The exact number of islands surrounding Greece varies greatly depending on the source. Wikipedia claims there are as many as 6,000 but most are not big enough to live on. There are about 200 inhabited Greek Islands, and of those, only about 12 are familiar tourist attractions and Interesting Islands.
Eight of these 12 islands are definitely the most Interesting Islands and you should plan on visiting them all.
- Ikaria
The island of Ikaria is one of the best Greek islands to visit and would be even better to live on. Ikaria is one of the world’s Blue Zones, which means it is a geographical area where people live longer than anywhere else.
Today’s Ikarians regularly live well into their 90s and do so without being plagued by the most common diseases of the elderly like dementia.
Blue Zones are studied to determine why their citizens are so healthy. In the case of Ikaria, daily scaling of the mountainous landscape and breathing the fresh air contribute to healthy aging. In addition, Ikarians lead a very slow-paced life with plenty of good food, wine and games with friends.
The island is also home to immaculate beaches and crystal clear ocean water as well as hiking trails through beautiful green hills.
- Leros
Although very real, Leros also appears in myth. According to the legends, Leros is where Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, went looking for deer. To this day, Leros has a large wild deer population.
In addition to the deer, Leros has museums, monuments and even a medieval castle.
- Samos
Samos is the birthplace of both Pythagoras and Epicurus, but probably its more popular attraction is its sweet Muscat wine.
There is also an ancient underground aqueduct that has been there since the sixth century B.C.
- Chios
Chios (sometimes called Xios) is the fifth-largest island in the Aegean Sea.
Although most famous for its unique mastic trees (used to make medicinal gums and varnishes), it also has several medieval castles, a fortress and many monasteries. Several of the ancient villages have interesting geometric patterns on the walls and houses.
- Kos
The island of Kos has both a third-century Roman villa complete with intact mosaics and a fifteenth-century castle.
When you get tired of touring these impressive sites, head for one of the many beautiful beaches.
- Santorini
The buildings of Santorini, examples of Cycladic architecture, are what most people picture when they think of Greece. The island is full of stunning white buildings with blue roofs.
Surrounded by remnants of ancient volcanoes, the beaches are uniquely made up of white, black and red lava pebbles.
- Mykonos- Interesting Islands
Mykonos has become known as the party island. During the summer days, there are beach bars and plenty of DJs to contribute to the fun atmosphere.
If you go at another time of year or if you just want to see more than the beaches, Mykonos also has plenty of shops, museums and windmills, many of which were built in the sixteenth century.
- Elafonisos
The name of this island translates to “Paul’s Stone” and refers to one of the Christian apostles who visited the island during the first century A.D.
The beaches here are quiet and have pink sand and clear water. Although it seems unlikely, if you tire of the beach, you can visit Pavlopetri, which is the archeological site of an ancient sunken city.
Although one of the smaller Greek islands, it is one of the most beautiful and has even been compared to Heaven. The inner island is just as gorgeous as the beaches and is covered with enough wildflowers to make any naturalist happy.
Taking a ferry between islands can be almost as much fun as exploring the islands themselves. The full beauty of the ocean and islands will present itself to you as you island-hop. Greek islands are the perfect destinations for complete relaxation as well as fun.
