Helicopter travel is gaining more and more ground in the mosaic of the Greek summer.
The coronavirus pandemic has brought to the fore the need for greater privacy and less crowding, even in the mass travel of the summer holidays.
And we may not be able to talk about a new mass means of approaching our holiday destination due to the cost and nature of the medium, but if the visitor's pocket can afford it, heli-hopping can be an upgraded experience.
Helicopter tours are short flights that allow tourists to see cities, attractions and natural landscapes from a unique perspective. At the same time, it is an option with excellent hygiene conditions, absolute privacy and a trend that is here to stay, with equal doses of luxury and adventure.
Options in Greece
The English company Get Your Guide sells holiday package and digital tour services in many parts of the world. Among the suggested activities for Greece we also find helicopter trips: private tours aimed at groups of up to 4 people, with costs starting from €2,400 and reaching €7,400 per person.
You can start from Kea, Spetses, Crete (Heraklion – Chania – Elounda), Hydra, Naxos, Antiparos but also luxury hotels such as Amanzoe and Costa Navarino, with destination Athens, Mykonos, Santorini – and other smaller islands such as Folegandros and Sifnos by arrangement.
Their tours varies from 40 minutes to 1 ½ hours and they promise a unique experience with a view of incomparable beauty in the blue Aegean.
Air Business International is a Greek air transport company that offers the possibility of renting a helicopter for leisure purposes. They promise a relaxed, restful and above all completely safe trip, with the choice of departure from either a heliport or an airport.
In the second case, the baggage check takes place in a VIP area in the presence of a company associate and the customer is then taken to the helicopter for immediate departure, without waiting in line. Some indicative prices (per person) and destinations:
Athens – Mykonos at €2,300
Athens – Santorini at €3,500
Athens – Patmos at €4,885
Mykonos – Santorini at €2,015
Airlift is another Greek company that provides helicopter travel services. Its destinations include several Cyclades, as well as islands of the North Sporades and Argosaronic: Aegina, Alonissos, Amorgos, Andros, Folegandros, Elounda, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Koufonisia, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Hydra, Santorini, Skiathos, Skopelos, Schinoussa, Serifos, Sifnos, Spetses, Syros and Tinos.
Airlift also offers sightseeing flights and aerial tours to areas of great archaeological interest such as the historic centre of Athens and the Saronic Gulf, the Athenian Riviera and Cape Souni and of course the “ultimate sightseeing flight” as they call it which combines all the above.
This company is a certified aerial photography and aerial filming company.
Athens Heli Tours operates and exclusively provides helicopter travel services for entertainment and leisure.
It has three different tours over Athens, two tours in Attica combined with Aegina or Lagonisi and three tours in "Classical Greece" with a flight over Epidaurus, Nafplio & Mycenae and Ancient Epidaurus.
Of particular interest are themed air tours such as the cinephile "Mamma Mia" over Skopelos (with Abba background music and free champagne!) but also special tours for hunters depending on the season.
And since, as we have seen above, the prices are somewhat steep, it makes sense that helicopter tours are mainly aimed at foreign residents.
For this reason there are many more travel agencies and tour companies active in this sector, providing such services and we often meet them on islands such as Santorini, Naxos and Mykonos, which combine helicopter flights and boat tours.
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