Gosh…where do we start? Did you know that there are over six thousand Greek islands? Only 227 are inhabited and of those, only 78 have more than 100 people living on them.
The islands are in groups, so let’s take a look at the islands in one of the most popular, the Cyclades, so that you can decide which takes your fancy before you start booking!
The Cyclades Islands
This is a group of around 220 islands in the middle of the Aegean Sea. They are reached by ferries that travel from Pereaus. Pireaus is one of the biggest ports in the Mediterranean and one of the busiest in the world. It has been the port of Athens Piraeus has been the Athenian port since the 26th Century BC and is about 10 km south west from the centre of Athens.
The main islands of the Cyclades are:
Amorgos
The island is easy to get to and takes about 8 hours from Pireaus. It’s well placed for a holiday as there are daily connections to Paros and Naxos and the local boat will take you to the smaller islands of Schinousa, Donousa, Koufonisi and Iraklia.
There are some good beaches in the north, lots of tavernas and good nightlife. The Monastery of Chozoviotissa is built into the wall of a cliff and well worth visit for the views if you have a head for heights! There is good snorkling in places.
Andros
Another well placed island as there are ferries and catamarans every day to Tino, Syros and Mykonos. The main town of Andros is on a peninsula between two beaches and no cars are allowed. The town is wealthy so no tourism is allowed which, ironically, makes it a great place to visit. There is a shipping museum and an art museum. The island is very green and unusually for a Greek island has a few small rivers.
Antiparos
More laid back than Paros. Ferries go to Paros several times a day from Pounta. Antiparos is worth visiting for the enormous Cave there which does pull a few tourists. You could go there to celebrity-spot as Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks both visited recently.
Folegandros
This island is ‘undiscovered’ but not by artists and writers who flock there, inspired by its beauty. It’s a small island and can get crowded in high season. The ferry lands at Karavostasis where there are hotels, restaurants, beaches and buses to other beaches. The island is 9 hours from Pireaus and has connections to Sifnos, Milos, Santorini, Sikinos and Ios.
This is most definitely a young persons’ island. It’s rife with discos, bars, shops and fast food joints. It’s an 8 hour ride from Pireaus and well placed for ferries to Paros, Naxos, Syros, Santorini, Sifnos and (once a week) Crete.
Kea
Very popular with Atheneans as a holiday destination or for weekend retreats. Because of this there are a lot of good Greek restaurants. Kea is often forgotten by backpackers as the ferry doesn’t leavefrom Pireaus but Lavrion and it’s a short journey – around 2 hours. Most tourists head for the small harbour of Vourkari which has an excellent group of fresh fish restaurants. Kea is also famous (or infamous!) for its far reaching ancient roads which are wonderful for hiking.
Koufonisi
This gem is one of the smallest inhabited islands of the Cyclades with just 300 residents. It is 4 square kilometers in size so you won’t need a car! There is one town, Chora, which is on the harbor, with some tavernas, bars and a couple of shops. The beaches, fresh fish, peace and quiet are worth the journey.
Kythnos
Only three hours from Pireaus if you take the slow ferry and just over an hour on the fast one. Kythnos is between Kea and Serifos and on the same ferry line as Sifnos and Milos so it’s a good base for seeing other islands. It has stunning beaches, picturesque white churches and history back to 9000 BC. This island is easy to get to but not over run with tourists so great for a remote getaway that doesn’t take ages to get to! The island tends to attract older travellers.
Milos
Milos is wonderful for visiting other islands – if you can tear yourself away from the stunningly beautiful beaches, the Christian, Roman and Venetian history and fabulous swimming and snorkeling that it offers! It’s 7 hours from Pireaus and you can take daily ferries from here to Sifnos, Serifos and Kythnos. Three boats a week go to Crete and twice a week they go to Folegandros, Sikinos, Ios and Santorini. It’s also the island where the Venus de Milo was found. The island tends to attract older travelers.
Mykonos
The party island especially for gay people but it also has a lot to offer straight people and families. There is non-stop nightlife and the beaches tend to be crowded but it’s a fantastic place to sit and watch the amazing world go by! It’s 5 hours from Pireaus and 3 from Rafina or you can fly to the International Airport on the island. If the partying gets too much, there are several ferries each day to Tinos and Syros. Daily ferries go to Paros, Naxos, Ios, Santorini, Andros and other islands too. It’s also possible to get to Sifnos, Samos, Ikaria, the Dodecanese, Crete and Thessaloniki.
