Greek islands are some of the most beautiful travel destinations in Europe and depending on what your situation is, a trip to a Greek island might be the perfect trip for your wedding, your honeymoon, your family holiday or even your solo getaway. The best Greek islands in my opinion are the ones on the Cyclades island group, which are located in the beautiful Aegean Sea. Visiting a Greek island is one of the best things to do in Greece.
The best Greek island really depends on your situation and what you are looking for from your vacation in Greece as every island is different. Greek islands are destinations with incredible natural beauty and really worth your visit even for a day trip, if you can.Get my secrets for Greece & the Greek islands in your email !
Best Greek islands to visit
- Santorini (most famous Greek island, romantic, amazing views, very expensive)
- Mykonos (celebrity hotspot, sandy beaches, very expensive)
- Crete (massive island, very diverse, stunning beaches)
- Corfu (very green, west side of Greece)
- Zakynthos (also called Zante, similar but smaller to Corfu)
- Kefalonia (large island close to Corfu, very green and diverse)
- Rhodes (close to Crete, quite big and very unique)
- Naxos (the most underrated Cyclades island with amazing food)
- Ios (used to be a party island but not anymore)
- Paros (sandy beaches, close to Mykonos)
- Milos (less touristy but beautiful; Venus de Milo is from there!)
- Skiathos (the “Mamma Mia” island…)
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But not all greek islands are the same and the best time to visit them actually might differ. Some greek islands are better for familiesand some greek islands are perfect for couples. All of them are extremely idyllic locations and a top 10 wouldn’t make any sense as they are all equally beautiful (at least to my Greek eyes!).
And I can tell you that because I am actually Greek and I have been to all of them! (yes…you will find Greek island travel guides on the internet from people who have been there once or twice and are not even Greeks…).
So, I am explaining here what are the differences and what is the best Greek island for you depending on your situation and who are you traveling with.Keep reading…
RECOMMENDED WEBSITES FOR GREECE:
🛏️ Booking.comis the website with the most available rooms and Private Villas in Athens, Santorini , Mykonos & Crete (more than Airbnb!)
⛴️ Ferryhopper is the best website to book your ferry tickets or check the timetables for Santorini, Mykonos , Crete & all Greek islands
🎫 Get Your Guide has the best and largest variety of Tours in Athens and the Greek islands (Santorini, Mykonos, Crete etc)
✈️ Booking.com Flights has all the available flights to and from the Greek islands
🚕 Book Your Driver (Taxi) directly with booking.com’s large and safe platform of available certified drivers
- High season (peak season) for the Greek islands is between May-October. This is the time when the Greek islands are most crowded with tourists but also when the weather is the warmest (temperature between 25-30 degrees Celsius or 70-100 Fahrenheit); read more: when is summer in Greece?
- Best Time to visit Greek islands is at the end of the high season which is September and October, when the weather will still be warm (more than 20 degrees Celsius) and you would still be able to swim in the sea water.
- When You Can Actually Swim in the Sea Water of the Greek islands: the sea water is perfect in Greek islands between June-October (and including these 2 months), so if you are visiting anytime outside of these months you may get sunshine and 30C degrees temperature but the sea water won’t be warm enough; you can certainly give it a try though!
- Best Greek Island: undoubtedly Santorini is the best Greek island and the one you have to visit if you are only visiting Greece for a few days; you should know though that it is the most touristic and the most visited by cruise ships
- Best Greek islands near Athens: Aegina, Hydra, Poros, Spetses (all are very cute and scenic but only worth a daytrip from Athens as they are very small)
- Best Greek islands for beaches: Mykonos beaches, Naxos beaches, Paros beaches and Crete beaches are the best in Greece; Santorini beaches are nice but not the best in Greece
- Best Greek islands for families: Naxos, Crete, Rhodes and Corfu
- Best Greek islands for couples: Santorini, Crete, Milos and Skiathos
- Best Greek islands for honeymoon: Santorini, Mykonos, Milos, Paros and Skiathos
- Best Greek islands close to Athens (Saronic gulf): Hydra, Egina, Agkistri, Poros
- The Mamma Mia island is Skiathos. This is where the movie (part 1) was set.
