Exploring the Mysterious Islands of Greece

From sun-kissed beaches to a remarkable history and amazing hospitality, Greece has a lot to offer tourists. When people book a trip to Greece, however, they might head to well-known places, such as Olympia or Kastoria. Some might head out a bit further and explore a few of the islands. Popular choices are Crete, Paros, and Santorini. Greece is so much more than this, though, having nearly 6000 islands in total, but often, these get missed when people book a trip. It is on one of these islands that your next adventure could lie. There is so much to discover and explore on the smaller islands, and in this guide, we will take you through everything you need to know about them.

Where are these islands?

The 6000 islands can be found throughout the Aegean and Ionian Seas, taking up in total only 7,500 km of the countries total coastline of 16,000km. Having islands in both seas means that the Greek islands are split into two main groups: the Aegean sea and the Ionian sea.

What island should you visit

6000 islands is a lot to consider visiting, but only 227 of them are actually inhabited. This can help narrow down your choices a lot more easily! What also helps is that within the two main groups, this is further divided into much smaller groups:

• Crete islands
• Cyclades islands
• Ionian islands
• Dodecanese islands
• Sporades islands
• Saronic islands
• Eastern Aegean islands

Within each group of islands, there are between 2 and 23 individual islands to visit. Already popular destinations with tourists are the Cyclades Islands, with Santorini and Naxos being well-known. However, the other groups of islands can offer you a taste of paradise without being overly crowded. Head off the beaten track and discover unspoiled charm in Eastern Aegean, or see why the Dodecanese island, Astypalaia, is starting to become famous for more than just being the island that bridges the Dodecanese with the Cyclades. Enjoy the trend before anyone else, and enjoy unspoiled charm, beaches, and landscapes. 

How can you travel there?

Getting to each of the islands won’t necessarily be the same. For some destinations, you can fly directly there, useful for those that are short of time, and can’t enjoy the luxury of island hopping. For other islands, for example, Santorini, you would have to make your way to the port in Piraeus and jump on a ferry that will take you to your island. It will make multiple stops along to neighboring islands but will provide fantastic views. The great thing about traveling by ferry compared to a plane is that it is cheap! You can get your Santorini ferry tickets easily online, simply choose your departure port, and the date you want to travel, how many will be going, and make the most of saving money easily.

What is there to do on the islands

There is plenty to keep you busy on the islands, and while they all offer that crystal blue water and stunning white sandy beaches you see in the pictures, they are all slightly different in what they offer, too. Take our above example of Astypalaia. On this island, you will get to experience the taste of history, visiting the Venetian Castle, but you could choose to lounge about on the beach all day. In comparison, on the Island of Andros or even Santorini, you could make the most of the stunning landscapes and hike your way around. – Travel Feeder