Popular Destinations

Mykonos, the famous Greek island in the Cyclades, is known for its stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife, and picturesque Cycladic architecture.

Santorini, one of the most iconic Greek islands, is famous for its dramatic caldera views, stunning sunsets, and unique volcanic beaches.

Crete, Greece's largest island, offers a rich tapestry of history, culture, and natural beauty, from ancient Minoan palaces to stunning beaches and mountain ranges.

Paros, a beautiful island in the Cyclades, offers a perfect blend of traditional Greek charm and modern tourism facilities, with excellent beaches and water sports opportunities.

Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades islands, offers a perfect blend of ancient history, beautiful beaches, and traditional mountain villages.

Ios combines beautiful beaches with a vibrant nightlife scene, making it popular with young travelers while still maintaining its traditional charm.

Rhodes, the largest of the Dodecanese islands, combines medieval history with beautiful beaches and a vibrant modern culture.

Corfu, the emerald island of the Ionian Sea, is known for its lush landscapes, Venetian architecture, and beautiful beaches.

Zakynthos, famous for the iconic Navagio Beach (Shipwreck Beach), offers stunning natural beauty and crystal-clear waters.

Kefalonia, the largest Ionian island, is renowned for its dramatic landscapes, stunning beaches, and the famous Melissani Cave.

Milos, a volcanic island in the Cyclades, is famous for its unique geological formations, colorful beaches, and the ancient Venus de Milo statue.

Tinos, a spiritual and cultural center of Greece, is known for its pilgrimage church, traditional villages, and authentic Cycladic character.

Chios, known for its mastic production and medieval villages, offers a unique blend of history, culture, and natural beauty in the North Aegean.

Lesvos (Mytilene), the third-largest Greek island, is famous for its ouzo production, petrified forest, and rich cultural heritage.

Patmos, known as the 'Jerusalem of the Aegean,' is a sacred island where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation, combining spirituality with natural beauty.

Aegina is the Saronic Gulf's great crowd-pleaser, sitting just across the water from Athens on one of the shortest ferry crossings from Piraeus. Conventional ferries and hydrofoils depart many times a day all year round, which makes the island effortless to reach for a day trip, a lazy weekend or a longer stay. Beyond its famous pistachios, sold roasted, caramelised and in every conceivable form along the harbourfront, Aegina rewards exploring: the beautifully preserved Temple of Aphaia crowns a pine-covered hill, the abandoned medieval settlement of Paleochora scatters chapels across a hillside, and the fishing village of Perdika serves fresh seafood beside bobbing boats. Add sandy swimming at Agia Marina and a lively main town full of neoclassical facades, and you have Greece's most convenient island escape.

Hydra is unlike anywhere else in Greece: a completely car-free island where not a single automobile is allowed, and where donkeys, water taxis and your own two feet do all the work. Fast passenger-only catamarans connect it with Piraeus, so you cannot bring a vehicle even if you wanted to, and that is precisely the point. Grey stone mansions built by seafaring captains rise amphitheatrically around the horseshoe harbour of Hydra Town, one of the most beautiful arrival scenes in the Aegean. The island's artistic pedigree runs deep, from painters and writers to Leonard Cohen, who famously made his home here. Swim off the rocks at Spilia, walk the coastal path to Vlychos, browse the Historical Archives Museum, and let the absence of engines slow you down completely.

Poros may be the Saronic Gulf's most underrated escape, a green, pine-scented island separated from the Peloponnesian town of Galatas by a strait so narrow you could almost swim it, with small boats shuttling across constantly. Frequent ferries and fast boats from Piraeus make getting there simple, and the arrival is memorable: whitewashed Poros Town climbs a hillside crowned by its landmark clock tower, with sailboats moored two and three deep along the quay. This is one of Greece's great sailing hubs, and the waterfront buzzes with crews on summer evenings. Days here drift between swims at Love Bay and Russian Bay, strolls through flower-draped lanes, and a boat hop across to Lemonodasos, a fragrant lemon grove on the mainland shore. Easygoing and close to Athens, Poros charms quietly.

Spetses blends aristocratic elegance with island ease at the far end of the Saronic Gulf, reached from Piraeus by fast passenger boats. Visitor cars are not allowed here, as only locals may keep vehicles, so the island moves to a gentler rhythm of bicycles, scooters, water taxis and traditional horse-drawn carriages clip-clopping along the seafront. Grand shipowners' mansions surround the Dapia, the cannon-lined harbour terrace, while the Old Harbour and the Baltiza boatyards still build and repair wooden caiques as they have for generations. History runs deep: the Bouboulina Museum honours the island's naval heroine, and in early September the Armata festival re-enacts a famous naval victory with a spectacular burning of a mock ship. Add pine forests and the beach at Agia Paraskevi, and Spetses feels quietly glamorous.

Skiathos is the gateway to the Sporades, a small, green island whose reputation far outweighs its size. Ferries from the mainland ports of Volos and, in summer, Agios Konstantinos arrive right in Skiathos Town, where the little Bourtzi islet splits the waterfront in two. The island earned worldwide fame as a filming location for Mamma Mia, a claim it shares with neighbouring Skopelos, but its real stars are the beaches: dozens of them, crowned by Koukounaries with its protected pine forest and by Lalaria, a marble-pebble cove that can only be reached by boat. Add an international airport famous among plane-spotters for its dramatically close landings, and Skiathos becomes one of the easiest and most rewarding Greek islands to visit.

