Two hundred inhabited islands, thousands of possibilities, and that question that keeps coming back: where to begin? The answer depends less on geography than on what you are looking for. Do you seek light or greenery, flavours or panoramas, solitude or the gentle buzz of a small animated port? Here is our selection, composed for travellers who love to walk, to taste, and to take their time.
Santorini: the living postcard
Yes, Santorini is famous. Yes, the sunsets in Oia draw the crowds. But there is another Santorini, the one of terraced vineyards, trails linking villages perched on the caldera, and silent mornings when rosy light settles on the blue domes before the visitors arrive. The trail from Fira to Oia, walked at dawn rather than at dusk, reveals panoramas of striking beauty. And in the inland villages, Pyrgos or Megalochori, you discover a preserved way of life, between wine cellars carved into the rock and small shaded squares.
Naxos: the generous island
Naxos is the island that gives without counting. The largest of the Cyclades is also the greenest, the most fertile, the most gourmet. Its mountain villages, Apiranthos, Filoti, and Halki, perched amid terraces and olive groves, are linked by ancient paths bordered by stone walls. Here you taste graviera, a local cheese aged in the mountains, and sip kitron, a citron liqueur. At the port of Chora, the Portara, that ancient temple gateway standing facing the sea, offers at sunset one of the finest spectacles in the Aegean. Mount Zas, the highest point of the Cyclades, is climbed gently along a shaded path leading to a view that embraces the entire archipelago. Naxos is also the island of the kouroi, those unfinished statues left in marble quarries since Antiquity, silent witnesses to a sculptural past. Discover Naxos.
Sifnos: the gourmet
Sifnos is the island that Greek food lovers recommend first. Culinary capital of the Cyclades, it has elevated terroir cooking to an art form. Revithada, a chickpea stew simmered all night in an earthenware oven, is a dish of patience and flavour. But Sifnos is also a network of kalderimia, paved paths connecting villages through a landscape of gentle hills, pottery workshops, and white chapels set at the water's edge. Every step leads to a discovery, every village to a charming address. Explore the Cyclades.
Milos: the painter's palette
Milos is the island that surprises. Where the Cyclades cultivate white and blue, Milos bursts into ochre, red, sulphurous green, and volcanic black. Sarakiniko, with its chalk rocks sculpted by the wind, looks like a lunar landscape set upon a turquoise sea. Kleftiko, with its natural arches accessible by sea, is visited by boat in light that changes with every hour. The syrmata of Firopotamos, those colourful boat garages carved into the rock, compose one of the most photogenic scenes in Greece. In the evening, you dine at Plaka facing the sunset, a glass of volcanic wine in hand. Explore the Cyclades.
Corfu: the Venetian
Corfu resembles no other Greek island. It is the greenest, the most wooded, the one where three million olive trees cloak the hills in a silver mantle. The Venetian influence shows everywhere: in the ochre facades of Kerkyra, in the arcades of the Spianada, in the discreet elegance that permeates every village. The old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is walked like an open-air history book. The trails cross landscapes of cypress and kumquat trees, skirt secret coves, and climb to perched monasteries with views over the Ionian Sea and the Albanian mountains. Be sure to taste the kumquat liqueur, a speciality found nowhere else in Greece. Discover Corfu.
Crete: a world in itself
Crete is not an island; it is a continent in miniature. Too vast for a single trip, it reveals itself in pieces, and every piece is a wonder. The wild, unspoilt south coast lines up fishing villages accessible by boat or on foot. The gorges carve stone cathedrals into the mountains. And Cretan cuisine, with its wild herbs, olive oil, and sheep's cheese, is perhaps the most generous in the entire Mediterranean. You always come back, with the feeling of having seen only a tiny fraction. Discover Crete.
Kythira: the secret island
Kythira floats between the Peloponnese and Crete, far from the usual circuits. The island of Aphrodite, the ancients say. Today, it is an island of silence and austere beauty: deep gorges, Byzantine villages clinging to the rock, beaches reached by paths lined with wildflowers. Kapsali, the small port, is a jewel of serenity. Here, time has a different quality, slower and deeper. It is the island for travellers who have already seen the others and are looking for something else. Discover Wonderful Kythira.
