Greek Islands: Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes

-Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of Europe's best. This time I thought I'd take you on a little cruise. We will sail to three iconic Greek

islands

: Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes. Welcome aboard! ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ While there are many Greek

islands

to visit, we will only visit three classics. While we could fly or take a local ferry, this time our mode of transportation is a cruise ship. In this sample of Greek islands, we will enjoy its fascinating history, its attractive beaches and its spectacular beauty. Our boat serves as our floating hotel, effortlessly taking us from port to port as we settle into the relaxing rhythm of an Aegean holiday.

As we explore each island under the reliable sun, we'll compare beaches, from the best party beach to quieter, more idyllic hideaways. We'll tour ancient ruins, then climb to the top for a great view and try Greek cuisine just a short distance from the sea. -Tastes good. -We'll learn about the history of the Crusaders and marvel at the stunning views of the Greek island, and we'll connect it all on a cruise, enjoying the fun on board as we sail. From Athens we sail towards the Aegean Sea. Of its hundreds of islands, we will visit three: Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes. ♪♪ Cruising is designed for the masses and has its pros and cons.

There are 3,000 passengers on this ship. While it is surely not for everyone, many find it efficient and economical for island hopping in the Mediterranean. If you opt for a cruise, you'll live within a strict schedule: cruise at night, sightseeing during the day, about 10 hours per stop. The Aegean Sea offers the quintessence of Mediterranean island charm. Our itinerary, marked by romantic nights at sea, promises many unforgettable sightseeing tours. In the morning we will be in Santorini. ♪♪ I enjoy the picturesque arrivals and departures of cruise ships. Being on the upper deck as you approach your day's destination gives you a tranquil panoramic view.

It is worth approaching an exotic and legendary island like Santorini as the moon sets and the sun rises, simply by kissing the edge of the impressive cliffs. Santorini is a spectacular island, the edge of a volcanic crater with spectacular views. It was once a complete island like its neighbors, but it was a volcano that about 3,500 years ago exploded its summit, creating a caldera, this flooded crater. Today, attractive whitewashed villages seem to crowd its spectacular ridges as if pushing each other to enjoy the views. Because Santorini's pier is small, giant cruise ships drop anchor and transport their passengers on small ferries. ♪♪ People go to the small, old port where they can ride a donkey along the zigzag trail or take a cable car to the island's picturesque crater rim.

Those who pay for the cruise excursion disembark from the ship first and go to an alternative port where buses and guides await them. ♪♪ With the crush of crowds, limited time, and scattered variety of interesting places, investing in a bus tour like this to see Santorini can make sense. In a matter of minutes, you'll be turning on the curves to the island while your guide narrates the journey. -Those two are the Kameni Islands. The Kameni Islands are actually made of lava rock. -Excursions also include panoramic views from the bus and the stress-free efficiency of getting seamlessly from point to point.

And tourist groups will surely have free time to enjoy the best photographs. Oia is the postcard image of the Greek islands. This idyllic cluster of whitewashed houses and distinctive domes stretches delicately over a steep cliff-top slope. The viewpoints here are some of the most impressive of the Greek seas, as tourists look for the right angle. The artists fall in love with Oia and move there. Honeymooners find the B&B of their dreams and savor breakfast in unforgettable surroundings, and in the quiet area of ​​the city, the old windmill reminds everyone of a more rustic time of the past. ♪♪ Whitewash, although scenic today, was originally practical: the white reflects the powerful heat of the sun.

The lime that lime makes is a good antiseptic. The villagers knew that it would naturally disinfect the rainwater that collected on the roofs. And I love the way the blue and white of the cityscape seem inspired by the colors of the Greek flag. Many of these homes had their origins in humble caves. With little building material on the island, it made sense to dig into the cliffs. Surrounded by air-filled pumice, these cave houses are naturally insulated and stay cool in summer and warm in winter. Gradually, these cheaper real estate properties were developed and, with tourism, became the expensive villas, hotels and restaurants of today. ♪♪ With each port, you have tourism options.

