An advertising executive in 1959 proposed promoting Greece as ‘an exclusive country, a holiday “Eldorado”, far off the usual tourist itineraries… for persons of wealth and refined taste’.
The Greek islands – with their promise of sunshine, azure waters and intriguing archaeological sites – have since grown to become one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, with visitor numbers topping 30 million last year.
Inevitably, however, the mushrooming of tourist infrastructure has not always been to the islands’ cultural benefit, especially where development has been brashest, witnessing once quiet backwaters (originally the preserve of in-the-know Athenians) kowtowing to mass market visitors on charter flights.
So where’s best to go? Having travelled to Greece since childhood and visited more than 30 islands, I have a few firm favourites.
Many of the islands I write of here require some degree of dogged determination to reach – most have neither an international airport nor convenient package tours. Instead, you may require an internal flight or to catch one of Greece’s notoriously capricious ferries.
The upside is that this relative inaccessibility has helped preserve the local authenticity and charm. These are my favourite 15 islands – and a few to avoid when summer crowds inevitably descend.
ALONISSOS, Sporades
Famed for gorgeous beaches and the largest marine park in Europe, Alonissos is packed with charm
Famed for her many gorgeous beaches and the largest marine park in Europe – containing over 80 species of birds, 300 species of fish, and the rare Mediterranean monk seal – Alonissos is packed with charm and perfumed with the scent of pine trees. The Old Town, atop a steep hill, is one of stone alleys flanked by stone houses with vine-covered courtyards – many rebuilt after the earthquake of 1965. Picturesque bays and dramatic cliffs surround the island, as well as some fine sandy beaches – Chysi Milia being among the finest. Numerous islets lie nearby, including Peristera, off whose coast lies a 5th-century BC shipwreck. An underwater museum since 2020, this dive site is known as The Parthenon of Shipwrecks, where you can still see thousands of amphoras filled with the famed wines from Mendi.
Top tip: Visit the neighbouring island of Pelagonissi, home to the tiny and gorgeous 16th-century monastery which belongs to Meghisti Lavra on Mount Athos.
Book it: Seven nights at Marpunta Resort is from £1,110pp on an all-Inclusive basis, including flights, taxis and ferries (olympicholidays.com).
PAXOS, Ionian
The turquoise waters of Paxos are great for snorkelling, and the spring and early summer wildflowers make it a paradise for walkers
One of the smallest islands in the Ionian Sea, Paxos shares many of the best aspects of neighbouring Corfu – warm, turquoise waters and verdant hills – but without the crowds. Just seven by three miles in size, it is a tranquil island unspoilt by mass tourism, where 300,000 ancient silvery olive trees shimmer in the sun, and elegant yachts moor in its beautiful bays. The surrounding waters are great for snorkelling, and the spring and early summer wildflowers make it a paradise for walkers. The island has just 2,500 inhabitants, and people gather at the capital, Gaios (the main harbour) with its Venetian architecture, pedestrianised seafront square, and lively tavernas. For traditional seafood tavernas, head to the delightful fishing village of Loggos.
Top tip: Hire a boat to explore the secluded beaches of the West coast.
Book it: Seven nights at Loggos Mills from £900pp, including flights and boat transfer (sunvil.co.uk).
SERIFOS, Cyclades
Serifos remains one of the most unspoiled of the Cyclades, overshadowed by her more famous sisters, Mykonos and Santorini
The first holiday I took sans parents, on leaving school, was to Serifos. In those antediluvian days, there was virtually nothing on the island, and the bank consisted of a man on a bicycle, with a tin box. The island remains one of the most unspoiled of the Cyclades, overshadowed by her more famous sisters, Mykonos and Santorini. But bars, restaurants, and small hotels have inevitably sprung up, serving authentic Greek dishes, and a chic new winery, Chrysolaras, has reclaimed ancient terraces.
Chora, the island’s capital, is built like an amphitheatre atop the central mountain, with views over the whole, barren island, fringed by a vast turquoise sea. It is on the summit of Chora, legend has it, that Perseus buried the head of Medusa, whose last hurrah was to turn the island to stone.
A big attraction of the island is its beaches – there are, reputedly, 72 – which, even in summer, are not over-crowded. Platis Gialos, Avessalos and Skala are among the best known, while the trendy Coco-Mat Eco Residences sit on a prime location on Vagia beach, in former miners’ huts. The island was once known for its gold mines – the largest of these, eerily abandoned, can be visited at Mega Livadi.
