It is that time of year again as the summer is just a few short weeks away, and the temperatures are already starting to sizzle in Sheffield. With the readings hitting 20 degrees recently, people’s minds are turning towards the summer holidays with where to go, what to do and what to see. According to the word on the street, 2017 is the year that people are deciding to do something different and with information recently released by Sailogy, a company that provides yacht hire and luxury sailing holidays, showing that people from Sheffield are on the top ten list of all UK holidaymakers looking to take sailing holidays this year, a yacht charter around Greece is being favoured.
With Greece being one of the world’s greatest places to view cultural and archaeological artefacts in the capital city of Athens, from the ancient ruins of the Acropolis and the Parthenon to countless other historical, religious and natural beauty spots around the city, and with more than 6,000 islands making up this stunning country that occupies prime position between the Ionian, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, it is no surprise to see this ageless and beautiful country a hot favourite.
There are many ways to see and sample the delights of Athens, but with residents of Sheffield favouring sailing holidays in Greece for the summer of 2017, we are taking a look at some of the highlights of these thousands of islands that you can visit on your yacht charter.
Paros
Sitting in the middle of the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, Paros is a perfect island to visit on your tour of the Greek islands as there is something available on this small island to cater to the tastes of everyone. From old towns with cobblestone roads and classic style buildings that are all framed by the vibrant colours of wild vines and flowers to some of the most stunning beaches anywhere in Greece. These sandy pieces of coastline offer different things for different people too with quiet and remote beaches that allow you relax away from the world to wild, party central areas that see amateurs and experts alike compete in frequent windsurfing competitions. In addition to all of these there is a thriving party scene on Paros with many towns offering a wide range of restaurants, bars and nightclubs that allow visitors to get to know the local people and culture.
Samos
While Samos is closer to the Turkish coast than the mainland of Greece, this beautiful island offers the ability to view some of the greatest sights of the old world. Located on Samos are the Temple of Hera that was built around the 8th century BC as well as the Eupalinian aqueduct, which is regarded as an ancient engineering marvel having been excavated in the 6th century BC to supply the capital city with fresh water. As well as seeing the best that ancient Greece has, Samos also provides visitors with stunning pebble beaches and crystal clear waters, which are ideal for scuba diving and snorkeling. There are plenty of classes and instructors available on the island to teach you the ropes if your yacht hire in Greece takes you scuba diving for the first time once you reach the must see island of Samos.
Skiathos
One of the most northerly of all the 6,000 islands that help make up Greece, Skiathos is perfect for fans of the outdoors and nature as visitors will find themselves surrounded by vast hills of lush pines and sandy beaches while the island also offers plenty of wildlife viewing and a nature conservatory too. On top of these wonders of nature, there are many ancient sites and ruins of monasteries, medieval castles and Byzantine churches as well as a large number of fascinating museums to explore.
On top of this trio of must visit islands for anyone on taking one of these sailing holidays around Greece and the almost countless and vastly different Greek islands we also recommend Santorini with its own active volcano and a cable car that provides breath-taking views of the island, Mykonos with its quaint back streets filled with small shops, boutiques, art galleries, cafes, bars and restaurants and of course the always popular Crete, Rhodes and Corfu as stops on your sailing tour of the Aegean region.
All of these are must see and with Sailogy stating that the average of price of yacht hire for 6/8 people for a week in Greece working out at less than £50 per person per day the cost of this type of summer holiday means that should you not get to view all of these highlights of the Greek islands in one week that is affordable enough to stretch your time away to a second week quite easily so you can savour the sights and sounds of this ancient nation at your own pace.
