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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Skopelos is an island that is blessed with pristine natural beauty and has had the good fortune to receive an unexpected marketing boost with the filming here of the musical Mamma Mia!. The famous film production has turned this island in the Northern Sporades archipelago into a tourist magnet.
But of course, this would not have been possible without Skopelos having its own special charm. Skopelos is a magical destination, adored both by its inhabitants and by those who choose to visit and spend their holidays here, a place where the ancient Greeks, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottomans, and pirates left their mark on various periods of history.
Read the article about Skopelos Island: sights, beaches, hotels, restaurants, how to get there
You may also like: Kipinas Monastery, in the Epirus region of Greece
