The least touristy islands in Greece
Below we give you some ideas for your holidays in Greece 2024 in the less touristy islands so you can think about it and maybe take courage and then have some well-deserved relaxation.
Greece Islands occupy approximately 25,000 square kilometers of territory and are mostly in the Aegean. Including islets and rocks there are 6000 of them but inhabited considering even just a few people there are 227 and those where it is possible to find at least the main comforts are around fifty.
Nowadays determining which are the least touristy becomes a little difficult, between Facebook, documentaries, trade magazines and all the digital information circulating on the web it is practically impossible for any to remain a sort of absolute paradise, more and more people decide for one holiday in Greece during the summer and consequently even the most hidden corners sooner or later become fashionable.
However, we can venture that some islands are less touristy than others, perhaps due to the difficulty of reaching them, or the fact of not having all the comforts that are now desired even on holiday, or simply because their size does not allow invasive mass tourism. .
Below we give you some ideas for your holidays in Greece 2024 so you can think about it and maybe take courage and then have some well-deserved relaxation while still enjoying a fabulous sea.
Let's start with Sikinos island. A secret treasure chest in the Cyclades Archipelago between Folegandros island and Ios island. Given its little notoriety, it is still uncontaminated and characteristic, perfect for those who want a peaceful holiday. It has two Alopronia village where you will disembark and the more touristy one and Kastro also called Chora the capital considered one of the most fascinating villages of the Archipelago. Not even fifty square kilometers large, inhabited since ancient times, it offers its visitors archaeological sites, secluded beaches and an area made up of hills that reach down to the sea. Don't miss the Agios Georgios beach in the south-eastern part in a beautiful bay that shelters it from the winds with golden sand, crystal clear waters and a gently sloping seabed suitable for those who like swimming and for families with children. And again the Dialiskari beach where the sand is immaculate white and the contrast with the blue of the sea and the green of the trees behind it create a postcard landscape. It can only be reached by sea, from Piraeus it takes about 8/10 hours, from Santorini an hour and a half and from Folegandros about forty minutes.
Limnos islad also called Lemnos is another stop off the mass circuit. We find it to the north under Samotraki and without a doubt it is an island for those who love to travel and work hard to reach a destination. Forget about white and blue houses and the crazy nightlife, you come to Limnos to become one with nature, enjoy untouched landscapes and make friends with the inhabitants who are always happy to welcome foreigners and tell you about their beautiful island. Here you will find the real Greece, harsh, cruel and certainly not to many people's liking, the secret is to look at it with different eyes and understand its true essence which is many. The territory is divided between deserted and idyllic beaches, naturalistic areas rich in fauna and flora, dunes that look like a desert and archaeological sites that demonstrate its importance in the past. Don't miss the capital Myrina, ideal for staying with its shops, taverns where you can enjoy excellent food and where you can find all comforts, the Hephaestia theater, the Polichni village, the oldest in the whole Aegean, the Lminos Desert it will seem like being catapulted into the Sahara given the many similarities, the Panagia Kakkoviotissa chapel stuck between the rocks and of course its beaches. The most characteristic is the Mourtzephlos beach where the sea bathes it on both sides, or Gomati beach not far from the desert with a fairytale sea, but there are many others for you to discover. So as regards how to get to Limnos, the best solution is to land in Athens or Thessaloniki and then take a domestic flight. By sea from Piraeus it takes almost a day and it becomes long but as always the choice is yours.
