9 lesser-known Greek islands for finding peace & nature

Ben West

The majority of holidaymakers to the Greek islands focus on the most popular ones such as Mykonos, Santorini, Crete and Corfu^*. Yet Greece has 227 inhabited islands, and a further approximately 1,300 to 5,800 uninhabited ones, depending on what you class as an island.

Pretty Assos, Kefalonia © Lucian Bolca - Adobe Stock Image

The best-known ones can be expensive and get very crowded, especially in peak season, and it is common for cruise ships to queue up to moor during the summer months.

While the most beloved islands certainly have much to commend them, there are many more waiting to be discovered. They all have their own distinct personalities, cultures, habits, landscapes, climates, cuisines, clothes and music.

Not to mention differing histories, with invaders and occupiers including the Minoans, Romans, Venetians and Ottomans, who have all left their mark. Here, we look at some of the most enticing, lesser-known Greek islands you can discover on your next break.

Getting to Greece: browse the current online offers on holidays to Greece with TUI^*, which departs from airports across the UK.

Evia

With its proximity to Athens and easy access by road or ferry, it's surprising how little known Evia is to non-Greeks, especially as it is the second-largest island in Greece after Crete^*.

It boasts rolling hills, chestnut forests, olive groves and vineyards, and golden-sand beaches, many of which chances are you'll have to yourself.

Cool off in Drymonas Waterfall, Evia © Gatsi - Adobe Stock Image

It's peppered with archaeological remains, including an 11th-century Byzantine fortress, a Roman Kylindroi (cylinder) quarry dating from the 1st century BCE where huge columns remain, and dragon houses; megalithic structures buried deep in the mountains.

Climate in Evia

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	12	13	15	19	24	29	32	31	28	22	18	14
Hours of sunshine (daily)	4	5	6	8	10	11	12	11	9	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	8	9	8	7	5	2	1	2	2	6	9	10
Sea temperature °C	15	14	14	15	18	22	25	26	25	22	20	17

Kythnos

Tourists are still quite a rarity on this island in the Western Cyclades, and it's mainly popular as a weekend getaway for Greeks, being no more than two hours by ferry from Athens^*.

Its south is almost uninhabited, although the capital, Chora, or Mesaria, has some nightlife, having several bars and restaurants.

With 60 miles / 100 km of coastline, there are plenty of good beaches to choose from, and a few traditional villages to explore, such as Agios Dimitrios and Dryopida. In the north, at Loutra, you can take a therapeutic plunge into the thermal springs.

Climate in Kythnos

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	13	13	15	18	22	26	28	27	25	21	18	15
Hours of sunshine (daily)	4	5	7	8	10	13	14	13	10	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	10	9	8	6	3	1	1	1	1	4	8	11
Sea temperature °C	15	15	15	16	18	22	23	24	23	21	18	16

Thirasia

The surprising thing about this completely unspoilt island in the Cyclades, hardly touched by tourism, is that it is only a 10-minute ferry ride from Santorini^*, which welcomes about 3.4 million visitors each year.

There aren't many sights on Thirasia, and only a handful of eateries or places to stay, but eBiking around the island is exhilarating, with very little traffic.

There's a handful of little, unpretentious tavernas, abandoned cave villages and remote churches to discover. It's perfect for hiking and has near-deserted beaches.

Climate in Thirasia

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	14	14	16	19	22	26	28	27	25	22	19	16
Hours of sunshine (daily)	4	5	6	8	10	13	13	12	10	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	11	10	8	5	3	1	1	1	1	4	8	12
Sea temperature °C	16	16	16	16	19	22	23	24	24	22	19	17

Karpathos

The second-largest of the Dodecanese islands, roughly halfway between Rhodes^* and Crete (and an approximately four-hour ferry from the first, and seven hours from the second), Karpathos is even under the radar for many Greeks.

It has more than 200 beaches to choose from, as well as more than 120 miles / 200 km of hiking paths. The twisting, narrow mountain roads lead to scenic villages such as Mesochóri, with its whitewashed houses and Arkasa, which has been inhabited for 3,000 years.

Steeped in tradition, it is not uncommon for women to wear colourful traditional clothing day-to-day on the northern side of the island; many families still shepherd and farm for a living.

Climate in Karpathos

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	14	15	16	19	23	27	29	29	27	23	19	16
Hours of sunshine (daily)	5	6	7	8	10	13	13	13	11	8	6	5
Days with some rainfall	13	12	9	6	4	2	2	2	2	5	8	13
Sea temperature °C	17	16	16	17	19	22	24	25	24	23	20	18

Folegandros

After a few days battling the crowds on Santorini, it's a blessed relief to land on this tranquil island in the Southern Cyclades after an 80-minute ferry crossing.

With its little harbour with just a handful of colourful boats and cosy tavernas, and a sleepy main town with pretty white stone houses, narrow alleyways, low-key hotels and villas, attractive squares and churches, it feels like going back in time to how many Greek islands would have been like 40 or 50 years ago.

