Even after traveling to more than 20 Greek islands, we still never could have imagined the day where we’d be exploring Greece on a sailboat. So when we heard about Boat Bike Tours new routes in Greece, we couldn’t wait to check it out! Read all about our week sailing from Athens, cycling the beautiful Greek Islands on our e-bikes, and all the holiday fun we had in between.
Our Experience With Boat Bike Tours
If you can believe it, this was actually our 3rd trip with Boat Bike Tours! The previous year we cycled though the Moselle Valley and then Southern Holland on this trip in the Netherlands.
After they acquired the company Islandhopping, we knew we had to get back aboard and head to the Greek Islands! Greece is one of our favorite countries, and a place that we return to year after year.
More recently, we have been spending time traveling around the vast Greece mainland. This includes trips to the Peloponnese, where we stayed in the gorgeous town of Nafplio the month before our cycling tour.
We’ve grown to love Boat Bike Tours for their adventurous routes and unique style of travel. In our opinion, there is no better way to see a new destination than by cycling through it!
→ See More Routes With Islandhopping
5 Tips For a Greek Islands Cycling Trip
So what separates Boat Bike Tours Greece from some of their other popular destinations? Here’s 5 things you should know before considering a Greek Islands route.
1. Weather: The most important thing to note about the Greek Islands is that there can be unforeseen weather. As you’ll read in our article, the itinerary (and order we visited the islands) completely changed due to wind!
This is different from the river cruises we’ve been on, where the schedule is pretty much locked in no matter what. Despite the weather, we can say we still had an absolute blast. The crew went above and beyond to make the best of our situation, while keeping all passengers safe.
Also, being on a small ship, the captain was able to adjust our schedule so we could cycle as much as possible.
2. Swimming: Pack your bathing suits! Your Greek cycling holiday will be filled with swim stops along the way. If the weather is nice, you can even jump off the ship.
The water was definitely on the chilly side during our tour in late April. For warmer sea temperatures, you may want to pick a summer route with Boat Bike Tours Greece like this one.
3. Small Ship: We sailed on the Erato with Boat Bike Tours, which had 9 cabins for 18 guests. There was a crew of just four including the chef and captain.
We’ve now been on both barges and big ships during our time with Boat Bike, but this one was the smallest by far. You may want to be cautious of a boat this size if you get sea sickness. We did have a couple of bumpy crossings with our weather.
For us, cruising on the Erato was a truly unique experience we’ll never forget. The close quarters created a more intimate setting, making it easy to connect with other passengers. Funny enough, the majority of our boat was from New England like us!
4. Difficulty Level: Be sure to pick the right skill level for your Boat Bike Tour. Our previous two trips were much easier Level 1 routes.
Even with E-bikes, the difficulty jump from Level 1 to 2 surprised us! The Greek islands are very hilly and we felt it some days in our legs. The wind also made it a little bit trickier to navigate the ups and downs.
5. The Cuisine: We hope you’re hungry! The food has always been something that has stood out on Boat Bike Tours, but we were extremely impressed by Chef Stavros aboard the Erato.
He cooked some of our favorite Greek foods and even prepared a special dish called Giouvetsi when Brigitte requested it.
One thing that was nice about cruising in the Greek Islands was we had free nights off the boat. This allowed us to try some local restaurants as well on our own.
Our Greek Islands Cycling Route
As we mentioned, our route changed from the very beginning due to weather. The captain immediately realized our initial schedule wasn’t going to work with the coming winds.
Not wanting us to miss two of the most beautiful islands, the crew adjusted the plan. This meant we started off our first day with a 6 hour crossing to the furthest point.
We can’t lie… when we first found out about the changes, we were a bit disappointed. We ended up missing a small part our Peloponnese mainland route and even had to return a day early to Athens because of the weather.
With that said, the staff did everything they could to make up for it! We ended up still doing practically all of our cycling routes, just in a different order than originally listed.
We had special on board nights, dancing, singing, and plenty of ouzo. Boat Bike Tours Greece even set up an amazing tour of Athens in place of our last sailing day!
Arriving in Athens
We got to the city a day early and spent the night at the Grand Hyatt Athens. It has one of the best rooftop pools we’ve ever seen, with a direct view to the famous Acropolis.
If it’s your first time visiting the capital, make sure to arrive a few days early to take in the sights. The Erato was parked about 20 minutes drive from the center of Athens at Alimos Marina. Keep in mind that it will be a bit farther if you’re coming from the airport.
