Getting There and Around
By Marc Dubin

By air: Since no airlines currently fly direct from North America to the Greek Islands, you'll need to fly to Athens and take a connecting flight or ferry from there. Using the Greek national carrier, Olympic Airways (800-223-1226), which flies direct to Athens from New York and Boston, has some advantages: Connecting flights to the islands depart from the same terminal you arrive at (Athens West), and this add-on leg is discounted when purchased with the transatlantic flight. (For example, at last check Athens to Rhodes costs $83 one-way if the ticket is bought separately, $100 round-trip if bought with a transatlantic flight.) Delta (800-221-1212) offers regular service from New York and Los Angeles via Frankfurt, and TWA (800-892-4141) has nonstop flights from New York to Athens. During May and September, the best months to visit the islands, you shouldn't pay more than $700-$800 round-trip from the East Coast (add $200 or so from the West Coast). Fares rise to about $1,100 in midsummer, peak tourist season in the islands. From Athens, consider flying to Rhodes or Crete on the new private local carrier Air Greece ($65 one-way from Athens to Rhodes; phone 011-30-1-32-55-011, fax 1-32-55-015).

By sea: Besides daily air or ferry service to and from Athens, the islands profiled here have reasonable links with one another, making it possible to visit several on one trip. G&A ferries (fax 1-42-25-126) link S¤mos and N¤xos two to three times weekly and connect N¤xos to Heraklion, on Crete, several days a week. S¤mos and Küs are linked twice daily from late May to late September by two hydrofoil operators: Dodecanese Hydrofoils (1-36-19-172) and Ilio Lines (fax 1-41-73-559). Dodecanese Hydrofoils, G&A, and DANE Lines (on Rhodes, phone 241-77-070, fax 241-77-084) ply daily between Küs and Rhodes, and Rhodes is linked with Crete once or twice weekly by G&A.

By the book: For detailed instructions on island hikes, consult the following guidebooks, available on individual islands or in stateside travel bookstores: Trekking in Greece (Lonely Planet, $15.95); Walking on Naxos (C&M Hofbauer, Munich, about $15); Rhodes, the Dodecanese and the East Aegean: the Rough Guide (Penguin, $14.95, available in July).