- How to get to Greek islands: almost all of the Greek islands have direct flights from Athens (Booking.com Flights has all the options) but you can always take a ferry from Athens (check Ferryhopper website for timetables and prices – Piraeus or Rafina Athens main ports )
- Most romanic Greek island: Santorini (but each one can be romantic if you want it to…)
- How to avoid tourist crowds and cruise ships on Greek islands: visit in late September or early October
- How to get around on Greek islands: all islands have local buses and taxis (no Uber or Lyft unfortunately) that run frequently but it is highly recommended that you rent your own means of transportation as it will give you more flexibility and let you visit more areas on any island (Rentalcars.com is the cheapest and safest website to rent a car for Greek islands)
- MY TIPS: if this is your first time in Greece you should start with the Cyclades islands fist (Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos) and then at your second trip visit Crete and leave for your third trip the Ionian islands like Corfu or Kefalonia; the main reason for this is that what you probably have in mind as a Greek island is what Mykonos, Santorini or Paros look like. Also, unless this is your very first time in Greece (and even so I do not highly recommend it more than once) try to fly to a Greek island instead of taking the ferry. Ferries in Greece are very expensive, very slow and very unreliable. Oh and before I forget it… you need to hire a car at almost every Greek island so that you explore them at your ease and be independent.
Ok….so without further ado, these are the best Greek islands :
1. Santorini
Believe all the hype and all the instagram pictures you have seen. This island is amazing and you have to visit it! This is indeed one of the best Greek islands (even though there are a lot of haters…)
When it comes to honeymoons, Santorini is the place to have your ideal honeymoon as the island offers some of the most romantic hotels in Europe. It is indeed the ideal location for couples but it has lots of things to do for families and solo travellers too.There is a ton of things to do in Santorini and there is no shortage of activities and amazing restaurants you can visit and enjoy a romantic dinner.
Best Time To Visit Santorini Island
How To Get To Santorini Island
Where To Stay in Santorini
Best Hotels in Santorini
Best Things To Do In Santorini
Best Restaurants In Santorini
2. Mykonos
Mykonos is all about the amazing nightlife, incredible parties, celebrities boats and lovely sandy beaches. Mykonos though has some of the most amazing beaches and beach bars in the world.
Some of the most famous chefs in the world have established restaurants in Mykonos and some of the most famous DJs play every year in the nightclubs of Mykonos.But Mykonos is not only about partying.
The island offers amazing opportunities for a relaxing trip as it has some of the best hotels in Greece with incredible 5 star service and amenities.
Also, Mykonos main town (also called Chora) is one of the most picturesque and cute among the Greek islands.Best Time To Visit Mykonos Island
How To Get To Mykonos Island
Where to Stay In Mykonos
Best Hotels In Mykonos
Best Things To Do In Mykonos
Best Restaurants In Mykonos
Just to warn you: Mykonos is super expensive so get prepared to pay New York, London and Tokyo prices at the restaurants.
3. Crete
Crete is a big island. It’s almost the size of Hawaii ‘s big island, so you definitely need a car to move around.
Crete is famous for its unique beaches , the amazing local food and produce, the hospitality of its local people and the thousands of years of history.Honestly though, Crete beaches are out of this world…
Crete is full of impressive hotels and all-inclusive resorts that make it an ideal destination if you are in the hunt for an islands that has everything.
The biggest cities of Crete are Chania (West), Rethymnon (West), Heraklion (East), Aghios Nikolaos (East). In fact, Heraklion city (the capital of Crete) is the 4th biggest city in Greece (population wise).It is not advised to visit Crete for 2-3 days.
You need at least a week in Crete and even during that time you will only be able to see 20-30% of the island.
You definitely need your own means of transportation in Crete (preferably a car) unless you will only be staying in your all inclusive resort and you are not interested to see the rest of the island.Best Time To Visit Crete Island
How To Get To Crete
Where to Stay In Crete
Best Hotels In Crete
Best Things To Do In Crete
Best Restaurants In Crete
Cretan food is probably the best in Greece and you will be surprised by the large portions and the free stuff you will be offered in every restaurant (free fruits, deserts and local drinks at the end of the meal):
4. Corfu
Corfu is one of the bigest islands in Greece and it has a completely different landscape compared to Santorini and Mykonos. The scenery is much greener but the sea water is still incredibly blue and crystal clear.
Corfu is an island at the sea between Italy and Greece (Ioanian sea) and the italian and venetian influence is spread all over the island.
The Greek name of Corfu is: KerkiraCorfu has been a famous tourist destination for the last 70 years and there are many good reasons for that. The island is full of beautiful beaches and picturesque towns and villages.
You need at least a week in Corfu as it is a pretty big island.
It is nearly impossibel to combine a visit to Corfu along with another Greek island like Santorini or Mykonos because these islands are on the other side of Greece and you need to travel through Athens. Doable but not smart…Best Time To Visit Corfu
How To Get To Corfu
Where to Stay In Corfu
Best Hotels In Corfu
Best Things To Do In Corfu
Best Restaurants In Corfu
There is no shortage of amazing restaurants in Corfu but these are the best of the best!
5. Zakynthos (Zante)
Zante is a pretty big island (6 times the size of Santorini) which has become a famous tourist destination for people from all over the world
Zakynthos is also called “Zante” .You should not combine a visit to Zakynthos with another Greek island because it is not easily accessible.
