Last updated 2 Feb 2024
Where do your island dreams take you? Dark and handsome or blonde with aquamarine seas, we share some key considerations when selecting Greek islands to find your love match.
1. What’s Your Scene?
WHITE & BLUE
I like my islands bare and rocky. Characteristic of the Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos, Milos, Folegandros and other ruggedly handsome neighbours), this is where white sugar-cube villages with blue church top domes artfully blend into the stark silhouette of arid surroundings.
BLUE & GREEN
If you prefer luxuriant vegetation and tree-lined beaches to lay your mat under, try:
- The Sporadic islands: Skiathos and Skopelos, both filming locations for Mama Mia! And then there is Alonissos – a secret nature reserve rich in flora and fauna, and the largest marine protected area in Europe.
- North Evia: Understated Evia must be traversed with patience to discover subtle beauty. Greece’s second largest island, long road trips to North Evia (South Evia is arid and stony) take you through oak and pine forested mountains and near-virgin villages. Here, you will find dark pebbled beaches (Rovies and Agia Anna), the island complex beauty of Lichadonisia, and historically famed Edipsos thermal spring town.
- The Ionian islands: A cluster of islands in the Ionian sea less famous than they should be. Receiving three times more rainfall those in the Aegean, its lands are mountainous, green and fertile. Star attractions include cosmopolitan Corfu, Lefkada with their bluer-than-blue beaches, my personal favourite Kefalonia, and the breathtaking Paxoi islands.
- Andros: Two hours from Rafina port in Athens, Andros is a Cycladic outpost unlike its neighbours. It’s also the greenest, with hiking paths running through forested mountains dotted with waterfalls and springs. Once a maritime center, a stately Chora (an island’s capital) enchants with marble neoclassical mansions built by the shipping families that gathered.
- Thassos: Also known as “Emerald Island”, this northenmost treasure harbours turquoise shallow water beaches designed for families.
- Samothrace: Next to Thassos is the quiet birthplace of the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Bordering the coast of Turkey, this exotic boho escape is a natural wonderland. Rock pools, mineral springs, waterfalls and streams all nestle within its forested interiors.
SOMETHING IN-BETWEEN
For a bit of both, where towering rocks blend into soft dense greenery, Kefalonia and Zakynthos have that sweep-you-off-your-feet effect with striking beauty. And for more drama, Meteora, Folegandros, and Amorgos also lure with impressive and imposing landscapes.
2. Airport, or not?
Are you prepared to brave the Greek ferry system? If you would rather fly-in, take note that most Greek islands don’t have an airport. Crete and Evia aside, there are 6 main Greek island groups (Cyclades, Dodecanese, Ionion, Sporadic, Saronic, North Aegean). Apart from the Saronic island group (closest to the mainland), each of the others will have a handful of islands with a domestic or international airport. There are also plentiful options for road trips if you prefer.
3. Research Your Beaches
A Greek summer staple, the island hunt for us surrounds the quest for beautiful beaches. How do you like yours? Sandy or pebbly? Furnished with human comforts, or deserted and inaccessible by car?
THE CHILD-FRIENDLY NECESSITY
Beach hunting with kids has been whittled down to three-pronged search for shallow & still waters, sandcastle-fit shores, and sunbeds. They also should be easy to get to. The destinations with qualifying candidates are many and marvellous. Some of our family favourites include Naxos, Paros and Sifnos (without an airport).
ORGANISED & UNORGANISED?
Useful to know is the distinction between “organised” and “unorganised” beaches. In Greece, an “organised beach” is furnished with umbrellas and sunbeds. On quieter islands, you just have to be a patron of beach bar with the set-up. On busier islands, expect to pay anywhere from €5 to €25 a pair, or €40 to €80 if you’re on Mykonos.
An “unorganised” beach does not have umbrellas and sunbeds set-up. Look instead for a taverna or cantina nearby to supply food and drink .
If you are so brave to go unorganised with child and all your baby bits and bobs, a new world of options unfold:
- Paxoi islands: Baby of the Ionian with pristine turquoise waters.
- Koufonisia: Blessed with a string of show-stopping beaches you can enjoy in relative quietude, we packed our car in with beach gear so we could plant ourselves on its glorious shores all day.
- Elafonisos: Because two is better than one, double-sided Simos beach in Elafonisos is a road trip option nicely combined with a visit to medieval Monemvasia castle town.
- Messinia: Featuring Omega-shaped Voidokilia beach bay, this is another there and a half hour road trip option from Athens with ancient Mycenae along the way. Costa Navarino is a luxury hotel oasis just 15 minutes away.
