greek islands travel

Most holiday visitors to the Greek islands will want to hire a car in order to get the best value out of their holiday experience. Many Greek islands are relatively small but most of them, and that includes the most popular holiday islands, are big enough to make Greek island car hire a major plus. Popular islands such as Corfu, Kos and Rhodes have so many wonderful beaches to explore that car hire is pretty much a necessity if you are to make the most of your Greek island holiday.

A few years ago I had the good fortune to enjoy an extended Corfu holiday in north-west Corfu and came across many 'undiscovered' walks in the area. Of course, there are the well-travelled trails like the route to the Pirate's Cove and around the coastal headland from Arillas to Stefanos, not to mention the northern leg of the Corfu Trail. But there are so many delightful northwest Corfu walking trails that are hardly ever tackled by Corfu holiday visitors.

Anyone who has been on a holiday to Andros island cannot have failed to be impressed by the Greek island's architectural heritage. Along with its near neighbour Tinos, the buildings of Andros island have a special character of their own, from fortress homes to the remarkable dovecotes, for which both islands are famous. Now a special project has been set up to record the architectural heritage of Andros.

The torching of Athens city centre and TV images of rioters clashing with police could have had a negative impact on those think of taking a holiday in the Greek islands this year. But latest reports suggest that for those tourists not put off by the street turmoil on the mainland, 2012 may be the time to book a Greek Island holiday. Flights to Greece are currently less than half of the prices being charged last summer and low fares look likely to continue.

Few visitors to the Greek Island of Santorini will be unaware of the island's volcanic birth in a cataclysmic eruption. Santorini's spectacular sunsets, a hot draw for thousands of holiday visitors, are a result of fumes from the smouldering volcano that lies in the heart of the flooded caldera. More than 3,000 years after the super volcano blew Santorini sky high in a violent explosion, the island may hold clues into how scientist can forecast future eruptions.

Tourists are looking for cheaper Greek island holiday deals as hotel prices fall across Greece. Latest reports show the cost of holiday hotel room in many of the popular Greek islands have dropped by as much as 20%. The only Greek islands to have seen hotel room rates go up this year are the up-market Greek holiday islands of Mykonos and Santorini which have seen prices stable or slightly higher.

Greek island tourism leaders have launched a campaign to attract more on Greek island scuba diving holidays divers in 2012. A recent survey revealed around 250,000 divers chose Greek island waters for scuba diving holidays up to the end of October last year. Almost 95% of 7,500 visiting divers who responded to a questionnaire ranked the Greek Islands among their favourite scuba diving destinations in the world.

Some Greek islands simply ooze charm from first sight and Meganissi must rank among the best of them. First sights from the holiday ferry from the nearby Greek island of Lefkas are pine smothered hills rolling down to the shore. Visitors on Greek island holidays to Meganissi often repeat the mantra - a step back in time - as the ferry slips along the deeply indented bay to the tiny port at Spilia.

A holiday visit to the Acropolis in Athens is on the must-see list of many tourist visitors to Greece. Greek holiday islands close to the mainland make perfect spots for a day trip visit to one of Greece's most famous sights. Now visitors may have to check ahead to make sure the Acropolis is open to the public as cash-strapped officials plan to put the monument up for rent.

Kefalonia is hoping to cash in on Greek Island holiday cruises next year after a major upgrade of facilities at the main port of Argostoli Kefalonia tourist officials say more than 100 cruise liners are scheduled to tie up in Argostoli in 2012, nearly double last year's total. The Greek island holiday cruise liners are set to bring more than 250,000 tourists to Kefalonia over the 2012 summer holiday season.