Skopelos is the greenest of the Sporades, an island where dense pine forests roll straight down to the water's edge. It has no airport of its own, the nearest being on Skiathos, so almost everyone arrives by sea: ferries sail from Volos and Agios Konstantinos on the mainland, while short, frequent summer hops connect it with Skiathos next door. Usefully, the island has two ports, Skopelos Town in the east and Glossa/Loutraki in the north, letting you land close to whichever corner you are staying in. The whitewashed Chora, with its slate roofs and flower-filled lanes, climbs above the harbour, and the clifftop chapel of Agios Ioannis Kastri, the wedding church from Mamma Mia, has become one of the most recognisable images in Greece.

Kos is one of the friendliest big islands of the Dodecanese, and one of the easiest to reach: overnight ferries sail from Piraeus, daily connections link it with Rhodes, and very frequent boats hop across to neighbouring Kalymnos. All of them arrive at the harbour of Kos Town, right beneath the walls of Neratzia Castle. This is the birthplace of Hippocrates, and his legacy is everywhere, from the hillside Asklepieion sanctuary to the ancient plane tree where he is said to have taught. Just as memorable is how you get around: the island is largely flat, making Kos Greece's best cycling island, with easy rides out to Tigaki's long sands and Paradise beach, while the mountain village of Zia rewards the climb with famous sunsets.

Few Greek arrivals can match Symi. As your ferry swings into the harbour of Gialos, a natural amphitheatre of ochre and terracotta neoclassical mansions rises from the water, a scene that has made this one of the most photographed ports in Greece. Most visitors come by sea from Rhodes, whose daily boats have turned Symi into a beloved day trip, while a few mainline ferries each week link the island directly with Piraeus. Stay longer and Symi rewards you: climb the Kali Strata steps to the quiet upper town of Chorio, taste the famous small Symi shrimp at a waterside taverna, trace the island's sponge-diving heritage, and sail south to the great pilgrimage monastery of Panormitis or the boat-only cove of St George's Bay.

Sifnos sits on the western Cyclades ferry line, with daily sailings from Piraeus arriving at the sheltered bay of Kamares and convenient summer links to neighbouring Milos. Yet this graceful island is far more than a stop on the route: it is the gastronomic capital of the Cyclades, birthplace of the legendary chef Nikolaos Tselementes, whose influence still flavours every family taverna. Potters shape clay in workshops as they have for generations, whitewashed Apollonia and aristocratic Artemonas spill across the inland hills, and the monastery of Chrysopigi stands on its sea-washed rock like a guardian of the coast. Add the medieval village of Kastro and one of Greece's finest networks of marked hiking trails, and Sifnos rewards every kind of traveller, from food lovers to walkers seeking authentic island life.

Folegandros is the quiet revelation of the southern Cyclades, an island of bare hills and sheer cliffs just next door to Santorini yet a world apart in spirit. Seasonal daily ferries connect it with Piraeus, while short summer crossings link it with Santorini, making it an easy escape from the crowds. Its Chora is among the most dramatic in Greece, a huddle of whitewashed houses and shaded squares perched right on the edge of a towering cliff. From there a zig-zag path climbs to the church of Panagia, seemingly floating above the Aegean. Inland, Ano Meria preserves traditional farmsteads and a slower rhythm of life, while Katergo, reached only by boat, is among the finest beaches in the Cyclades. Unspoiled and unhurried, Folegandros is the anti-Santorini.

Syros is the administrative capital of the Cyclades and one of the easiest islands to reach, with reliable daily ferries from Piraeus all year round and onward connections toward Mykonos. Ships dock right in the heart of Ermoupoli, a city unlike anything else in the Aegean: a miniature Athens of neoclassical mansions, marble squares and the Apollo Theatre, modeled on Milan's La Scala. Above the harbour, the medieval Catholic quarter of Ano Syros winds up its hill in a maze of stepped lanes. In the elegant Vaporia district, shipowners' mansions rise straight from the sea, and cafes serve the island's famous loukoumi and halvadopita sweets. A real working island that lives all year, Syros offers genuine urban charm alongside its Cycladic beaches.

Samos, a lush green island of the northeastern Aegean, lies just a breath away from the Turkish coast and is reached from Piraeus several times a week, often via stops in the Cyclades, with summer links toward Mykonos as well. This is the birthplace of Pythagoras, and history feels close at hand: Pythagorio hugs its ancient harbour, while the Heraion sanctuary and the astonishing Eupalinos Tunnel are UNESCO-listed marvels of ancient engineering. Vineyards on the mountain slopes produce the famous sweet Samos muscat wine, and the green interior hides waterfalls and forested trails near Karlovasi. On the north coast, the fishing village of Kokkari mixes pebble beaches with waterfront tavernas, and day trips toward Kusadasi and Ephesus add an Anatolian twist to any stay.