You can take the organized tour by bus and follow their schedule or you can hire a private guide. You can use a guide and be your own guide, or just hang out and be on vacation. There is no good or evil. It depends on your mood and your style. I left our bus tour early to meet a private local guide. -We had a big earthquake in 1956, Richter scale of 7.8, which destroyed many houses like the captain's house here, and on the other side you can see the Venetian fortress. It is destroyed. It has been there since the 14th century. -To make the most of our day in Santorini, I booked a half day with Demetrus.

While expensive, if two couples split the cost, enjoying the services of a private guide can cost about the same as the cruise line's bus tour. Of the many beaches in Santorini, Kamari is one of the best. The black sand is a reminder of the island's volcanic origin. Typical of Greek island resort beaches, it's lined with rentable sun loungers and a strip of seafood restaurants, and with Demetrus, I know exactly what I'm eating. These salads look delicious. Can you tell me about them? -Well, here we have a Greek salad and a Santorini salad. The difference with the local salad is that we use local tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, local cucumbers, and instead of feta cheese we use goat cheese, and we add capers and caper leaves.

Look, you can eat them. They have good taste. Well, here we have some grilled sardines, and on the other hand, we have some very good grilled squid, also served with salad, lemon and olive oil. -This is a healthy diet. -This is the Mediterranean diet. -Santorini is small. Driving is fun and traffic is light. In a few scenic minutes, we crossed the island. We said goodbye to our guide to enjoy a last couple of hours in Fira, the main city of Santorini. Fira is the commercial and transportation center of the island. Its main street, packed with tourists every time there is a cruise ship in the bay, seems like little more than a long row of shops, cafes and restaurants, all with stunning views. ♪♪ Enjoying the island with a local guide and then taking a short break to enjoy a cliffside bar filled with happy travelers from around the world is a reminder that even if you're on a cruise, you can exercise your independence and generate great travel moments.

Without losing sight of the clock, I return to the cable car to the old port, where the ferry or tender of our ship awaits us. Most cruisers get nervous about missing the ship and return earlier than necessary. I think the ports are less crowded and more relaxed and pleasant during that last hour. ♪♪ The last tender does not go out for another 15 minutes. It's plenty of time for one last uzo. Boaters enjoy effortlessly alternating between their daily shore adventures and afternoons back home on their floating resort. Of course, there is nothing culturally broad about this. In fact, the only thing that improves all this leisure time on the ship with unlimited food and drink is the effect it can have on your waistline, but the ease of not having to change hotels with each new destination and the abundance of entertainment at on board can contribute to a good holiday.

While cruisers may miss nights in port, what they can experience are nights at sea, whether it's a poolside dance party or quietly enjoying the full moon and anticipating new adventures tomorrow. Mykonos is another small island with a small port flooded with crowds of cruise ships. It is so iconic and beautiful that it is included on most major cruise itineraries. There is only one dock for one boat, so most boats drop the hook and transport their people in tenders. If visiting on a cruise, it's smart to start early. We took the first bid, we beat the crowd and we beat the heat.

It is easy to enjoy Mykonos Town without planning, without a tour or guide. This is a stop that lends itself to having unstructured free time, just relaxing on the beach, walking around, and visiting the shops. It is the epitome of a Greek island town: a busy breakwater, a beautiful little beach and cozy streets. While tourism dominates the economy, Mykonos still has a traditional charm, densely covered in white stucco, blue ornaments and colorful bougainvillea. ♪♪ Back lanes offer tranquility away from the cruise ship crowds. As in many Greek island cities, centuries ago, the windmills of Mykonos took advantage of the constant wind and ground grain to feed their sailors.

Five windmills still stand, perfectly positioned to take advantage of the prevailing breeze. A neat embankment is so beautiful that they call it Little Venice. Wealthy shipping merchants built this row of elegant mansions with brightly painted wooden balconies that seem to rise directly from the sea. Today, these mansions have been rehabilitated as restaurants and bars for tourists enjoying fresh fish and romantic views. ♪♪ Mykonos' status in the last generation was that of a fashionable destination for the jet set, and it retains a certain modern cachet. Today, tacky candy stalls share the streets with high-end fashion boutiques. Prices are high and in season the island is packed with tourists, but even with four boats in port today, there seems to be plenty of room. ♪♪ I love how in the midst of all this modern tourism, traditional culture continues in the small church built to bless those who go to the sea.