Naxos is not overrun with tourists which is interesting as it has some of the best beaches in all of the islands. Stop off at the fishing village, Apollon, which has great fish restaurants and possibly the most interesting unfinished statue in the world. The giant statue of Apollo has been laying in the marble quarry since around 600 BC! Naxos is 7 hours from Athens with connections to Mykonos, Ios, Santorini, Crete, the Dodekanese, Ikaria, Samos, Amorgos, Skiathos and Thessaloniki.
Many ferries stop here so Paros is a busy port and also a great base if you want to island hop. To avoid the crowds, visit in June, early July or September.
Paros is a mecca for windsurfers and is particularly good for body surfing. It’s 6 hours from Athens and there are daily ferries to Naxos, Santorini, Mykonos and Ios. There are also connections to Crete, Ikaria, Samos, the small Cyclades islands, Thessaloniki, Crete, Skiathos, the Dodekanese and Amorgos. If you don’t like the ferry there are also hydrofoils and catamarans. Visit the Travel Agents in the port to be sure of what’s going whereas it can get rather overwhelming!
The main port is near a great camping ground. Beyond that, the island is relatively untouched. It has some of the best beaches in the islands and is only 4 hours from Athens. There are daily ferries to Sifnos, Milos and Kythnos. The island tends to attract older travelers.
Sifnos
A wonderfully pretty and still essentially Greek island for families with children and anyone over 30! Head for Kamares beach which has a long, sheltered, shallow bay which is perfect for the kids and for you as there is café a few feet from the sand! The food is great and very reasonably priced. Accomodation is cheap too. Sifnos is 5 hours from Pireaus and there are daily connections to Serifos, Kythnos, Milos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Ios and Syros.
Sikinos
This is an extremely un-touristy island which is home to fishermen and farmers. The two villages in the mountains and the port of Alopronoia all have rooms to rent. A chance to see Greece as it was.
This is the capital island of the Cyclades and has a shipyard in the harbour that is over 100 years old. It’s a beautiful town with excellent restaurants and lovely beaches. The town is full of well-restored buildings which date back to the late 1800′s – churches, mansions and cobbled streets with great pavement cafes. It’s 4 hours from Pireaus and a ferry from Syros goes to all of the islands in the Cyclades every day so it is probably the best place for a base if you wish to island-hop.
Tinos is a quiet and pretty island with lovely beaches, unspoilt villages, stunning landscape and great food. If you want a peaceful getaway, avoid it around the 15th of August as the island fills up with pilgrims visiting the Church of Pangia Evangalestria, which has an icon renowned for working miracles. 4 hours from Pireaus with daily ferries to Andros, Syros and Mykonos.
This is the most popular Greek island and is a must-see island for many reasons. Avoid flying and take a daytime ferry to get the full impact of the town perched on top of a 1000 foot vertical cliff which is an extinct volcano.
The sunsets are unbelievable and this is also a top destination for weddings and honeymoons. Beautiful beaches, breathtaking scenery and ancient ruins. It’s a 9 hour trip from Pireaus but quicker from Crete.
There is an International Airport so if you do fly in, be sure to take a boat trip as you have to see this island from the sea.
…And so much more!
We hope that has given you a taste of what the Greek Islands have to offer. And that’s just one group!
There are many others -
- The Argo-Saronic Islands in the Saronic gulf near Athens,
- the North Aegean islands off the west coast of Turkey,
- the Dodecanese in the southeast between Crete and Turkey,
- the Sporades , a small group off the coast of Euboea
- and the Ionian Islands, west of the mainland in the Ionian Sea
One thing is certain, wherever you go in the Greek Islands, you will fall in love with them and return again and again. Enjoy!!!!
And to make things easy, book your flight and hotel through Expedia.com! Not only is booking online quick and simple, you will also save money.
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Wanda and Paula are friends and business partners that love to travel. We developed this website to share our experiences, what we've learned over the years and also to provide reviews on hotels, airlines, restaurants and anything else travel related.
VERY cool site!! Wonderful pictures-thank you so much-made my day! It’s great to see when you can’t be there yourself! Francis http://www.geothermalquestions.net