also very interested in knowing opinions on these Islands

In terms of partying, you really can’t go wrong with either one…..A great spot in Mykonos is paradise Beach (http://www.paradisemykonos.com/) – the party goes all night, beach is amazing, plenty of open-air bars.  In Ios (http://www.faroutclub.com/frames/camping_frames.html) you’ve got much of the same.  The two campgrounds mentioned are a little ways oput of the main town, but they have free trasnfers from their respective ports. And public transport to get into town is nearby.  Been to both, and love ‘em. 

Ios puts on quite a party for midsummer, June 21st. Plenty of drinking and carrying on.
Decent, cheap lodging too. We stayed at FarOut, too.
I would think that the added attraction with Mykonos would be the fact that you can visit Delos from there.

Okay, so overall, I infer that Mykonos is more international and more expensive and is more for the post college grad type, and that Ios is not quite as international and tends to attract recent high school grads and college currents from all over North America and Europe, and it seems cheaper? Is this about right? How does the partying differ or the overall atmosphere? What would be a better place for three 18 year old guys? We are also going to Santorini and Athens, any other locations advisable too? We have about 7-10 days to spend in all of Greece. Thanks!

Ios seemed pretty international to me. There were lots of Scandinavians singing drinking songs, and many other Europeans.
FWIW, we did not hear many American voices while we were there. There was indeed a lot of partying going on.
We could tell because in the daytime, esp the mornings, people were very quiet and obviously somewhat hungover.[image]http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/image/s4.gif[/image]
Santorini is dropdead gorgeous. Be sure to go on the little volcano hike, and accompanying visit to the nearby island.

Thanks Cil, from what I have gathered I decided I am going to do Ios and Santorini. Thanks again everyone for all their advice!

Also, does anyone know if it is better to stay at a campsite or hostel in the Greek Islands?

It’s not necessarily an age thing.  It’s also more of a culture thing.  If you’re from, say, Ohio, you might feel more comfortable in Ios.  If you’re from, maybe, Montreal, Manhattan, or Milan, you would probably like Mykonos more.  It’s all relative really, and you might love both, but Ios tends to attract the Anglo middle-America college type.  But I guess, yeah, post-22 seem to head for Mykonos.  Mykonos is expensive, better-known around the world, and tends to draw in a much more diverse crowd.  Both rely heavily on word of mouth for their tourism advertising.  Ios is a popular suggestion within the backpacking circuit. 
 
I guess the best way i can put it would be kind of like this: Ios is like Cancun; Mykonos is like Miami/South Beach.

Thanks luv_the_beach, I think that finally puts it into perspective for me, and it seems that Ios’ inexpenisveness and vibe is exactly what I am looking for.

hi im gonna be in greece the last week of may for 7 days im going to athens myconos and ios but do i need to purchase ferry tickets now in order to island hop and get to each island now or should i just do it there? and is it possible to ferry to italy after that week or is a plane a better route to take to italy from greece

You’ll be fine if you just buy the tickets there, though if you’re worried you can buy them online ahead of time usually for not too much extra if any. I don’t think you’ll run into much trouble, though, since you’ll miss Orthodox Easter and while it is getting busier, I don’t think it’ll be too bad.

Taking a ferry from Greece to Italy is definitely possible, but the trips last anywhere from 19-30 hours and you have to take a bus from Athens to Patras (the port, a couple hours away) first. If you have the means, I’d fly; I took the ferry once from Patras to Venice and it’s not an experience I’d like to replicate any time soon.

Study the country’s geography.  Ios and Mykonos are east of the Greek mainland.  Italy is west of Greece.  The “ferry” route between Ios/Mykonos and Italy would be a combination of ferries and overland travel (ferry to Athens, cross the mainland by train or bus, then ferry to Italy.)  Flying will be much faster (Athens-Rome is just an-hour-fifteen-minutes flight), but keep in mind that these islands have no direct international flights; you will have to do a 2-leg flight with layover in Athens.  (Ios doesn’t have its own airport; but its neighbors Santoríni, Náxos, and Páros do.)

But more importantly, is there a specific reason you’re going to both Ios and Mykonos?  Is it becauase those are the only islands you can name?  Or are they the only islands you’ve been hearing about from others? I can make you a much better itinerary; one that will suit what you’re looking for, your time constraints, and where you’ll be heading afterwards.

