sarahmoore9180

Hello, we want to spend about 3 days on a Greek island that is not toursity but also easy to get to from Athens, recommendations? Beaches and good fresh food are our priority...

thanks!

KayF

Finding a Greek island that is not touristy might be a challenge. If the island has an airport, it will be busier. Islands with fewer connections will have less visitors. We've been to quite a few of the islands and have always found good food. What time of year are you going? The islands have a fairly short tourist season and if you go at the very beginning or end of the season it will be quieter but maybe not beach weather. This guy's website has been around for years, there is some useful info

https://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/

dreamon

I've yet to visit there but have read great reports of Aegina. You might want to check it out to see if it suits your plans

sarahmoore9180

thank you, heading out early june 2022

Heimdall

Aegina would certainly meet the criterion of “easy to get to from Athens”, as it’s only 40 minutes by high speed ferry from Piraeus, the Athens port. Partly because it’s so easy to reach from Athens, Aegina is very popular with day trippers. For somewhere a little further away, consider Paros or Naxos which both have small airports with domestic flights from Athens. The flights take about 40 minutes from Athens Airport.

Should you wish to travel by ferry, the excellent Blue Star Ferries take 4 hours to Paros and about 5 hours to Naxos on the same route. The highspeed ferries are about 1 - 1.5 hours quicker at twice the price and half the comfort. Early June is a good time to visit, as even the “touristy” islands aren’t as busy as in July and August.

I like Paros because it is next to the smaller island of Antiparos, so you can visit both islands in a three day trip. From Antiparos you can see the ancient archaeological site of Despotiko, and talk to the archaeologists who are still digging at the site. Most of the archaeologists On the site are volunteer university students, some from the USA.

Paros has one of the oldest and most beautiful churches in Greece, Ekatontapiliani or “Church of 100 Doors”, which dates from the 4th century. Behind the church is a small museum which houses artefacts from Despotiko and other islets surrounding Paros. If you want a special day visiting sea caves and pristine beaches, book a day trip with:
https://captainbenantiparos.com/

Naxos is another popular island, both for its beaches and for its traditional mountain villages. Naxos has many fans, and most of its tourist infrastructure is concentrated around Naxos Town and the southwestern beaches. The mountainous interior consists of small villages easy to reach by bus or rental car.

sarahmoore9180

thanks, I did see that naxos had an airport I will look at Aegina too...