Top Tip: Buy pots of Serifos’ famous thyme and lavender honey, harvested in July.
Book it: Five nights at Coco-Mat from £1,500 (coco-matserifos.com).
PATMOS, Dodecanese
Medieval Chora is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site where houses were built cheek-by-jowl
Island of exile of St John of the Apocalypse, whose cave and 11th-century Fortress Monastery is a major pilgrimage site, Patmos is famed for its Orthodox Easter celebrations, when a room on the island cannot be had for love nor money. Within the monastery, a warren of courtyards, covered passageways, soaring arches and hidden chapels, conceals numerous treasures – including the skull of St. Thomas, and an icon gifted by Catherine the Great. It is also home to some ruins from the Temple of Athena who, according to legend, raised the island from the sea.,
The houses of medieval Chora (part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site) tumble down beneath the monastery, built cheek-by-jowl to enable escape over the rooftops and into the fortified sanctuary, in the event of pirate attacks.
There are some delightful pebble beaches along the north coast, while the island’s only sandy beach is at Psili Amos, a cove often roaring with waves.
Top tip: If want to glimpse a traditional interior, head for the Archontariki in Chora – a 1597 mansion converted into a delightful boutique hotel.
Book it: Seven nights at Porto Scoutari Hotel, including flights and ferries, from £1,370pp (sunvil.co.uk).
ITHAKA, Ionian
Dreamy Ithaka is an island of golden light, lush vegetation, sparkling seas and secluded pebble beaches
This mountainous island of golden light offers lush vegetation, sparkling seas and secluded pebble beaches.
An ancient network of mule tracks, once the only link between the villages, makes for a walker’s paradise, their overgrown cobbles leading through, orchards, olive groves, and terraced fields, where ancient windmills crumble with time. And though the island is small enough to drive around in a single day, its hilltop towns, Venetian-era churches and picturesque fishing villages – such as Kioni, with its backdrop of wooded hills and vibrant harbour-side tavernas – reward several days’ exploration.
If neighbouring Kephallonia was popularised by Captain Corelli, quieter, dreamy Ithaka has much older literary associations as the island of Homer’s hero, Odysseus. Lord Byron, on his visit in 1823, was so enchanted by the island, he even considered purchasing it. “If this isle were mine” he told his friend, Trelawny, in 1823, “I would break my staff and bury my books and never leave”.
Top tip: Enjoy a sunset ouzo at To Hani, a taverna since 1800, high on the isthmus that connects the two halves of the island.
Book it: Seven nights at Kyparissi Suites from £995pp, including flights, ferries and hire car (simpsontravel.com).
CHIOS, North Aegean
Homer’s island of Chios has beautiful medieval villages that ooze history, accessed via winding mountain roads
A hire car is vital for reaching Chios’s best beaches, such as my own favourite, Mavra Volia, with its smooth, black volcanic pebbles, on Chios’ southern shore. Those who prefer sandy beaches can head for Karfa and Komi, buzzing with hotels and restaurants, and popular with families.
Homer’s island has beautiful medieval villages that ooze history, accessed via winding mountain roads. Anyone who has seen Delacroix’s Massacre of Chios, in the Louvre, might like to visit Anavatos, which succumbed to the Turkish invasion of 1822, despite being perched atop a granite cliff; or the UNESCO-listed 11th-century Nea Moni (New Monastery). Closer to town, the labyrinthine lanes of Kambos, once the summer residence of wealthy Genoese merchants, still echoes with the grandeur of the past. Not to be missed is Pyrgi, a unique village whose houses are etched with intricate geometrical designs. It is one of the 21 Mastichochoria – the villages that produced the famous Chios mastic, from trees that yield this precious resin nowhere else on earth.
Top tip: While in Pyrgi, visit the Mastic Museum, which unveils the cultivation and history of mastic – inscribed in UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Book it: Seven nights at Perleas Mansion, including flights and transfers, from £1,305 for two. (cachet-travel.co.uk).