If I were you, I’d chose either Ios or Mykonos, and then (sicne it seems that you’re headed for Italy after Greece) break up the commute towards Italy by spending a few days somewhere along the way.  Corfu is a good one because it has direct connections to Italy.  The Peloponnese region is another option.  This would give you a more varied sampling of the country, in addition to making your commute to Italy much easier by breaking it up.

Thoughts?  

thanks for the reply, it seems you could really be of help to me. Um its like this really. Ive had friends who went to Ios and Mykonos in the same trip and said the partying in both are crazy and i need to try both. They were there for ten days and im only for 6 maybe 7. So maybe it isnt possible to do both but i dont know what really goes on in these other islands. I was planning on landing in Athens then going to myconos then ios then on the last day coming back to athens to fly to italy. I know it seems like a stupid plan but i was willing to do it cause it seemed worth it. If you think there is a better route to listen to i will listen because im sure if you told me some of the interesting things to do in another island i can do that instead of going to either myconos or ios because i do suppose it would be easier to just fly from one of the places with an aiport instead of going back to athens. So let me know what you think and if you know of any of these other countries maybe we could exchange emails on Italy , France, Spain, and Amsterdam. thanks

Well, no, it’s not a stupid idea.  You actually have a sound plan. 
 
If you want to go to both Ios and Mykonos, then do that.  I just want to make sure that you know all your options before finalizing your itinerary.  And I want to make sure that you’re going to these islands for a specific reason, not because they’re the only&nbsplaces in Greece that you know.  So you’ve passed that test. []  
 
If all you want to do is party, then yeah, go to both of these islands, or pick one of the two, and spend more time there.  It’s up to you.  If, however, you want to mix it up a bit; culture and history with beach and partying, and you want to get a more thorough view of the country during the short time span you’re there, then I would suggest visiting only one of those two islands (Mykonos or Ios), and then substituting the other one with a place that is a tad quieter and has cultural or historical significance, and/or will give you a taste of a different region of the country (since both Ios and Mykonos belong to the Cyclades island chain/region). 
 
If you want to stick closer to your original plan (fly into Athens, visit Aegean Islands, fly out of Athens to Italy) and you’ve decided that you do not want to visit both Ios and Mykonos, then I would suggest making the second island of your choice maybe Syros or Santoríni.  They are still in the same island chain, but have something different or additional to see and do.  Syros is the perfect quiet/cultural island to complement your partying holiday in Mykonos.  The island is connected by ferry to almost all the other Cylcadic islands (because it’s the administrative capital of the island group), and its main city is a very beautiful 19th century neoclassical town.  There’s a very lively tourism industry; but the tourists are almost entirely Greek mainlanders.  Meaning, that there’s a tourism industry large enough for you to easily find lodging, restaurants, etc, etc, without the drunken Britons menacing the streets.  Santoríni is another gem of an island I can write enough about, which has a nightlife of its own, just not as widespread as Mykonos.  Much of the island sank into the sea during a volcanic eruption thousands of year ago; today, the island’s charming main towns (Firá and Oia) and perched atop a cliff, with a spectacular view of the sea below.
 
I’d say, if you only have 7 days, then do what I mentioned in the above paragraph.  Ferrying back to Athens to catch your flight works.  If you want to save time, however, then check for flights from either Syros, Santoríni, or Mykonos to Athens (Ios does not have an airport).  Or  [island]-Athens-Italy.  If you decide to ferry from Greece to Italy, then I would suggest breaking up your trip from Athens to Italy, by stopping in Corfu.  But wiht only 7 days, then perhaps flying is your best option.
 
Again, it’s up to you which islands you want to visit.  Just know where to go for what you want to see and do.

Luv_the_Beach, I’ve got a friend living on the island of Sikinos and plan on staying with her for a few nights; have you ever been there and if so, do you have any suggestions/advice about traveling this island?  I know it’s super small, 300 people, but I want to find places like this along my travels.
 
In addition, I was hoping you might suggest a few more places in Greece that I might visit.  Transportation costs are not a HUGE concern but I plan on staying in Greece for a few weeks (maybe somewhere around 10 days) before traveling elsewhere so I don’t want to blow my whole wad, ya dig?  I would like to cover a lot of ground in Greece though.  Any suggestions?  Also, I’d like to stop in and out of bigger cities (able to experience night life but retreat to quieter places).

