Move Over Santorini! These 2 Stunning Greek Islands Have Smaller Crowds
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Even in the event you’ve by no means laid eyes on it earlier than, you’ll be able to most likely simply describe Santorini with precision: everyone knows it for the whitewashed, cliffside homes, caldera lodges with outside plunge swimming pools overlooking the Aegean… and the crowds.
Oh, the crowds.
We cannot mislead you: Greece’s most well-known Cycladic gem is certainly attractive, 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 strains 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 you could find 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 stuffed with gin-colored waters, and full with blue-dome church buildings and archeological zones.
Its principal port city, which is the entry level for vacationers arriving by way of ferry, boasts a excessive focus of eating places the place you’ll be able to eat affordably for round $15, with Oh Hamos being significantly widespread for contemporary Greek salads and pasta and the family-run Lydia for his or her freshly-caught fish.
Different widespread 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 glorious seafood and local-owned taverns.
Wanna be really mind-blown? Be sure Sarakiniko Seaside is in your to-do listing: a collective of small, ashen-white coastal cliffs lining the Aegean Sea; it’s the principal motive why Milos might be known as Greece’s Moon Island.
Should 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 delicate, heat golden sands and crystal-clear seas.
Now, if it is the tradition you are most keen about, the hilltop village of Trypiti must be a high 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 few 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, courting again 1000’s of years.
Naxos takes its identify after its capital, alternatively referred to as Chora, a wonderful coastal settlement stuffed together with your standard successive uphill rows of cube-shaped white homes, interrupted solely briefly by the intrusion of Venetian-style mansions and topped with a Thirteenth-century fort.
Naxos City is the most effective spot on the island to be primarily based in, not solely as a result of it’s related 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 attractive!
This Polis of Naxos boutique resort, as an illustration, situated within the coronary heart of Chora, has in a single day charges from solely $93 an evening early this summer season, and over in Agios Prokopios, yet one more fashionable space to remain in, Hotel Francesca is charging as little as $41 per night time.
How To Get To Milos And Naxos In 2025
One of the best time to go to Milos and Naxos is from April to mid-October, when temperatures are heat and nice sufficient, reaching their summer season 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 pace.
Three of the principle ferry strains working on this route are Seajets, often 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’ll be able to fly on to Milos from Athens with SKY Categorical, 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 typical crossing time is a suitable 1h58.
Equally to Milos, Naxos has a small airport internet hosting completely 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 Categorical, flying from Athens to Naxos will set you again by roughly $47 when booked prematurely.
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