SIFNOS, Cyclades
Walking trails criss-cross Sifnos’s rugged terrain, dotted with olive trees and fields divided by ancient drystone walls and numerous picturesque churches
Sifnos is where Hollywood stars head to for an under-the-radar break. In common with neighbouring Serifos (these islands make a great two-centre holiday), Sifnos has a history of gold mining, which accounts for the 75 mostly-ruined watch towers scattered over the island. Medieval Kastro, towering defensively above the azure waters, is a Cubist canvas of white-washed houses fortified against the ever-present threat of piratical raids.
Walking trails criss-cross the rugged terrain dotted with olive trees and fields divided by ancient drystone walls and numerous picturesque churches. It is an unspoiled, authentic landscape where you come for peace, rather than for partying – unless you visit during the three-day Gastronomy Festival in early September. Sifnos is famed for her cuisine, birthplace of Nikolaos Tselementes, who compiled the first Greek cook book. Expect not only wonderful sea-front tavernas, but also more sophisticated offerings, such as at the inventive take on traditional dishes at Bostani – an elegant restaurant perched on a terrace above the sea – or at the ever-popular waterside Cantina, accessible only via boat – or a steep hike.
Top tip: Book a pottery class at Atsiotis’ studio, home of the same family of potters since 1870.
Book it: Verina hotel from £230 per room (verinahotelsifnos.com). Flights to Athens from £124 return, ferry from Piraeus from £114 return.
SYROS, Cyclades
Syros is the capital of the Cyclades, blessed with numerous museums, art galleries, imposing civic architecture and beautiful churches
‘The capital of elegance and nobility’ according to the French romantic poet, Théophile Gauthier, Syros is also the capital of the Cyclades, blessed with numerous museums, art galleries, imposing civic architecture and beautiful churches (both Orthodox and, unusually, Catholic). The town of Ermoupolis is known for its 19th-century neoclassical mansions which face the waterfront and are replete with plaster decorations, ornate ceilings, heavy doors, balconies and fine ironwork. Among its imposing buildings is the Apollo Theatre – a smaller version of La Scala in Milan – while the large harbour, once the most important port in Greece, is lined today with shops and cafes selling the local specialities, halvadopittes (nougat pie) and loukoum (Turkish delight).
Much older is the medieval warren of Ano Syros, built by the Venetians, who arrived in 1207. Older still are important Bronze Age archaeological sites, such as Kastri, some of whose treasures are now housed in the Archaeological Museum of Syros. here is no shortage of things to see on Syros, before relaxing on the golden sands of Aetos beach – one of many.
Top tip: Catch a concert at the Apollo Theatre – if only for the beauty of the interior.
Book it: Seven nights at Hotel Argini, inclusive of flights and ferries, from £1,345pp (astraeusholidays.co.uk).
IKARIA, North Aegean
Ikaria is famed for the longevity of its inhabitants. Locals put this down to their active lifestyle, healthy diet and the island’s potent red wine
Isolated in both time and place, Ikaria is a wonderful anachronism, long protected from tourism by its inaccessibility (the ferry timetable is capricious). After the Second World War, this forgotten isle was a place of exile for communists. Yet the island packs a big punch, being one of only five designated Blue Zones around the world, famed for the longevity of their inhabitants. Locals put this down to their active lifestyle, diet of local herbs and greens, the island’s potent red wine – praised by Homer as the tonic for the heroes of the Trojan War – the therapeutic hot springs in which visitors may still bathe, and the mood-enhancing magnesium allegedly released from the granite rocks by the force of the sun.
Roads were not built until the 1990s, and steep, overgrown footpaths still lead up to the mountaintop villages, camouflaged Flintstone-style into the rock to protect residents from pirate raids. The islanders supposedly slept all day and only emerged at night – and still enjoy an eccentric reputation. Mileopolis, perched on a flower-covered gorge above the sea, is one of several lovely villages high up winding mountain roads, while the loveliest beaches include Mesakti, Livadi and Manganiti. It remains a natural paradise.
In mythology, the island is linked to Dionysus, god of wine, and is named after Icarus, who flew too close to the sun, melted the wax binding his feathered wings, and plunged into the sea, off its shores.
Top tip: Visit the biodynamic Afianes winery, where wine is still made in the traditional manner known to Homer, allowing wine to ferment in pots underground.
Book it: Sevem nights at Valetta Studios, including flights and ferries, from £992pp (sunvil.co.uk).