4. Deserted or Developed?
Are you looking for an elemental island escape with unpaved roads and beaches unblemished? Or polished alleys leading to Louis Vuitton around the corner from YiaYia’s (grandma’s) house? For tourists easily repulsed by tourism and development, Greece has much to offer. But then there are untouched, and untouched gems you really want to visit. Alonissos, Astypalaia, Ikaria (where people live longer), and islands within the small Cyclades (Schinoussa and Dounossa) are some that promise restoration for the world-weary.
You may, however, (as I do) appreciate a sushi break between taverna visits and chic island shopping. Jet set-savvy destinations like Santorini and Mykonos lie on the other end of the spectrum. In Paros, Corfu and Syros, you will also find a cosmopolitan scene that draws the well-travelled.
Practical-sort-of-parents seeking sufficient development to include large supermarkets and access to better-than-basic health services should pick larger islands (e.g. Crete, Corfu and Rhodos), or a mainland destination like Chalkidiki. Syros (Ermoupolis), capital of the Cyclades, is also self-sufficient with large supermarkets and a full hospital.
5. Choose Your Village
Perfect summer days in Greece end with evenings exploring villages. Cafes and kafeneios (traditional coffee houses where granddads gather), ouzeries and bars, tavernas around vibrant village squares, the prettiest painted doors, colourful shops, churches, small museums, and possibly a castle.
Small or large, seaside or hilltop, Cycladic or Venetian, all have a unique allure. Cycladic villages hold a special place for me. With minimalist architecture, clean lines, white and cobalt blue contrasts, a beautiful mess of life hides behind perfectly uniform exteriors. Tourists flock to Santorini primarily to enjoy Cycladic village beauty in all its resplendence (the beaches in Santorini are not to shout about). For a purer experience of Cycladic villages without the crowds, try Sifnos.
Looking for a different village vibe? Consider Syros and Symi, with neoclassical houses that stand elegantly in a festival of colours. There’s also little but impressive Hydra, where cars are not allowed. Stone-built mountain villages like Pelion are another kind of special with a fairytale-likeness to them.
6. Find Your Perfect Hideaway
Sometimes the idyllic vacation villa determines our island choice. Particularly if we have found a beach house on the doorstep of pristine waters. Do you prefer the modern cool of a minimal escape with an infinity pool that continues into the sea? Or the warmth of a traditional hillside stone villa with cascading bougainvilleas and private green gardens?
In Greece, we usually pick an Airbnb estate over space-starved hotel rooms and common pools. Professionally run and often impressively equipped (travel cots and high chairs are common), bi and tri weekly cleaning services are the norm. Heartfelt in their hospitality, hosts welcome you like dearly missed family.
For a curated selection of luxe retreats, The Greek Villas, Five Star Greece and White Key Villas have a spread of swoon worthy design properties in more than 30 locations.
Another tempting option for families are large beach resorts that lure with babysitting, back-to-nature kids activities, morning yoga and massages. Acclaimed names include: Costa Navarino (Mainland Messinia – two hour drive from Athens), Amanzoe (Porto Heli), Sani (Chalkidiki), Porto Zante (Zakynthos) and Daios Cove (Crete). Otherwise, look for accommodation in small seaside villages with child-friendly shores.
7. Pick an Adventure
There may be little left of the ancient ruins that remain, but there is something that moves me in the presence of historical rubble. The better preserved archaeological digs include: the uninhabited island of Delos (around which the Cycladic islands circle around, and a daytrip option from Mykonos), Akrotiri (Greece’s Pompeii in Santorini), the Minoan palace of Knossos (Crete), and The Temple of Aphaia (Aegina). Kos, birthplace of Hippocrates, boasts a significant collection of sites to explore alongside great beaches, including the healing center and Sanctuary of Asklepion.
On the mainland, notable attractions aside from the Parthenon include Delphi, Mycenae, Olympia and Temple of Apollo Epicurius.
You can even combine archaeological exploits with adventure sports. Keen on diving through an underwater archaeological site? In Alonissos resides the “Parthenon of shipwrecks”. Dating back to 425 B.C., recreational divers will be able to visit the undersea antiquities museum later this year.
Alternatively, drop the historical focus entirely. Hike, windsurf, river trek, cycle, rock climb, go whitewater rafting … There’s a world-class environment for most adventure sports. And then of course, there’s sailing.
Culinary adventures are not to be missed on these fertile, sunbaked lands where farm-to-table is the norm, not a novelty. Go on a wild edible mushroom hunt in the forests of Epirus. Join an olive harvest in September and October. Discover up-and-coming wineries gaining worldwide attention. Even on hedonistic Mykonos, you can find a farmstead where kids can unearth their meals. Or simply, just eat. While good food is everywhere in Greece, Sifnos and Tinos have reputations for standout gastronomy.
