Greek Island Hopping: Paros, Ios & Santorini Sunsets — Self-Launched

Fly or train into Athens and check into a hostel in Monastiraki or Psirri (Athens Hawks, Bedbox, Athens Backpackers and City Circus all have dorms from about £18–25/night). Skip the operator's meet-and-greet and instead spend the afternoon getting your bearings: walk the Acropolis-plinth streets of Plaka, catch the changing of the guard at Syntagma, and watch the sun set over the Parthenon from Areopagus Hill (free). In the evening join a small-group street-food walk booked on GetYourGuide (~£35–45) or self-guide a souvlaki-and-meze crawl around Monastiraki Square for £15–20. Before bed, buy your Paros ferry ticket online (Blue Star Ferries or SeaJets) — book 3–7 days ahead in July/August.

🚌Airport metro line M3 to Monastiraki ~£8 (or €9 airport express bus)

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Psirri, Athens (~£20)

• →Self-guided Plaka & Monastiraki wander
• →Areopagus Hill sunset (free)
• →Optional GetYourGuide Athens street-food tour (~£40)
• →Buy Paros ferry tickets online

Take an early morning Blue Star ferry from Piraeus to Paros (roughly 3h45 on the slow conventional ferry, ~£30–40 one-way; the fast SeaJets takes about 2h40 for ~£50–60). From the port at Parikia walk 10 minutes to a guesthouse or small hotel in the old town — expect £30–45 for a double or £15–22 for a dorm bed. Do your own orientation walk through the whitewashed lanes: the 13th-century Panagia Ekatontapyliani church, the Frankish castle built from ancient temple blocks, and the Archaeological Museum of Paros. Catch sunset at the windmill on the Parikia waterfront, then dinner in a taverna off the seafront (mussels, grilled octopus, local wine) for £12–15.

🚌Blue Star ferry Piraeus–Paros ~£35 (fast ferry ~£55)

🛏Guesthouse / budget hotel or dorm in Parikia, Paros (~£35 double / £18 dorm)

• →Panagia Ekatontapyliani church (free)
• →Frankish Castle of Parikia (free)
• →Archaeological Museum of Paros (~£3)
• →Parikia waterfront sunset

Hire a scooter (~£20–25/day) or take the KTEL local bus to Naousa (~£2) for the morning: a fishing village with a Venetian castle ruin on the headland, boutiques in the backstreets and the best coffee on the island. Midday, bus or ride up to Lefkes — the old marble-paved hill capital — and walk a section of the Byzantine Road footpath down towards Prodromos (free, about 1.5 hours, mostly shaded olive terraces). In the afternoon head to Kolymbithres Beach, where the granite rocks form natural sunbathing coves; sunbeds are £10–15 but the free public sections are fine. If you'd rather have a guide, GetYourGuide runs half-day Paros island tours (Naousa, Lefkes, golden beaches) from about £40–55. Back to Parikia for dinner, ~£15.

🚌Local KTEL buses Parikia–Naousa–Lefkes ~£2 each leg, or scooter hire ~£22

🛏Guesthouse / budget hotel or dorm in Parikia, Paros (~£35 double / £18 dorm)

• →Naousa village & Venetian castle
• →Lefkes & Byzantine Road walk (free)
• →Kolymbithres Beach
• →Optional GetYourGuide island tour (~£50)

Morning ferry from Paros to Ios (about 1h on the fast SeaJets, ~£25–30; the slower ferry is cheaper and roughly 1h45). The port is at Gialos — take the local bus up to Chora (10 min, ~£1.50) and check into a family-run guesthouse or the well-known backpacker hostels (Far Out Village, Youth Hostel Anna, Skala area) from £15–20 a dorm bed or £35–45 a double. Do your own Chora orientation: the windmills on the ridge, the Panagia Gremiotissa church, the Odysseus Elytis theatre, and the maze of bougainvillea alleys. Grab a gyros for £4, then walk or bus 20 minutes to Mylopotas Beach for a swim and sunset before the bars open — Ios is a party island, but it's equally good as a beach day.

🚌Fast ferry Paros–Ios ~£28; local bus port–Chora ~£1.50; bus to Mylopotas ~£1.50

🛏Backpacker hostel / guesthouse in Chora or Mylopotas, Ios (~£40 double / £18 dorm)

• →Chora windmills & Panagia Gremiotissa (free)
• →Mylopotas Beach
• →Optional Ios bar-hopping

Recreate the operator's 'Best Beaches of Ios' day self-launched. Take the morning bus or a shared boat taxi to Manganari Beach on the south coast (bus ~£3 return, boat trip ~£15–20) — a string of calm sandy coves that's the island's best swimming. Alternatively book a half- or full-day Ios boat trip on GetYourGuide or directly at Gialos harbour (~£35–50 including stops at Neverbay and a light lunch) to reach the inaccessible south cliffs and the famously quiet Papas and Theodoti beaches. Bring water, sun cream and cash — the beach tavernas are small. Evening: cheap dinner in Chora (£12) then a drink at a sunset terrace above the port.

🚌Local bus to Manganari ~£3 return, or shared boat taxi ~£18

🛏Backpacker hostel / guesthouse in Chora or Mylopotas, Ios (~£40 double / £18 dorm)

• →Manganari Beach coves
• →Optional Ios boat trip incl. Neverbay (~£40)
• →Beach taverna lunch

Take the morning ferry Ios–Santorini (Thira) — about 1h on the fast ferry, ~£25–30; the slow ferry is ~£15 but takes 2h+. From Athinios port take the local bus to Fira (~£2), then another to Kamari if you're staying on the east coast where the operator's hotel is — Kamari guesthouses and hostels run £35–55 for a double or £20–25 for a dorm, noticeably cheaper than caldera-side Fira or Oia. Drop your bags and walk the Fira-to-Oia caldera rim path in the afternoon/early evening (about 10km, 3–3.5 hours, free and signposted) — start around 4pm to hit Oia for sunset. If the heat is brutal, the local bus Fira–Oia is £2 and the sunset viewpoint at the Byzantine castle ruins is free. Catch the last bus back to Fira and Kamari (£3). Group dinner optional — a taverna dinner in Kamari is £15–18.

🚌Fast ferry Ios–Santorini ~£28; local buses Athinios–Fira–Kamari ~£4 total

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Kamari, Santorini (~£50 double / £22 dorm)

• →Fira to Oia caldera hike (free)
• →Oia sunset at the castle ruins
• →Optional Caldera boat cruise (GetYourGuide, ~£35–60)

Last morning: swim at Kamari's black-sand beach (free sunbeds on the public stretch), or bus to Akrotiri to see the Minoan Bronze Age excavation site (~£10 entry) and Red Beach. If you want the classic caldera experience, pre-book a half-day catamaran cruise on GetYourGuide or Klook (~£60–90 including lunch and hot springs) — book 1–2 weeks ahead in summer. Late afternoon take the local bus to Santorini (Thira) National Airport JTR (~£2, 15 min from Kamari) for a flight back to Athens (~£40–70 on Aegean/Sky Express if booked early) or onward to a European hub. If you're staying on, the Blue Star ferry Santorini–Piraeus is ~£40 and takes about 7–8 hours overnight.

🚌Local bus to JTR airport ~£2; flight Santorini–Athens ~£50; or ferry to Piraeus ~£40

🛏None (departure day) — or add a night in Kamari (~£50 double)

• →Kamari black-sand beach
• →Optional Akrotiri archaeological site (~£10)
• →Optional catamaran caldera cruise (~£75)