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34 best Greek islands to visit in 2025 – handpicked by our expert
If there’s one thing to know about the Greek islands, it’s that you can never truly know them all. Not only are there more than 200 inhabited islands – big, small, well-connected and utterly remote – scattered across the Aegean, Mediterranean and Ionian seas, but many of them are changing. Fast.
Old-time favourites Mykonos and Santorini remain popular, but many of their Cycladic sisters – Paros, Milos, Naxos and Folegandros, all long-time favourites with Greeks – are quickly creeping onto the radar of international travellers too, thanks to thoughtful new Greek island hotels that might even be considered some of the best hotels in Greece as a whole. Alongside them, an ever-growing roster of restaurants and bars.
Other Greek islands – Kastellorizo, Kythnos, Astypalea – remain somewhat hush-hush, mainly frequented by in-the-know locals reluctant to share their secrets, while islands such as Patmos and Leros are slowly making their way onto it-lists with global art, design and fashion crowds.
Yet still, there are many more islands to choose from. Whether your holiday checklist consists of securing a table at a restaurant hotspot and dancing all night at a beach bar, hiking lush forests stopping at ancient archeological sites, or lazing on small beach coves before eating a toes-in-the-sand meal at a local taverna, there’s a Greek island to suit the bill. Better still, on lots of them you’ll find it all, and the Greek islands have a long season in the sun; the hottest months are July and August, but temperatures hover in the mid-20 degrees Celsius throughout shoulder-season months too (May, June, September, October). These are 35 of our tried and tested favourite islands in Greece.
JUMP TO: Which is the nicest Greek island to visit? | Which Greek island is Katie Silcox’s favourite to visit? | Which Greek island is Sarah Allard’s favourite to visit?
How we choose the best Greek islands
We take the Greek islands seriously, so we’ve partnered with our Greece expert, Katie Silcox, to curate a list of the 34 best islands in Greece. Our island recommendations, hotels, villas, and Airbnb choices are hand-picked by Katie, Conde Nast Traveller’s digital director Sarah Allard, or our well-travelled journalists, who have a deep knowledge of each island. We’ve spent time exploring the island to discover the best beaches, restaurants, and things to do while working with locals to ensure we keep our recommendations as fresh and up-to-date as possible.
While we love and highly recommend every island on this list – and advocate visiting all of them throughout your lifetime, if you can – we’ve also arranged the list so if it’s your first time planning a visit to this magical corner of the world, or you want to branch out from your usual summer isle trip, we can help you choose where to go next. The order below reflects our well-travelled team’s personal opinions and the landscapes, food, beaches, hotels, and more.
See our round-up of the best Greek island hotels for more recommendations on where to stay.
This article has been updated since its original publication date.
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