Move Over Santorini! These 2 Stunning Greek Islands Have Smaller Crowds
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Even should you’ve by no means laid eyes on it earlier than, you possibly can most likely simply describe Santorini with precision: everyone knows it for the whitewashed, cliffside homes, caldera resorts with outside plunge swimming pools overlooking the Aegean… and the crowds.
Oh, the crowds.
We cannot deceive you: Greece’s most well-known Cycladic gem is certainly attractive, however the degree of mass tourism it faces would make you might have second ideas about coming this yr, set to be the busiest but, particularly if you cannot stand lengthy strains and overpriced providers.
Fortunately, Santorini is not the only Greek island to have all these superb options.
A brief 2-3 hour ferry experience away, there are two alternate options yet to be spoiled by the lots, the place yow will discover dreamy boutique resorts 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 crammed with gin-colored waters, and full with blue-dome church buildings and archeological zones.
Its major port city, which is the entry level for vacationers arriving through ferry, boasts a excessive focus of eating places the place you possibly can eat affordably for round $15, with Oh Hamos being significantly standard for recent Greek salads and pasta and the family-run Lydia for his or her freshly-caught fish.
Different standard 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 actually mind-blown? Be sure Sarakiniko Seaside is in your to-do checklist: a collective of small, ashen-white coastal cliffs lining the Aegean Sea; it’s the major purpose 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 smooth, heat golden sands and crystal-clear seas.
Now, if it is the tradition you are most keen about, the hilltop village of Trypiti ought to 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 & Historical Temples
Some 100 nautical miles northeast of Milos, Naxos is one more hidden gem of the Cyclades island group that Santorini-obsessed vacationers usually 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 title after its capital, alternatively known as Chora, a stupendous coastal settlement crammed along with your ordinary successive uphill rows of cube-shaped white homes, interrupted solely briefly by the intrusion of Venetian-style mansions and topped with a Thirteenth-century fortress.
Naxos City is one of the best spot on the island to be based mostly 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 affords a large choice of eating places and lodging.
Shock, resorts listed below are nowhere close to as costly as Santorini, regardless of Naxos being simply as attractive!
This Polis of Naxos boutique lodge, as an example, positioned 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, 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 very best 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 primary ferry strains working on this route are Seajets, normally the quickest, with as much as 7 weekly crossings, Aegean Sea Traces, which carries passengers from all around the Cyclades to the Greek mainland, twice every week, and the slowest of them, Zante Ferry, with 6 weekly visits to Milos.
Alternatively, you possibly can 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 day by day, with the island serviced by Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Traces 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 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 Categorical, flying from Athens to Naxos will set you again by roughly $47 when booked prematurely.
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