Ancient history, vine-covered tavernas and breathtaking beaches – there’s nothing quite like a Greek island.
But you’ve been visiting them all wrong.
Here Sophie Jansen, a 31-year-old Greece travel expert from the Netherlands whose TikTok Greece tips have earned her 78,000 followers, reveals the key mistakes beginners make and her top tips for making the most of what Greece’s islands have to offer.
She reveals why ferry timetables are the key to any enjoyable Greek island holiday, the best local dishes to try, how to order Greek coffee, whether it’s okay to drink the tap water – and why you’ll probably regret taking a suitcase.
Read on for more…
Sophie Jansen, a 31-year-old Greece travel expert from the Netherlands whose TikTok Greece tips have earned her 78,000 followers
Choose the right island
Sophie tells MailOnline Travel: ‘Greece is a large and scattered country’ – with 227 inhabited islands – adding that ‘every part’ has ‘something to offer’.
While an island might look picture-perfect, it might not be the right destination for you.
Sophie explains: ‘Research if it is the right place for the month you’re going in, the amount of days you want to stay, the mode of transportation you’re looking at, the type of activities you want to do and, of course, your budget.
‘Not every island is budget or child-friendly and some islands are less suitable if you can’t rent a car.’
Check the ferry timetables
Sophie warns: ‘Don’t book your hotels before you have looked at the ferry timetables and schedules. Not all the islands have a connection with each other.
‘So make sure you do not have a non-refundable hotel booking before figuring out how to get from A to B.’
She recommends using ferryhopper.com to find the ships’ routes and schedules.
Pack the right size suitcase
Sophie says: ‘Sure, if you’re staying in the same hotel for two weeks and are being transferred to it from the airport – bring your heavy suitcase.
However, if you’re going island hopping or visiting towns with car-free centres, cobblestones or lots of stairs (such as Santorini) – it might be best to pack light.’
As seen in Sophie’s video, tourists may struggle with a heavy wheelie suitcase.
You may regret taking a heavy suitcase on a holiday to a Greek island as visits to many – such as Santorini – involve walking up and down long flights of stairs
The Greece expert says her ‘simple rule’ for inaccessible places is ‘do not bring what you can’t carry yourself’.
Be careful with tap water
While Sophie says you can use the water on smaller islands for brushing your teeth, it’s not ‘meant for large amounts of consumption’.
Tourists can buy water at the supermarket but Sophie says to keep an eye out for island wells, which are free, and refill stations, which carry a small charge of around 6 cents (5p), as they’re better for the environment.
Check shop opening times
Sophie says: ‘Tourist shops are open every day, all day, till late at night. The same applies to supermarkets and mini markets, although larger supermarkets are closed on Sundays.’
However, other shops may close for ‘siesta time’ from around 2-3pm until 5-6pm, so it’s best not to plan a shopping trip for the early afternoon.
Sophie adds: ‘In general, it is polite to stay quiet during the “siesta” hours in residential areas, as many Greeks are actually sleeping at that time. In the evening they come out again and eat late (around 9-10pm).’
Download an offline map
Sophie warns that travellers should ‘never blindly trust offline maps’ – as they could send you down tricky routes
‘You might find yourself without a stable internet connection while being in the car and in need of GPS. It is best to download an offline map of the island on your phone,’ says Sophie.
However, she adds: ‘Never blindly trust these apps. They hardly know the difference between asphalt and dirt roads and sometimes send you through back roads and alleys that you could be really uncomfortable with. Or down a road that has a dead end and leads nowhere.
‘Check before you leave if the suggested route is mainly through larger roads or not. Some dirt roads are okay to drive on with every vehicle, others are not. In case of severe doubt, just turn back and do not risk it.’
Try Greek coffee and cuisine
Sophie says: ‘Greece is more than gyros and souvlaki and historically actually a cuisine based on vegetables.’
She recommends heading to a ‘mezedopoleio’ or ‘tsipouradiko’ – restaurants that serve smaller mezze style dishes or the ‘Greek version of tapas’- with a group. She adds: ‘This way you can taste more dishes and the bill ends up being cheaper. At the end of the dinner, they will probably bring you a free sweet or shot of alcohol, which you have to politely accept!’
When it comes to coffee, Sophie recommends trying a frappe (an iced drink made with instant coffee) or a freddo cappuccino (a cold cappuccino with cold milk foam on top).
She adds that there are three levels of sweetness to a Greek coffee. ‘Sketo’ – without sugar, ‘metrio’ – medium sweet – and ‘glyko’ – sweet.
Sophie recommends trying a freddo cappuccino – a cold cappuccino with cold milk foam on top
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