A fisherman and his wife spend a few moments of meditation among ancient icons and flickering candles. Mykonos is small. Any point on the island is 20 minutes away by car. The winding roads seem to tourists like a fairground race track, packed with a variety of easy-to-rent vehicles. And, like most, we headed to the beach. There are a wide variety of beaches in Mykonos. The most fashionable is Paradise, one of the Aegean's quintessential party beaches. Presided over by hotels that have bars for young bathers, the action in Paradise is non-stop. ♪♪ As the beach turns into a furious dance floor after dark, the DJ is busy all day as the cruise ship joins backpackers from around the world to enjoy the scene. ♪♪ As is usual here, comfortable lounge furniture with umbrellas is rented on the beaches.

Just go with what attracts you. Don't worry. The drinks will come to you. ♪♪ If you prefer a quieter environment, the more remote beaches are just a short drive away. Although extremely arid, the rocky countryside of Mykonos, with its whitewashed churches and stunning views, is a delight for a quick road trip. Agios Sostis, a former hippie beach on the northern tip of the island, doesn't have the party energy of Paradise Beach. It offers little more than beautiful sand, turquoise water and tranquility. And for many, it is the Greek island dream come true. ♪♪ Along with its beaches, Mykonos offers an important historical attraction.

It is on a neighboring uninhabited island, 30 minutes away by boat. The island of Delos was one of the most important places in the ancient Greek world... with temples honoring the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis. Centuries before Christ, Delos attracted pilgrims from all over the Western world. ♪♪ Delos was important in three different ancient times, first as a religious site and then as a treasure of the Athenian League. It was a kind of Fort Knox of the ancient world. And later, during Roman times, this was one of the busiest commercial ports in the entire Mediterranean.

Delos was located at the level of Olympia, Athens and Delphi. See the remains of the old port, the foundations of shops and houses, and the hillsides dotted with the remains of temples. ♪♪ The iconic row of sphinx-shaped lions still foreshadows the importance of the place. This was one of the best cities in the Aegean world. Imagine Delos in its heyday, a thriving commercial center, streets lined with 3,000 shops where you could buy almost anything, dazzling mansions of wealthy merchants with colonnaded interior courtyards. There were beautiful mosaics like this one of the god Dionysus riding a panther. Culture thrived here enough to keep this 6,000-seat theater busy.

Innovative tankersThey collected rainwater. These semicircular arches date from the 3rd century BC. Pipes ran under the streets and there was plenty of water. Local guides show the wells that still work. -One of the city's 200 wells and cisterns, fresh, drinkable water from the rich aquifer beneath us, and was enough to supply the 30,000 people at the height of the city's flourishing. -30,000? -So water has been coming out of this well for more than 2,000 years. You can still drink if you want. -Very pretty. About a century before Christ, Delos was devastated by a terrible war. It was never recovered and was eventually abandoned.

After 14 centuries of silence and darkness, it was finally excavated in the late 19th century and today, the ruins of Delos are ours to explore. ♪♪ I end my visit by climbing to the top of the island. My reward: one of the great emotions of the king of the Mediterranean mountains. By watching the chain of islands rotate dramatically through 360 degrees, you can understand why historians believe that these Cycladic islands get their name from the way they form a circle, or cycle, around this very important little island of Delos. ♪♪ ♪♪ Back on board, we sail further east towards the island of Rhodes and spend another night on board.

Assuming a sunny, floating resort is what you're looking for, sailing can be economical and efficient, especially when linking remote islands within a limited vacation schedule. Rhodes, or Rhodes as locals call it, is the fourth largest Greek island. As you enter the historic port, the walls of the fortified city seem to tell a story. Rhodes is built on layers of civilizations: Italian, Greek and Turkish, with a sprinkling of medieval crusader tradition from all over Europe. Today, luxury yachts crowd the port. The main city of the island, also called Rhodes, was one of the great cities of ancient times.

