykonos, stay in Mykonos Old Town. Bus connections are the best from the Old Town and they can get you to all the beaches. If you’re here for a couple of days, you can consider staying at a hotel near the beach.
Stay details: Jenny’s Summer Houses €€ (where I stayed for a night and would not entirely recommend unless you have your own mode of transportation like scooter or ATV), Petinos Hotel €€ (located on Platis Gialos beach, where I stayed for a night, they provide free transfer from the airport/port) or stay in their sister hotel, Petinos Beach Hotel €€€(slightly more expensive), Hotel Lefteris € (awesome budget hotel located in Mykonos Old Town which I stayed!), Cavo Tagoo Mykonos €€€€ (five stay luxury cave hotels, where I would stay if I had money to splurge).
Wondering where I took all these photos in Mykonos? I prepared a separate post with exact locations on where to take Instagrammable photos in Mykonos. Read my post here – Top 11 Instagrammable Locations in Mykonos
How to get around: Buses are the best way to get around and very convenient in Mykonos as long as you are staying in Mykonos Old Town. I rented an scooter just because I made the mistake of booking in a random location with terrible bus connections. Nonetheless, during high season you can bargain and rent a scooter for €20/day with fuel included. The shop I rented from (FIRST- Rent a Car or Bike Mykonos) gave us a crappy scooter so I would not recommend them.
Boni’s Windmill
MILOS
How to get to Milos: We took a Seajets ferry from Mykonos to Milos which cost us around €35 during August. During the summer and windy weather, expect the ferry to arrive 35-60 minutes late – it’s considered normal. There are slower ferries but we chose to take one of the faster ferries – 3.5hours to Milos.
How to get around Milos: Scooter or ATV is highly recommended to get to the places of interest. There are buses but infrequent schedules make it difficult to get to the best beaches. We rented our scooter from a shop called Moto Kotsikas.
Stay details: Asterias Boutique hotel (affordable boutique hotel, our favorite!), Midland Suites (luxury boutique hotel with an amazing breakfast, Milos Breeze Boutique Hotel where I’d stay if I had money to splurge.
Sarakiniko Beach
Firiplaka Beach
Paliochori Beach
Tsigardo Beach
Sarakiniko Beach at sunrise
Where to eat in Milos: Archontoula was one of our favorite restaurants in Milos and would make a great dinner after watching the sunset at the Venetian Castle. Tables fill up quickly at night so come to this restaurant right after sunset to snag a spot!
SANTORINI
Stay Details: Olyra Traditional Cave Homes (where we stayed! Two cute cats live on the property and will be roaming around), Hotel Antonia (affordable but very simple rooms in the center of Thira, near the bus station – we stayed here for a night because we had an early ferry to catch the next day)
How to get around Santorini: We stayed at Olyra Traditional Cave Homes in Pygros which was away from the popular towns of Thira and Oia so we decided to rent a scooter just so it’s easier to get around. However, if we stayed in Thira, frequent buses run throughout the day (although not always on time!) Tickets cost from €1.60- €2.00 depending on your destination. Bus schedules are posted outside their Thira office and bus to ferry port schedules are posted the day before, handwritten. We rented a scooter for €15/day from Moto Panos in August which was quite a deal.
Taken in Oia
Taken in Oia
Left: Taken at Imerovigli; Right: Taken in Oia