Greece summer holidays guide: 2014

Planning a holiday to Greece? Read our guide to the best regions, with expert advice on the islands, including Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Crete and Corfu, and the mainland, including the Peloponnese and Northern Greece. You will also find recommendations on getting there. By Jane Foster, Telegraph Travel Greece expert.

A holiday in Greece conjures up images of idyllic islands, long sandy beaches, sun-bleached ruins and turquoise blue sea. But with miles and miles of mainland coastline and over 1,000 islands (no one is really sure how many there are – even those numbers vary), of which 227 are inhabited, how do you find the ideal holiday destination?

First, the islands. The Argo-Saronic archipelago, including most people’s favourite, tiny Hydra, with its chic boutique hotels occupying restored neo-classical mansions, and Aegina, with its pistachio orchards, lies the closest to Athens. The Cyclades, of which the most popular are Santorini and Mykonos, tend to be rocky and arid, and are known for their iconic whitewashed cubic buildings. Santorini and Mykonos are Greece’s most commercial and expensive islands, and also home to the highest concentration of five-star hotels, attracting international travellers in search of glitz and luxury, while smaller islands such as Antiparos and Koufonissi are more off-beat and restful. 

Syros, in the Cyclades, offers classical views onto the Aegean Sea.

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On the far side of the Aegean, close to Turkey, the Dodecanese are scattered around Rhodes, with its hauntingly beautiful medieval old town, and diminutive Patmos, with its timeless monasteries, while the low-key pine-scented Sporades include Skiathos.

 

Scroll down for expert advice on getting to Greece

The lesser-visited Northeast Aegean islands centre on Mytilini (akaLesbos), where anise-flavoured ouzo comes from, and Chios, with its medieval villages and mastic trees. The biggest Greek island, Crete, stands on its own, rising proudly from the Libyan Sea and facing towards North Africa. Its main entry points are Heraklion and Chania.The only islands that are not accessible by boat from Piraeus are the lush green Ionian islands, with most people’s favourite being Corfu. The Ionians tend to be favoured by British holiday makers (and Italians in August), and cover a broad spectrum from the budget to the luxury markets. They also have some outstanding beaches.

Kastro, in Skiathos, was a natural fortress whose ruins can still be seen today.

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Most package holidays will take you to islands with direct flights from the UK - which is fine, but it does mean that they are going to be busy, and touristy. To reach quieter destinations, independent travel and a few hours studying the prohibitively complicated Greek ferry timetable (greekferries.gr) is required.

Some tour companies have caught onto this conundrum and offer a possible solution: Greece specialist Sunvil (020 8568 4499;sunvil.co.uk) proposes several multi-centre itineraries combining two destinations in one holiday, such as Kefalonia with Ithaca, Samos with either Patmos or Ikaria, or Athens with Andros (a favourite bolthole for wealthy Athenians).

Back on the mainland, the Peloponnese is all about rugged mountains, fertile valleys and several outstanding archaeological sites, such as Ancient Corinth, Ancient Olympia and Epidaurus – the latter lies close to Nafplion, which many Greeks consider their most beautiful and romantic city.

To the south of the Peloponnese, Kalamata (where the olives come from), lies close to the Mani, a rugged peninsula with windswept villages of old stone cottages, some of which have been restored as holiday homes.

Northern Greece, which centres on Thessaloniki, is popular with holidaymakers from Bulgaria and Serbia, who stay at the big modern seaside resorts on Halkidiki, close to the monasteries of Mount Athos (which occupy a separate peninsula).

Paraportiani Church, on Mykonos, is the most photographed of the island's 400 churches.

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When to go

Wherever you go, you are more or less guaranteed warm, sunny days and balmy nights from June through to September. Like other Mediterranean countries, Greece sees its peak tourist season in the hottest months, July and August. If you want to avoid the crowds, and the heat, try to visit in June or September, when the sea is warm enough to swim, the hotels and restaurants open for business, but the locals not too fazed by the onslaught of holiday makers. Jane Foster

Getting there

For advice on booking agent and tour operators for specific kinds of holiday, see the listings on our beach, villas, art and culture, food and wine and activities holidays pages.

British Airways is this year launching flights from the UK to the Greek islands.

British Airways

British Airways (0844 493 0787; ba.com) continues its mainland services: Gatwick to Thessaloniki (flights from March to October, with fares from £118) and Heathrow to Athens (year round flights, with fares from £121). New for this year, though, are direct flights to the islands: Mykonos (flights from May to September, with fares from £171) and Santorini (flights also from May to September, from £200 return).

EasyJet (easyjet.com) is also this year introducing twice-weekly routes: Edinburgh-Heraklion and Glasgow-Kos (one-way fares from £37.49). These are in addition to existing routes to Corfu, Kefalonia, Zante, Kalamata, Athens, Mykonos, Crete, Kos and Rhodes from Gatwick and regional airports.

Aegean Airlines (0030 210 6261000; aegeanair.com) operates from London to Athens.

Jet2.com (jet2.com) flies to Corfu, Rhodes, Crete, Kos and Zante from Midlands and northern UK airports.

Ryanair (ryanair.com) operates flights to ten destinations in Greece from regional and London airports.

DialAFlight (0844 811 4444; dialaflight.com) and the Charter Flight Centre (0844 050 0100; charterflights.co.uk) sell seat-only tickets on tour operator charter flights from a wide range of regional UK airports to the main holiday gateways.

Alternatively, book direct at Thomson Airways (flights.thomson.co.uk),Olympic Holidays (olympicholidays.com), Thomas Cook(flythomascook.com) and Monarch (monarch.co.uk).

More information: Greek National Tourism Organisation (0030 210 8707000; 020 7495 9300 visitgreece.gr)
"Getting there" advice by Sophie Butler

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destination/greece/125016/Greece-summer-holidays-guide-2014.html