Private Greek Island Tours, Entirely on Your Terms
Since 2010, we have been putting together private Greek island tours for travelers who want more than a ferry ticket and a hotel booking. We handle the ferry or flight, the private transfer at the other end, the accommodation, and the guided experiences on the island itself. You arrive and everything else is already done.
Why the Greek Islands Reward Private Travel
The most photographed corners of Santorini, the ones that look like nothing else on earth, are a 25-minute walk from where the day-trip crowds concentrate. Most visitors never make it there. This is not because it is difficult, but because nobody told them, and their group tour turned around before they got close.
The same is true on almost every island we cover. The best beach on Milos is not the one on the poster. The finest meal in Naxos is not in the port. The view from the interior of Corfu that locals drive to on Sunday afternoons has no signpost and no entrance fee. Knowing these places, and having a driver and guide who will actually take you there, is the difference between seeing an island and understanding it. It is also what separates a Greek islands private tour from anything a group tour can offer.
Our Most Popular Private Greek Island Tours
Private Santorini Tours: Beyond the Caldera Postcards
Travel time from Athens: approx. 45-minute flight or 5 hours by high-speed ferry. Most people arrive in Santorini and head straight to Oia for the sunset. We go to Akrotiri first, the Bronze Age city buried under volcanic ash that most visitors walk past on the way to a wine tasting. By the time the day-trip boats pull in and the caldera path fills up, we have already covered the island's best-kept corners: the clifftop vineyards of Megalochori, the black sand of Perissa before the sunbeds arrive, and the back lanes of Pyrgos where the only sound in the morning is a church bell. The sunset in Oia is still on the itinerary, we just do everything else first. On the island, Loukas coordinates every transfer, so your driver is waiting at the port or airport when you arrive. For cruise passengers, our Santorini shore excursions follow the same logic. Still planning your days? Our guide to things to do in Santorini is a good place to start.
Mykonos and Santorini Tour: Past Matogiannia, Into the Real Island
Travel time from Athens: approx. 40-minute flight or 2.5 to 4 hours by ferry. The most requested combination we run is the Mykonos and Santorini tour, and it works because the two islands complement each other perfectly: Mykonos for the energy, Santorini for the landscape. Matogiannia, the narrow whitewashed lane that winds through Mykonos Town, is where the island shows its real face. In the early evening, when the light turns gold and the day-trippers have gone, the tavernas fill with people who actually live here. Our private Mykonos tours are built around moments like this, plus the short boat crossing to Delos, the sacred island directly opposite where almost no one from the crowds actually goes, despite it being one of the most extraordinary ancient sites in the Aegean. Arriving by cruise ship? Our Mykonos shore excursions are built around the same approach. See also: things to do in Mykonos beyond the obvious.
Santorini, Mykonos and Crete Tour: The Classic Three-Island Trip
For travelers with 7 to 10 days, the Santorini, Mykonos and Crete tour is the most complete picture of the Greek islands available in a single trip. Santorini for the caldera and the Minoan archaeology of Akrotiri. Mykonos for the Cycladic villages and the crossing to Delos. Crete for everything else: the Palace of Knossos, the Samaria Gorge, the mountain village of Anogia where every taverna cooks with lamb from animals the owner knows by name. At Knossos, our guide Maria leads the visit through the Minoan palace. Cretans will politely correct you if you suggest their food is anything like the rest of Greece. Our multi-day private Crete tour gives the island the time it deserves. Cruise passengers stopping at Heraklion or Chania can start with our Crete shore excursions.
Rhodes After Dark: What the Street of the Knights Looks Like Without the Crowds
Travel time from Athens: approx. 1-hour flight. The Street of the Knights in Rhodes Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval streets in Europe. At 10 AM it is full of people taking the same photograph. At 8 PM, after the cruise ships have left and the day visitors have gone back to their hotels, it is almost empty, and the light on the old stone at that hour is something you do not forget. Our private Rhodes tour is timed around moments like this, with Evangelia driving and staying with you throughout the day. We combine the old town with Lindos, the ancient acropolis perched above a fishing village on the eastern coast, and the quieter western shore that most visitors never reach.
Naxos and Paros: The Portara at Sunset and Naoussa on a Tuesday Morning
Travel time from Athens: approx. 3 to 4 hours by high-speed ferry. The Portara, the massive marble doorway of an unfinished temple standing alone on a promontory at the entrance to Naxos port, is one of those things that stops people mid-sentence. It has been standing there for 2,600 years and it still looks like it arrived yesterday. Paros is best understood at Naoussa, the fishing village on the northern coast that manages to be both genuinely charming and genuinely popular without sacrificing either quality. On Paros, Stelios is our local driver and stays with our guests wherever the day goes. Greeks choose these two islands for their own holidays, which is usually the best recommendation you can get. Explore our private Paros tours and cruises, or combine both islands with one of our island hopping packages.
Milos and Sifnos: Sarakiniko at Dawn and the Pottery Villages of Sifnos
Travel time from Athens: approx. 3 hours by high-speed ferry. Sarakiniko, the white volcanic rock formation on the northern coast of Milos, looks like the surface of the moon and photographs like nothing else in Greece. The trick is arriving before 9 AM, before the boats come in and the rocks fill up. By midday it is a different place entirely. Sifnos runs on a different clock, slower, quieter, built around the pottery workshops of Artemonas and the kind of lunch that lasts three hours without anyone checking the time. We have been bringing travelers to both islands for years, and the guests who come back to Greece always ask to return to one of these two first.
