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The guide itself has beautiful pictures and colorful diagrams, but it really seems more like a nice souvenir or book for your travel collection than a practical guide book you want to accompany you on the trip. It is very, very brief on everything. It's not bad for getting a quick general overview of the islands and some info. on Greek culture, history, climate, etc., perhaps to help you choose the island group you would like to concentrate your trip on. However, as far as a more in-depth, practical guide with real recommendations on hotels and sights, I would recommend a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to take with you on the trip.

OK, maybe not ALL the Greek Islands - that would be totally impossible in one book. However, this book does a nice job of touching on all the major Greek Islands. Although the smaller and less frequently visited islands only get brief mention, there is ample attention paid to the more popular destination. And after all, that's where you're most likely to go. If not, then this kind of book isn't for you anyway. Almost a year after our trip, I still pull this book off the shelf frequently to dream about another trip and another island chain. Plus, if you're going to visit Athens, this book does cover that subject as well.

I bought the book before going to Greece for almost 3 weeks. I like the Eyewitness Travel Guides because they are clear and have many pictures. However, this book does not have enough information on the islands. It covers most of the major Greek Islands, but only devotes about a page to each. It doesn't have maps of the major towns on the islands. It doesn't provide enough listings on the places to stay or the places to eat, even though the ones listed are usually good recommendations. There is one place listed what I would not recommend. It is the Hotel Adrian in Placka, Athens. The staff was very rude to us, and told us that they did not have our hotel reservations even though we called in days before we arrived. They not only refused to give us another room but also maintained that it was our fault that the recommendation did not go through. It was the worse encounter we had in Greece. Overall, we has a great trip. The Eyewitness Guide on Athens and the Mainland is much better. It has detailed diagrams on the major sites in Greece. It also has stories, myths, and colorful pictures that tell you exactly what you are looking. It is easy to read and easy to understand even when you don't know much about the Greek myths and classical architecture. To those who are knowledgable in Greek architecture and history, it is still quite informative. Overall, I recommend books from this series on specific cities over the ones on entire countries or large regions. The ones on cities have much more useful details.