Top 10 Greek Islands

1. Santorini

If you’re going to visit only one Greek island in your life then let it be Santorini. Breathtaking volcanic views and one of the best sunsets in the world consistently place it at the top of any Greek islands list. Its beaches are very peculiar (and do not appeal to everyone) due to the black and red volcanic sand. Couples should opt for tranquil and romantic Oia, where luxury rooms with a Caldera (the volcanic crater) view can cost a forune, whereas those young at heart should choose Fira, the lively capital of the island built on top of the Caldera cliff with equally fantastic views. The eastern side of the island is generally cheaper and has little of the magic Santorini feel.

2. Crete

The largest Greek island, Crete has a distinct local culture and will satisfy whatever it is you’re looking for. Busy touristy resorts, wonderful old towns like Chania and Rethymno, amazing deserted beaches even in August (especialy on the south coast), unspoiled mountain villages with people utouched by the tourism ‘gold fever’, and the best food by far among all Greek islands. It is a trecker’s paradise, with top attraction the challenging Samaria Gorge and one of the highest mountains in the country Idi (locally known as Psiloritis). It is imposible to ‘do’ Crete in one visit so try to concentrate either on the East (based around Agios Nikolaos) or West (based at Chania or Rethymno). A car is neccesary in any case.

3. Mykonos

A cross between Capri and Ibiza (in its good days) but with a very cycladic feel, Mykonos boasts of the best beaches in the country, the craziest nightlife and the most ridiculous prices you’ll pay in Greece. Celebrities, gay, and wannabes flood the island every summer. They sunbathe their days away on their pre-booked sunbeds and the nights squeezing pass each other in the narrow streets of the picturesque village, moving between bars and clubs. Bring along the best pieces of your wardrobe (preferably white), all your energy and credit cards. The fact that world famous Japanese restaurant Nobu set up shop first in Mykonos and a few years later in Athens says a lot about the kind of holiday you should expect here. 

4. Hydra

Just an hour and fifteen minutes from Piraeus, Hydra is one of the prettiest Greek islands with a unique architechture that has been preserved due to a strict development policy. Large houses belonging to historic figures loom on the hills on both sides of the picturesque harbour and there is a total car and motorbike ban on the island. Instead, mules lining up with their owners untertake all the transportation burdens of locals and visitors (and litter the narrow cobbled streets). To go to one of the sandy beaches of the island, one must hire a sea-taxi, but the deep blue waters just off the harbour are where most people go to swim. Nightlife is basic but adequate for a relaxing holiday.

5. Cephalonia

Louis De Bernières has done for Cephalonia what the best PR consultant wouldn’t even begin to imagine with his wonderful novel and worldwide best seller ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ (Amazon £5.99) which is set on the island. And when the film came out a few years later the natural beauty and the sapphire waters of Cephalonia were advertised on screen too and its tourism fortunes were turned upside down overnight. Myrtos is the most famous of its beaches, but there is a plethora of things to do and wonderful nature to appreciate away from the coast too. Argostoli and Lixouri are the two (rival) main towns, while Fiscardo and Sami (the village where the film was set) are well worth visiting.

6. Paros

Probably the most typical of the Greek islands and a convenient base for island hoping around the Cyclades due to its excellent ferry connections. The beaches, the nightlife and the accomodation choice are all above average and many holiday makers return year after year. Parikia with its lovely old town is the capital and the port of Paros, but most nightlife is concentrated in piqturesque Naousa. Regular international windsurfing competitions are held at noisy Chrysi Akti beach but you can easily find quiet and isolated beaches if all you want is to relax and enjoy the blue waters. And if really quiet holidays are more up your street, Antiparos is the tiny and alternative neighbour just minutes away on a local boat.

7. Corfu

A northern Ionian island with a mixture of influences ranging from the Venetians to the French, Italian and British (the only place in Grecce that you can watch locals playing a cricket game and drinking ginger ale!). The old town with the two fortresses is an UNESCO world cultural heritage site and the nature one of the best you can find on any Greek island. Fine beaches with freezing cold waters on the eastern side attract thousands of visitors every summer and as in every large tourism-orientated Greek island the range of holidays one can enjoy is vast.  

8. Skiathos

Unlike the Cyclades, Skiathos and its neighbouring Sporades complex are flooded with pine trees that reach the sea and surround its numerous sandy beaches, like Koukounaries, one of the pretiest and busiest in the country. Hora, the capital of the island is an idyllic village with red-roofed white houses built on a hillside sourounding the harbour. An ideal destination for families and those not attracted by the harsh and rocky natural beauty of the islands of southern Aegean. Easy access to the rest of the Sporades, Skopelos, Skyros and Alonissos, makes a local island hopping possible.

9. Rhodes

Once home to one of the seven wonders of the world the ‘Colossus’, Rhodes is one of the earliest holiday destinations in the country. It is marked by the wonderful Medieval old town, another UNESCO world herritage site. Most holiday makers arrive on charter flights as the ferry from Piraeus can take many hours, and they have a good choice of resorts on the island, ranging from the top all-inclusive five star hotels to downright ‘sun ‘n booze’ holidays. There is plenty of sightseeing to do, and a number of museums to give you that cultural alibi between your long days on the fine beaches and the long nights out.

