Sea
Greek Islands under Sail
Cyclades, Dodecanese, Ionian Sea
Bays reached only from the water — and harbours that empty in the evening.
You know the Cyclades from photographs: Paros, Milos, Folegandros, Amorgos. From a boat they look different, because you swim at dawn where the day trippers moor at noon, and anchor once the last ferry has gone.
A sailing yacht with four to six cabins and its own crew is the right size: small enough for small harbours, steady enough when the meltemi blows. Breakfast aboard, dinner often ashore, in tavernas the crew actually knows.
The Ionian is the alternative for families: shorter legs, green islands, calmer water — Ithaca, Kefalonia, Paxos.
Our view
Why we recommend it
Because from the water Greece becomes again the country it was before mass tourism. And because a week aboard removes the island-hopping logistics that otherwise eat half the holiday.
- Best time to travel
- May, June and September. July and August bring meltemi and full harbours; early October is warm and very quiet.
- Suggested duration
- Seven to ten nights aboard, with three nights on an island before or after.
- Who it is best for
- Families, groups of friends, couples who want to be close to the water. Less so if you need a proper bathroom and space every evening.
Pure Voyage note
Do not fix the route in advance. The meltemi decides anyway — the best weeks are the ones where the skipper asks each morning where to go.
Along the way
Houses along the way
The addresses we suggest most often for this journey — as a starting point, not a fixed route.
Parīlio
Paros
Two nights ashore before casting off — calm and full of light.
Gundari
Folegandros
On the cliff, to close the sailing week.
Amanzoe
Peloponnese
For when the mainland should belong to it too.
And then
Journeys that sit well beside it
Raja Ampat under Sail
The richest reef on earth, reachable only with your own ship.
Tuscany by Car
Short drives, long lunches — the landscape sets the timetable.
Galápagos by Private Yacht
Sixteen guests rather than a hundred — the same islands, an entirely different experience.
Whether this journey suits you is settled fastest in conversation.
Season, length and the houses before and after shape the result more than the route ever does.
Speak with the conciergeWhat should shape the timing?
The meltemi. In July and August it blows hard across the Cyclades, shortening routes and closing anchorages. Early June and September are calmer, the sea warmer and the harbours quieter. Seven nights suits four islands — more stops mainly means more time under way and less at anchor.
Noted by Pure Voyage
Common questions
What guests ask us about this
- Private yacht or small ship?
- A yacht gives you freedom over route and rhythm; a small ship removes the organising and the cost. From roughly eight people the yacht starts to make financial sense too.
- How far ahead should you book?
- Six to twelve months for the Mediterranean summer. Good crews and the sought-after weeks in July and September go first.
Continue through Pure Voyage
Where to go from here
Not a catalogue, but a next step: the houses, routes, countries and essays we would mention at this point in a conversation.
Hotels
Addresses that belong beside this page.
Destinations
The country at a glance.
Recommendations
What we suggest for this occasion.
Journal
Further reading before you decide.
An Invitation
Once a month: hotels, new openings and travel ideas
One hotel that convinced us, with our advice on suite and season. The openings that actually matter. And a destination at its best right now. No offers, no advertising.