The Greek Islands — What Now NYC

Greece is known for its islands. There are 6,000 islands throughout the country but only 227 that are inhabited. They are geographically grouped in clusters: The Argo-Saronic islands which are the closest to Athens, (think Aegina, Spetses, Hydra, Poros, Agistri etc.), the Cyclades islands which are arguably the most famous of all the islands because they include Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos etc. the North Aegean islands that are off the west coast of Turkey, the Dodecanese islands, the Sporades Islands (which includes Skopelos, where “Mama Mia” was filmed) and then on the other side you have the Ionian Islands with a more Italian influence. And then there is Crete. Ah Crete…we all know how I feel about Crete (enter huge heart emoji here). The islands are quintessentially Greece. People flock from near and far to come to the iconic blue and white homes of the Cyclades, or the Green and Turquoise shores of the Sporades. Besides the amazing beaches and sun laden days, the islands offer history, architecture, religion, museums and the peace of quaint small town life.

It seems everyone is coming to Greece these past few years. The countless times I have received messages from friends, former clients and family asking me for my reccomendations makes me realize how popular Greece still is and actually how much more popular it is becoming, even in the winter months. The season on the islands is expanding well into November and starting as early as April. It has reached the point where I tell people if they can come in October or May this is best. Less crowds, less heat, less traffic. One of Greece’s biggest problems is that there are too many cars. Traffic everywhere and it is especially apparent in the southern riviera of Athens when tourists are trying to make it down to the beaches and to Sounion.

People are constantly asking my advice on where to go. This is what I say. Everyone should see Santorini at least once in their lifetime. It is a place unlike any other, picture perfect from a story book. True, now it is mobbed by tourists and not nearly as authentic and charming as it once was but the essence is still there. I tell them to go but then get out. I suppose if you are on your honeymoon and in love you can spend a bit more time there, but even then I would say 3 days max. Mykonos, we all know it’s the party island. Many Greeks rave about the island and I think they remember it from a time before all of the tourism. For first timers, the trio I have been recommending lately has been Athens, fly to Crete and then high speed ferry (2 1/2 hours) to Santorini. To me, this is the perfect way to see Greece in all its glory. True, Crete is not quite Greece, they were not even part of Greece until the early 90’s but I find it such an amazing place that I always recommend it. The 2nd option for first timers is to pick a few of the Cyclades islands and just focus on that. It’s a good start. Think of the Greek ferry system as the NYC subway, you want to stay on the same line or else it’s too hard because you have to come back to Athens to switch. There are so many islands that it can become overwhelming so I say pick a group that has easy ferry access, and for first timers, this is the Cyclades. These islands include 29 and many are very obscure and not known, the more popular ones however include: Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos, Paros, Antiparos, Syros, Milos, Serifos, Andros, Ios, Delos (day trip from Mykonos), Kythnos, Sifnos, Amorgos, Folegandros, Kea and Koufonisi. I had been to only 3 until I went to Syros Island a couple weeks ago. I will expand more on that in another post. My life goal is to make it to each of the inhabited islands. I have quite a ways to go! I look forward to documenting my travels along the way and sharing them with you.