The Most Beautiful Greek Islands That Aren’t Santorini or Mykonos

The good news is that Greece has over 6,000 islands, and not all of them are over-touristed. Some islands are beginning to draw more interest but still feel untouched — for now. Here are the dreamiest islands in Greece to plan a trip to before everyone else does.

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The best islands for hiking | For beaches | For history and culture | For nature and wildlife | For romantic getaways

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Kythira

No slice of paradise should be easily obtained, and the island of Kythira is no exception. The most cost-effective way to reach it is by ferry from Neapoli on the southern Peloponnese — a journey that takes just over an hour and winds through a quieter part of mainland Greece. Once on the island, you’ll find a wild landscape of rivers, gorges, and waterfalls. The old-mill trail near the village of Mylopotamos follows a stream through lush terrain, past crumbling stone mills and over small bridges, ending in a series of pools perfect for cooling off.

Farther out, hidden beaches like Kalami are only accessible via a rope descent through a steep gorge or with the help of a canyoning guide — a good reminder that solitude takes effort here. The capital, Hora, sits high on a hill with a Venetian castle overlooking the Aegean. Its narrow streets are lined with quiet cafés, bookstores, and rooftop restaurants that stay blissfully untouched by the pace of the high-season crowds.

When it comes to where to stay, book ahead — options here are limited, and the best Airbnbs fill up early. In Livadi, there’s this restored 19th-century home overlooking the hills is split into two self-contained apartments with stone walls and shaded terraces that look out toward the sea. Or, for something closer to the island’s most scenic bay, this one-bedroom apartment in Kapsali puts you just above the beach, with breezy balconies and original artwork from Greek and Kytherian artists lining the walls.

Samos

Remember in high school when you had to memorize that formula for the side lengths of a right triangle? You can thank Samos, birthplace of the great mathematician Pythagoras who gave us the Pythagorean theorem, for that. His old thinking cave is near the town of Marathokampos (not Isomata), and while there’s not much to see aside from a sweeping view down the south side of Mount Kerkis, it’s still a fun bit of trivia to tack onto a hike.

Ninth-grade-geometry tourism aside, Kerkis and its almost-twin peak, Ampelos, dominate the skyline. Hikes up those mountains offer the most rewarding views of the island. But if you’d rather spend your vacation without leg cramps, you can kick back at Potokaki Beach or in the harbor town of Kokkari, where sunset drinks are among the best on the island.

Before you plan what to do it’s worth deciding whether you want a base near beaches like Tsamadou or closer to the old harbor in Pythagorion. If you want to stay near Tsamadou Beach, there’s a stunning two-bedroom house above Avlákia with a cypress-shaded terrace and a short footpath down to the water. Or, south of the island, there’s a newer bungalow above Puntes overlooks the marina and Turkish coast, with a private pool, citrus trees, and wide stone terraces that catch the light well into the evening.

Koufonisia

Looking for an island where you can just land, grab your swimsuit, and explore some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe? Koufonisia is your spot. Or, more specifically, Pano, or Upper Koufonisia. This region of the Cyclades is actually three islands, though Pano is the only one really set up for visitors. Land ashore and throw on some sunscreen, then begin your trek around the two-square-mile island, stopping at any beach you can find. Back in the main settlement, seaside tavernas await to refuel you after a long day.

If walking the island in search of secluded beaches sounds too exerting, small boats will take you to more popular beaches like Pori Beach for about $6. There, you can relax with a cocktail at Kalofego before strolling back to the harbor. Or head to Fanos, where a natural swimming hole leads you out to the ocean via an underwater passage.

Most visitors stay near Chora, where you’ll find a mix of small studios and low-rise homes set back from the port. One renovated studio about five minutes from Ammos Beach is a good fit for couples or solo travelers, with a quiet garden-facing balcony and easy access to tavernas and the ferry. For a larger group, a three-bedroom home set just above town has a lovey kitchen and open terrace that face the sea. It’s also an easy walk from both the harbor and the island’s best swimming spots.

Meganissi

The fact that this Ionian island sits just a short boat ride from Skorpios—where Aristotle Onassis married Jacqueline Kennedy—should say plenty about how perfectly secluded it feels. You can get here by flying into the small airport at Preveza, taking a roughly 40-minute taxi ride to the coast, and then hopping on a 15-minute boat to the capital of Vathy on Ithaca. Its compact charm and yacht access explain why many of the world’s elite have quietly moved in.

These days, it’s a relaxing little island of around 3,000 people — Vathy is the main hub — where most visitors off yachts are sailing types stopping for seafood at the tavernas. Like most Greek islands, the restaurants serve fresh fish caught that morning, and prices are typically about half of what you’d expect back in America. If one village tires you out, the other two are just a short walk away.

Meganissi has three main villages, but most visitors stay in either Vathy or Spartochori in the north. Near the entrance to Spartochori, there’s a three-bedroom stone cottage with garden walls, sea views from the terrace, and a shaded outdoor dining area that makes it a good fit for families or groups. In Vathy, just steps from the marina, a two-floor Airbnb sleeps up to seven across three bedrooms, with tall windows and two sitting rooms that open out toward the harbor.