Corfu, Zakynthos and Kefalonia: The Ionian Light That First-Timers Can Never Quite Describe
Travel time from Athens: approx. 1-hour flight. There is something about the light in the Ionian islands that visitors from the Aegean always notice and struggle to explain. It is softer, greener, and more Venetian. This makes sense because Corfu spent 400 years under Venetian rule and it shows in every building in the old town, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007. Zakynthos has Navagio, the shipwreck beach enclosed by white cliffs that appears in every Greece travel feature ever written, and it completely earns the fame. Kefalonia has Melissani, an underground lake inside a collapsed cave where, at noon, the light comes through the open ceiling and turns the water a color that has no name. Our private tours of the Ionian islands cover all three, individually or as one combined trip.
Adding Mainland Greece to Your Island Tour
The most complete way to experience Greece is to combine the mainland and the islands in a single trip. Most travelers start with 2 to 3 days in Athens covering the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, and a day trip to Delphi or the Peloponnese, then continue by ferry or flight to one or more islands. We handle every connection in between. Browse our mainland and island tours, or tell us your dates and we build the rest.
The Fleet and Island Transfers
An island holiday often lives or dies by the quality of the ground logistics. Navigating steep island roads, catching tight ferry connections, or managing luggage in the summer heat should never feel like work. We operate a modern private fleet waiting for you the moment you clear arrivals:
- Mercedes Sedan: Comfortable island touring for couples or solo travelers.
- Mercedes Vito and V-Class Minivans: Extra luggage capacity and climate-controlled comfort for families or groups of up to 7.
- Mercedes Sprinter Minibus: The group option for up to 20 passengers who want to travel together without compromising on space.
Every vehicle has full climate control, chilled water, and full insurance. Your journey between port, airport, and accommodation is part of the day, not a gap between the good parts.
The Team Behind Your Greek Island Tour
Every Greek island tour starts with Eleni, who answers your inquiry and works through your requests with you until the itinerary fits. Lia and Fotini, our operations team, then book and confirm every ferry, hotel, transfer, and guide on your trip. In Athens, our drivers Spyros, Angelos, Giorgos, and Vangelis handle hotel pickups and port runs.
On the islands, you meet our local team: Loukas coordinates transfers on Santorini, Maria guides at Knossos in Crete, Stelios drives and accompanies our guests on Paros, and Evangelia does the same in Rhodes. The people who plan your trip in Athens speak to them directly, so nothing gets lost between the office and the island.
How Our Private Island Tours Work
There are no fixed group departures, no minimum numbers, and no off-the-shelf itineraries we simply resell. Every tour is built around your travel dates, your group size, and what you actually want from the islands.
- Getting there: Ferry or domestic flight, whichever suits your schedule. Our guide to getting from Athens to the Greek islands explains the options.
- Transfers on the island: Private vehicle and driver from the moment you arrive at the port or airport. No shared minibuses, no waiting for other passengers.
- Guided experiences: Licensed local guides for archaeological sites, wine tastings, and cultural experiences, all arranged in advance, not improvised on arrival.
- Accommodation: We book properties that fit how you want to experience the island, or send you a shortlist to book yourself.
- Return to Athens: The same service in reverse. Your island driver takes you back to the ferry or airport. Your Athens driver meets you on arrival.
Who These Tours Are For
Travelers who have done the Greek islands before and want to do them properly this time. Families who need the logistics handled so they can actually relax. Couples who have one week in Greece and do not want to spend two days of it deciphering ferry timetables. Groups who want a shared experience without the compromises of a group tour. What they all have in common: they want to come back from Greece having actually been there, not just photographed it from the same angle as everyone else.
What Our Guests Say
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "We cannot recommend Private Tours Greece more highly. It was our first trip to Greece, and they listened carefully to our interests and put together an itinerary that was spot on for us. … Private Tours Greece was extremely responsive when we made adjustments during the trip and when we had questions."
TripAdvisor review, September 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "After our boat day in Crete fell through due to mechanical issues, I was scrambling to find a private boat for my husband and myself as we were celebrating our 11 year wedding anniversary. I reached out to Private Tours Greece and Eleni replied very quickly!! With her help, we were able to book a private boat trip to Aegina on very short notice. She also set up transportation to and from our airbnb to the port so start to finish, we didn't have to worry about anything other than having an enjoyable time!!"
Anika, couple, June 2026
Read all our reviews on TripAdvisor
Frequently Asked Questions: Greek Island Tours
How many days should I spend on each island?
It depends on the island and what you want to do. Santorini rewards two full days minimum for the caldera villages, the volcano, the wineries, and Akrotiri. Crete needs three to four days, depending on how much of the island you want to cover. Milos and Sifnos work beautifully in two days each. For a Mykonos and Santorini tour, allow 4 to 5 days for both. We advise on realistic timings at the inquiry stage based on your exact travel dates. If you are still choosing, our guide to the best Greek islands to visit compares the islands by travel style.
Are your Greek island tours fully private?
Yes, always. Your vehicle, driver, and guide are reserved for your group only, with no shared minibuses and no waiting for other passengers. The pace, the stops, and the start times are all set around you.
Can you combine several islands in one tour?
Yes, and for travelers with more than five days, we usually recommend it. Browse our Greek island hopping packages for multi-island routes, or tell us your dates and we suggest the best combination.
Do your island tours include accommodation?
Whichever you prefer. We can book your hotels for you, or send you a shortlist of properties our team has visited so you can book them yourself. We do not lock you into specific hotels, and we work with your budget, from boutique guesthouses to luxury cave suites in Santorini.
Can cruise passengers book a Greek island tour?
Yes. If your ship stops at Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes, or Corfu, our shore excursions in Greece are private tours timed around your ship's schedule. If you are extending your stay after the cruise, we can build a multi-day island tour starting from Piraeus.
