Move Over Santorini! These 2 Stunning Greek Islands Have Smaller Crowds
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Even for those who’ve by no means laid eyes on it earlier than, you may in all probability simply describe Santorini with precision: everyone knows it for the whitewashed, cliffside homes, caldera lodges with out of doors plunge swimming pools overlooking the Aegean… and the crowds.
Oh, the crowds.
We cannot misinform you: Greece’s most well-known Cycladic gem is certainly beautiful, however the degree of mass tourism it faces would make you’ve second ideas about coming this 12 months, set to be the busiest but, particularly if you cannot stand lengthy traces and overpriced companies.
Fortunately, Santorini is not the only Greek island to have all these superb options.
A brief 2-3 hour ferry journey away, there are two alternate options yet to be spoiled by the lots, the place yow will discover dreamy boutique lodges at less expensive charges:
Milos
Lunar-Like Landscapes, Colourful Harbors & The Venus Of Milo
The southwesternmost island within the Cyclades, Milos, is an uncommon horseshoe-shaped island characterised by its lunar-like, village-dotted panorama, pure springs full of gin-colored waters, and full with blue-dome church buildings and archeological zones.
Its predominant port city, which is the entry level for vacationers arriving through ferry, boasts a excessive focus of eating places the place you may eat affordably for round $15, with Oh Hamos being significantly in style for recent Greek salads and pasta and the family-run Lydia for his or her freshly-caught fish.
Different in style cities for tourism embody Plaka, the island’s capital, and a maze of pathways line with blanche homes, Klima, with its harbor-facing homes with brightly-painted doorways, and the fishing village of Pollonia, well-known for its wonderful seafood and local-owned taverns.
Wanna be really mind-blown? Be certain that Sarakiniko Seashore is in your to-do checklist: a collective of small, ashen-white coastal cliffs lining the Aegean Sea; it’s the predominant motive why Milos could possibly be known as Greece’s Moon Island.
In case you’re right here primarily for the coastal vibes, Papafragas is to not be missed, both: discovered on the finish of a cavernous passage, this seashore has tender, heat golden sands and crystal-clear seas.
Now, if it is the tradition you are most enthusiastic about, the hilltop village of Trypiti ought to be a prime precedence: it options a big archeological zone comprising a partially-preserved Roman theater and the location the place the world-famous Venus of Milo (now exhibited within the Louvre Museum in Paris) was discovered.
Naxos
A Whitewashed Port, Lush Inland Nature & Historic Temples
Some 100 nautical miles northeast of Milos, Naxos is yet one more hidden gem of the Cyclades island group that Santorini-obsessed vacationers typically bypass––to their very own detriment.
Opposite to Milos, its terrain is rather more fertile, with lush mountains traversing its hinterland, and loads of visitor-friendly hikes resulting in tiny waterfalls that vacant into pure springs (try Routsouna), and a number of the most breathtaking viewpoints in Greece.
It is also well-known for being the house of the door-like Temple of Apollo, or what’s left of it, in addition to the deserted Hellenic settlement of Yria Naxos, relationship again 1000’s of years.
Naxos takes its title after its capital, alternatively referred to as Chora, a phenomenal coastal settlement crammed along with your regular successive uphill rows of cube-shaped white homes, interrupted solely briefly by the intrusion of Venetian-style mansions and topped with a Thirteenth-century citadel.
Naxos City is the most effective spot on the island to be based mostly in, not solely as a result of it’s linked by bus to different factors of curiosity, just like the sleepy village of Montsouna out east and the unspoiled sandy seashores to the south, however as a result of it provides a wide selection of eating places and lodging.
Shock, lodges listed here are nowhere close to as costly as Santorini, regardless of Naxos being simply as beautiful!
This Polis of Naxos boutique resort, for example, situated within the coronary heart of Chora, has in a single day charges from solely $93 an evening early this summer time, and over in Agios Prokopios, yet one more stylish space to remain in, Hotel Francesca is charging as little as $41 per evening.
How To Get To Milos And Naxos In 2025
The most effective time to go to Milos and Naxos is from April to mid-October, when temperatures are heat and nice sufficient, reaching their summer time highs in July and August––when connectivity between the islands is at its peak.
Through the off and excessive seasons, each Milos and Naxos are well-served by a mess of ferry routes linking them to different Greek islands, Santorini and Mykonos included, and even the mainland.
Getting From Santorini To Milos
The quickest ferry from Santorini to Milos takes 2 hours, whereas the longest completes the scenic crossing in 5 hours, and tickets common $16 to $81, relying on the route you go for and the velocity.
Three of the principle ferry traces working on this route are Seajets, normally the quickest, with as much as 7 weekly crossings, Aegean Sea Strains, which carries passengers from all around the Cyclades to the Greek mainland, twice per week, and the slowest of them, Zante Ferry, with 6 weekly visits to Milos.
Alternatively, you may fly on to Milos from Athens with SKY Specific, with tickets beginning at $54.
Getting From Santorini To Naxos
Going from Santorini to Naxos, ferries can be found each day, with the island serviced by Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Strains and Seajets.
Costs vary from $32 to $106, as seen on Ferryhopper, and the common crossing time is an appropriate 1h58.
Equally to Milos, Naxos has a small airport internet hosting solely home flights from bigger Greek mainland cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, and from Heraklion, the bustling capital of Crete, Greece’s largest island.
With SKY Specific, flying from Athens to Naxos will set you again by roughly $47 when booked upfront.
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