Though the main town of Zakynthos is not as picturesque as Corfu, it is still a beautiful island town and the island has lots of picturesque villages by the sea.
Best Time To Visit Zakynthos
- The best time to visit Zakynthos is in June or July when the weather will be hot but the island won’t be that crowded as it is in August.
- You can still visit Zante in August but availability will be low and prices higher.
- The weather might not be that good in September or October with lots of rains. Also, winter is not advisable for a trip to Zakynthos because the island gets pretty much deserted with only locals and quite cold weather.
How To Get To Zakynthos
- The best time to visit Zakynthos is in June or July when the weather will be hot but the island won’t be that crowded as it is in August.
- You can still visit Zante in August but availability will be low and prices higher.
- The weather might not be that good in September or October with lots of rains. Also, winter is not advisable for a trip to Zakynthos because the island gets pretty much deserted with only locals and quite cold weather.
- The best way to get to Zakynthos is by taking a direct flight to the island.
- There is also a 1.5hr ferry service that connects Zakynthos to Killini (a town opposite Zakynthos which is about a 3hrs drive from Athens) – Book your Ferry ticket to Zante here (you should put Killini as your departure port but bear in mind that you have to take a bus from Athens to Killini first)
- The easiest way to get to Zakynthos though is to take a direct 1hr flight from Athens (all year) – you can book flights on Booking.com Flights (Zante airport: ZTH)
- There is also a direct flight from all major European capitals and big cities (London, Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Rome, Manchester, Newcastle, Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw, Oslo, Hamburg, Hanover, Stuttgart etc) – mainly between April and October (check Booking.com Flights for specific schedules)
- There are no direct flights to Zakynthos from outside of Europe.
- There are no flights or ferries connecting Zakynthos with other Greek islands (sometimes there is a 30mins flight to Kefalonia island but that is not happening every year so always check Booking.com Flights first)
Where to Stay In Zakynthos
- The best time to visit Zakynthos is in June or July when the weather will be hot but the island won’t be that crowded as it is in August.
- You can still visit Zante in August but availability will be low and prices higher.
- The weather might not be that good in September or October with lots of rains. Also, winter is not advisable for a trip to Zakynthos because the island gets pretty much deserted with only locals and quite cold weather.
- The best area to stay in Zakynthos is the main town (capital) as it will allow you to be in a central location to explore the island (yes, you need to rent a car in Zakynthos)
- Avoid staying in Laganas as it is a famous teenagers’ resort with cheap nightlife… (unless this is what you are actually looking for obviously)
- If you want to stay near the beach then you should stay close to Gerakas or Dafni beaches
Best Hotels In Zakynthos
Best Things To Do In Zakynthos
- Simply, the best thing you can do in Zakynthos is to visit the famous Navagio Beach. It’s a smart thing to do that with a guided tour like this 8hr guided tour and cruise to Navagio beach and the blue Caves.
- Visit all the other beautiful beaches of Zakynthos like: Dafni, Gerakas, Agios Sostis, Makris Gialos, Kalamaki, Tsilivi
- Go for caretta caretta sea turtle watching to the beautiful small island of Marathonisi. There are organised excursions to the turtle island where you will be snorkelling next to sea turtles if you get lucky. This turtle boat tour is one of the best in Zante.
- Visit the beautiful Grampsas Winery (Google Maps) and do some winetasting in a lovely location.
Best Restaurants In Zakynthos
Apart from amazing food , Zakynthos is home to some extraordinary wineries with some seriously good Greek wine. These are some of the best restaurants in Zante:
- Komis Fish Tavern (Google Maps)
- Spartakos Taverna (Google Maps)
- Peppermint (Google Maps)
- Essence (Google Maps)
- Prosilio (Google Maps)
6. Kefalonia (or Cephalonia)
Kefalonia or Cephalonia is one more Greek island in the ioanian sea between Greece and Italy that you should really visit if you are looking for green scenery, beautiful fish villages and emerald Mediterranean waters.
Kefalonia is the 6th largest island in Greece and it is 10 times larger than Santorini…so have that in mind when you are thinking of renting a car (yes, you definitely need to rent a car in Kefalonia).
Kefalonia cannot easily be combined with a visit to other Greek islands such as Mykonos, Santorini or Crete because it is in the Ionian sea like Corfu or Zante.It is only advisable then to combine it with a visit to Corfu or Zante otherwise you have to travel through Athens which is going to be quite expensive and time wasting if you only have a few days.
Kefalonia has many pretty villages (Fiskardo, Assos and Skala being the most famous ones) and it is one of the greenest islands in Greece.
