Greece Has 227 Islands. Here’s How to Choose.

Travel Tips Deciding where to visit depends on your entry point, how much time you have, and the type of vacation you want. Greece receives approximately 30 million international visitors each year, with many heading to the country’s six main island regions. Choosing where to visit depends on your entry point — Greece has 15 international airports — and how much time you have. Ferries are an ideal way to get around, especially if you’re a first-time visitor.

Sights from the sea can be breathtaking and during various island stops vendors come on board selling snacks, like the must-try nougat pies on routes heading to the Cyclades. Even though some islands may seem close geographically, trips can be long with ferries making multiple stops or not having daily departures. Ferries. gr and Ferryhopper.

com are reliable sites for researching and booking tickets in advance, which is advised. Here’s a look beyond the islands that commonly draw the crowds, and an argument to reconsider a few of the more popular ones. From Athens, the Saronic islands are reachable via ferry within an hour or two, offering a convenient escape for the time-strapped. If you’re seeking an island of serenity and simplicity, rustic and car-free, Hydra is all about walking through cobbled streets or hitching a donkey ride.

Nearby is Aegina, full of fishing villages and notable seafood taverns. But a visit there is worth it alone to see one of Greece’s best preserved sanctuaries — the Temple of Aphaia. Visitors can reach the Cyclades via a plane or ferry from Athens. The Cyclades have regular ferry routes among their islands, of which Mykonos and Ios are known for dancing nights and mornings away in beach clubs or in private villas.

In the 1970s, the neighboring island of Paros was so overwhelmed with tourism — it was a party destination, like Mykonos today — that officials temporarily closed the island to foreign tourism in order to rehabilitate. Its endearing white and blue villages are once again filled with bustling cafes and jewelry boutiques. The well-known Santorini offers sheer elevation, volcanic views and waterfront hotels but a visit proves more rewarding in the off-season, minus the hordes that distract from its beauty. Head further south and you’ll reach Crete.