From Sifnos to Donousa, Musement takes a look at six of the best small Greek islands you should visit for a holiday.
There’s no discovery quite so gratifying during a high season vacation as an isolated beach, uncrowded locales, and restaurants that you don’t have to book days in advance.
As unlikely as it may seem in certain French and Italian seaside towns, there are some destinations to keep in mind.
Greece is one of the most popular summer holiday destinations. In addition to the well-known islands of Crete, Corfu, Mykonos, and Santorini, the country boasts a large number of archipelagos and islands scattered throughout the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Here, you can find small, reef-like islands that are lesser-known and not as easily accessible, resulting in plenty of surprises for travelers. Here are six of the most exquisite small Greek islands.
1. Sifnos
This island in the Cyclades is a far cry from the wild nightlife of Mykonos. This small, quiet, picturesque island has many things to do and see – such as the village of Kastro or the Church of the Seven Martyrs, located on a cliff overlooking the sea. Travel around by motorbike and relax.
2. Folegandros
Also in the Cyclades, Folegandros measures 32 square kilometers/12 square miles. The island has just three villages: Karavostasis, Hora, and Pano Meria which are connected by a single road. Karavostasis is home to the port, Hora is the cliffside capital, and Pano Meria is a rural village inhabited. Sample matsada, a specialty of the island. These durum wheat noodles are seasoned with various kinds of meatballs.
3. Koufonissia
Comprised of two small islands, Kato Koufonisi, inhabited only by a shepherd and his sheep, and Ano Koufonisi. Chora is the only inhabited center of the island and is characterized by the typical white houses with blue roofs of the Cyclades. Needless to say, there are magnificent beaches and heavenly coves all over the island that can only be reached on foot or by sea.
4. Donousa
Donousa measures just 13 square kilometers/5 square miles and has just one paved road that runs along the coast. The island was inhabited during the archaic era — it’s even mentioned in Virgil’s Aeneid. During the Medieval era, pirates hunkered down here. Mythology buffs might know that Ariadne hid here, protected by Dionysus after Theseus abandoned her.
5. Kastelorizo
Just 11 square kilometers/4 square miles of surface, Kastelorizo not only boasts extraordinary views and beaches, but it is also beloved by cinephiles as the backdrop for Gabriele Salvatores Mediterraneo, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1992. But that’s not all: David Gilmour named a track for Kastelorizo on his 2006 album On an Island.
6. Kinaros
If you really don’t want to see a soul on your holiday, Kinaros has an area of 4 square kilometers/2 square miles. Located in the Aegean, the island has no ferries and no infrastructure of any kind – neither restaurants nor bars, let alone hotels. Only one woman lives there, Mrs. Irene, and it’s heavenly. You can visit it by private boat and enjoy its unspoiled nature, but make sure to say hi to her before you leave.