Greek Islands

The Greek Islands: Which Ones to Go To and When

There are 227 inhabited Greek islands. The overwhelming majority of tourists visit five of them. That is both understandable - the logistics of getting to the others are complicated - and a missed opportunity, because the islands people skip tend to have the best food, the most intact architecture, and almost no queues.

Santorini and Mykonos

Santorini is genuinely beautiful. The caldera views from Oia are real, the volcanic beaches are unlike anything else in the Aegean, and the Akrotiri archaeological site (EUR 12, closed Tuesdays) - a Bronze Age city preserved under volcanic ash - is one of the better ancient sites in Greece. The island is also overwhelmed from June through September. Oia at sunset involves standing in a street with four hundred other people. Book accommodation six months ahead for August. If you must go in summer, staying in Pyrgos (the inland village) rather than the caldera rim gives you the same access with half the foot traffic.

Mykonos is now primarily a venue for expensive nightlife. If that is not what you want, do not go in July or August.

Crete

Crete is large enough - 260km long - to function as a destination in its own right rather than a two-night stop. The Samaria Gorge (16km one-way descent, EUR 5 entry, May through October) in the southwest is the longest gorge in Europe and takes 5-7 hours to walk. The Minoan palace at Knossos, 5km south of Heraklion (EUR 15), is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site in Greece. Chania’s Venetian harbour in the west is the most architecturally coherent old town in the islands, noticeably better preserved than Corfu.

Rhodes

The medieval walled city of Rhodes Town - built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 14th century - has 4km of walls still intact. Walking the ramparts requires a separate ticket (EUR 2.50, daily 10:00-17:00). The Palace of the Grand Masters inside the walls is the most substantial medieval interior in the eastern Aegean. In summer the old town is packed in the evenings; arriving before 09:00 for the empty morning streets is worth the early start.

The islands most people miss

Naxos has the best local food of any Cycladic island - the potatoes, honey, and local graviera cheese are genuinely distinct - and a Venetian fortress (Kastro) in the main town that most people walk past without entering. Sifnos has the best cooking tradition in the Cyclades and no cruise ships. Ikaria, in the northeastern Aegean, is known for the longevity of its residents and for a nightlife culture that runs until 04:00 and starts at midnight, which is a peculiarity worth experiencing once.

Ferries and timing

Piraeus (Athens’ port) is the main hub for Cyclades ferries. High-speed catamaran ferries to Santorini take 4.5 hours (EUR 60-80); conventional ferries take 8-9 hours and cost around EUR 35. Hydrofoils between islands run frequently in summer and become sparse in winter.

April and May have calm seas, temperatures in the low 20s Celsius, and very few tourists. October is similarly good. July and August have 35-degree heat and prices that reflect the demand. The choice is yours, but May in the Cyclades - white walls, flowering bougainvillea, tavernas not yet crowded - is as good as Greece gets.