Best islands to visit in Greece: how to pick yours by island group, season and budget

Short answer: the best islands to visit in Greece for most first-timers are in the Cyclades: Naxos for real villages and long sandy beaches, Milos for the most dramatic coastline, Paros as an easy all-rounder, and Santorini for one or two nights of caldera views if you can live with the prices. For beaches and green hills, choose the Ionian (Kefalonia, Corfu, Zakynthos). For one big island with everything, choose Crete.

The trick is to choose your island group first. Islands in the same group are linked by frequent ferries; crossing between groups usually means long journeys or a flight back through Athens.

Step 1: pick your island group

Group descriptions follow Fit Nomads' breakdown (credited below) and Visit Greece's island guide.

Step 2: the islands creators actually rank highest

These are the creators' own experiences and opinions, credited to them. The links go to their full videos.

Fit Nomads, who say they've visited 12 islands so far, describe the Cyclades as perfect from May to October but a little windy in August, and the Ionian as greener, cooler and less windy, with some of the bluest water they've ever seen. They call Santorini double or even triple the price of other islands and so busy in June to August that it's probably not very enjoyable; May or September, with early starts, is better. Crete, they say, has the longest good-weather season, from March through November, and they found two weeks there wasn't nearly enough.

Lifestyle Hal ranked 18 islands they've visited and put Naxos first: "what Greece used to feel like", with long sandy beaches where you don't have to book a sunbed weeks ahead or pay €15 for it, and an old town that feels authentic in a way Hal says Santorini and Mykonos no longer do. Kefalonia came second, and the video says not to do it as a day trip: it needs at least a week. Hal calls Milos perhaps the most visually dramatic island in Greece, where every beach looks like a different landscape. Santorini came last.

Step 3: plan the ferries

Greece Travel Guide, whose hosts say they've spent more than 200 days on more than 40 Greek islands over ten years, call trying to fit too many islands in too little time the biggest mistake. Their pacing rule is at least three nights per island: two or three islands for 7 to 10 nights, three or four for 11 to 14 nights, four to six for 15 to 21 nights. Pick islands in the same group to cut ferry time, and save Athens for the end of the trip, when you're over the jet lag.

Greece Explained, made by a tour guide in Athens, explains the two kinds of ferry. Fast ferries (catamarans) are about twice as fast but about double the price, rougher on windy days, and often have no outdoor seating. Slow ferries are the nicer ride. Their advice on booking: fast ferries on popular routes such as Santorini to Mykonos or Santorini to Milos sell out, so book them two to three months ahead; slow ferries rarely sell out, except in August, when much of Greece heads to the islands. When you search, remember Athens' port is listed as Piraeus. And unlike flights, there's no extra charge for luggage.

What Greece now adds to your bill

• Climate resilience fee: since 2025, Law 5177/2025 charges a fee per room, per night (not per person), paid at the property. From April to October it's €2 for 1–2 star hotels and rented rooms, €5 for 3 star, €10 for 4 star and €15 for 5 star. Short-term rentals pay €8, or €15 for detached homes over 80 m². From November to March the rates drop to €0.50, €1.50, €3 and €4 (€2 or €4 for short-term rentals). A week in a 4-star hotel in July adds €70 to the bill.
• Cruise passenger fee: since 21 July 2025, cruise passengers who disembark on Santorini or Mykonos pay €20 from 1 June to 30 September, €12 in April, May and October, and €4 from November to March. Other ports charge €5, €3 and €1. Cruise lines usually collect it with your fare.
• Visas: Greece is in the Schengen area. Indian passport holders need a Schengen visa (€90 for adults, per the European Commission); UK and US visitors don't need a visa but are registered in the EU's Entry/Exit System. ETIAS isn't running yet.

Booking boat days: the best way to see the coastlines of Milos and Santorini is from the water. GetYourGuide lists Milos boat trips to Kleftiko and Polyaigos, Santorini caldera and volcano cruises and Naxos island tours. Boat trips get cancelled on windy days, so don't book one on the day before your ferry out.

Which islands I'd pick for your trip length

My take

I haven't been to the Greek islands. My take is drawn from the creators above, who have spent months there, and from the official fee rules, so weigh it that way.

If it's your first time, I'd make Naxos the base, not Santorini. Two creators independently point there for real villages, sandy beaches and fairer prices, and it's well connected by ferry to the rest of the Cyclades. I'd still add two or three nights in Santorini for the caldera, in May, June or September rather than July and August.

I'd skip Mykonos unless partying is the point, and I'd never try more than three islands in ten days. The three-nights rule from Greece Travel Guide is the single best piece of planning advice on this page.

For families, I'd choose the Ionian over the Cyclades. Calmer winds, greener landscapes and beach after beach make Kefalonia or Corfu easier with children than the windswept Cyclades in high summer.

And I'd budget for the new fees. At €10 a night for a 4-star room from April to October, the climate resilience fee isn't huge, but it's charged at checkout, and booking sites don't always show it.