Whether you’re keen to rub shoulders with the A-list in glitzy Patmos, marvel at a volcanic wonderland in Milos, or simply want to flop on a deserted sandy beach in Naxos, the Greek islands have it all
Greek holidays are becoming more popular than ever — and for good reason. Greece’s beautiful seas and beaches, gorgeous islands and mountains, traditional villages, historic cities, superb food and wine, extraordinary archaeological sites, vibrant nightlife, clear skies, and starry nights all make for a country worth returning to again and again. Beyond familiar destinations such as Athens, Crete, Mykonos, and Santorini, there are a variety of enticing locations to match whatever kind of holiday you’re after. So whether you’re looking for an active break or a relaxing one, a family getaway or a couples retreat, near major attractions or far from the crowds, this is our pick of the best places to visit in Greece.
1. Andros
Under the tourism radar, the island of Andros produced some of Greece’s wealthiest shipping dynasties; its immaculate neoclassical main town, piled on a narrow peninsula, has lanes paved in marble. Beyond are beaches for every taste, some in arid landscapes, and a low-key resort at Batsi. However, the main lure on Andros is its miles of ancient footpaths, winding through the island’s densely wooded hills and mountain villages, all lush with romantic springs and waterfalls.
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The Greek nickname for wealthy, commercially savvy Andros is “Little England”, which is also the name of the romantic Micra Anglia Boutique Hotel & Spa in the capital Chora
2. Corfu
Corfu has holidays covered, whether you want a designer villa on the idyllic northeast coast — the area made famous by the Durrells — or an affordable package break on golden sands. Nature? It has spectacular trails, especially around lush Mount Pantokrator, where the only sounds are bees and goat bells. Culture? Elegant Venetian-French-Georgian Corfu Town is full of it. There’s golf and even cricket, introduced in the 1800s when the Ionian islands were a British protectorate — along with a thirst for tzitzibira, aka ginger beer.
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Immerse yourself in Corfu’s nature at The Merchant’s House, in a beautiful antique-furnished room located in the old Venetian village of Old Perithia, high on the slopes of Mount Pantokator
Take in the island’s loveliest landscapes and villages along the cross island Corfu Trail with G Adventures’ seven-day Corfu Trail Hiking Highlights
3. Cephalonia
You could just lounge on the broad sands of Lassi beach near Argostoli and drink chilled glasses of Cephalonia’s crisp Robola wine, but Captain Corelli’s big island cries out for touring, amid vine and cypress-clad landscapes reminiscent of Tuscany. Three musts: drive up through the towering black firs of 1,628m (5,341ft) Mount Ainos and make the short walk to the top for jaw-dropping views; take a boat ride into the iridescent blue-purple cave lake of Melissani; and scramble down to the island’s eye-popping pin-up beach, the incandescently white Myrtos, wedged between soaring cliffs and the cobalt sea.
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Conveniently located between Mount Ainos and the coast, the Kefalonian Escape Suites in Valerianos have infinity pools, with infinite views over the Ionian sea to the mountains of Zakynthos; beautiful Koroni Beach is a seven minute drive away
Seek out Cephalonia’s best-kept secrets in a week-long Kephalonia Island Discovery Week adventure with Not in the Guidebooks
4. Hydra
As your boat pulls around the forbidding cliffs into port, the extraordinary vision of Hydra’s cascade of stone sea captains’ mansions inevitably sets off a selfie scrum. Hydra is poor in beaches (many people swim off the rocks) and has donkeys instead of cars. But it’s been a favourite haven of artists, writers and cool kids — ever since the 1957 film Boy on a Dolphin introduced Hydra, and a young Sophia Loren, to the English-speaking world. Leonard Cohen bought a house here in 1960 and met his beloved muse Marianne — a period beautifully evoked in Polly Samson’s A Theatre for Dreamers.
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On a picturesque alley not far from the port, the Leto Hotel — run for over 50 years by the same family— offers antiques, lovely views and five-star service
For a memorable fish lunch, chance to swim and experience a whole other side to Hydra, spend a day out fishing with Yiannis in a traditional wooden caique
5. Evia
The country’s second-largest island, green, mountainous Evia is for explorers and lovers of Old Greece. It’s a mystery even to most Greeks, yet you can drive there in just over an hour from Athens airport. Eretria, one of the island’s top beach resorts and archaeological sites, is ten minutes or so further on. It’s a great base for seeking out old-fashioned villages and spas, including one of Greece’s finest, Loutra Edipsou, where the hot springs spill directly into the sea. Karystos in the south, known for its marble quarries, has splendid hill walks — aim for the mysterious dragon houses on Mount Ochi.
