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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Somewhere in the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Rhodos, part of the Dodecanese archipelago, lies the Karpathos Island. With a population of around 7000, which can increase in summer by 3-4 times due to the return home of former locals, plus growing numbers of tourists, Karpathos is the second-largest island of this southern Aegean archipelago.
High mountains (maximum altitude Kali Limni – 1215 m), picture-postcard scenery, traditional villages, turquoise beaches, and a rich history are the elements that briefly characterize Karpathos. But in the general characterization, one cannot forget the locals, who know how to enjoy life, honoring their traditions and organizing beautiful festivals throughout the year.
Read the article about Karpathos Island: sights, beaches, hotels, restaurants, how to get there
