Sail Around the Greek Islands with Viking

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A cruise around the Greek islands is the kind of holiday sitting near the top of many dream vacation lists. But a Greek island cruise isn’t as costly or as complicated as you might think, and there are hundreds of tour companies with thousands of itineraries to choose from, so your ultimate Greek island experience is definitely out there. You just have to look.

The first decision to make is whether you want to cruise by yacht or by cruise liner. The yacht, of course, is the romantic choice, but you have to remember that it’s much more like being in a boat and much less like being in a hotel: you might not have as much space, you won’t find a pool or a gym, and you might get more sea sick. So if those are important criteria for you, stick to the cruise liner. Whichever kind of vessel you’re cruising on, you’ll enjoy the trip - it’s the Greek islands!

Viking Cruises is a tour company that specializes solely on Greek island excursions, and they’ve been operating successfully for 40 years. The name comes from the fact that the founders, three brothers, were of both Greek and Swedish origin. The nice thing about Viking is they know their region very well, and offer quite a range of voyages, from week-long yacht trips with various itineraries, the option to charter your own yacht, and through close links with cruise companies, cruise options from between three and 14 days in length.

If I had to choose, I’d take the Magnificent Greece yachting option, which includes a week on the yacht, a four-day coach tour around classical Greece and three days in the capital, Athens. The cruising part of the tour starts from near Athens and you travel on a traditional wooden yacht, looking exactly like the yacht in my ultimate Greek island daydream. From the first beautiful stop of Santorini, you sail on to Ios, Paros, Mykonos, Syros and Kea before returning to Athens and continuing with the land based content of the tour.

While you’re on board the yacht, you’ll share either a twin or double cabin on the main deck (complete with ensuite and air-conditioning), and receive breakfast and lunch each day. The evenings have a variety of entertainment and options at the various stopping points and several dinners are also included. Get planning for next year because the cruising season for such a tour runs from May through to October, with cruises available in April on request.

(photo credit flickr cc)
(photo credit flickr cc)
(photo credit flickr cc)