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At the Anthidon Estate near the centre of Evia, stay in a rustic chic wooden villa on a working farm, with a pool and playground; it’s a great base for a rural family holiday
Discover the heart of “Old Greece” with Exodus on its week-long Mountains & Villages of Evia guided walking tour
6. Aegina
You can see Aegina from the Acropolis — its proximity makes it the perfect island to combine with a city break in Athens. It has all the Greek island must-haves too — including fine beaches at Agia Marina and, on the islet of Moni, a nature reserve — plus something special: the exquisite 500BC Temple of Aphaia. Faded grandeur lingers in Aegina Town, which from 1827 to 1829 was the nation’s temporary capital. Today it’s perfect for sipping an ouzo, scoffing the island’s addictive pistachios and watching the world drift by, so close yet so far from the city.
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After the buzz and brouhaha of Athens, put your feet up and relax at Aegina’s top five-star LaLiBay Resort & Spa in the peaceful seaside village of Perdika
Explore the ruins of ancient Aegina — the 5th-century BC a powerhouse that rivalled Athens herself — as part of a private Aegina Town Walking Tour
7. Kos
Sumptuous sandy beaches are the bread and butter for cosmopolitan, family-friendly Kos. But this island, birthplace of Hippocrates, the father of medicine, has been a resort for the world-weary since the 5th century BC, when it opened the Asklepion, its health centre and wellness spa. Even children love Kos Town, with its Crusader castle, Roman villas and an almost unbelievably huge plane tree, said to have been planted by Hippocrates himself. Don’t miss the unusual effervescent Bubble Beach or the sunsets over Zia.
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As in ancient times, today’s visitors can indulge in the most recent wellness and anti-ageing therapies at the adults-only Diamond Deluxe Hotel in Lambi, just outside Kos Town
8. Kythnos
If you ever wondered what the islands were like in their 1970s backpacking days, head to Kythnos. The little island is as authentic and unspoilt as they come — mainly because the ferries that transport visitors here depart from Lavrio, which is further from Athens than Piraeus. But it has all the Cycladic essentials: a whitewashed main town bathed in radiantly clear light; sandy beaches (Kolona, a delectable isthmus of sand, would be packed out anywhere else); and blazing starry nights.
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The island may be unspoilt, but that doesn’t mean you have to rough it at the cool, minimalist Chora Kythnos Suites, a short walk from the capital’s tavernas and bars
9. Lefkada
Thanks to a causeway, you can drive from Preveza airport in just over an hour into another world that is just as lush, wooded and dramatic as its near-neighbour Corfu. Lefkada has traditional mountain villages, such as lofty Katouna, but is also well endowed with sports-orientated resorts: hire a boat at Nydri to putter around the emerald islets in its bay, swim under towering cliffs at Porto Katsiki and Egremni, and test your windsurfing mettle at Vassiliki, blessed with some of the most reliable big gusts in Greece.
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On a sparkling clean beach, the Porto Gallini Seaside Resort & Spa in Nikiana just north of Nydri comes with a pool, spa, tennis, kids’ club and beautiful views
10. Zagorochoria
Western Greece’s Zagorochoria are 46 unique villages all built of stone, surrounding the Vikos Gorge — the second deepest in the world after the Grand Canyon. During Ottoman times, the locals were wealthy merchants; some of their impressive mansions are now charming hotels; their mule paths and fantastical bridges make for beautiful walks in the Tymphi mountains, aka the “Greek Alps”. Don’t miss the spectacular seven-hour trek down the sheer, steep-sided gorge, or bathing in the Papingo rock pools; in autumn the colours are magical.
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Traditional little stone-built inns are the rule here: the Katikia Zagori in Vitsa is one of the best, with superb mountain views and a sumptuous breakfast to start the day
11. Meganisi
Little Meganisi, where pines grow all the way down to a perfectly transparent sea, is bathed in a mesmerising luminosity. This chic, get-away-from-it-all island, just off the coast of Lefkada, is surrounded by a dozen emerald islets. Meganisi has exceptional seafood tavernas by its two tiny ports, Vathy and Spilia, as well as gentle pebbly beaches and a long, whip-thin peninsula dotted with sea caves, including the yawning Papanikolis, used as a hideout for a Greek resistance submarine during the Second World War.
