Paddling Magic in Greece

Milos Island view with the famous white-washed buildings of Greece.

TRIP DETAILS

Getting There: Olympic Airways flies daily nonstop to Athens from JFK and Montreal. Upon arrival, board an express bus to Syntagma, the city’s main hub, packed with restaurants, shops, and hotels for every budget. The best time to visit is spring and fall—the weather’s perfect and the crowds haven’t yet arrived.

Scattered throughout the Aegean and Ionian Seas, arms of the Mediterranean, the Greek islands number over 1,400, but only about 170 are inhabited. The rest beg to be explored. Guided circumnavigation of one or more islands is ideal for novice paddlers, while island hopping is recommended for accomplished kayakers only.

Sea Kayak Milos www.seakayakgreece.com offers full-day to weeklong guided trips, mid-March to mid-October, for beginning and experienced paddlers. Its most popular package, Explore Milos, includes eight nights at a B&B, six guided day trips, and all equipment (450 euros or about $600 per person/double). Overnight trips plus island-to-island expeditions for advanced paddlers are also available.

Around Athens: Plan to spend a few days in the birthplace of Western civilization before heading to the quieter islands. On your must-do list: climb to the hilltop Acropolis and its crowning jewel, the Parthenon; visit the Ancient Agora, with its temples, altars, and tombs; hike up Lykavittos, the Hill of Wolves, for a sprawling view of modern Athens; and sip thick Greek coffee out of tiny cups in the ubiquitous sidewalk cafés.

Heading Out to the Islands: Milos is located in the Cyclades group of islands in the Aegean Sea, about halfway between Athens and the island of Crete. Olympic Airways offers a daily 30-minute flight, or catch a ferry or high-speed catamaran from the port of Piraeus, just a few miles from Athens. Tourism on Milos remains relatively light, making for an authentic Greek experience. From here you can island-hop all over the Aegean Sea, with ferry connections to various ports, including Paros, Santorini, Crete, and Rhodes.