Cruising around the Dodecanese (17-31 of May 2015)

Dodecanese means ‘Twelve Islands’, although they are actually twelve bigger and a few smaller ones! They are located at the south-east corner of the Aegean Sea and here you'll find some of the most beautiful and remote islands in Greece, as well as many historical sites, three of which are UNESCO-listed World Heritage sites.

Although this island group is quite far from mainland Greece, it’s really worth making that little extra effort getting there, as they offer spectacular sceneries! The sailing conditions are great, you’ll find pretty villages, picturesque harbors, interesting volcanic formations, ancient sites, Venetian castles and of course the famous Greek hospitality that you always experience on the small islands off the beaten track!

You may have heard about some of the bigger and more well-known islands like Rhodes, but very unlikely you’ve heard about Nisyros, Tilos, Chalki and Symi! You shouldn’t miss them and as the best way to visit the smaller islands is by sailing yacht, come onboard and let us take you to some of the most picturesque corners of Greece!

For May and June 2015 we have planned 5 cruises around the Aegean Islands, two of which will take us through the Dodecanese. Below you can read more about the itineraries and the islands we will visit.

Dodecanese: 17-24 of May 2015

This cruise will start in Ios, we’ll visit some islands in the Cyclades and some in the Dodecanese and finish in Rhodes the following Sunday. The itinerary we will follow is:

Dodecanese: 24-31 of May 2015

This cruise will start in Rhodes, we’ll visit some islands in the Dodecanese and some in the Cyclades and finish in Ios the following Sunday. The itinerary we will follow is:

Some of the highlights of these two cruises are:

• Rhodes: You should definitely plan to spend at least one day in Rhodes before your cruise as you will love the atmosphere of the place. Walk around one of the largest medieval towns of Europe (another UNESCO World Heritage Site) and you can easily imagine that you’ve travelled back in time; visit the walls, the bastions, the old houses, the Palace of the Grand Master, the little quiet squares, the busy and cosmopolitan ones. If you can spend a few days on the island, visit the traditional settlement of Lindos at the south coast and walk around its acropolis and drive around the island as it has many pretty sites.
• Symi: As we are approaching the harbor you will realize that this village climbing from the sea to the top of the hill, is one of the most picturesque sights in the Mediterranean!
• Chalki: A beautiful small island, which shouldn’t be missed. The setting around the harbor is delightful, with colorful fishing boats at anchor, a picturesque village and a backdrop of rugged mountains.
• Nisyros: Walk around the caldera and explore the crater of the active volcano, visit the volcanological museum, the Paleokastro which is the classical period acropolis of the ancient city, or the medieval castle.
• Astypalaia: Located where the Dodecanese meet the Cyclades, Astypalaia with its white-washed houses has one of the most picturesque towns in the Aegean.
• Anafi: Another very picturesque island in the Cyclades where you can just wander around the ‘chora’ or visit the ancient town of Anafi with its necropolis, the monumental tombs and their sculptures.
• Ios: Famous for its 365 churches, Ios is also known as the final resting place of Homer. You can relax around the harbor or spend a few hours exploring the little streets of the ‘chora’, enjoying the Cycladic architecture and the magnificent views from the top of the hill. The reason we chose Ios as the finishing port is that after your cruise we would suggest that you take the 50 minute ferry ride from here to the neighboring island of Santorini which shouldn’t be missed!!!
• Santorini: Also called Thira, is a spectacular island and although it’s a major tourist destination it still shouldn’t be missed. It’s practically a half-sunken volcano (still active) with the picturesque ‘chora’ built on the rim of the caldera, at the edge of a vertical rock rising 200 meters from the sea. The views are spectacular and you will enjoy some of the best sunsets!! Unfortunately because the sea is 200 meters deep, there is no safe harbor for a yacht to visit.

GETTING THERE
There are ferries between Piraeus (the port of Athens) and Ios and also between Rhodes and Piraeus, but domestic flights are not expensive (around 80-100 Euro one-way) and are a lot faster than ferries. For getting to Rhodes from Athens a domestic flight is recommended as the ferry takes many hours. You can also get to Rhodes by domestic flight from various European cities.

Additionally, there is an airport in Santorini and you can get from there by domestic flight to Athens (Aegean Airlines or Olympic Airlines) or direct charter flight from many European cities.

As it takes only 50 minutes by ferry from Ios to Santorini, a good idea would be to combine your cruise with a stay in Santorini, as it's really worth to spend a bit of time on that spectacular island.