Greek coast and islands off the beaten path.
Less-touristed coastal towns and islands in Greece, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Chaniotis
Waterfront village on the Kassandra peninsula in Chalkidiki, Greece, with a café and restaurant scene that outpunches its modest size and a coastline of beac…
Gytheio
The ancient seaport of Sparta, Gytheio sits on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese, its waterfront lined with cafés and resta…
Litochoro
The main gateway to climbing Mount Olympus, Litochoro sits at the base of Greece's highest mountain on the western shore of the Thermaic Gulf, with nearly al…
Nafpaktos
Known in the West as Lepanto, this modest Greek town on the north shore of the Gulf of Corinth was the site of the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, the decisive Holy…
Plomari
A coastal town on the southern shore of Lesbos, Plomari sits right at the water with mountains close behind and an unusually dense concentration of cafés, re…
Sikinos
This quiet Cycladic island between Ios and Folegandros was known in antiquity as Oenoe — Island of Wine — and carries an unusual density of religious archite…
Myrina
A waterfront capital of the Greek island of Lemnos, in the North Aegean, Myrina has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, a strong concent…
Tyros
This pocket-sized coastal village in the Peloponnese where the Parnon mountains meet the Myrtoan Sea, Tyros is one of the older naval settlements in the regi…
Rovies
This compact seaside village on the western coast of Euboea, Greece, Rovies sits directly on the water with mountains close behind, giving it a strong visual…
Amarynthos
This coastal town on Euboea's southern gulf, Amarynthos has a tiny central core with cafés and restaurants along the waterfront, and the surrounding plain st…
Aitoliko
Built on a modest island rooted in the middle of the Aitoliko-Messolonghi lagoon, this modest Greek town connects to the mainland on both sides by stone arch…
Limenaria
Waterfront village on the southern end of the Greek island of Thasos, Limenaria has drawn summer visitors since the 1960s.
Kamena Vourla
A little seaside town on the coast of central Greece's Phthiotis region, Kamena Vourla has a café and restaurant scene that outpunches its size, making it a…
Skyros
This small island capital in the Aegean sits right on the water, with an unusual density of cafés, restaurants, and churches for a village its size.
Neapoli
This compact coastal town at the southern tip of the Malea peninsula in Laconia, Neapoli has a lively café and restaurant scene and a striking number of chur…
Amfilochia
This modest town on the Ambracian Gulf in northwestern Greece, Amfilochia sits on the site of ancient Amfilochia and retains traces of two ancient cities — A…
Skopelos
This little port town serves as the capital of Skopelos island in the Sporades, with an unusual density of cafés, restaurants, and churches for a settlement…
Mithymna
This waterfront village on the northwest coast of Lesbos, Mithymna — still widely known by its older name Molyvos — sits beneath a medieval fortress that ris…
Koroni
This little Peloponnese town on the Gulf of Messinia, Koroni is known for its Venetian castle rising above the waterfront, the olive oil variety Koroneiki, a…
Sigri
This pocket-sized fishing village at the western tip of Lesbos with a natural harbour sheltered by the islet of Nissiopi, Sigri sits right on the water and h…
Polichnitos
Pocket-sized village on the central south coast of Lesbos, facing the Bay of Kalloni, Polichnitos has a handful of cafés and restaurants and several historic…
Hydra
A densely built Greek island village where whitewashed and terracotta-roofed houses climb a steep hillside above the water, with a lively café and restaurant…
Nea Selefkia
This small coastal village just outside Igoumenitsa in the Thesprotia region of northwestern Greece, Nea Selefkia sits right on the water and has a handful o…
Mytilene
A port town on the southeast coast of Lesbos with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and historic churches, Mytilene has served as the island's…
Xylokastro
Modest seaside town on the Gulf of Corinth in the Peloponnese, Xylokastro draws weekend visitors from Athens with a long white-pebbled beach, a marina, and a…
Leipsoi
Compact Greek island in the northern Dodecanese, Leipsoi sits between Patmos and Leros and is well connected by ferry from Piraeus.
Evdilos
This tiny port village on the northern coast of Ikaria in the North Aegean, Evdilos was once the island's first capital and today serves as its second port.
Kymi
This small coastal town on the island of Euboea, built on a hill above its port village of Kymi Beach, has an unusual concentration of churches for its size…
Agios Nikolaos, Halkidiki
A waterfront village on the Sithonia peninsula in Halkidiki, Agios Nikolaos has a café and restaurant scene that runs well beyond what its size would suggest…
Loutra Aidipsou
This compact Greek waterfront town on Evia island, where white and terracotta-roofed buildings line a calm sea strait at sunset, with a dramatic mountain sil…
Vonitsa
Small beach town on the south coast of the Ambracian Gulf in northwestern Greece, Vonitsa has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, a conc…
Astakos
This pocket-sized waterfront town on a bay along the eastern shore of the Ionian Sea, Astakos sits at the foot of the Acarnanian Mountains in western Greece.