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The name sums it up: the Azur Retreat in Vathy is a peaceful, minimalist hotel with an infinity pool and views over the deep blue Ionian sea and emerald wooded hills
Meganisi is a port of call on Intrepid’s eight-day Greece Sailing Adventure: Kefalonia to Corfu aboard a 48ft sailing yacht
12. Milos
As a volcanic wonderland, Milos rivals Santorini, and although it’s increasingly popular — especially the fashionable seaside village of Pollonia — only a purist would call it spoilt. The island has the only catacombs in Greece. But what steals the show is its extraordinary coast — a photographer’s dream with 70 beaches in all shades (there’s even a sulphur-yellow one, Paliorema). You’ll also see bear-shaped sea rocks, as well as dreamlike caves and formations at Kleftiko and Sarakiniko that seem to be made of meringue. Elsewhere, intimate fishing ports are lined with syrmata — painted boat garages sculpted from volcanic tuff.
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The Cycladic style budget-friendly Sarakiniko Rooms run by a lovely family are within walking distance of Sarakiniko beach and the tavernas in Adamas, the island port
Sailing around Milos, taking in its extraordinary geological wonders, is an absolute must: do it with Odysseus A. Yacht Cruises, departing from Adamas, on a tour that includes breakfast, lunch and an open bar, with ample time for swimming
13. Naxos
Largest, tallest and greenest of the Cyclades, family-friendly Naxos doesn’t have the hip reputation of its neighbour Mykonos, but is all the better for it. Just beyond the sugar-cube maze of its main town stretch miles of sandy beaches. The hiking is exceptional, taking in lovely early Byzantine churches and Hellenistic towers. The white marble of the north has been quarried for 3,000 years; don’t miss the startling contemporary Cycladic figurines in the archaeological museum and the huge kouros statues at Flerio, Apollonas and Melanes — abandoned because of flaws in the stone.
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Stay in style at the kitchenette-equipped Legato Spa Suites (which sleep up to five) in beautiful sugar cube Naxos Town, a short walk from sandy Agios Georgios beach
Discover the most beautiful landscapes that Naxos, Santorini and Paros have to offer on the seven-day Walking on the Greek Islands tour with Exodus
14. Patmos
A dreamy otherworldliness lingers over the craggy little “Jerusalem of the Aegean” — where St John wrote his Book of Revelation. This atmosphere has since made it a bolt hole for anyone who wants to escape the world — Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and Richard Gere included. Just above the port, Skala, you’ll find St John’s Cave (complete with his stone pillow) and the exceptionally lovely 18th-century main town, built by sea merchants. The fortified 11th-century Monastery of St John the Theologian is filled with rare Byzantine art. Come to Patmos to take quiet walks, swim in crystal waters and refresh your soul.
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The friendly family-run Grikos Hotel with a roof garden overlooking beautiful Grikos Bay is the perfect retreat
Patmos is a popular cruise port, including for Celestyal’s four-day Iconic Aegean cruise out of Athens that also visits Mykonos, Kusadasi, Heraklion (Crete) and Santorini
15. Paxos
Just south of Corfu, tiny Paxos is for couples who want to snuggle among the ancient olive groves and lose all track of time. Vertiginous limestone cliffs soar over the west coast; pebbly coves scallop the east. The delightful pocket-sized main port, Gaios, is packed with tavernas and offers boats for touring Paxos’s sea caves, and making the short hop to its vine-covered sidekick Antipaxos, where a pair of outrageously beautiful Caribbean-style white beaches are kissed by a turquoise sea.
Make it happen
Stay just outside Gaios at the Paxos Club Resort & Spa, with a pool, Jacuzzi, restaurant and free shuttle to the town and Kaki Lagkada Beach
16. Spetses
Best for hanging out with the in-crowd
Popular with weekending Athenians and the yachting set (its nickname is the “Greek Monaco”), pine-covered Spetses, one of the Saronic islands, is two hours from Piraeus port. The cobbled lanes of Spetses Town are lined with historic mansions that once belonged to leaders of the War of Independence that began in 1821, including the home of the indomitable female admiral Bouboulina. Cars are banned; horse-drawn carriages, bikes and scooters are the transport of choice. By day, hit the beaches along the road that encircles Spetses, passing the lone white villa that inspired John Fowles’s enigmatic novel The Magus. After dark, the seafront esplanade of Dapia sways to the sensuous rhythms of the latest Greek hits.
