Greek food and café towns off the beaten path.
Less-touristed food and café towns in Greece, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
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…
Kyparissia
This compact waterfront town on the northwestern Peloponnese, Kyparissia has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, an unusual density of c…
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…
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…
Kalavryta
This small mountain town in the Achaea region of Greece, Kalavryta sits on the bank of the Vouraikos river at the foot of the Aroania (Chelmos) range and ser…
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…
Kalabaka
The gateway town for the Meteora monasteries — a UNESCO World Heritage site set atop dramatic rock formations just outside town — Kalabaka sits at the foot o…
Kastoria
Built on a peninsula that juts into Lake Orestiada in the mountains of northern Greece, Kastoria is a little town with an unusual concentration of Byzantine…
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…
Florina
A walkable town in the wooded highlands of Western Macedonia, Florina sits alongside the Sakoulevas River, whose banks are lined with listed buildings and ca…
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…
Karpenisi
Karpenisi is the highest-elevation regional capital in Greece, a small town in the southern Pindus Mountains set along the Karpenisiotis river with Mount Tym…
Karystos
A waterfront town on the southern tip of Euboea, Karystos has a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, vineyards in the surrounding countrysi…
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…
Steni Dhirfios
A village on the slopes of Mount Dirfys in central Euboea, Steni Dhirfios has a notably lively café and restaurant scene for its size, along with a concentra…
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…
Pramanta
This mountain village in the Athamanika range of Epirus, northwestern Greece, Pramanta has a notably dense cluster of churches and a café and restaurant scen…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Arta
Arta's medieval stone bridge over the Arachthos River — the subject of a well-known Greek folk poem — is the most recognisable landmark of this northwestern…
Ammoudia
This small fishing village on the Ionian coast of northwestern Greece where the river Acheron meets the sea, Ammoudia carries an unusually dense café and res…
Sidirokastro
A pocket-sized Greek town on the Krousovitis River with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size, Sidirokastro also holds a medieval stone cas…
Finikounda
Tiny seaside village on the southwestern tip of the Peloponnese, Finikounda sits directly on the water and is known for its beaches, which draw Greek and Eur…
Aigio
A port town on the Gulf of Corinth in the northern Peloponnese, Aigio pairs a walkable centre dense with historic churches and a lively food-and-drink scene…
Lixouri
This waterfront town on the Paliki peninsula is the second-largest settlement on Kefalonia, with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its size.
Kardamyli
A modest waterfront village on the Mani Peninsula in the southern Peloponnese, Kardamyli carries an outsized café and restaurant scene for its size, along wi…
Chios
The port capital of the Greek island of Chios sits on the eastern coast facing the Turkish shore, with a walkable centre dense with cafés, restaurants, and h…
Nea Flogita
Coastal village in Chalkidiki founded in 1923 by refugees from Anatolia, Nea Flogita sits on a hill above the Thermaikos Gulf with views across the water to…
Amfissa
Sitting between Mount Giona and Mount Parnassus at the edge of the Crissaean olive plain, Amfissa is the administrative seat of Phocis and a small Greek town…
Pyrgos
A regional capital in the northwestern Peloponnese built across seven low hills, Pyrgos sits a short distance from the Ionian Sea and serves as the administr…
Grevena
Known informally as the "Mushroom City" for the area's strong tradition of mushroom cultivation, Grevena is a small town in the mountains of Western Macedoni…
Ladochori
This tiny Greek hamlet on the Epirus waterfront, Ladochori is unusually rich for its size with a lively café and dining scene, an impressive cluster of churc…
Pavliani
A tiny Greek hamlet in Phthiotis that punches above its size with a small café and dining scene, set at the water's edge with upland country close by and a U…
Kapesovo
Tiny stone-built hamlet in the Epirus highlands of Greece, Kapesovo rewards visitors with several historic churches, scenic viewpoints over rugged upland cou…
Trikala
A compact Greek hamlet in the Corinthia uplands that punches above its weight with a lively café and dining scene, several historic churches, easy access to…