SPETSES, Saronic Gulf
Two hours by ferry from Piraeus, or five minutes by water taxi from Porto Heli (both on the mainland), Spetses is a popular bolt-hole for fashionable Athenians
As a rule of thumb, the more easily accessible an island, the more it falls prey to mass tourism. Spetses remains an exception. Just some two hours by ferry from Piraeus, or five minutes by water taxi from Porto Heli (both on the mainland), the island retains its charm, a popular bolt-hole for fashionable Athenians ever since Sotirios Anargyros, a tobacco tycoon, built the Poseidonion Hotel in 1914, as a luxurious retreat for hunting parties.
We have the foresight of Anargyros, an early conservationist, to thank for the pristine nature of Spetses: he purchased two-thirds of the island and planted 100,000 Aleppo pines, to prevent over-development. Today, no private cars are allowed in Spetses town, with visitors relying on horse-drawn carriages or shanks pony (or a rare taxi) to get around the delightful waterfront with its coffee shops, fashionable boutiques, former pirates’ warehouses, and the Old Harbour, where yachts moor by the island’s trendiest restaurants. Further on are the shipyards that were so important to Spetses’ prosperity, and that continue their traditional craft, building wooden boats.
Rich in history, Spetses was key in the 1821 War of Independence against the Turks. Descendents of the revolutionaries still inhabit grand mansions, some of which are now discreet hotels or, like the home of the heroine, Admiral Laskarina Bouboulina, museums.
Top tips: Dine at one of the fish restaurants at the old harbour – Tarsanas is among the best
Book it: Seven nights at the Economou Mansion, including flight and ferry, from £1,370pp (sunvil.co.uk).
HYDRA, Saronic Gulf
Cars and motorbikes are banned on Hydra. You get around by foot (or donkey), or take a boat to some remote, beachy cove
When an island is labelled ‘cosmopolitan’, it might raise some red flags – and it’s true that Hydra gets very crowded in summer. Its picture-perfect charm, however, has attracted Hollywood celebrities to the island since the 1960s (think Sophia Loren, Maria Callas, Peter Ustinov), Leonard Cohen had a house here, and numerous artists, including Picasso, and Chagall have all been seduced by the island’s charm. Like neighbouring Spetses, tiny Hydra played an important role in the 1821 War of Independence, and beautiful 18th-century Captains’ mansions line the port, with cannons still pointing out to sea.
Even if you decide not to stay here, a day-trip is a must, to stroll along the steep cobblestone paths, nibble delicious amygdalota (almond cookies) from Tsangaris’ bakery, and climb to Kiafa, the oldest settlement with its narrow alleyways. Those with energy can climb up to the seven windmills, and to the hilltop monastery of Prophet Ilas, for breathtaking views. Be warned: cars and motorbikes are banned. You get around by foot (or donkey), or take a boat to some remote, beachy cove.
Top Tip: Pop into the Rafalias pharmacy to buy your sun lotion: it is one of the oldest in Greece, owned by the same family since 1890
Book it: Five nights at Bratsera Hotel from £1,101pp, including flights from Gatwick to Athens and ferry transfers (olympicholidays.com).
ASTYPALEA, Dodecanese
Whitewashed houses tumble from the dark hilltop castle of Astypalea onto rugged coastline, windmills, and vivid bougainvillea
Although in the Dodecanese, you could easily mistake Astypalea for a Cycladic island, with her whitewashed houses tumbling from the dark hilltop castle to the rugged coastline, windmills, and vivid bougainvillea. This off-the-beaten-track island, whose picturesque harbour featured on a Greek stamp in 1969, offers the clearest waters and beautiful, remote beaches (Kaminakia among the loveliest) that boat tours will take you to. Rock climbers can test their mettle on the cliffs at Ftera, while history lovers can make a 45-minute hike from Vatses beach to see Negrou cave, said to be the site of buried treasure.
Top tip: Visit the Baths of Talara, with their unusual Hellenistic era mosaics tiles representing signs of the Zodiac
Book it: Three nights at Gerani Studios from £113 per couple (astypalaiagerani.gr). Sky Express flies to Astypalea from Athens, from £138 return (kyexpress.gr).