After boarding the boat, we made our way to the massive marina. It was full of everything from beautiful small ships to mega yachts! Our boat stood out from the rest because of it’s dark wood and the bright blue sign along the gangway.
Right when you step on ship, there are two small seating areas with a long table, where we ended up having our meals. There were also day beds set up on the front of the Erato to lay out and relax. These two areas ended up being where we spent most of our time on board.
Our cabin had stunning wood features, two beds, and a private bathroom. It was very comfortable for the size. However, we really only used it for sleeping, as we much preferred spending time out on the deck.
Island of Spetses
Sailing out of the Athens port bright and early the next morning was a surreal feeling. The water was calm as our boat quickly made its way out of the marina, leaving the bustling metropolis behind in the distance.
Once we were on our way, we enjoyed a sailing breakfast (our new favorite thing) and headed for Spetses. This island ended up being one of the highlights of our entire journey!
Honestly, before Boat Bike Tours Greece, we had never heard about Spetses. That’s really saying something, considering we’ve visited dozens of Greek Islands! We learned that it’s popular weekend getaway with locals from Athens, but much less visited by international travelers.
Taking off after lunch, we had sunny skies for our first bike ride of the cruise. One thing that made the island special is that cars aren’t permitted to be driven by tourists.
While you will see some taxies and work trucks, the traffic was nearly non-existent outside of the main port. This made for some easy and enjoyable cycling as we circled the island of Spetses.
The 25 km ride took us around three hours, with a nice break for a swim at the beach. We were so in awe of the views that it was difficult not to stop around every corner for photos! That evening, we had free time to explore Spetses Harbor, which was quite lively on a Friday night.
Be sure to check out Akrogialia restaurant for dinner if you have the chance! It’s just a quick walk from the main port and they have tables overlooking the water. You can also stop at Cockatoo if you’re in the mood for a quick gyro.
Morning on Hydra Island
We were up early to set sail the next morning for our next Greek Island. Hydra was somewhere we were extremely excited for, as it’s often regarded as the gem of the Saronic Islands.
When we first caught a glimpse of the main town, we knew we were in for a treat! There are no cars or transportation allowed on Hydra, and they still use donkeys to get most supplies around the island.
Unfortunately, that also meant no cycling! Even though we weren’t biking that morning, we had so much fun strolling around the town.
Hydra is one of the prettiest harbors we’ve seen in Greece. It reminded us of islands like Symi, and it felt straight out of a dream as our boat pulled in.
We highly recommend hiking up through the left side of the town to the lookout above. It’s marked with a tall Greek flag and has incredible views of the harbor.
After a short hike, we grabbed a freddo espresso at one of the cafes on the water. We then stopped into a small market to buy a bunch of different spices to take home.
We’re so glad we did, because we’ve really been using them almost every day since we left Greece! Don’t leave Hydra without trying the famous almond cookies called amygdalota at a local bakery.
Cycling in the Peloponnese
We boarded the boat again in the early afternoon following an exciting morning. A delicious lunch was served as we crossed back to the mainland. Our next ride would be on the Peloponnese Peninsula!
The route took us around 45 km along the coast on a scenic ride. Our group got a real thrill when we saw our boat cruising past on its way to Poros Island. Although we missed out on Porto Heli because of the weather, we were so happy to be able to make it to Poros that evening.
Exploring Poros Island
There was a short ferry crossing from the mainland to the island at the end of our ride. We then had another free night to go out and see the town after arriving on Paros.
Before heading off to dinner, we relaxed on the cushions at the front of the boat, sipping wine and watching the sunset. What a start to the night!
We ended up having a delicious dinner at Oasis after perusing the boardwalk. This is a traditional Greek restaurant that’s been serving up the good stuff since 1965. Our order of tziziki dip, lamb chops, and beef stifado here was the best meal we had off the boat.
The next morning we took on the 23 km ride that circled the entire island of Poros. There were definitely some big hills on this day, but hey—what goes up must come down!
Some of our favorite moments were conquering the uphills and having scenic views overlooking the Greek Islands. Of course, coasting the downhill sections was always a blast, too!
The best part of the morning was coming around the corner at the end to see Poros Town in all its glory. We also got a glimpse of some lovely beaches on this ride such as Russian Bay.
Our boat had to leave at noon for our next stop. Yet, Poros is definitely an island we could see ourselves returning to.
