The Greek Islands

Everything you need to know about the Greek islands

What are the Greek Islands like

The Greek islands are the ideal summer holiday destination and cater to all tastes, there’s popular tourist focused islands and quiet secluded islands too. Great weather is all but guaranteed and they have stunning beaches, historical sites, incredible views and a range of activities to keep everyone entertained.

The Greek islands are mostly on the east of mainland Greece in the Aegean sea with Turkey to the west. Although some of the more popular islands are in the Ionian sea, just west of mainland Greece and east of Italy.

They range from massively popular, the likes of Santorini, Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Kos and Rhodes to much quieter and less popular like Poros, Halki, Naxos, Serifos and many, many more.

Greek island holidays are so in demand because in the summer months the weather is great, long sunny days and minimal rain, they have fantastic beaches, impressive historical sites and the Greek people are so welcoming.

There’s a range of hotels to suit all budgets and the various towns and villages cater to a wide range of travellers from 18-30 drinkers to those who just want to relax by the sea all day. Whatever you are looking for in your next holiday, there’s almost certainly a Greek island that’s perfect for you.

What are the Greek Island groups

The Greek islands are split into 6 main groups. The groups are:

Cyclades
Dodecanese
Ionian
North Aegean
Saronic
Sporades
On top of the 6 main groups there’s also Crete and the small islands around it as a separate region.

Below we’ll discuss each of the individual groups and give you an idea of what to expect from each group, what the main tourist islands are and which are less tourist heavy but still worth visiting.

The Greek islands are mostly on the east of mainland Greece in the Aegean sea with Turkey to the west. Although some of the more popular islands are in the Ionian sea, just west of mainland Greece and east of Italy.


They range from massively popular, the likes of Santorini, Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Kos and Rhodes to much quieter and less popular like Poros, Halki, Naxos, Serifos and many, many more.

Greek island holidays are so in demand because in the summer months the weather is great, long sunny days and minimal rain, they have fantastic beaches, impressive historical sites and the Greek people are so welcoming.

There’s a range of hotels to suit all budgets and the various towns and villages cater to a wide range of travellers from 18-30 drinkers to those who just want to relax by the sea all day. Whatever you are looking for in your next holiday, there’s almost certainly a Greek island that’s perfect for you.

The Greek Islands

What are the Cyclades islands like

There are over 200 islands in the Cyclades group making it the largest island group in Greece, the most well known islands are Santorini and Mykonos.

Other popular Cyclades islands are Naxos, Paros, Milos and Ios as well as dozens of others too.

The Cyclades islands are famous for the white washed buildings with blue roofs, shutters and doors that are popular on many of the islands in the group.

There are three islands with international airports and a they are Santorini, Mykonos and Paros. There are other smaller airports that you can connect to via Athens, these are on Naxos, Milos and Syros. If these aren’t your final destinations then you’ll have to find the ferry schedules for the island your going to and head for the nearest airport from there.
Cyclades Islands Map

What are the Dodecanese islands like

The Dodecanese islands are the second largest group with over 150 islands.

The main islands are Kos and Rhodes with other well known islands being Nisyros, Patmos, Symi and Tilos but there are many more.

With the Dodecanese islands being further south than the other groups they are also some of the hottest islands making them great options if you’re travelling later in the year like September or even October.

There are 3 international airports in the Dodecanese islands, one each on Kos Rhodes and Samos. As with other island groups there are internal airports that are connections from Athens and these are Astypalea, Kalymnos, Leros and Karpathos.
Dodecanese Islands Map

What are the Ionian islands like

There are close to 50 islands in the Ionian group but most are either uninhabited or simply too small to be tourist destinations. There are 3 main Ionian islands which are Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos, also known as Zante.


The next most popular are Ithaca, Lefkada, Paxi and Kythira. These are relatively popular tourist destinations, either in their own right or as day trips from the other Ionian islands or the main land.


The rest of the Ionian islands are either inaccessible or just not often visited by tourists. You can still visit them but you may need to find your own way.


The Ionian islands are particularly popular with UK travellers, mainly because they are the closest. With flight times of just over 3 hours rather than the 4 plus hours it takes to get to somewhere like Kos or Rhodes.


There are 3 international airports on the Ionian islands, one each in Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos.
Ionian Islands Map

What are the North Aegean islands like

The north Aegean islands, as you could probably guess are in the northern part of the Aegean sea, mainly on the east side close to Turkey. They range from Thassos in the north down to Fourni in the south.

The most popular of the north Aegean islands are Lesbos and Thassos, there’s also Chios, Samos Icaria, Lemnos and many more.

There are 3 islands in the north Aegean group that have international airports, these are on Lemnos, Lesbos and Chios. There’s also Kavala airport which is actually on the mainland but is the closest if you want to get to Thassos.
North Aegean Islands Map

What are the Saronic islands like

The Saronic islands are in the Saronic gulf close to Athens on the mainland. There are 7 main islands and over 25 that are pretty much uninhabited.

The main islands are Aegina, Agistri, Dokos, Hydra, Poros, Salamina and Spetses.

The Saronic islands and popular with Greeks who visit for day trips or weekends away, probably as they are quick and easy to get to from the mainland.

There’s no international airport on any of the Saronic islands, it’s probably because you can simply head to Athens internaltional and then travel to the islands from there via Pireas port with most islands having a direct route.
Saronic Islands Map

What are the Sporades islands like

The sporades islands are a small group in the north west Aegean sea. They’re made up of 4 main islands which are Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos and Skyros.

There are around 25 additional islands but most are small and uninhabited like Tsougrias which is close to Skiathos and visited from Skiathos by people who want a quick look round and to spend some time on the beach there.

Skiathos is home to the only international airport in the Sporades group, Skyros also has a small airport so you can connect to there from Athens.

Travelling between the main Sporades islands is simple as there’s a regular ferry between Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonissos and even Skyros. Getting to some of the smaller islands can be a little trickier but it’s usually possible from the nearest main island.
Sporades Islands Map

What are Crete and the neighbouring islands like

Crete is considered a separate regional unit so it’s not a part of any of the other island groups, probably because of it’s vast size compared to most of the other islands.

Crete forms part of the southern boundary of the Aegean sea where it meets the Mediterranean sea. It’s nearest neighbours are all pretty small and not regularly visited by tourists, these are islands like Dia, Gavdos and Chrysi and many more.

There’s no other major islands that are easily accessible from Crete, with even Karpathos being over 5 hours away by ferry so not ideal for a day trip but ok if you’re island hoping.
Crete Island Map
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