Dodecanese Islands Guide

Why Dodecanese islands? That might be the first question that comes to your mind when you hear their name. Well - you need to cast your mind back to primary school maths lessons and playing with shapes. Remember the Dodecagon - it had 12 sides. The Dodecahedron was a ball made up of 12 twelve-sided shapes. I dare you to hazard a guess as to how many islands there are in the Dodecanese island chain.

Rhodes harbour is a pretty amazing place to be

Getting around the Dodecanese islands

Unless you have your own private dragon with which to fly between the islands, you are probably going to need to catch a ferry to travel from one island to the other. Fortunately, AFerry.co.uk just happens to be the best place to book these ferries.

Once on the island, your methods of travel very. Some islands are so small they can be easily walked or even cycled (though bear in mind these mountains are made up of submerged mountains: they are not going to be a cycle through your local park!). Others are bigger and need a car or taxi to get around. Alternatively, you can take advantage of one of the busy local buses who are always scurrying around to ensure people get to the best place possible.

Not only is the island of Symi the friendliest in Greece, it also has beautiful sunsets

Things to see in the Dodecanese islands

Each island has its own charms, from Symi, which is reputed to be the most friendly island in the whole of Greece, through the island of Patmos where St John wrote the book of Revelation, to Karparthos' opportunities for scuba diving.

The island of Rhodes, being the biggest island in the chain, deserves a special mention here. This is a island full of quaint towns, golf courses and restaurants, all built on a foundation of stunning rose coloured rock. Rhodes was famous in prehistoric times for the islands of Lindos, Ialysos, and Kameiros, which were mentioned in Homer. The local dialect is a lyrical mix of Greek, Turkish and Italian, though English and German are also well spoken. Apparently, some of the locals even speak Finnish, though you may be hunting for a while to prove this theory.

Rhodes was famous in prehistoric times for the islands of Lindos, Ialysos, and Kameiros, which were mentioned in Homer.