I’m also interested in what everyone thinks, particularly the Baleric Islands. Would you guys reccommend Ibiza or Mallorca?

yea, from what I understand Ibiza is more “party focused”, although Mallorca also has good nightlife. I am interested in more than just the nightlife, so need help! Which has more to offer?

Search results for Mallorca
Not much there, but what there is sounds nice. Ibiza sounds like beach, partying, nightlife.
I can’t advise you on Corsica or Sardinia. Have been to (and enjoyed) the Amalfi coast.
We’ve been to Corfu, Crete, Ios and Santorini and much has been written about those islands on this board, Search button should produce plenty of reading material, including Naxos.
I am interested in Cyprus, but have not been there.

Thanks for the advice []

These are all hits, IMO.

Do some research and see what you like.

As far as Greece is concerned, the islands are a very integral part of the country’s history and culture. I think the islands number in the thousands; about 160 of them are inhabited.  At some points of the country’s history, (especially 15th-18th centuries), many of the islands (like Crete, Corfu, Chios, Lesbos etc), were the center of Greek culture and civilization; for example, the Renaissance flourished in Crete and Corfu while most of the mainland was under Ottoman occupation; Syros was prosperous and politically important during the 19th century; hence the architecture of these islands reflects these histories.  While I highly recommend exploring a bit of the mainland, the islands are also an itregral part of the Greek experience; not so much for the other Med countries (Spain, France, Italy), where the mailand has always been dominant in their histories (and where there are numerically far fewer islands)

However, Corsica and Sardinia are amazing places to visit, and you shoud definitely look into them if you’re interested.  Same with the island-nation of Cyprus.

Another place you should look into is the island nation of Malta, which is often overlooked here on Eurotrip.  You may find your delightful Mediterranean paradise in this tiny country just south of Italy.

Very interesting historical input LTB. Since I’ll be in Corfu for about 3 nights and 4 days, what would you suggest as a good itinerary which would reflect both the culture, history, nightlife, and all around mediterranean flavor? Since my time is somewhat limited I don’t want to run around like a chicken with my head cut off and miss out. []

I have always been interested in Malta but kind of put it on the backburner as our itinerary got bigger and bigger!  but may examine it again… so hard when there are so many amazing things to see in such a short time.

I myself do not know too much about Crete and Cyprus so forgive me if I sound uneducated but can anyone breifly outline the differences/characteristics?[8|]

I’ve been very interested in Malta, as well, but getting there is not the easiest or cheapest; it’s not exactly a place you just sort of casually stick into an itinerary as some sort of side trip. I hope I will eventually get there.

I believe Crete is the largest of the Greek islands, and it has a long history. Crete is a mountainous island with a mild climate. It has been occupied by Romans, Arabs, Turks, Venetians, and then there were the World Wars. You’ve probably heard of King Minos, the labyrinth, and the Minoan civilization—the Knossos ruins are fascinating (the Queen had a sort of flush toilet), as is the museum in Heraklion. For me, the depictions of the ancient Minoans are amazingly cool, I love their style. Raki is Crete’s distilled drink, a clear, fiery spirit (also called [=“verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif”]tsikoudia, but we only heard it referred to as raki)[/].
El Greco the painter was born here, as was Nikos Kazantzakis, the author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ, and other works.
We rented a car and drove around the island over a period of 4 days.The Cretans we met were friendly and engaging.
(All the Greeks we met were educated, polite, helpful people—and most of them seemed to have a really good sense of humor, which I loved.)
We did not make it to the Samarian Gorge. We very much enjoyed the harbor town of Chania with its market under the dome. On the way to Plakias there is a mom-and-pop World War II museum; I have the couple’s name  and location but all that info is in storage right now. George was a young man during WWII and everything in the museum is what he salvaged. This cordial couple served us raki and explained the exhibits as best they could.
Plakias was a pleasant fishing village; people actually still fished there. We also enjoyed [=”-1”]Rethymnon (sp).
Venetian ruins are everywhere, some in the middle of towns, some dramatically rising out on a beach.
If you want that Mediterranean nightlife, it can be found, (Matala, Malia, Chania, [/]Agios Nikolaos) [=”-1”]but that wasn’t our thing so I can’t recommend anything.
I wasn’t crazy about Heraklion, other than the museum. One thing: we heard no North American accents during the time we were on Crete.
We did unintentionally spend a 5th day on Crete because the ferry, at least at that time (5 years ago) did not run on Sundays until high season (it was June, they said high season begins in July.)
[/]

