Greek Islands

The Greek Islands are 6,000 islands scattered across the Aegean and Ionian seas, of which 227 are inhabited and about 20 are on the average traveller's list. Santorini and Crete are the two that justify the flights, the ferry tickets, and the sunburn, and together with Athens they form a triangle that covers 4,000 years of history, the best beaches in the Mediterranean, and food that costs half what it does in Western Europe. Athens anchors the trip with the Acropolis, the ancient Agora, and the Plaka neighbourhood where the restaurants are tourist-facing but the rooftop bars with Parthenon views at sunset are worth every euro. Santorini is the volcanic island that collapsed into the sea and left behind the caldera cliffs, the white villages, and the sunsets that launched a million Instagram accounts. Crete is the big one: large enough to drive for hours, diverse enough to offer pink sand beaches, 16 km gorges, Minoan palaces, and tavernas where the raki arrives free and the menu is whatever the kitchen cooked that morning. The ferries connect them in a loop, and the rhythm of island-hopping is part of the experience: deck chairs on the morning ferry, watching the Cyclades appear as white specks on the horizon, arriving at a new port with a bag and a hotel booking and nothing else planned. The food shifts as you move: Athens does souvlaki and mezze, Santorini does fava and volcanic wine, and Crete does dakos and slow-cooked lamb with olive oil so thick and green it barely pours. The costs drop as you move from Santorini (the most expensive island) to Crete (one of the most affordable), and the crowds thin as you move east.