The island is perfect for family holidays and it has some really good opportunities for boat excursions in the surrounding emerald waters.Best Time To Visit Kefalonia
How To Get To Kefalonia
Where to Stay In Kefalonia
Best Hotels In Kefalonia
Best Things To Do In Kefalonia
Best Restaurants In Kefalonia
Kefalonia is a pretty big island and there is no shortage of amazing family restaurants but also really unique flavours and diverse Greek dishes all over the island.
7. Rhodes
Just to give you the scale of its size: Rhodes is 20 times bigger than Santorini…!
Rhodes has some of the most impressive and well established hotels and resorts in Greece and all large tour operators in Europe have all inclusive (or not packages) for Rhodes as it has been an extremely popular destination since the 60’s.
Rhodes on Google MapsRhodes belongs to the Dodecanese islands group of Greece and it is the furthest of all islands on this list, from Athens (still within 1hr flight though).
Rhodes cannot easily be combined with a visit to any other island; the island is pretty big and you should better dedicate at least a week to explore it and have a good time without any rush.
Apart from that, Rhodes is not well connected with other famous islands in Cyclades (like Santorini or Mykonos) and you will waste to much time and money in transfers as you may have to go back to Athens.Rhodes beaches can be long and sandy and the whole island with its beautiful old town is in general very well organised touristically (compared to other islands).
The island is an ideal destination for holidays with kids and if you are looking for an all inclusive in Greece, chances are you will find it in Rhodes or in Crete. Many people say consider Rhodes the all-inclusive capital of Greece…!
Best Time To Visit Rhodes
- The best time to visit Rhodes is May, June or late September and October. The island is literally packed with tourists in July and August (though it won’t feel that packed as Santorini or Mykonos for example) because it is pretty big.
- The good thing about Rhodes is that the island is so big that it is actually quite lively even in the winter or low season months between November-April.
How To Get To Rhodes
- The best way to get to Rhodes is by taking a direct flight (either from Athens or from any European city) to the island.
- There are also ferries that connect Athens (Piraeus port) to Rhodes but they literally take ages to arrive (more than 15hrs on average!) and I would never advise anyone to waste 15 hours of her/his life and bore to death in a slow ferry to Rhodes… Book your Ferry ticket to Rhodes here
- The easiest and fastest way to get to Rhodes is to take a direct 1hr flight from Athens (all year) – you can book flights on Booking.com Flights (Rhodes airport: RHO)
- There is also a direct flight from all major European capitals and big cities (London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Rome, Manchester, Newcastle, Madrid, Barcelona, Warsaw, Oslo, Hamburg, Hanover etc) – mainly between April and October (check Booking.com Flights for specific schedules)
- There are no direct flights to Rhodes from outside of Europe.
- The great thing about Rhodes is that it’s very well connected with a few hrs ferries to all the surrounding Dodecanese Greek islands like: Kos, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Ikaria, Samos and even Crete (though it’s not advised to combine a trip to Rhodes with a trip to Crete as you need at least a week on each island)
- You can even take a ferry to Turkey from Rhodes (Marmaris) – always check Ferryhopper website first because ferry schedules change every year
Where to Stay In Rhodes
Best Hotels In Rhodes
Best Things To Do In Rhodes
Best Restaurants In Rhodes
The italian influence is still vivid in Rhodes cuisine but there are so many options and good restaurants to choose from that you won’t be disappointed:
8. Naxos
Naxos is one of the largest Greek islands and the largest in the Cyclades island complex. It’s one of my personal favourites…
Naxos is 6 times bigger than Santorini…!
Naxos has long and sandy beaches that can be hit by strong winds in times during the summer which has made the island a surfers’ paradise the last years.
There are however lots of beautiful beaches and picturesque villages you can visit, with the most unique one being the famous Apeiranthos village.Naxos can easily be combined with a trip to Santorini but it’s an island that you need to spend at least 3 days to appreciate it. The good thing is that the ferries that go to Santorini and Mykonos (especially the Blue Star Ferries) connect both islands very well.
READ ALSO: Best Hotels in NaxosNaxos is a perfect destination (3hrs ferry from Athens) for families and people who want the simple things in life: good food, simple accommodation and lots of beautiful uninterrupted sunsets away from the tourist crowds…
9. Ios
10. Paros
READ ALSO: Best Hotels in Paros
11. Milos
12. Skiathos
READ ALSO: Best Hotels in Skiathos
CONCLUSION
Greek islands are simply amazing. They are considered some of the most magical, romantic and stunning places on the Earth. There is no clear answer to what the best Greek island is. No matter which one you choose for your holidays (or your life…) you will have amazing weather, amazing food and be surrounded by people who love life and care about each other in their local communities.
If you have time to visit just one Greek island, make it Santorini. It is the most famous Greek island and it will impress you the most. If you have more time, try to visit Mykonos or Naxos as well. I truly believe that every Greek island deserves its own time to get the most out of your time there.