Amorgos: the contemplative
Amorgos is the island of The Big Blue, but it is much more than a film set. Its sheer silhouette, the Panagia Hozoviotissa Monastery clinging to a vertiginous cliff above the sea, the villages of Chora and Langada linked by mule paths: everything here invites contemplation. You walk in an inhabited silence, between sky and sea, with that rare feeling of being at the end of the world without being nowhere. Explore the Cyclades.
Tinos: the spiritual
Tinos is the island that Greeks know best and foreign travellers are only just discovering. Famous for its church of the Panagia, a major pilgrimage site, it holds many other treasures: white marble villages (Pyrgos, Volax), Venetian dovecotes scattered across the countryside, and a thriving food scene. The interior trails cross a landscape of gentle hills and cultivated terraces, in an atmosphere of serenity found nowhere else. Explore the Cyclades.
Paros: the elegant
Paros has the gift of balance. Lively enough never to bore, peaceful enough to offer real moments of calm. The port of Naoussa, with its white lanes and fish tavernas, is one of the most charming in the Cyclades. Inland, the village of Lefkes, linked to the coasts by a Byzantine path paved in marble, offers a walk of simple, perfect beauty. You pass tiny chapels, secret gardens, and vantage points over the neighbouring islands. Paros is the island for those who want it all: beauty, liveliness, and peace. Explore the Cyclades.
Island-hopping: the art of ferry travel
One of the great joys of a trip to the Greek islands is the passage from one island to the next. Ferries link the Cyclades with reassuring regularity, and simply settling on the deck, facing the blue, is already a moment of travel. From Piraeus, Naxos and Paros are accessible in four to five hours. Sifnos, Milos, and Amorgos require a little more patience, but the slowness is part of the charm. For the Ionian Islands, Corfu is reached by direct flight or via the western mainland coast, while Kythira is earned by sea from the Peloponnese. We organise these connections for you, so that every crossing is a pleasure and not a logistical exercise.
How to choose your island
It all depends on what you are looking for. For a first discovery of the Cyclades, Naxos and Paros offer a fine balance between authenticity and comfort. For gastronomy, Sifnos and Crete are unrivalled. For walking in unspoilt landscapes, Amorgos and Kythira delight lovers of secret trails. For greenery and gentleness, Corfu is an obvious choice.
In spring, the islands are covered in flowers and the trails are deserted. In autumn, the sea is warm and the light incomparable. Both seasons have their devotees, and we understand why.
What is the best season to visit the Greek islands?
Spring, from April to June, is the favourite season for travellers who love to walk. Temperatures are mild, nature explodes with colour, poppies and asphodels carpet the hills, and the trails are nearly deserted. It is also the season when the tavernas reopen with the enthusiasm of the first days, when you eat fresh broad beans and artichokes from the garden.
Autumn, from September to late October, offers an incomparable golden light and the warmest sea of the year. The vines turn red and gold, the villages regain their rhythm after summer, and the sunsets take on that particular intensity that belongs only to Greece. It is the ideal season for combining walking and swimming, with the certainty of finding a cove all to yourself.
Winter, finally, has its followers. Crete and Corfu, thanks to their mild climate, welcome travellers even in December or January. The Cretan mountains sometimes wear snow while the south coast remains warm, a striking contrast.
Our island stays
- Sifnos, Milos and Kimolos, the enchanted Cyclades: three islands, three faces, one shared Cycladic art of living.
- Naxos and Amorgos, destination Cyclades: two characterful islands at your own pace, between hilltop villages and secret coves.
- Corfu, the Emerald Isle: the greenest of the Greek islands, between centuries-old olive groves and the Ionian Sea.
- Crete, the fantastic journey: a guided trip to discover the island's hidden treasures.
Solène Roux
Responsable Éditoriale
