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Island Hopping
By Sea:-
Lesvos is not an easy destination to include in an island hopping itinerary.
Its size, and the distance of the main tourist centres from the port at Mitilene,
make it more suitable for an extended stay than a brief visit.
Its relative isolation in the north-eastern Aegean, away from the main island groups,
and the near monopoly of the local ferry company NEL on routes to the mainland
(whose fleet is shrinking as vessels reach their age limit and are pensioned off with
no apparent plans for replacements, and whose large remaining ships
are in any case unsuitable for quick turn-rounds in small ports),
only increases the problem for anyone hoping to visit other islands.
NEL appears to have withdrawn its one weekly sailing to Thessaloniki via Limnos,
so as of July 2008 the only alternatives to the Piraeus via Chios route come from:-
SAOS Lines
www.saos.gr
For Summer 2008 SAOS is operating two sailings a week north to Kavala
and one to Thessaloniki, all via Limnos.
On the return southbound trips they continue from Lesvos to Chios and Samos.
Until mid-September a second SAOS ship is operating a complicated schedule
offering a second weekly service to Thessaloniki,
plus one service weekly Sigri to Kavala,
and one Sigri to Lavrio (at only 7 hours non-stop this is, on paper,
now the fastest ferry route to the mainland)
GA Ferries
www.gaferries.gr
has three round trips a week to Thessaloniki via Limnos.
A booking agency at www.ferries.gr
offers current timetables and online booking for all ferry lines.
By Air:-
There are one or two daily flights to Thessaloniki by Olympic and Aegean Airlines,
plus regular flights to and from Limnos, Chios, Samos, Rhodes, and Crete.
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