Mallorca and Ibiza are very similar, both have wild partying/clubbing hotspots as well as quiet Spanish-style areas as well. There tends to be a lot of Brits go to these islands for holidays. Ibiza has San Antionio which is sometimes descibed as the clubbing capital of the world, but if you want a similar experience in Mallorca trying going to Magaluf (loads of clubs here as well). Menorca is also very similar but sometimes get overlooked – it is right beside these 2 islands but doesn’t seem to have the same partying reputation that the others have. Personally, I would say that if you aint going for the night-life then I would bother visiting either of these places, because mainland Spain is very similar on the coasts.

Awesome Cil!

LOL.  The North Americans pretty much do Athens-Mykonos, leaving the rest of the country to everyone else (Britons, Italians, Germans, Dutch, Russians, Israelis, French, Swedes, Czechs, etc).

I was watching the Price is Right a few days ago, and in the showcase #2 there was a trip to Greece. 6 nights in Athens, and that’s it.  That’s a big-time rip-off, don’t anybody on Eurotrip ever do that.  Too bad North Americans know so little about this beautiful country.

K3NN3TH, I’ll respond in a bit. []

I think you may be over generalizing when you say that North Americans know so little about Greece…. Many friends of mine have travelled to Greece and I don’t know any that just went to Athens or Mykonos.  Just saying that this is a little stereotypical!![8D]

Well given the distance between North America and Greece, then compounded with the fact that Americans, even more so the younger generations, tend to be educated and have knowledge in the areas of business, science, and mathematics, as a pose to the Liberal Arts of History, Literature, Philosophy, etc, it usually happens to be the case. That’s not to say there are some people who know about these things though.[image]http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/image/s4.gif[/image]

Haha true, well I guess I’m just saying that not everyone can be generalized…![]

what K3NN3TH said.

Charlysangel, generalizations are not always a negative thing.  Sometimes there are social factors that give an entire society a general characteristic.  For example, Japanese society is collectivist (meaning, the good of the group is emphasized over the good of the individual), while American society is highly individualist (the good of the individual takes priority over the good of the group).  This can be seen in both countries, from family relationships, to businesses and their sociopolitical and economic systems, and even in professional baseball.

K3NN3TH said it perfectly about American society.  It’s true that most North Americans know next to nothing about Greece, based on the vast majority of conversations I’ve had with Americans and Canadians about the country.  I’m not saying they’re stupid…they just aren’t informed about a specific topic.  If you go to Greece, you will notice in many, many places, such as Crete, Corfu, Zakynthos, Rhodes, Kos, the Halkidiki penisula span>all of these very touristy places there are very few if any North Americans.  North American tourists tend to concentrate in Athens, Mykonos, Santorini. 

Yes I totally see your point.  I guess I am used to people having ideas like Canadians and Americans are the same… etc. etc.! But I definately understand your point of view [] . 
 
That is the reason I like to get other’s opinions and learn from experiences so that I can make the best/well informed decisions when travelling and get the most out of my trip!!
 
Thanks for all of your advice []

That’s what we’re here for! But when you travel more, you will begin to see some of these things yourself.

Still eagerly anticipating your respnose for a Corfu itinerary LTB. I will also be in Athens for two days, so if you want to make a few suggestions there that would be cool too.

K3NN3TH,

It’s easy to experience Corfu, with just a little effort.  First and foremost, wherever you stay on the island, definitely make a trip to the island’s main town (referred to as Corfu Town in English, Kérkyra in Greek which is also the name of the island).  If you stay at the Pink Palace (an infamous hostel on the island, which is far from Corfu Town), you can take a bus into town. (Most backpackers don’t leave the hostel). 

