Book: Greek Island Hopping by Frewin Poffley

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Greek island hopping guide, island hopping in Greece, greece ferries

Greek Island Hopping by Frewin Poffley

Globe Pequot Press; used by permission

The Bottom Line

Greek islands will lose their mystery and increase their fun for you with this trouble-saving, insightful volume.

Pros

Outstanding coverage of the Greek Islands
Subtitle is "The Island Hopper's Bible" - which isn't overstating it.
Particularly excellent and helpful maps
Shows locations of those obscure hotel gems

Cons

Mainland coverage is almost non-existent, though Athens and its ports are included.

Description

Includes all of the islands a visitor is likely to want to visit, and then some.
Details on which ferries are old and decrepit could in some circumstances save your life or at least your time.
Far easier to use than most websites showing ferry routes.
Reading this, the ferry routes almost start to make senes ... and that's an incredible tribute to the writer.

Guide Review - Book: Greek Island Hopping by Frewin Poffley

The only thing I don't like about this book is the title: Greek Island Hopping sounds like this is a guide only for the intrepid ferry-hopper, some young backpack-toting budget traveler. In fact, the information "Greek Island Hopping" offers on the Greek Islands is so detailed and helpful that anyone traveling in Greece is likely to benefit from it, whether you arrive by cruise ship, private yacht, or airplane.

The maps of the island towns are excellent and include helpful clues that other maps and guidebooks leave out or just never think to include. That pistachio grove in Kamares on Santorini may have no historical interest whatsoever, but if you're on foot, it's handy to use it as a landmark on where to turn.

Instead of "buy your ferry ticket at the harbor at the kiosk" for a given island, this book includes a detailed map of the specific harbor and will note where that kiosk is, saving steps and questions.

The author, Frewin Poffley, proudly takes credit for the writing and research. He also operates an excellent Greek island hopping website with information on all the ferry routes and ships serving the islands. The book is updated annually; the website is updated continually.

Greek Island Hopping Written and researched by Frewin Poffley
Thomas Cook Publishing
Distributed in the USA by Globe Pequot
ISBN: 1-84157-839-8

Review is based on the 2008 edition of Greek Island Hopping