SANTORINI, Cyclades
Santorini has come in for a lot of flak but has much to recommend it beyond Instagram sunsets
Poor old Santorini has come in for a lot of flak of late: first, for its tsunami of cruise passengers flooding the island, followed by a series of earthquakes. It’s true, Santorini is hideous in high season – but only in the picture-perfect, caldera cliff-edge village of Oia, if you are not staying in a ‘gated’ hotel, protected from the crowds. I’m a recent convert to the island, which has much to recommend it beyond those Instagram sunsets: its famous Assyrtiko vineyards, Pyrgos – the island’s highest village – where life continues much as before, the mysterious fortress town of Kastello, not to mention the Minoan city of Akrotiri, discovered in the 1960s. There are sophisticated (if pricey) hotels and restaurants – but also local tavernas, serving excellent local specialities, such as caper leaves and fava.
Top tip: In Fira, visit the Museum of Prehistoric Thera, packed with fabulous Minoan-style treasures discovered at Akrotiri
Book it: Santo Mine Suites from £429 (santocollection.gr). Direct flights from Gatwick, from £78 return (easyjet.com).
THIRASSIA, Cyclades
Just a 10-minute boat taxi ride away from its big sister, Thirassia gives you a true sense of what Santorini was like 50 years ago
Attached to Santorini until the eruption of 1600BC, and just a 10-minute boat taxi ride away from its big sister, Thirassia gives you a true sense of what Santorini was like 50 years ago. The island lends itself to mountain biking and hiking, and Yannis, the omniscient owner of Explore Thirassia, shows guests abandoned cave houses and family chapels, while feeding them on wild asparagus, cactus leaves and fresh cheese. With just 200 people, the island is totally undeveloped, fragrant with wild thyme. Yet, in the Bronze Age, Thirassia was home to an important civilization whose sparse ruins lay on the tip of the island.
Top tip: Take time to sit on a rock, breath in the herb-scented air, and enjoy the views over the caldera, with not another soul around
Book it: No need – just a day trip from Santorini.
SAMOTHRAKI, North AegeanThere is little to do on this relatively uncommercial island besides swimming, hiking, and enjoying the wildernes
There is little to do on Samothraki besides swimming, hiking, and enjoying the wilderness, or travelling back into ancient history at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods
According to Homer, Poseidon watched the fall of Troy from atop Mount Fengari (Moon Mountain) on this island. For mortals, Samothraki might be best known for her statue of Nike discovered in Sanctuary of the Great Gods in 1863 (now housed in the Louvre) which inspired the Rolls Royce symbol, the Spirit of Ecstasy.
There is little to do on this relatively uncommercial island besides swimming, hiking, and enjoying the wilderness – the highest mountains in the Aegean, waterfalls, gorges, rivers, translucent rock pools, and lovely beaches of both pebble and sand – such as at Pachia Ammos. Boats can take you around the island, stopping at remote beaches, and give you some history, to boot. Accommodation is basic, in the two main tourist spots of Kamariotissa, the port town, and Therma (named after sulphur springs there). And food is as fresh and local as it gets: excellent fish taverns along the North coast, and numerous tavernas specialising in goat – especially good in the mountainside village of Profitis Ilias.
Top tip: Don’t miss the mystical Sanctuary of the Great Gods – once the site of a mystery cult.
Book it: Seven nights at Parselia Rooms from £370 per room (booking.com). Ferry return from Alexandroupoli on the mainland £15.50.
WHERE TO AVOID…
I would hesitate to say any island should be avoided, as each has its charm. But some islands have seen their authenticity eroded by mass tourism, and should be avoided at high season – not least, because prices are inflated.
- MYKONOS, one of the most beautiful Cycladic islands of all, has become the party capital of Europe, popular with both “influencers” and jet-setters. It’s become crowded with international hotels and elegant restaurants that only the whitewashed architecture and exquisite views remind you that this is Greece.
- Once famed for its high quality marble, PAROS, is also becoming a victim of its own popularity. With its lovely beaches, Cycladic architecture, and pretty villages of Lefkes and Naoussa, the island is becoming an overspill to Mykonos. Both islands, incidentally, experience high winds in summer – the Meltemia – which is another reason to visit off-season.
- You might also think twice about KOS – most interesting for its Hippocratic legacy, but blighted by mas tourism. The once-gorgeous mountain village of Zia has been destroyed by coach parties and identikit tourist tat, and its generally unimpressive coastline is peppered with unattractive concrete hotels. (The exception is the lovely Kephalos beach in the South, and the sophisticated new Koia hotel, at Agios Fokas).
