Lonely Planet Greek Islands

Like its companion book (Lonely Planet Greece), this is an excellent guide (but just to the islands)! It is concise, reads very easily, and gives good common-sense recommendations on what to see and where to stay. It is as up-to-date as you can reasonably expect with changing prices and euro/dollar fluctuations. A very, very practical guide from the budget tourist to middle class. Excellent pictures, very good maps, a fine job! It reminds me, in a way, of the Michelin guides to Europe. Having said that, Lonely Planet Greece gives you basically the same information on the islands, plus mainland Greece, for just a few dollars more. So unless you are flying into Athens and going only to the islands, you are probably better off with the parent book. Reviewed by David Lundberg, author of Olympic Wandering: Time Travel Through Greece

I spent the entire summer of 2000 backpacking the Greek Isles. This book was an indispensable tool over the course of 15 different islands and Athens. Most of the travelers I encountered (a few Americans and loads of Aussies, Kiwis, Brits, Swedes, and more) had this exact book. The lodging details, maps, recommendations, and descriptions were very accurate- as accurate as you can be in a compact package such as this. I entered my journey relatively unprepared and this book was truly a lifesaver. I was living in Italy when I started and just "winged it" from there. With this LP Guide, I was able to be quite spontaneous and just look up details of upcoming islands as I needed. The other travelers I encountered who used this book were also universal in their praise. Any travel guide that can help me this much for 3 months is, I repeat, indispensable. Now do yourself a favor and don't do what the typical American traveler does which is i)staying just a day on each island, ii)only seeing Athens, Santorini and Mykonos, and iii)trying too hard to cram 10 European destinations into 10 days. Take some time off and appreciate the cultures! Enjoy.

This was my first of many 'Lonely Planet' trips. The Athens hotel reccomendation (our first stop) turned out to be a small place with a lovely breakfast served on the communal 4th floor balcony filled with tropical plants and overlooking the Acropolis. With each stop on the Cycladic Islands, we appreciated this direct and detailed guide that shows you what qualities to look for in an authentic Greek restaurant, tells you why all the cats and dogs are around, while all the while allowing you the freedom and comfort to explore.

Finally a guide built for travelling. Stitched and perfect-bound to endure many one-handed readings, drops and spills. Used this for a few Cycladian islands and Athens, on a mid-level budget and was as satisfied as can be. Great recommendations -- what to do and what is a waste of time (very helpful) and they seem to find a number of gems off the beaten path. I can't say enough about the maps which are included for every island and most towns. Every other guide seems to think that this is non-essential information, leaving you to hunt for a local map at your ports of call. Buy this ahead of planning the trip as their direction and suggestions may have a significant impact on your itinerary.

Amongst books for budget travellers going independently to the smaller islands its two competitors are "Greek Islands, the Rough Guide" and "Greek Island Hopping". They're all good. Of course if you're going on a cruise to Mykonos, Delos, Santorini and Rhodes you don't need these books and you'd be as well off with Frommer, Fodor or Eyewitness. It doesn't have as much detail as Greek Island Hopping (my favorite for taking with me, now that Grock's Candid Guides are out of print)but unlike that book it covers the whole of Crete. Some stuff is obviously lifted from the same authors' book on Mainland Greece. For example there's a page on the Greek railroad system which is not going to help you much on the islands.