Greece is one of the most popular travel and holiday destinations for tourists worldwide. Places like Thassos, the Olympic Riviera, or Halkidiki have become true Balkan tourist territories for Romanians, Bulgarians, and Serbians. Once you arrive, you hear the homeland’s language spoken at every turn. Other Greek islands are very popular for international wanderers: Lefkada, Corfu, Zakynthos, Rhodos, Crete… and then the cosmopolitan Santorini and Mykonos are invaded by hoards of tourists in high season.
But what do we do if we want to get to a quieter Greece? Or what do we do if we’ve visited pretty much everything that’s very ‘commercial’ and want new places, perhaps not so exploited and taken over by the on-the-beaten path tourists? I wrote here about a foray into northern Greece, which is related to the country’s superb mountainous area.
But below, I’ve selected 10 lesser-known Greek islands, showing their main sights, best beaches, best hotels and restaurants, and how to get there. The selection includes examples from several archipelagos because, as we know, the diversity of Greece’s islands makes them all the more beautiful and… magnetic. You will therefore have a preview as a travel suggestion. For each island, please click on the link.
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Located between Peloponnese and the island of Kythira, Elafonisos is a small island of only 19 square kilometers, whose beautiful beaches attract many visitors during the summer months. However, if you choose to visit in spring, autumn, or even winter, you will notice that the population on Elafonisos does not exceed 500-600 people.
In fact, the population of Elafonisos is mostly fishermen. About 60% of the locals are in this occupation, with each of the older generation owning a fishing boat.
The history of Elafonisos begins in the Neolithic period (6000-3500 BC), when an exceptional prehistoric civilization flourished here, traces of which can be seen today in Pavlopetri, the underwater city. After that, the historical route of Elafonisos and the surrounding area is associated with the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) and those who occupied the island: the Athenians, Romans, Byzantines, pirates, Venetians, etc.
Read the article about Elafonisos Island: sights, beaches, hotels, restaurants, how to get there