Day 1 on the Methana Peninsula
We’d been briefed on the wind several times throughout our trip, and the captain explained how it could affect our route. He basically had to play it by ear and make decisions on the fly as a safety precaution.
Well, all of that came to a head when we arrived in Methana! The winds had seriously picked up and we weren’t able to make the crossing to our next destination. We were told we’d like be spending two nights instead of the scheduled one in Methana.
Luckily, Methana is a huge peninsula with plenty of cycling trails. Our favorite cycling route was the first day where we went from Methana to Vathi.
This included a stop for a drink in the colorful fishing port where we also went for a swim. We literally could have spent all afternoon in this little bay!
The main town of Methana town felt less populated compared to the last three stops, but there were a few options for dinner. If you get the chance, definitely eat at Taverna To Kapileio.
We asked for a menu at this local taverna, and before we knew it, the owner literally took us to her kitchen to let us pick from what her mother was making.
Methana Peninsula Day 2
The second day on the island was the hardest ride our trip, but also the most rewarding. Since we were staying in port for another night, our guide Dyonisis offered to take us on a longer route that almost circled the peninsula.
I think most of the group spent the entire day in turbo mode, with the e-bikes going at full power up the hills! As always, the views were spectacular and worth the extra pedaling.
To end the evening, Boat Bike Tours put together a surprise wine tasting at a viewpoint over the water. There was no better person than our guide Dyonisis (the god of fertility and wine) to share tales from Greek mythology as we tried local wines from the area.
Aegina Island
Everyone was excited to set sail the next morning after two unexpected nights on Methana. We had quite the bumpy ride to Aegina Island with the wind still whipping. It’s great that the crew keeps sea sickness medicine on board just in case you need it.
Once we arrived on Aegina, we set right off for our last ride. This is known as the Pistachio Island for producing some of the best in the world. In fact, Aegina churns out over 800 tons of pistachios per year!
It was so cool to see the pistachio trees growing everywhere for the first time. We passed some stunning lookouts, cruised along the coast, and ended back in the main port.
Even though we weren’t spending the night here, we did have some free time to walk around in the town. We found a great place to try pistachio ice cream and picked up some local chocolates and nuts to take home.
Our last stop of the ride was at the Temple of Aphaia before heading back to the boat. Not only did it come with unreal sea views, but seeing a 2,500 year old temple was epic! The historic site dedicated to the goddess Aphaia really came alive as our guide told us the full story.
This was one of many Greek legends we would hear from Dyonisis, and his stories captivated the entire boat. He even gave us an ultra short version of the Odyssey on day before lunch. If you couldn’t tell, the staff aboard Boat Bike Tours Greece are what makes these trips extra special!
Last Day in Athens
Originally, we were supposed to spend a night in Aegina. However, due to the weather, the captain made the decision to head back to Athens a night early.
While normally we may have been disappointed, we were actually looking forward to a fun day in Athens! It’d been a few years since we’d explored the city, as we had been using it recently for a jumping-off point to other places in Greece.
Boat Bike Tours planned a full day tour for us in the capital to make up for missing a day of cycling. We started off walking through the main city and took a hike up to an amazing viewpoint of the Acropolis. This is the exact location if you want to check it out for yourself.
That afternoon, we were brought to Athens Wine Tasting for a surprise. Here we were served snacks and got to learn all about wine production in Greece. We tasted 5 different wines from across the mainland, and even one from Santorini.
When we got back to our boat in Athens we had one more surprise waiting. Some passengers actually got to head to the kitchen and help the chef prepare dinner!
This experience was accompanied by music and, of course, more wine. It was the perfect end to our our week long sailing trip and the exclamation point to an unexpected day in Athens.
Should You Take a Greek Islands Cycling Holiday?
Absolutely! We had such a fun trip through the Greek Islands even with the challenging weather. We should also mention that the conditions were partly due to traveling at the very start of the sailing season. The captain told us that they typically only deal with schedule changes on a couple of tours each year.
From the exhilarating cycling routes to the delicious food and scenery, this was one of our favorite cruises ever! We also enjoyed the small boat compared to the larger ones, and spent many nights chatting with our new friends aboard.
Here is the exact Peloponnese & Saronic Islands tour we went on. Boat Bike Tours is currently offering a 25% off for all their tours in Greece and Croatia during July and August. Definitely take advantage of this if you’re still planning out your summer!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
This experience was made possible in collaboration with Boat Bike Tours. As always, any opinions and recommendations remain our own.
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We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