10. Ios

The alternative corner of the Aegean during the 70s and 80s. Its fans have grown up now and have proper jobs but something of the atmosphere of those days is still preserved on the island. The whitewashed houses of Hora, its main village, hide a frenetic but not high quality nightlife, that you’ll appreciate more if you are under 25. Its beaches though, are at par with the best in Cyclades and indeed the whole country (Ios and in particular the isolated beach of Manganari is the favourite summer destination of Prime Minister Karamanlis). If you suddenly feel too old for the exhausting pace of the place, you are only a short ferry ride away from Santorini.  

Aegina - Greece Peaceful Island

AEGINA island Greece lies in the Argo Saronic bay off the Greek mainland. Suburban doesn't describe too many Greek islands but Aegina, nearer to Athens' centre than some of the city's northern suburbs, pretty well fits the bill. Many of the 12,000 who live on Aegina commute to the capital. It's also a popular weekend retreat and a favoured retirement island for many well-heeled Greeks. Visitors on Greek Islands holidays find it ideal for visiting the historic sites of Athens. Aegina is roughly triangular island, about eight miles by six. To the north and west of the island are fertile coastal plains, noted for crops of pistachios, almonds and figs.

To the east and south are hills rising to the conical Mount Oros(Zeus, Profitis Illias) and a long rocky ridge with fertile valleys on either side. Aegina islanders who don't commute to Athens either work in tourism or grow pistachios, olives and citrus.

 

Zante - Greece Popular Island

ZANTE, as the Italians call it, or ZAKYNTHOS, its Greek name, is the most southerly of the Ionian chain of holiday islands that follow the coastline of western Greece. One of the more popular islands for a Greek holiday, Zante features heavily in holiday travel brochures every year and the islands is a firm favourite for  cheap holiday deals. Zante island has great holiday beaches, fertile plains, rough hills, wild cliffs and sweeping sands in roughly equal proportions. Resorts vary from the idyllic fishing village to the neon-lit nightmare beach resorts like Laganas - likened to a set from the science fiction film Blade Runner.

Two major events shaped modern-day Zante. One is the catastrophic earthquake of 1953 which destroyed most of the island's elegant Venetian buildings and many of its inhabitants. The other is the construction of the airport which brought Zante beach holiday tourists in droves, many now taking advantage of cheap flights to Zante.

Skiathos - Greece Popular Island

SKIATHOS is one of the Sporades group of islands, lying just off the east coast of mainland Greece, and it was one of the first to cash in on the Greek island holiday boom in the 1970s thanks to an island airport that handles regular charter flights. Skiathos is a compact island, just 12km long and about 6km wide, and its main claim to fame is a plethora of large, deep, sandy beaches strung out all the way along its attractive southern coastline.

Skiathos is a very popular holiday island with Brits, Germans and Scandinavians. Recent years have seen an explosion in tourist facilities and nowadays a virtually unbroken line of hotels, apartments and neon-lit tavernas flank the once rural road that runs the length of the south coast. A ban on high rise hotels has curbed major excess on Skiathos and the tavernas are more baklava than burgers, but the island still groans under its annual weight of tourist numbers.

 

 

Santorini - Greece Popular Island

SANTORINI, also called Thera or Thira, lies to the south of the central Cyclades group of Greek islands. It is considered the hottest holiday spot in the Cyclades in more ways than one. Born in a massive volcanic eruption, fumes still rise offshore. Santorini satisfies the up-market end of the Greek island holidays market with manyluxury Santorini hotels to be found. Cruise ships bring holiday visitors ready to gasp at the romantic sunset skies, and turn on to the island's hot nightclubs.

Santorini also attracts large numbers of independent travellers who snap up good budget accommodation at Santorini hostels. Whichever way you arrive it's a good idea to compare the best deals for cheap travel insurance before you go. Santorini holidays are in huge demand and local prices can reflect the fact. Expect to burn a sizeable hole in your wallet to get the best highly charged views from the top clifftop tavernas and bars. Hotels in Santorini are an ideal choice if you are looking for a lively buzz and exciting crowds. The capital town of Fira perches precariously on top of vertical cliffs. The view over the caldera and the romantic pull of those sunsets make this a favourite for honeymooners.

 

 

Rhodes - Greece Popular Island

RHODES, Greece, is the Crusader Isle, steeped in ancient history and boasting 300 days of blue skies a year. Rhodes lies at the southern end of the Dodecanese island chain that skirts the Turkish coast and is one of the most sought after holiday destinations in the Mediterranean. Many resorts of Rhodes, such as Faliraki, are now devoted to package tourism and anyone expecting to see a Greek goatherd has definitely come to the wrong place. Bar touts and club bouncers make up the local 'colour' these days and locals in the tourist hotspots can display an avarice that only an unending supply of free-spending tourists can sustain. But Rhodes is big enough to swallow all types of travellers - from beach holiday families to independent backpackers. Rhodes offers some of the best beaches and the best bargain accommodation at Rhodes hotels.

The most popular beaches, packed with holiday hotels - lie to the west and south of Rhodes City. To the west a maze of high-rise conference centres towers over narrow, shingle beaches while, to the east, replicated rows of holiday hotels are stacked along the coast like deck chairs. Many visitors now opt to fly to the island direct, there being so many cheap flights to Rhodes on offer. But only south of the popular resort of Lindos do the crowds thin out and only there does a more authentic glimpse of Greek island life emerge.