Syros island is another destination that is not yet very famous and we can put it on our list. We find it in the Cyclades right in the center of the Archipelago. Administrative and bureaucratic center for all the islands of the district, it measures about a hundred square kilometers and upon your arrival it will seem like the classic Greek island burned by the sun with arid and mountainous landscapes, but in reality in the center like a refined chocolate it is full of greenery and fertile plains with a still uncontaminated territory. A beautiful story goes around the island, it tells of Coeranus (in reality he was a native of Paros) who together with a group of fishermen freed some dolphins from a fishing net and one day when he was suddenly caught and overwhelmed by a terrible storm the dolphins helped him to safety inside a cave on the Syros. From an archaeological point of view we remember the first Gymnasium of Greece which hosted, among other things, Eleftherios Venizelos, national hero of the Cretan revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Don't forget to dedicate a day to the capital Ermoupolis with its picturesque Ano Syros neighborhood and its stupendous baroque St. George Cathedral, the neighborhood of Tarsana, temple of shipwrights, and the Kini village, an authentic fishing village where you can admire an exciting sunset and finally Galissa to the south west which offers intact and wild nature. Syros also offers beautiful beaches, in particular that of Grammata in a quiet bay where you can spend a beautiful day at the seaside where you can explore the gray cave in which the sailors during their stops left prayers addressed to the Gods on the rock asking for protection. To reach it you can choose between a domestic flight from Athens, by sea from Piraeus or from the Cyclades, from Kos and from the North Eastern Aegean islands such as Ikaria or Samos.
Moving to the Sporades to introduce you to Skyros island. The largest of the archipelago is an island with contrasting scenarios where the architecture is typically Cycladic, nature offers enchanting forests, mountains within, small bays dotted with pine trees, a fertile plain and beaches where you can close your eyes and just listen the sound of the sea. Don't miss the Chora with its Byzantine castle on the highest part where you can enjoy a wonderful panorama, visit a beautiful 9th century church and a monastery where the gold medal won by Spyros Louis, the first modern Olympic marathon runner, is located , or the Folk Museum to better understand what life was like here in the past and for history buffs the Archaeological Museum with testimonies from the Helladic and Roman periods. Don't miss out on a boat tour that will take you to scenic underwater caves, and even get lost among the trekking paths through rural villages. And finally its beaches which are certainly no less beautiful than those of the more well-known islands. Some remote and solitary ones still retain a brutal wild atmosphere with sandy or pebbly coasts hidden among dense bushes but all with a sea of changing colors and crystal clear waters. Usually people don't come to Skyros just to spend whole days on the beach, it is much more suitable for those who want to move around and get to know a varied area where traditions are still deeply rooted and the inhabitants are proud of their origins. Reaching it is undoubtedly more difficult than others, the least difficult route is undoubtedly a flight to Athens or Thessaloniki and then continuing with an internal flight. Alternatively a ferry from the Sporades and or from Evia.
We pass to end at the Kythnos island between the Kea island and Serifos island. Quiet and intact despite its size, we are talking about approximately ninety-five square kilometers, it offers its visitors over sixty wonderful beaches. In recent years it is also starting to be discovered by travelers from all over the world and not just by Athenians who love to treat themselves to regenerating weekends. Kythnos has a dream sea, picturesque villages and thermal springs, it is colored white and blue, dotted with rolling hills, windmills and reflects the typical Greek atmosphere. To the south it is almost completely uninhabited, the northern part is the lively one where you will encounter Merichas, an original village inside a bay as well as a port of call on the island where you will find typical taverns, restaurants, cafes and bars. Don't forget to go and see the lighthouse and the remains of the ancient city from the 10th century BC. The capital Chora also calls Mesaria perched on top of a fascinating hill with its immaculate houses, mills and cobblestone streets that intersect like small labyrinths. Don't miss the Byzantine Museum and the Church of Agios Savvas with an incredible wooden temple and the Church of Agia Triada (Holy Trinity) the oldest. Then move to Loutra with its thermal springs with therapeutic properties, the Oria or Kefalokastro Castle and the Mazarakis Tower. And we continue with Dryopida to the south, a unique village with its two-storey white houses covered in ceramics where you can visit the Church of Agios Minas with its despotic throne, the open-air theater where interesting cultural shows are organised, and finally the Cave of Katafiki with spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. And finally, if you want a day on the beach, choose the Potamia area with splendid coastlines or the Kalona beach connected to the San Luca islet or go to Kavospilia and Legamena sea caves, a riot of beauty with turquoise waters where you can enjoy a swim. Being very close to Attica, you just need to get to Athens and from there take a ferry either from Piero or from Lavrio.