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Built in 1914, the luxurious Poseidonion Grand Hotel overlooking the port was the first luxury hotel built on any Greek island. Immaculately restored in 2009, it has an exceptional restaurant, supplied by the hotel’s own organic farm
17. Rhodes
The Colossus statue, one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World, may be long gone, but its subject, the sun god Helios, makes his presence felt 300 days a year. Full of gently shelving beaches, fancy resorts and rich history — it was the powerhouse of the Aegean for centuries — Rhodes is a good bet even in winter. That’s the time to explore the island’s atmospheric medieval Crusader-Ottoman town, Grand Master’s Palace and three ancient cities, including exquisite Lindos, its acropolis teetering high over the sea.
Make it happen
Staying in Rhodes Old Town at the In Camera Art Boutique Hotel means a chance to wander its medieval streets when they are romantically lit at night, after the cruise ship crowds and day trippers are gone
Saga Holidays offers walking tours of Rhodes Town and Lindos as part of its two-week Greek Island Medley tour of the south Dodecanese islands, including Symi and Leros
18. Sifnos
When Greeks think of Sifnos, they think of food. Home of countless chefs, including Nikolaos Tselementes, who in 1930 published the influential Cooking and Patisserie Guide, the island is known for its restaurants serving specialities such as mastelo (lamb slow-cooked in a clay pot). But the arty-boho island has other tricks up its sleeve: brilliant-white cubist villages; paths meandering past its ubiquitous domed churches; and Venetian dovecotes and ancient towers. The beaches are divine, from the silky soft sands of Platis Gialos to idyllic Cheronissos way up north, with its two excellent tavernas.
Make it happen
High over the east coast of Sifnos, Verina Astra’s 14 rooms and suites each come with gorgeous sea views; there’s a superb restaurant, and a chance to take a cooking class to learn how to make Sifnos’s delicacies
19. Skopelos
Skopelos, like its neighbour Skiathos, served as a location for the film Mamma Mia!, but has since reverted to a tranquil way of life amid a thousand blues and greens, from its lofty pine forests to its pebbly beaches. The traditional architecture of red-tile roofs, colourful woodwork and balconies is charming; nightlife means sitting late outside a taverna. Hire a boat to explore the wild northeast coast and don’t miss the walk up the Mount Palouki peninsula, adorned with Byzantine monasteries and commanding spine-tingling views.
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In a peaceful seaside spot only a ten-minute walk to the port and all the tavernas of Skopelos Town, the little Skopelos Village Hotel comes with a pool and very simpatico staff
Drink in the verdant beauty of the Sporades islands leisurely on the two-week Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos Island Hopping Adventure offered by Not in the Guidebooks
20. Skiathos
Fun-packed Skiathos is rightly renowned for having more than 60 heavenly beaches — the golden pine-backed crescent of Koukounaries and silver-pebbled, cliff-foot Lalaria are often named in Greece’s top ten. But there are secret ones to be found if you take one of the few roads through the island’s wooded interior. While hotels and villas sprawl along the coast (Troulos and Vromolimnos are also among the nicest beaches), Skiathos has only one real town, but it’s a doozy, crammed full of restaurants, bars and clubs for 30-pluses. Look out for Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, who are frequent visitors.
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Beautiful sea views and peace and quiet with all of the advantages of being within walking distance of Skiathos Town at the contemporary style rooms at The Rock
21. Poros
Pretty, white Poros Town sidles along Greece’s “Grand Canal” — the hypnotic 365m-wide channel that separates the island from the Peloponnese; lazy boat-spotting from waterfront tavernas is a favourite pastime here. Otherwise you have fragrant pinewoods, little beaches such as the golden Askeli, and Daskalio, the islet where Eros was supposedly born, in Love Bay. For more, take a taxi boat across the channel to Galatas, hire a car and within an hour’s drive you’ll find ancient Troezen, birthplace of Theseus, and the theatre at Epidaurus, which reportedly had the best acoustics in the ancient world.
Make it happen
Located in a peaceful corner of Askeli, contemporary Kostis Villas make a perfect base for a few lazy days on Poros, with the kitchenettes, pool and rooms sleeping up to four
22. Symi
Symi is only a short hop from Rhodes, but couldn’t be more different: small and arid, but endowed with a superb harbour. Here, Symi’s renowned shipbuilders and merchants built a spectacular neoclassical town in shades of lemon, tangerine and cherry-red, rising 500 steps up to a sky so blue that it seems to throb. A bus or taxi boat will take you to the beaches, and at night the lone town sparkles to life; sheltered, it stays warm until late as its lights dance across the still water of the port.
