Each year we receive enquiries from readers who ask if there are any further sources of information we would suggest acquiring to help get the most from their holiday on the Greek islands?

First, with regard to travel guides, if you have purchased an ‘A to Z’ guide, we hope you agree, we cover accurately and impartially, all the information that you will need to have a wonderful holiday on the Greek islands.

However, as covered elsewhere on this website, we do not recommend restaurants, other than those that have been reviewed as quality establishments by independent professional reviewers. We also have to be confident that their quality and value for money is consistent (a list of restaurants that meet this criteria can be found in the ‘Link’s section for your particular island). Unlike many travel guides, we do not accept remuneration to include named restaurants, or other businesses.

For those who have yet to purchase a travel guide for their upcoming vacation, the following is honest and independent advice gleamed from other travel websites.

1. Check the date of publication, you should choose one that is no more than two years old, or you will certainly find that information in the guide is out of date.
2. Check the number of pages, many travel guides only have 50 – 60 pages. When you take into account that there are usually around 20 introductory pages, basic information and acknowledgements, as well as many ‘pad out’ their publications with nondescript photos, you may be left with very little in-depth useful information.
3. If on the retailer’s website they offer “Look inside” the book, as do Amazon, check out the list of contents and which subjects the book covers. We confirm the full content of our books on this website.
4. Unless you are “island hopping”, choose a travel guide that is dedicated to your specific island destination. ‘Greek Islands’ travel guides usually only have a few pages of basic information on each island.
5. Sadly, we also advise that you should not rely purely on book reviews as, in the last few years, there has been a growing problem of unscrupulous publishers posting numerous fake ‘4 and 5 star’ reviews on their own books, or worse still, ‘1 and 2 star’ negative reviews on competitors books on such websites as Amazon! (Google “Fake reviews on Amazon”).

With regard to other sources of information, if you are intending to sightsee around the island, maps are available to print-off on this website under ‘Maps and Panoramas’. Additionally, car hire companies on the islands invariably include a free map for their customers.

However, if you are taking a smartphone or tablet, a good idea is to download a free GPS app. ‘Here Maps’ is a recommended android and iOS (Apple) app, as you can download maps of your destination and use offline. Remember though, that using GPS on a devise tends to drain the battery quickly, so don’t forget to take a car charger!

Link to android ‘Here’ app

Link to iOS ‘Here’ app

For Walkers

If you are a dedicated walker, we would advise purchasing a detailed map. ‘Ordnance survey’ quality publications are available for most Greek islands from the major book retailers.

We would recommend:-

For Thassos – “Best of Thassos – Map” by Orama Editions and for walkers “Map of Thassos – 323” by Terrain Maps

For Kos – “Kos 1:65,000 Island Pocket + The Big Five” by Freytag and Berndt

For Santorini – “Santorini Terrian Map” by Terrain Editions

For Rhodes – “Map of Rhodes: Number 202″ by Road Editions and for walkers “Map of Rhodes ~ Terrain Map 342″ by Terrain Maps.

Finally, a further handy purchase is a Greek phrase book. We recommend ‘Collins Easy Learning Greek’.

We hope this helps those who have enquired.