Listening to a popular travel podcast, I heard Fiona Duncan (international hotel critic) enthuse over Amorgos and Koufinisia, she describes them as hidden gems. Excitedly, I got my travel books out but didn't pick up the same level of excitement from the authors in their descriptions. Should I dampen down my enthusiasm and maybe consider locating myself in Naxos with side-trips to these two places: Amorgos and Koufinisia?

Stevelyon, yours is an impossible post to answer without knowing a few simple facts: What month do you intend to travel? Do you like busy islands or quiet ones? What do you want to do on the island, hiking, sightseeing, swimming/sunbathing, or something else?

Let me give you my impression based upon visits to these islands in May and June.

Naxos will give you the most variety of things to do. Naxos fans will tell you it is the largest island in the Cyclades, but won’t tell you that nearly all tourists stay in the small southwestern corner of the island around Naxos Town, which gets very crowded in high season. The rest of the island is mostly undeveloped, with a scattering of traditional villages in the mountains. Naxos is great for hiking, and has some long golden sand beaches south of Naxos Town.

Koufonisi is very small, and there isn’t much to see or do apart from the beaches and the one village where most people stay. Koufonisia refers to the two islands of Pano Koufonisi and unpopulated Kato Koufonisi. Most people just say Koufonisi. If you like beaches without sun beds then you will like Koufonisi, which gets very crowded in July and August, but quiet in May when I was there.

Frankly I’ve never been to Amorgos, but probably would have if I didn’t get hooked on my favourite island Antiparos. If crazyh sees this post he can tell you a lot about it. If you can find the 1988 French film “The Big Blue”, directed by Luc Bresson, it was filmed on Amorgos.

Lastly, what do you mean by side-trips? Based on Naxos it would be easy to do a day trip to Koufonisi in summer, but Amorgos deserves at least two or three nights.

Amorgos has two main seaside villages, Katapola and Egiali, linked by bus and sometimes by the small Express Skopelitis ferry. Both have one organized beach and some other undeveloped beaches around. Both are good for hiking. Chora, the capital is situated at the top of a hill, above Katapola.Restaurants and accommodation are found at these 3 places and in 2 villages above Egiali. Amorgos is very popular with French people who arrive en masse after July 14th. Before this date, the Island is rather quiet. Tons of isolated beaches can be reached by car or bike. There are daily boats from Piraeus via Naxos to either Egiali or Katapola. In high season, there are catamarans from Santorini to Katapola and a Sunday morning boat from Rhodos to Katapola.

Here I am.

Yes, definitely for Amorgos. It's a wonderful Greek Island with several beautiful villages, mountains, beaches, hiking, archeological/historic sites, great food and welcoming locals.

I was there in early October and it was lovely, few tourists, nice weather and hardly any traffic on roads!

I stayed in Katapola at Porto Katapola. Nice studio overlooking the bay and beach and great owner who has a large garden behind the studios. Let me pick all the veggies I wanted!

I combined Amorgos with Astypalea which is also lovely with one of the best Choras I've seen.

I've been to Naxos and it is indeed very nice, something for everyone and I wouldn't hesitate not going, but if I had to chose I would go to Amorgos because at the time I was there it was far less crowded and felt more "Greek", but so did some parts of Naxos.

You can check out my photos of Amorgos:

https://tinyurl.com/y7bqwfma

Astypalea is a gem. It can be reached by plane from Athens and twice weekly by morning ferry from Kos. But the Egiali - Astypalea ferry runs often in the middle of the night. Hotelkeepers will wait for you at the pier of Agios Andreas nevertheless.

Thank you so very very much, great information as always and has re-surfaced my enthusiam.

Great pictures crazyh, I don't know if you intended the photographs to exclude people (apart from man and donkey) or whether its just very quiet in October. If the latter, October may not be my best time of year, I enjoy company nearly as much as scenery. Regardless, the pics are stunning.

Neckervd, do the French leave by September (not that I dislike the French - but sounds like July/August may be busy with them) - maybe May and June is a good time? Thank you for mentioning Astypalea - will look into there.

Thanks Heimdall, great information (see it wasn't impossible . I had noted your like of Antiparos before, and you have certainly awoken my interest in it - thank you so much. I have yet to decide on when to visit, but neckervd comment may well influence that. I love hiking and I also love relaxing, I love busy islands and I also love quiet islands - I'm quite adaptable, really.

Thank you all again.

Amorgos gets very calm around the last weekend of August.

Stevelyon, if you want to know more about Antiparos, there is a YouTube that was made by the islanders about six years ago that is fun to watch. All the people interviewed were owners of tavernas and other businesses on the island. To give you perspective, the YouTube was filmed in the month of July.

stevelyon:

I rarely take photos of people unless it's locals.

Early October was pleasantly busy on Amorgos but not crowded. I saw more locals than tourists. Most everything was open in Katapola and other villages. Enough to provide me with shops,markets and tavernas and better yet a more "Greek" experience rather than a tourist experience.

Yes, it was quiet but that's why I go off season. Less tourists, nice weather and lower prices for accommodations.

I watched the You Tube video posted and you won't see that many people in October as in July. In fact I saw mostly locals out and about and maybe a handful of tourists here and there.

If you are looking for nightlife, partying, lots of tourist shops open then you may want to travel during mid summer or another island that attracts more tourists.

Stevelyon, if you want to know more about Antiparos, there is a YouTube that wasmade by the islanders about six years ago that is fun to watch. All the people interviewed were owners of tavernas and other businesses on the island. To give you perspective, the YouTube was filmed in the month of July.

I'm an enthusiatic "second" about both islands, Amorgos & Antiparos -- would return any day (wish wish). I was in Amorgos about 3.5 days in late May, and it ws the perfect time to go, still greenery around, wonderful weather. We chose Aegali, fewer restaurants & shops etc than Aegali, but love the beach of the latter, and the view up the hillside to the 2 high villages. U can take a bus up there then walk between the 2. We actually came on impulse, no reservations, were told to sit in the most popular taverna and say loudly, gosh, I wish we knew where to stay. And sure enough a lovely English couple walked over and said, follow us! & we snared a room at pension Askas, back from the sand just 200 yards, great rates, a little breakfast cafe, all good. The Brits also took us up to Nicholas' taverna in the high village for stunning sunset meal & we just caught the last bus downhill in he dark! We bussed & hiked around, up to Chora, down to that Church on the water, to Katapola & back, would have been able to do more with a car rental but all in all, great fun, including adventurous ferry Skopelitis from/to Naxos. Everyone should do a ferry like this at least once - even on a mild day, covered in spray!

As for Antiporos, also in May/early June, an ideal time to visit... locals are just opening things up, time to socialize. I remember taking the "Agora" (in this case, a loooong "market lane") through the center, and then on out toward the sunset bay. Lots of people were out, giving a Spring paint-refresher to the mortar-lines between the path flagstones, and I stopped to chat all along the way. In the center part, the Agora lane is lamp-lit in the evening and is truly enchanting. Antiporos port is indeed miniature, and lovely to gaze upon from a balcony. From port you are walkable to a wonderful beach, https://antiparos.com/explore/psaraliki-beach/ very unpopulated at that time... a few sunchairs around, no shops/tavernas, very peaceful. I'd be almost afraid to return because of magical memories, Heimdall says High Season is very crowded, but earlier might be just as I remembered.

On previous post I mistyped -- meant to say Aegali, fewer shops & restaurants than Katapola ...

Thanks so much everyone, really grateful - inspiring, as always. I will feedback eventually as it wont be for awhile - 2022 is booked up.