The famous statue called the Colossus of Rhodes once towered over the city. ♪♪ The ancient Greeks believed that this easternmost point of the Greek world, where the rising sun first kissed the Greek soil, was the home of the sun god, Helios. So, they honored Helios by building a colossal statue. It was 100 feet tall in polished bronze. This Colossus of Rhodes was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But it was destroyed by an earthquake a couple of hundred years BC, and nothing survives today. The formidable Thalassini Gate is a reminder of the time of Chivalry and the famous Knights of Malta.

They were also called Knights of Saint John Hospitaller. Its mission during the 12th century crusades: protect Christian pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem and provide hospitals for their care. The Pope recognized the Knights of St. John as a religious order and they eventually became "soldiers of the cross" with an economic agenda and a powerful navy. Since the knights came from aristocratic families, they had a lot of money and a lot of power. As the closest Greek island to the Holy Land, Rhodes was a natural gathering point for crusaders from all over Europe. In 1309, the Knights of St.

John claimed Rhodes as their headquarters and transformed it into a bustling, highly fortified European city ruled by their Grand Master. Coming from all over Europe, they gave Rhodes a cosmopolitan feel. This street, called Street of the Knights, originally housed knights from their different countries. Whether Spanish, French or German, each group built their own headquarters here to feel at home. To this day, the street appears medieval with carved reliefs showing that original national pride. ♪♪ In the 14th century, the knights built the Grand Master's Palace, an imposing residence and capital for their leader. Destroyed by the Ottoman Turks, it was rebuilt in an extravagant style just a century ago.

The palace was fortified with three walls and two moats for a good reason: the ever-present Turkish threat. The huge granite cannonballs that cover the ground remind us of what was said: "When the Turks attacked, cannonballs rained down on the city." ♪♪ The Ottoman Turks finally defeated the Knights of St. John in the 16th century. The knights then retreated hundreds of miles west to the island of Malta, where they built an even more fortified headquarters. Rhodes then became part of the Ottoman Empire for several centuries. In fact, you can still feel that Turkish influence to this day. Ippokratous Square is the busy heart of the old town.

And those once-formidable walls now seem only to protect a fun-loving tourist mecca and a vibrant artists' colony. The bazaar-like side streets are a pleasure to stroll through, and the main shopping street still looks a bit like a Turkish bazaar. At the top, a 500-year-old minaret marks the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent. Back outside the walls, the city beach extends in a beautiful arc away from the port. This point, where the Aegean and Mediterranean seas meet, is famous for the wind: long windmills. And Turkey's once-threatening shores are just 12 miles away. ♪♪ The island of Rhodes, although arid, is fun to explore.

The locals barely manage to survive as they have for centuries. An hour's drive south takes us to the island's other popular attraction. Lindos is the most beautiful town on the island. Strategically located with natural harbors flanking an easy-to-fortify pinnacle, its history dates back long before Christ. For 2,500 years, an acropolis topped by a hill dominated the city. Originally protecting a temple of Athena, today the acropolis is mostly the ruined remains of a Crusader fortress built by the Knights of St. John. The dazzling white city of Lindos, originally a rich maritime center due to its port, is now completely overrun by tourists.

The homes of sea captains, whose wealth came from trade, are now luxurious hotels and gift shops. Although there is no traffic, if you need to get somewhere, you can always hop on the so-called "Taxi Lindos". Giddy Up. The real attraction here are the beaches. Lindos Beach is a wide, sandy strip, ideal for families. And just beyond the acropolis lies the more exotic St. Paul's Beach, named after a legendary visit by the Apostle Paul almost 2,000 years ago. A humble Greek Orthodox chapel celebrates that visit to this day. Oblivious to the rich historical heritage that surrounds them, tourists here are experts at relaxing under the constant Greek sun. ♪♪ In a few minutes, they come up the gangplank and I'm back on the boat.

Sailing these legendary seas, I am drawn to the upper deck. And it's hard to imagine having had more fun on the Greek island in a few days than we just experienced. ♪♪ I hope you enjoyed our Greek Islands cruise as we explored just three of the countless islands that make the Aegean Sea such a popular destination. I'm Rick Steves. Until next time, keep traveling. -Hello. We will sail to three iconic Greek islands: Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes. Welcome aboard. Above! This Colossus of Rhodes was one of the ancient wonders of the seven worlds. ♪♪ -There you go. - Oh! ♪♪