Greek mountain villages off the beaten path.
Less-touristed mountain villages in Greece, for travelers seeking fewer crowds but all the beauty.
Milea
This modest hamlet in the Ioannina regional unit of Epirus sits right on the water with mountain terrain close by, and carries a surprisingly active café and…
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…
Siatista
Mountain town in Western Macedonia that flourished as a prosperous Greek commercial centre during the Ottoman period, Siatista retains a dense concentration…
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…
Tsepelovo
High in the Tymfi mountain range within the Vikos–Aoös National Park, Tsepelovo is the largest of the 45 villages of the Zagori region in Epirus, and carries…
Samarina
A compact Greek mountain village in Western Macedonia, its red-roofed houses spread across a high valley floor backed by dense pine forests and snow-dusted p…
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.
Stemnitsa
A tiny mountain village in Arcadia, on the Peloponnese, Stemnitsa sits high on the western edge of the Mainalo mountains above the Lousios river gorge, with…
Konitsa
This pocket-sized mountain town in Epirus built on a slope of the Pindos range, Konitsa overlooks the valley where the Aoos and Voidomatis rivers meet and se…
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…
Pyli
Compact mountain village in the Trikala regional unit of Thessaly, Pyli sits directly on the water and has a handful of cafés, restaurants, and historic 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…
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…
Limni
A small coastal village on the North Euboean Gulf in northwestern Euboea, Limni sits at the foot of a mountain slope and offers a café and restaurant scene t…
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…
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…
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…
Eratyra
This densely built Greek mountain village of white-walled, red-tile-roofed houses spread across a broad valley, backed by sweeping bare ridgelines with wind…
Korakovouni
This Greek village of white-walled, red-roofed houses spread amphitheatrically across a hillside above dense olive groves, backed by the forested slopes of t…
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…
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…
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…
Palaios Panteleimonas
Tiny mountain village on the lower slopes of Mount Olympus in Pieria, Palaios Panteleimonas has a disproportionate number of cafés and restaurants for its si…
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.
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…
Katafygio
A high-mountain hamlet in the Pierian Mountains of northern Greece, Katafygio holds several historic churches for a settlement of its size and sits close to…
Vlasti
This little Greek mountain village in western Macedonia, its red-tile rooftops spread across the lower slopes of a dramatically snow-capped peak, offering vi…
Dimitsana
A mountain village in Arcadia's Gortynia region, Dimitsana sits high on a slope above the Megalopolis plain, with views stretching toward the Taygetus range.
Nea Moni of Chios
Founded in 1042 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990, Nea Moni is an 11th-century Greek Orthodox monastery complex in the mountain interio…
Vourgareli
High in the Tzoumerka Mountains of northern Greece's Arta prefecture, Vourgareli is a small village known for its historic churches, with the Red Church serv…
Agia
Compact mountain village in Epirus, near Parga, with a café scene modest but real for its size and scenic surrounds.
Kaloskopi
Modest mountain hamlet on the northeastern slopes of Mount Giona in Phocis, Kaloskopi sits high enough to command wide views across the surrounding landscape…
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…
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…
Granitsa
This mountain village in Evrytania, Greece, Granitsa sits on a forested slope of Mount Liakoura above the river Granitsiotis, and retains nine historic churc…
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.
Katochi
Waterside village in Aetolia-Acarnania, western Greece, with a café and restaurant scene and a number of historic churches that exceed what you'd expect for…
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…
Taxiarchis
A forested mountain village in Chalkidiki, Taxiarchis draws walkers through its stone-paved lanes lined with old balconied houses, sitting amid the fir-cover…
Meliti
A tiny Greek village in Western Macedonia's upland country, Meliti sits in a broad valley framed by densely forested green hills, with wide views stretching…
Metsovo
The largest centre of Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a mountain village in the Pindus range of Epirus, sitting high between Ioannina to the wes…
Triadha
A compact Greek village on Euboea set atop a low hill, its white-walled houses and red-tile roofs clustered around a cypress-lined church complex, with rolli…
Avdella
This high-altitude Aromanian (Vlach) village in the Pindus mountains of Western Macedonia, Avdella is the birthplace of the Manakis brothers and appears in t…
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…
Lampeia
A mountain hamlet in Elis, south of Mount Erymanthos, Lampeia sits at elevation in the valley of a tributary of the Erymanthos river and offers a surprisingl…
Atalanti
This tiny Greek town in Phthiotis sits at the water's edge with mountains rising behind it, serving as the seat of the municipality of Lokroi.
Syvota
Coastal village in Epirus, southern Greece, Syvota sits on a compact bay dotted with islets — including Agios Nikolaos, Mavro Oros, and Mourtemeno — and draw…
Aetomilitsa
Small cluster of red-roofed white houses sits in a high mountain valley in Epirus, backed by snow-covered peaks, making it a rewarding destination for visito…
Vamvakou
The birthplace of the parents of both Stavros Niarchos and Ioannis Coumantaros — founders of two of Greece's most powerful shipping dynasties — this pocket-s…
Kastro
Extensive stone battlements with crenellated walls overlook a wide sea strait and a distant mountain peak, making this small hilltop village in Greece's Ilia…
Papingo
Two small villages — Megalo Papingo and Mikro Papingo — sit at the base of Mount Radovoli in the Vikos–Aoös National Park, in the Zagori region of Epirus.
Tichio
This compact village of red-tile rooftops set in a broad mountain valley in Greek Macedonia, surrounded by forested ridges and cultivated orchards, with upla…
Kleisoura
This compact Aromanian village in the mountains of Greek Macedonia, its red-tile rooftops spread across forested hillsides above winding switchback roads, wi…
Lechovo
A mountain village in Greece's Western Macedonia region, Lechovo spreads white-walled, red-roofed houses across a forested hillside, offering a quiet base fo…
Kefalovryso
Compact mountain village in Greece's Epirus region, Kefalovryso spreads across a forested valley below the Nemertska ridge, its red-tile rooftops visible fro…
Thermo
This small Greek town in Aetolia-Acarnania with a notably active café and restaurant scene and several historic churches, set in mountain terrain between Lak…
Vovousa
Tiny riverside hamlet in the Zagori region of Epirus, Vovousa sits directly on the water with several historic churches for a settlement of its size.