Postcard-ready villages bestriding volcanic peaks, blue-dome churches, and a millennia-old caldera backed by azure seas: there’s many a reason why tourists keep flocking to Santorini year after year after year.
Yes, it is gorgeous, and yes, sunsets up Oia Castle do feel magical, but elbowing your way through a dense crowd to get up there in the first place, or spending upwards from $200-a-night in a Fira villa, and that’s if you’re economical, can easily tarnish those idyllic vibes.
Lucky for those of us without a Santorini-sized budget, there are 5 equally beautiful Greek islands that offer similar experiences, minus the overtourism and the exorbitant prices:
Amorgos, Cyclades
A tiny, offbeat island in the Cyclades, a short 1h10 ferry ride from Santorini itself, Amorgos is home to 2,188 permanent residents, soft sand beaches hugged by turquoise seas, and a picture-perfect village, Chora, perched on a prominent hill overlooking the Aegean.
Etched onto the side a cliff, the fortress-style Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa is Amorgos’ most visited tourist destination, with its chalk-white exterior, and visually-striking buildings cascading down a slope.
Down by the coast, Mourou has a series of secret coves and sea caves to be explored, and for a typical Greek beach experience, head over to Aegiali and order a seafood platter from one of the many beachside taverns––Kastanis has great grilled octopus.
Staying in Amorgos, single rooms in local-owned pensions can be as cheap as $39 to book on Booking.com, whereas dining out will set you back by $16–21.
Symi, Dodecanese
Over in the Dodecanese, the easternmost island group of Greece, as well as the one of the warmest due to the proximity to Türkiye, Symi is a hidden gem characterized by its colorful port, dotted with Neoclassical pastel buildings.
A stroll around Ano Symi, the main settlement on the island, feels like stepping back in time by around 200 years: there are hardly any vehicles around, and the stone-paved alleys are flanked by centuries-old homes that were probably passed down from generation to generation.
Symi is equally famous for its bays, and the most beautiful of them, Saint George Bay is a mandatory boat stop, thanks to its impossibly-clear waters and unaltered environment––you can only approach it from the water, which helps visitation numbers, and thus pollution levels low.
On the southwest coast, you’ll also find an 18th-century Monastery of Archangel Michael Panormitis, an Orthodox pilgrimage site visited by people from all over Greece.
Most importantly, gorging on moussaka and feta-heavy Greek salad, or getting yourself a rustic harbor-front stay won’t break the bank: you should budget around $10–14 per meal, and $44-a-night for a one-bedroom apartment.
Samothrace, North Aegean
Located in the north of the Aegean, Samothrace is a lesser-known sunny escape combining both natural landscapes and ancient heritage:
For starters, it is world-renowned for being the birthplace of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, a 2,215-year-old, now-headless Greek sculpture that’s part of the Louvre Museum’s permanent exhibit, in Paris––unfortunately, you won’t find a replica here.
Though the Winged Victory was taken by the French, its parent Sanctuary of the Greek Gods has a landmark ruined temple, the Hieron, and the nearby hillside town of Samothraki Chora retains much of its ancient charm:
The easiest way to describe it would be a maze of cobbles and red-roofed white houses peppered with family-run restaurants where they serve yaya‘s food, and topped with a Genoese castle built in the 15th century.
Manmade wonders aside, no visit to this island is complete without swimming in the clear streams running from Fonia Waterfall or relaxing in a natural hot-water spring in the aptly-named village of Therma.
In line with less-touristy islands of Greece, food in Samothrace is relatively inexpensive, averaging $10-15 per meal, and accommodation is equally-cheap: a 27m² ‘familial’ studio with a pool costs $57 per night.
Hydra, Saronic Gulf
If you’re a frequent visitor to the Caribbean, you’ve probably heard of Holbox, Mexico’s car-free island, but what about Greece’s?
Approximately 1h30 away by ship from the Port of Piraeus, Hydra is a peaceful retreat absent of wheeled vehicles––locals either get around on foot, or if they have business to attend to, away from the busy port, they can always take their donkeys.
This is as traditional a Greek island as it gets, from the chalk-covered exterior of the islanders’ humble abodes to the bougainvillea-adorned backstreets.
An easy 10-minute walk from the port, Avlaki is a secretive pebbly cove bathed by a teal Aegean, and a further 35 minutes, Vlychos is a laid-back coastal settlement encroaching on a more-spacious sand-and-pebble shoreline.
Budget-wise, you should set aside roughly $21–26 when ordering a main dish in a mid-range restaurant, and for those spending the night, that will be $81 per adult for a double room in a downtown guesthouse.
Pricier than other islands featured here, yet an absolute bargain compared to Santorini or Mykonos.
Antiparos, Cyclades
The literal antithesis to a bustling Paros, Antiparos is connected to its sister-island by a local ferry, and it doesn’t have an airport: in other words, it’s an untouched paradise.
You still get the Cycladic vibes, with the whitewashed Chora lining a scenic waterfront, the quaint fishermen villages, and the wide array of photogenic beaches unfolding along bright-blue seas… except there are hardly any tourists about!
It’s no wonder a number of celebrities, including Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, and Ryan Gosling have been spotted visiting Antiparos on different occasions:
It’s as exclusive and tranquil as it gets in the cruise liner-ruled Aegean.
That being said, it’s not like they’re charging exactly Hollywood prices here:
You might get billed $12 to $32 having lunch in an Old Town tavern, depending on how many courses you’re ordering and how close you are to the lively marina, and an overnight in a 2-bed studio less than a mile away from Psaraliki Beach costs only $44.
↓ Elevate Your Travel↓
Sign Up Now For Travel Off Path Premium! No ads, VIP Content, Personal Travel Concierge, Huge Savings, Daily Deals, Members Forum & More!
✈️Join Our Travel Off Path Community Forum: Where travelers unite, ask questions, share experiences and even find like-minded travel buddies!
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LATEST POSTS
Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