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Set in a lofty, panoramic position at Myloi above the old town, the seven Symi Nautilus Luxury Suites are all lovingly designed and offer free transport from the port
23. Pelion
Every season is lovely in Thessaly’s Pelion peninsula. Mythic home of the centaurs and the summer resort of the Greek gods, the Pelion is Greece at its most bucolic, criss-crossed with streams, cobbled mule paths, ancient plane trees and apple orchards, picture-perfect beaches below emerald cliffs and villages of handsome 18th and 19th-century mansions, many of which are now hotels. In spring, go for the wildflowers and apple blossoms; in summer, the beaches; in autumn, the amazing colour of the woodlands; and in winter, snow and winter sports on Mount Pelion and cosy nights by the fireplace.
Make it happen
Set amid an lush organic garden and orchard, the Amanita Guesthouse in Tsagarda occupies a traditional 19th-century mansion; the breakfast is out of this world
24. Halkidiki
The great three-fingered peninsula of Halkidiki is northern Greece’s summer playground, although its easternmost end is anything but: this is Mount Athos, the world’s only monastic republic, off limits to women since AD885 (although everyone can take a cruise and see its fantastical Byzantine monasteries from the sea). Halkidiki’s western “fingers”, Kassandra and Sithonia, are laced with idyllic piney coves and sandy beaches — including 96 beaches flying the blue flag, more than any other municipality in Greece — and are graced with some of the country’s most glamorous resorts.
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One of the glamorous resorts is the family-friendly Sani Beach on the Kassandra peninsula, set on a 4.5 mile sandy beach, with a lagoon pool, tennis, spa and excellent dining
Take a cruise around Mount Athos departing from Ouranoupolis, followed by a chance to swim on the little islet of Ammouliani; if you’re lucky you’ll see dolphins
25. Mani
Legend has it that when the Romans invaded Greece, the Spartans took refuge in the Mani, the middle prong of the Peloponnese. And it’s true that throughout history, the Maniots were tough hombres, constantly feuding from their fortified tower houses. In the westerly Outer Mani you’ll find lovely beach resorts such as Stoupa and Kardamili, but the rugged, arid Inner Mani, especially south of the spectacular Diros show caves, is another world altogether — savage and rocky, with villages such as Vathia, a mini San Gimignano of tower houses. And Cape Tenaro, at the Mani’s southern tip, was a main entrance to the Underworld in Greek myth.
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Part of the essential Maniot experience is staying in a hotel in a converted tower house: one of the most evocative is the Citta dei Nicliani in Kitta, with a beautiful pool and excellent breakfast
Explore’s 13-day tour Peloponnese Explorer starts in Athens before taking in the highlights of the Peloponnese, including the Mani
26. Tilos
Little Tilos takes great pride in being the most eco-friendly island in the Mediterranean. Located midway between Rhodes and Kos, it made history in 1997 when its environmentalist mayor banned hunting and made it a wildlife reserve, leading to an impressive rebound in its biodiversity. In 2020, thanks to the EU-funded Tilos Project setting up Greece’s first hybrid power station, it is self-sufficient for energy. That’s not one of the reasons you come — those are the birdwatching, the quiet, immaculate beaches and the convivial tavernas dotted around the port, Livadia.
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A short stroll from the beach and tavernas in Livadia, the Hotel Irini is a classic, friendly Greek island hotel with a pretty pool, set in a garden of flowers and palms
27. Kythira
South of the Peloponnese peninsula, pretty Kythira used to be just too hard to reach for most (even local girl Aphrodite moved to more important Cyprus). Now improved air connections have made it possible to get there from the UK in a day. Go for old-fashioned Greek hospitality and the lovely white Cycladic-style Kythira Town, dotted with Venetian mansions. There are magnificent beaches and wild ravines — and don’t miss bucolic Milopotamos, where you can swim under waterfalls and pretend you’re in a shampoo ad.
Make it happen
A warm family welcome is only one of the charms of the little Kythira Golden Resort, a short walk from the long sandy beach at Diakofti and its landmark shipwreck
28 . Kalymnos
The island once famous for sponge fishers, Kalymnos has high-adrenaline thrills embedded in its DNA — they don’t celebrate Greek Easter with fireworks here, but with dynamite. If you’re a rock climber, its world-class precipices need no introduction. There’s superb diving around its reefs, wrecks, underwater volcanic crater and the surrounding islets — including the striking pyramid-shaped Telendos, opposite the beach town of Masouri. Kalymnos has the only fjord on the Greek islands and its big, buzzy capital, Pothia, in an enormous natural amphitheatre, is chock full of old-fashioned shops and kafenions (Greek cafés).
Make it happen
Book a room under the climbing cliffs by Kastelli Beach at friendly Elena Village, with its spectacular views over Telendos islet
Πηγή: The Times
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