Best Places to Visit in the Greek Islands (And How to Bring Them Home)
The Greek Islands are unlike anywhere else on earth. The light is different — golden and impossibly clear, bouncing off whitewashed walls and cobalt domes in a way that makes every view look like a painting. Once you've been, you spend the rest of your life trying to get back.
Here are the most beautiful places to visit in the Greek Islands — and how to bring that feeling home.
1. Santorini
No list of the Greek Islands would be complete without Santorini. White cubic houses, iconic blue-domed churches and the endless shimmer of the Aegean below — it's one of the most photographed places on earth and every bit as beautiful in real life. Watch the sunset from Oia and you'll understand why people come back year after year.
2. Mykonos
Whitewashed streets, iconic windmills and a vibrant energy that makes Mykonos unlike any other Greek island. Beyond the famous nightlife lies a genuinely beautiful town — Little Venice with its waterside houses, bougainvillea tumbling over ancient walls and the most stunning sunsets in the Cyclades.
3. Kefalonia
If Santorini is Greece's most famous island, Kefalonia is its most breathtaking. Dramatic limestone cliffs, the impossibly turquoise waters of Myrtos Beach and a wild, unspoiled beauty that feels like a secret the rest of the world hasn't quite found yet. Captain Corelli's Mandolin was set here for very good reason.
4. Hydra
No cars, no motorbikes — just stone mansions, cobblestone streets and a harbour so beautiful it stops you in your tracks. Hydra is the Greek island that time forgot, and all the better for it. Artists, writers and travellers have been coming here for decades to find exactly what the rest of Greece is slowly losing.
5. Rhodes
One of the largest Greek islands, Rhodes offers a remarkable mix of medieval history and stunning beaches. The Old Town — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is a labyrinth of cobbled streets and ancient walls. Beyond the town, turquoise coves and golden beaches stretch for miles.
6. Corfu
The greenest of the Greek Islands, Corfu has a lushness that sets it apart from the sun-bleached Cyclades. Venetian architecture, olive groves, emerald water and a gentleness that makes it one of the most beloved islands in Greece. Gerald Durrell immortalised it in My Family and Other Animals — read it before you go.
7. Naxos
The largest of the Cyclades and arguably the most underrated. Naxos has everything — ancient ruins, a beautiful medieval kastro, long sandy beaches and mountain villages where traditional Greek life continues unchanged. Far fewer crowds than Santorini or Mykonos, and all the more charming for it.
Bring the Greek Islands Home
Can't get enough of Greece? Our Greek Islands watercolour print collection captures the most beautiful destinations in the Aegean — from the cobalt domes of Santorini to the timeless harbour of Hydra. Each print is made to order on premium fine art paper with free UK shipping.