Corfu boasts some ruins from Greece’s ancient and medieval periods, but the island was a backwater during these time periods, and these monuments are no where nearly as large or impressive as the classical ruins of Athens and Olympia, or the medieval churches of Thessaloníki, or the forts and castles of the Peloponnese or Rhodes. (In fact, you really don’t need to see the Corfu’s ancient/medieval monumens, as the country has far more impressive ancient/medieval monuments in these other areas I mentioned). 
 
However, Corfu finally rose to prominence around the 15th century (when most of the mainland came under Ottoman occupation and was mostly a backwater within that empire).  The island then acted as one of Greece’s cultural centers (with its schools, and univiersities, and so on).  Most of the islands (and some cities on the mainland) were ruled by Italian city-states (like Genoa and Venice); Greek artists and architects who studied in Venice, brought the baroque movement to Greece, and you can see this on many of the islands where the Renaissance flourished, such as Corfu Town; the entire town is a gem of a little city.  It underwent much-needed restoration for the 1994 EU Summit.  All you need to do is go to town, and just walk around and get lost.  The city has some small musuems, but you should check out the church of St. Spyridon, a charming church that’s very impressive on the inside and houses the mummified remains of St. Spyridon (the island’s patron saint), although you can’t really see much of him inside of his silver coffin (It’s open to public viewing 3 days out of the year, but he rests inside a glass covering).  You should also visit the island’s cathedral Panagia Spiliotissa (“Our Lady of the Cave”), small for a cathedral, but a very beautiful church, that also houses someone’s remains, Byzantine Empress Theodora.  And just, in general, savour the city.  The huge imposing neoclassical building you’ll see on the Spianada square is the royal&nbspalace of Saints Michael and George, used for adminstrative purposes centuries ago when the British Empire was here, then later (19th – early 20th centuries) was one of the residences of the Greek royal family.  Greece today is a republic, and the palace houses a museum. 
 
Outside Corfu Town, if you can, get a car and just explore (Pink Palace rents cars, or at least they did when I was there.  But before you leave the USA, make sure you get your international driver’s permit which you can get at an AAA office for like $10 I think…no tests, just walk in, give them a passport photo, pay the fee, and you’re out the door.)  The island has a very attractive interior and an amazing coastline. &nbsplaces to check out include: Pontikonissi island, Paleokastritsa, Achilleion Palace.
 
For Athens, check my responses to this thread:
 
http://www.eurotrip.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=98972
 

Charlysangel,

I take it you’re Canadian? [] Actually, Americans and Canadians (or, more specifically, American Anglos and English-Canadians), or more closely related to each other, than to any other culture in the world.  Both are Anglo-Saxon cultures (thus, related to Australians, Britons), but are even more similar to each other than to the other cultures in the anglosphere.  Canada and USA are two different states, have separate histories, and even different cultures (as similar as they are), but they share a lot of ethno-cultural characteristics.  (Sorry anthropology, history, and social sciences in general are my fave topics!) []

Thanks LTB, great info on Corfu. The International Drivers License was an excellent suggestion, hadn’t thought of that previously, I’m sure it will come in handy though.

Yes I am Canadian! I agree that they are similar in many ways as they are connected by land, but they are 2 separate Countries (actually not states).  Even so, driving across the border into the nearest city, there are still major differences evident! But I do definately agree that they are similar in many ways.  I guess until you live here and constantly travel south you don’t see it.[]
 
But yes, definately must seem so similar to those who live overseas (all “North American” or “American”) ahah and all probably stand out like sore thumbs! [8D] I can only imagine…

… oh and thanks for all the great info on Corfu!!! Very helpful!!!

No problem.  I love that island!  If you have time, the nearby island of Paxos/Paxoi, as well as the mainland town of Párga, are also worth a look (excursion from Corfu).