I am going to greece from jun 15-22 officially. I am flying into athens , are there ferries that go saturday night and how long are the ferries to myconos and ios from athens and between eachother. Also what are the price ranges for ferries within greece. can anyone help?

Sultan800

We are also planning a trip to the Greek Islands this July, and I found useful ferry information (schedules, prices and on-line ticket purchase) on the website

http://www.openseas….

Hope it helps.

The ferries vary in price depending on the distance you’re going and the speed of the ferry. The faster the ferry the more expensive (and the more seasick you get).
 
I’ve been to six of the Cycladic islands and Crete and I don’t think I ever paid more than €30 for any one journey, but that was almost two years ago so it may have changed. The islands are small so it will be easy enough to find the ticket office and you will save yourself money if you book a few days in advance – we found that sometimes if we left it late the cheaper ferries would be booked out and we’d have to catch a high speed, which was something like double the price.
 
K3NN3TH: It doesn’t sound like you’ve allowed travelling time into your itinerary. For example, the slow ferry from Athens to Ios takes nine hours – a full day. Santorini is around eight and Mykonos is around five (both from Athens). Both Ios and Mykonos have pumping party scenes, although the Ios party scene is on a smaller scale (not that this is at all a bad thing). Mykonos really isn’t that expensive but it’s definitely slightly more than Ios.
 
When it comes to booking accommodation, be aware that if there’s three of you, you should have no trouble bartering for a cheap apartment with all the locals that meet you off the ferry. It’s often cheaper than booking to stay at one of the campsites (such as Far Out in Ios or Paradise Beach in Mykonos) or at least a similar price, and you’ll get a fully contained apartment rather than a stuffy bed tent. Then again, the campsites are a great place to meet people too.

Haven’t had the chance to browse this site thoroughly, but it looks promising.  Thanks!!!!!! []
 

 
Never been to Sikinos, but it looks very nice.  There are quite a few islands like this (quiet islands with small populations).  Some other interesting ones are Cythera, Karpathos, Astypalea, Ithaca, etc.  There’s also very interesting “off the beaten track” places on the mainalnd, such as the Zagoria region up north, and the Messenia region in the south.  How long will you be in Greece, ahhjudy?  I think that if you’re there long enough, you can make an itinerary that includes both some more popular places, and some quieter places.

Mykonos is on my shit list of world’s dirtiest, most over-rated and expensive not to let your worst enemy die in places in the world list.  But I rank it slightly ahead of some of the Soviet “secret cities” in Siberia in case you were thinking of going there.
 
If you want to relax and swim, not party, I would recommend other places, but Ios is a place to party for the young.  And it costs a lot less than mykonos and has nicer beaches. 

Whatever the case, don’t do both Ios and Mykonos…you won’t be doing the country much justice.  Mykonos remains a very popular island (perhaps this has taken a toll on the island).  Whether you choose Mykonos or Ios, I highly recommend pairing it off with another neary island in that island chain: Santoríni, Náxos, Páros, or Syros.

I know this is a cruel question, but out of curiousity LTB, what is your favorite Greek Island? Or atleast top three?

I figured this would be the best place to post this, given the discussion thus far:
After having traveled through Spain, southern France, and down Italy into Sicily towards the end of June, my friend and I still have about a week to 9 days before we fly home out of Rome on July 10th, and we wanted to see about making a trip to Greece. We were thinking about either Corfu or someplace in the Cyclades, most likely Mykonos. If Corfu, we were going to take a train to Bari, then a ferry. That’s pretty much what we are going with, because we haven’t exactly found a reasonable (in terms of time and money) transport method to Mykonos. My friend’s family is from Sicily, and for our week there we will not be in touristy regions at all, so we are not necessarily going to Greece to experience local culture as much as enjoy ourselves. Would we be missing out greatly by going to Corfu? Or should be do our utmost to find a way to get to Mykonos. If the latter, any suggestions?
Thanks.

Well, what exactly are you looking for neo0070?  Corfu is all culture and architecture (and plenty of it), and amazing beaches.  Mykonos is primarily party, but also has unique local (Cycladic) architecture.  Mykonos has far more sophisticated nightlife. Any particular reason why you singled out these two islands?  (So that I/we can help you better.)