Greek Islands

There Are 227 Inhabited Greek Islands and Most Tourists Visit Five of Them

That is both understandable – the logistics of reaching others are complicated – and a consistent missed opportunity. 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 like a miniature Pompeii – 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.

Mykonos is now primarily an expensive nightlife venue. If that is not what you came for, visiting in July or August is a mistake.

Crete

Crete is large enough (260km long) to function as a destination in its own right. The Samaria Gorge in the southwest (16km one-way descent, EUR 5 entry, May through October, 5 to 7 hours to walk) is the longest gorge in Europe. 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.

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 to 17:00). The Palace of the Grand Masters inside is the most substantial medieval interior in the eastern Aegean. Arrive before 09:00 for the empty morning streets; by mid-morning in summer the old town is congested.

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 from anything sold on the mainland – and a Venetian fortress (Kastro) in the main town that most visitors 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 remarkable longevity of its residents (it appears in multiple Blue Zones studies) and for a nightlife culture that genuinely starts at midnight and runs to 04:00.

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 to 80); conventional ferries take 8 to 9 hours and cost around EUR 35. April and May have calm seas, temperatures in the low 20s, and very few tourists. October is similarly good. July and August have 35-degree heat and prices to match. May in the Cyclades – white walls, flowering bougainvillea, tavernas not yet crowded – is as good as Greece gets.