Climate in Folegandros

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	14	14	16	19	22	26	28	27	25	22	19	16
Hours of sunshine (daily)	4	5	6	8	10	13	13	12	10	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	11	10	8	5	3	1	1	1	1	4	8	12
Sea temperature °C	16	16	16	16	19	22	23	24	24	22	19	17

Poros

Located close to Athens on the Saronic Gulf and about 80 minutes by ferry from there, Poros is made up of two islands: Kalavria and Sferia, which are connected by a small bridge.

In attractive Poros Town, terracotta-roofed buildings ascend the hillside while the seafront is lined with neoclassical buildings and narrow streets reveal traditional tavernas, local cafés and small boutiques.

If you're culturally inclined, there's an archaeological museum, the 18th-century Zoodochos Pigi Monastery, and archaeological sites such as the Temple of Poseidon, dating from 520 BCE. With its great beaches, Poros is a good base for water sports; hiking and biking through its pine woods is also popular.

Climate in Poros

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	12	12	14	17	22	26	30	29	26	21	17	13
Hours of sunshine (daily)	5	5	6	8	9	11	13	12	9	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	14	13	11	11	8	3	2	2	4	9	13	15
Sea temperature °C	16	15	15	16	19	22	24	26	25	23	20	17

Syros

Most cruise ships, thankfully, give this island in the Cyclades a swerve in favour of nearby Mykonos^*, and it is mainly Greeks who holiday here.

The attractive, easygoing 19th-century capital, Ermapoulis, is home to marble squares and elegant neoclassical buildings as well as lots of excellent tavernas and even an opera house.

If you have the energy, especially on a hot day, walk up the twisting lanes of the old town to either the Orthodox or the Catholic church, so prominent on the skyline. There are regular festivals in and around the town, including ones for dance, animation, film, digital art, jazz and classical music. It's a two-hour ferry from Athens.

Climate in Syros

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	13	13	15	18	22	26	28	27	25	21	18	15
Hours of sunshine (daily)	4	5	7	8	10	13	14	13	10	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	10	9	8	6	3	1	1	1	1	4	8	11
Sea temperature °C	15	15	15	16	18	22	23	24	23	21	18	16

Thassos

The northernmost of the islands, located in the North Aegean 90 miles / 150 km east of Thessaloniki, Thassos is also one of the greenest.

Just a 40-minute ferry from the Macedonian city of Kavala, there are mountain villages, pine forests and ancient ruins to explore, and a host of hiking and biking tracks; but it's also an idyllic island to laze away the days on the crowd-less white-sand beaches.

Hotels are generally low-key and relatively inexpensive. Unlike many Greek islands, it also has a decent bus service, if you further want to keep costs down.

Climate in Thassos

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	7	8	11	16	21	26	28	28	24	18	13	9
Hours of sunshine (daily)	4	5	6	8	9	11	12	11	9	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	9	8	8	7	8	6	4	4	4	6	8	9
Sea temperature °C	12	12	12	14	18	22	25	26	23	20	17	14

Kefalonia

Given that Louis de Bernières' novel and subsequent 2001 blockbuster film, Captain Corelli's Mandolin put the Ionian^* island of Kefalonia on the map, it's perhaps surprising that it's still relatively quiet.

Unlike many of the busiest Greek islands, where tourism has been booming since the 1960s, Kefalonia kept itself to itself until the late 1980s, so it had developed differently.

Highlights include beautiful, crescent-shaped Myrtos and pine-fringed Horgota beaches, as well as Mount Ainos National Park where wild horses roam.

There are historic villages such as Assos, with its Venetian fortress, and Fiskardo^*, known for its lively marina, which is also ideal for snorkelling.

You can fly direct from the UK and Athens or take a ferry from Kyllini, Patra or Astakos in western Greece, as well as Bari in Italy.

Climate in Kefalonia

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum daytime temperature °C	13	13	15	18	23	27	30	30	27	22	18	15
Hours of sunshine (daily)	5	5	6	7	9	11	13	12	9	7	5	4
Days with some rainfall	14	13	11	10	7	3	2	2	4	10	13	15
Sea temperature °C	16	15	15	16	19	22	24	26	25	22	20	17

Ready to discover Greece's quieter side? Find the latest offers on escapes to destinations across Greece with TUI.

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Ben West

Ben has written for many publications including The New York Times, The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian and The FT. He has also written a number of books, including the Bradt Guide to Cameroon. Ben covers many subjects such as travel, the arts, health and property, and has even penned a popular stage play.

Posted on Thursday 5th June 2025 in: Europe Excursions Nature

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Greece - quick facts
Flight time^✝	3.5 to 8.5 hours
Time difference	UK +2 hours
Language(s)	Greek
Currency	Euro
Electricity	C + F plug (230V)
Driving side	Right
Why visit?	Beaches Culture Nature Nightlife
Tourist info	Greek National Tourism Organisation

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