Milos

The problem with a vacation to a small island is that you sometimes run out of stuff to do. Not the case in Milos, where the history, geography, and beaches make it the odd island you can visit a few times without getting bored. The volcanic island in the Cyclades is most notably where the Venus de Milo was discovered, but functionally, it was a rich source of minerals for centuries.

Unless you’re an avid geological tourist, what you’ll really want to come here for are the beaches. Milos has over 70 of them. From the white cliffs and turquoise-clear water at Kleftiko Beach to restaurants that cook your food in the sand at Paleochori, Milos’s beaches offer stuff you just won’t find elsewhere. Take a boat out along the coast and you’ll see the fascinating rock formations that line the island. Or stay inland and wander through history in its countless catacombs and an amphitheater that once sat 7,000.

If you’re staying in Mandrakia, there’s a wild cave house carved directly into the harbor rock, just steps from the water and a short walk from the village’s well-known Medusa tavern. This one-bedroom stay is one of the highest-rated on the island and among the top five percent of Airbnbs. The space opens onto a sea-facing terrace where you can swim straight from the doorstep or watch the boats drift through the bay. It’s compact but fully equipped, and the setting — in a working fishing cove with whitewashed boat garages cut into the cliffs — is one of the most photographed on the island.

Karpathos

The old world lives on in Karpathos, an island of about 6,500 people where locals still wander out of their houses and strike up conversations with visitors on the street. Those villages are colorful clusters of small homes built into the mountainside, the most notable of which is Olympos. There, people speak their own dialect and keep their old customs — a snapshot of Greece centuries ago.

Karpathos is also home to over 20 beaches, with a variety of scenery from the clear blue waters at Kyra Panagia to the emerald coastline at Apella. Windsurfers will find the best winds near Diakoftis and other exposed beaches shaped by the Meltemi. Divers will also find plenty to explore, including shipwrecks between Karpathos and Kasos that were only recently uncovered during a major underwater survey in 2023 — some dating back thousands of years.

Kyra Panagia is one of the island’s standout beaches, and there’s a three-bedroom apartment perched just above it, with sea views from a wraparound veranda and a short path leading straight down to the sand. Closer to the island’s port, a lovely studio near Pigadia sits below the old mountain of Potidaion, with panoramic views over town and a location that makes it easy to catch ferries or walk to dinner in the square. It’s a good pick for couples looking for a romantic, in-town base.

Tilos

For pure, unadulterated nature in the Greek islands, you won’t find many places better than Tilos. This island lies about 50 miles northwest of Rhodes and is largely a protected ecological park—a bird lover’s paradise full of goldfinches, bee-eaters, Bonelli’s eagles, Eleonora’s falcons, and dozens more species. It’s also the last place elephants roamed in Europe; dwarf elephants called Tilos home four thousand years ago. Their remains were discovered in Charkadio Cave in 1971, which you can still visit today.

And no Greek‑island nature fix is complete without beaches. The sands at Eristos and Agios Antonios are as good as you’ll find anywhere in the region — and you won’t find crowds, since they’re still very much under the radar.

Halki

If you want to feel like you’ve wandered into a remote fishing village in the middle of perfect blue waters, Halki is your spot. A 40- to 75-minute boat trip from Rhodes, this little island feels frozen in time — literally, since the clock in the harbor has been stuck at the same time for decades. Under that clock, you’ll find colorful, rickety fishing boats where seafarers prepare their vessels and unload their catches in the afternoon.

Though buildings throughout the island look like they date back millennia, much of the island is also new and bright. Visiting the waterfront tavernas in the island’s lone settlement of Emborio, you’ll find many have cable television and, on occasion, Wi-Fi. There are not many visitors, though, so be prepared to make your own fun. The good news is that the people here are the kind of small-town friendly that makes you feel like you’ve lived there for decades — so much so, you may find it hard to get back on that boat to Rhodes.

Most rentals on Halki are clustered near the port in Emborio, but there’s one standout just beyond the edge of town. Set above Ftenagia Beach, this two-bedroom villa is a 10-minute walk from the harbor and opens onto a large stone terrace with views across the Aegean. A path leads down to the beach itself, where a small taverna serves lunch just a few steps from the water. With its quiet setting and uninterrupted sea views, it’s especially well-suited to couples or a small family looking for a peaceful, romantic stay.

Kythnos

For a relatively undiscovered island that’s easily accessible from Athens, check out Kythnos. Here, you’ll be greeted by a smattering of whitewashed buildings along the shoreline with rolling green and brown hills beyond. Venture over the mountains into Loutra and find the island’s most famous attraction: its natural hot springs. These holdovers from the area’s volcanic past are the only place you might find even remotely crowded, but if you visit during the week, it shouldn’t be too bad.

Beaches like Apokrousi and Episkopi double as boat tie-ups, and though they don’t rage like we do back in America, the scenery is enough to make them worth the visit. You can also check out the biggest cave in Greece at Katafiki, then, when you’re finished, grab seafood along the cobblestone streets of Chora.

When it comes to where to stay, near Loutra — the village best known for Kythnos’s mineral hot springs — there’s a two-bedroom stay with wide windows and a terrace that looks out over the Aegean. The house is a short walk from both Shinari and Loutra beaches, and close to a family-run taverna that serves local dishes just above the water. It’s a practical, well-located base for travelers planning to split their time between the baths and the quieter coves along the coast.