Greece Travel Blog

Readers of the Spanish magazine “Cruceros y Destinos”, a publication specialising in cruise holiday reporting and coverage, voted Santorini as the best cruise destination in the Mediterranean. The head of the Greek National Tourism Organization’s office in Madrid received the award on Monday from the magazine’s director, Feliz Gonzalez.

Rhodes island in the Aegean is voted at a survey by TripAdvisor top tourist destination in Europe and fifth in the world. Next after Rhodes is Salzburg in Austria. Top two destinations worldwide were Milford Sound and Queenstown in New Zealand.

Easter is the most sacred and important celebration in Greece. During Holy Week complete fasting takes place. During Holy Week the churches are full each evening as the people follow the Passion of Our Lord. Red eggs and the traditional soup “mageritsa,” is the wife’s first concern for the celebration of Pascha. At Saturday midnight Church bells ring out joyfully: the faithful, candles lit, celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. The meal afterwards consists of the “mageritsa,” red eggs are knocked, and the traditional phrase “Christ is risen” is heard all around. On Easter Sunday, spit-roast lamb is the centerpiece of the table. In the early morning the spits turn in the courtyards as the lamb is slowly cooked.

Greece is a top holiday destination for Romanians. According to the National Association of Romanian Tour Operators, roughly 12,000-15,000 Romanian tourists will spend the Orthodox Easter Holy Week and May Day in Greece. Most popular destinations are the islands of Rhodes and Crete, but also Thessaloniki and northern Greece.

The Mediterranean can be outrageously crowded in high summer. In his new book, Charles Arnold reveals the best islands to make your escape.

There are more than 200 islands in the Mediterranean which offer accommodation to holidaymakers, but to me the remarkable fact is that 90 per cent of all visitors stay on just 10 per cent of the islands. In other words, there are simply masses of islands that you can have almost to yourself. In my new book, Mediterranean Islands, I have rated 16 of the islands – such as Malta and Capri – as “very crowded” (crowdfactor 1,000+). At the other end of the scale there are 73 “very uncrowded” islands, with a crowdfactor of 40 or below. This rating is calculated simply by counting the number of visitors plus residents per square kilometre…

If you can’t face long boat transfers, try Chios (crowdfactor 65) a large, distinguished and independent island which can be reached by air from Athens. The north coast beyond Kardamyla is mountainous and green, and has good beaches, while south of the capital are fine Genoese country houses with citrus orchards. The 11th-century Nea Moni is an elegant Byzantine building with a suitably picture-perfect setting. A trip to the top of the island is rewarded by wonderful sweeping views across the Aegean.

Staying in Greece, which has the lion’s share of the Mediterranean islands, a great base for wildlife watching is Alonissos (crowdfactor 64), in the Sporades. It’s the hub for visiting the outlying Sporades islets, many within the Sporades Marine Park, which helps protect the monk seal (permits required). Alonissos, with its secluded, boat-accessed beaches, is 20 minutes by hydrofoil from Skopelos and less than an hour from Skiathos, which has an airport.

Lesbos, with a crowdfactor of 59, is the third-largest Greek island and another favourite with wildlife enthusiasts, thanks to its birdlife. It is heavily wooded in the east, agricultural in the centre and rather bare in the west. A car is essential for exploring this large island – just remember to take it easy on the local ouzo, for which this island is famed…

Evvoia (crowdfactor 56) may be the second-largest island in Greece (linked to the mainland by a bridge), but it is little visited. The villages of the north-east are surrounded by pine forests, and chestnut forests skirt Mount Ochi. The newly excavated 10th- to 8th-century BC finds at Lefkandi should be on the list of any self-respecting archaeology aficionado.

Tinos (crowdfactor 56) is best known for the miracle healing reputation of its Panagia Evangelistria shrine. The old village of Pyrgos in the north has several marble-sculptors’ workshops and a charming little square in the middle. Tinos is just three hours from Athens by ferry or half an hour from Mykonos. …

Lemnos has a low crowdfactor (41) but isn’t lacking in sights, with numerous superb beaches and a history dating back to Poliochni, a town some 5,000 years old, thought to pre-date Troy. The capital Myrina has a magnificent Venetian fortress with views across the island and out to sacred Mount Athos. Lemnos also attracts a huge variety of bird species…

Foodies make haste to Andros (crowdfactor 30), just two hours by ferry from Rafina (east of Athens). The island’s proximity to the Greek capital means it’s a bolthole for Athenians which in turn spells excellent restaurants with very good wine lists. As an Athenian holiday destination you’d think Andros would be crowded, but Batsi is the only place touched by tourism. Elsewhere expect lovely old villages, quiet country walks and largely deserted beaches.

Another local favourite is Kythnos (crowdfactor 26) a mostly barren island usually overlooked by foreign tourists but popular due to its thermal waters. Kythnos has two villages and some 33 beaches (many remote, so hire-car essential). It’s just three hours by ferry from Piraeus.

Excerpts from The Independent