I first went to Greece in 1979. I was a callow Scottish youth fresh out of university. Travelling from London with a mate on an increasingly smelly “Magic Bus” across Europe, it took us three days and three nights to reach Athens. We then spent a couple of months sleeping on Greek beaches, chatting up women (mostly unsuccessfully) and living largely on a diet of beer, bread and cigarettes. I lost two stones in weight during my time there.
That summer of island hopping on slow and invariably delayed Greek ferries was one of the most enjoyable periods of my life. It was a temporary escape from having to knuckle down and accept I was not going to be an international rock star and, therefore, needed to adapt to the idea of working regular hours for some kind of regular pay.
In simple terms, in 1979 I fell in love with Greece and its people. I subsequently returned for a couple of weeks of escape from work most summers, unwittingly slipping into an overly comfortable routine of visiting the same favourite places year after year. In particular, I’ve been to the islands of Samos and Ikaria more times than I can remember.
In 2013, in my mid-fifties, self-employed, divorced and re-married, my wife and I agreed that, as we lived, worked and did most other things together, there was no harm in us spending some time apart and doing different things on our holidays. This meant my wife could indulge her inexplicable passion for Turkey, where she had enjoyed her defining youthful adventure, while I could put a rucksack on my back and start exploring some new parts of Greece. Travelling with rucksacks and no fixed itinerary was, and still is, my wife’s idea of a holiday from hell.
Between 2013 and 2019, what was an initial two-week break each year extended into two annual visits lasting a total of five or six weeks, until Covid got in the way. In that time I concentrated on exploring islands, visiting as many new ones as possible as well as around 20 old favourites, ticking them off a studiously researched list as middle-aged male anoraks tend to do. Now that Covid appears to be over to a large extent, I am back in the routine of regular visits back to my happy place.
No one seems to know for sure how many Greek islands there actually are, or how many of them are populated. I’ve seen estimates ranging from 1,200 to 6,000 for the former and 150 to 230 for the latter. All of these figures sound like exaggerations, unless you count every rock that just about juts out of the sea as an island. To date, I have visited just over 90 islands and most (but not all) parts of the mainland.
I have a particular obsession with reaching remote, out of the way islands like Agios Efstratios, Psara and Antikythira. This is partly due to the challenge (and satisfaction) of getting there and partly because they tend to have a more relaxed, more traditional Greek atmosphere that reminds me, to some extent, of what I found on my first visit in 1979.
This site is primarily a few recollections of the places I have visited. It is not a detailed summary of their histories, facilities or attractions. In some places I was just a day visitor. However, I stayed at least a few nights in the vast majority and, being a keen walker, I made a point of trying to explore as much as I could.
I still have further places to explore and many more that I want to revisit. I have now finally reached the age of retirement and joined the LBC (Lucky Bastards Club). As far as I’m concerned, exploring Greece is as good a way as any to spend my retirement and a damn sight better than wasting my time lingering around chilly UK DIY superstores.
My thoughts and comments on individual islands are outlined alphabetically by island group as follows.
Crete
2 islands: Crete & Gavdos.
Greece’s largest, most independently minded island and its small, remote neighbour. Offer a huge variety of history, scenery and beaches.
The Cyclades
24 islands: Amorgos; Anafi; Andros, Antiparos; Donoussa; Folegandros; Ios; Iraklia; Kea; Kimolos; Koufonissi; Kythnos; Milos; Mykonos; Naxos; Paros; Santorini; Schinoussa; Serifos; Sifnos; Sikinos; Syros; Thirassia; Tinos.
The largest group in terms of number of islands. Centrally located and ideal for island hopping with a wide range of different visitor experiences.
The Dodecanese
19 islands: Agathonissi; Arki; Astypalea; Halki; Kalymnos; Karpathos; Kasos; Katellorizon; Kos; Leros; Lipsi; Marathi; Nisyros; Patmos: Pserimos; Rhodes; Symi; Telendos; Tilos.
The most easterly island group that only became part of Greece in 1947. Excellent inter-island ferry services and a lot of history.
The Ionians
14 islands: Antipaxos; Corfu; Erikoussa; Ithaca; Kalamos; Kastos; Kefalonia; Lefkada; Mathraki; Meganissi; Othoni; Paxos; Skorpios; Zakynthos.
The most westerly island group with a notable Italianate influence. Greener and lusher than other island groups. Particularly popular with British visitors.
The North East Aegeans
12 islands: Agios Efstratios; Chios; Fourni; Ikaria; Inousses; Lesbos; Limnos; Psara; Samos; Samothrace; Thassos; Thymena.
A very diverse group scattered over a wide area. Includes well developed large islands and some very remote small ones.
The Saronic Gulf
6 islands: Aegina; Agistri; Hydra; Poros; Salamis; Spetses
A group of small islands close to Athens. Attract a lot of day visitors from Greece’s capital city, giving them more of a cosmopolitan atmosphere than other groups.
The Sporades & Evia
5 islands: Alonissos; Evia; Skiathos; Skopelos; Skyros
A group of small islands close to the east coast of the Greek mainland and their large neighbour. All have a good degree of tourism development.
Other Islands
11 islands: Aitoliko; Ammouliani; Antikythira; Elafonissos; Ioannia; Kranae; Kythira; Monemvasia; Paleo Trikeri; Tourlida; Trizonia
A catch all collection of islands that don’t fit naturally into other groups. Scattered about Greece, mostly very close to the mainland.
I have taken most of the photographs used on this site. However, I am a pretty lousy photographer who occasionally had to deal with dull and grey weather conditions. Therefore I have downloaded some better images from what I understand to be copyright free websites. Apologies to anyone who might be unhappy with my use of their images. I will remove any images on request.
Skimming Greece 