Preveza
This walkable port town on the northern tip of the Ambracian Gulf in Epirus, northwestern Greece, Preveza has a dense food-and-drink scene along its promenad…
Eretria
This waterfront town on Euboea facing the Attic coast across the South Euboean Gulf, Eretria was among the most significant Greek city-states of the 6th and…
Telendos
This car-free Greek island in the Dodecanese sits just off the coast of Kalymnos, separated from it by a 6th-century earthquake that split what was once a si…
Loutraki
Spa resort on the Gulf of Corinth known for its natural mineral springs and thermal baths — officially recognised as a spa town since 1925 — Loutraki also dr…
Dispilio
Village on the shore of Lake Orestiada in Western Macedonia, Greece, Dispilio is the site of a Neolithic lakeshore settlement built on an artificial island —…
Pefki
This small Greek coastal hamlet on northern Evia's Aegean shore, where a sweeping sandy bay with vivid blue water, wooded hillsides, a small harbour, and a s…
Vourvourou
A small seasonal resort village on the Sithonia peninsula of Chalkidiki, northern Greece, Vourvourou sits directly on the water with several beaches — includ…
Platamonas
Well-preserved medieval castle with crenellated walls and a round tower crowns a wooded headland above the Aegean in this small Greek seaside resort, where f…
Skiathos
This small Aegean island town has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, with scenic viewpoints across the surrounding sea and hills.
Skala Eresou
Small seaside village on the Greek island of Lesbos with a beach that has repeatedly won the Blue Flag award, Skala Eresou has an unusually dense café and re…
Gefyra
Compact Greek village on a sheltered bay, with terracotta-roofed buildings spread along the waterfront beneath dramatic rocky mountains, and a lively café an…
Vrisa
A village on the southern part of Lesbos whose name traces back to the Trojan War — one of two girls Agamemnon is said to have taken from the island — Vrisa…
Agiasos
A village on the slopes of Mount Olympos in Lesbos with an unusual concentration of cafés, restaurants, and churches for its size, Agiasos is also a designat…
Volos
Port city on the Gulf of Pagasae in Thessaly, Volos is known for an exceptionally dense café and restaurant scene along its waterfront, with vineyards in the…
Neos Marmaras
Small waterfront town on the Sithonia peninsula in Chalkidiki, Neos Marmaras has a café and restaurant scene that punches well above its size, particularly i…
Molos
A low-rise Greek town of white and terracotta-roofed houses sits directly on a calm blue gulf, with cargo ships on the water and mountain ridges rising acros…
Patitiri
The capital and harbour of Alonnisos in the Sporades archipelago, Patitiri sits at the water's edge in the southern part of the island, with a café and resta…
Agia Anna
This village on the northern part of the Greek island of Euboea with one of the longest beaches in Europe — stretching around seven kilometres — and a reputa…
Parga
This tiny Ionian coast resort town in Epirus, northwestern Greece, Parga sits on a hillside above the sea between Igoumenitsa and Preveza, with an unusually…
Lefkada
Sun-warmed Ionian island capital with colourful Venetian-influenced townhouses lining a cobbled central square, a church bell tower steps away, and a café an…
Sykia
This coastal village at the southern tip of the Sithonia peninsula in Chalkidiki, Sykia sits directly on the water with mountain terrain close by.
Stamna
This hillside village in western Greece's Aetolia-Acarnania region, Stamna sits on low hills between the Acheloos river and a coastal bay, with stone-built h…
Vasiliko
This pocket-sized town on the coast of central Euboea, Greece, sits close to mountains and holds an unusual number of historic churches for its size.
Sagiada
This little coastal village in Thesprotia, Epirus, sitting at the westernmost point of mainland Greece, with a waterfront position and a handful of cafés and…
Itilo
One of the oldest settlements on the Mani Peninsula, Itilo sits directly on the water in the southern Peloponnese and carries a history stretching back to Ho…
Corcyra
Corcyra was an ancient Greek city on the island of Corfu, founded as a Corinthian colony during the Archaic period and positioned as a key port for ships sai…
Longos
This modest village on the Gulf of Corinth in the Peloponnese's Achaea region carries an unusually dense spread of tavernas, restaurants, and café-bars for i…
Maroneia
Vineyards have defined Maroneia since Homeric times — this is the wine said to have intoxicated the Cyclops Polyphemus in the Odyssey — and the slopes of Mou…