small Greek towns and islands
 

Greetings,

I'm thinking about going to Greece, but not where tourists hang out. I'd love to visit a small, inland town where I can just sit and drink coffee for two weeks. Any ideas?

We enjoyed our short stay in Vytina. It is on the Menalon Trail so not completely devoid of visitors but not very many when we were there. I don’t recall any other tourist attractions there but we found it a pleasant friendly town and the hiking was good.

There are many small towns and villages of course but generally speaking if there is nothing there for tourists, most people are unlikely to visit unless they have some sort of connection.

Of the town's in Greece, my favorite would have to be Nafplion but it is not without tourists. Not exactly small but not many tourists within the city is Kalamata; the main square is a good place to sit, have coffee, and people watch. Sparta is similar in this way.

tripplanner001's suggestion of Kalamata is, IMO, worth considering, even though it is on the path of some tourists -- not as many as other places! Much as I loved Nafplio, I would not think it fits your critieria -- when I was there (2019), it was clearly a heavily touristed city. You might look at Dimitsana.

And you might also look at the Rough Guide -- it covers a number of places that are off the beaten path, small places not mentioned in most other guide books, listed more in case one wants to stop somewhere en route from one place to another.

I agree with kja except that I would say that Dimitsana gets more visitors than any of the other towns in that immediate region and clearly markets itself to tourists. It’s still a very attractive town and I’d very happily return one day.

Nafplio is tourist central and as kja says probably doesn’t fit your criteria.

The Rough Guides series is very good and has become my go to guide books. Another option might be one of the mountain villages of Crete but haven’t been there in a very long time and can’t recommend any in particular.

I guess I’m curious about why you want to spend a couple of weeks hanging out in the village kafenion with the locals. Do you speak Greek? People will be curious about why you’re there (but likely welcoming).

I spent only one night in Dimitsana in 2019, during which it seemed very quiet. But with just one night there, I defer to dreamon's impression of it's level of tourism. Still worth considering, I think!

Thanks for your question and here is my answer:
My reason for going anywhere is to see how the people in other cultures live. I recently returned from Mongolia, and prior to this, I have traveled for one year all over the world. I haven't been to Greece, but it's on a list for the future. But I want to visit an area that isn't known for tourists so I can just feel apart of the town for a brief time. I'm 87 years old. I have lived in two foreign countries.

Thank you!

Thanks for your idea.

It sounds like you've had some amazing experiences! I hope you find what you want in Greece.

FWIW: I know some people who spend a month or two every year in Athens -- but not around the tourist sites. They rent an apartment in a work-a-day neighborhood and spend their days at cafes and in the local markets and getting to know their neighbors. Obviously, Athens does NOT meet your stated criteria -- but it's large enough to have plenty of neighborhoods that might serve your needs. Just a thought!

Well I certainly hope that I am still exploring the world when I’m 87. That’s fantastic.

kja makes a good suggestion about Athens. In a city you can still get to know a particular neighbourhood and you may be more likely to bump into people who have jobs outside of tourism. On that basis, I can also recommend Ioannina, but keep in mind that this is a large town.

Going anywhere outside of the summer season will likely make it easier to meet people as well.

Amen!

Some ideas:
Preveza, Ioannina, Kastoria, Verria, Volos, Kavala, Xanthi, Alesandroupoli, Skyros town, Ermoupoli (Syros), Tinos, Olympos, Astypalea, Symi

Kalamata would be a good choice, but the nearby small seaside village of Petalidi might be even better. It’s near several main tourist attractions, but fairly quiet itself. While there visit the huge archaeological site of Ancient Messene. When we visited one September there were only about a dozen other tourists on the site. I actually had to wait for someone to appear at the stadium for perspective before taking a photo.

https://www.discovergreece.com/exper...rn-peloponnese

I loved Ioannina and could live there, though it's not exactly a small village.
I enjoyed walking around Dimitsana. I was there for 3 nights and it was very quiet.
I spent a few nights between Kardamyli and Kalamata. Close enough to visit the Kalamata market but in a small village.
I spent 5 nights in Pylos and whenever we walked around the village square I felt like it was mostly locals, though of course they have tourists there too.

small Greek islands
 

Greetings, can anyone tell me about a quaint, old village in a quaint island in Greece?

Be more precise. There are several hundred places matching with your request.

I can think of at least 50 quaint old villages on the 3 quaint Greek islands we’ve been to in the last two vacations. Be more specific in your queries. Cyclades? Dodecanese? Ionian?

I cannot be any more specific than what I have said. So do your best or don't worry about it. I have never been to Greece and my travel needs are simple. I just like to learn about how other people live their lives. I want to sit in a cafe, drink coffee and walk up and down the streets and maybe visit a church or government building...or not. That's it! So if anyone has a favorite quaint small island tell me about it if you want. If this is too big of a question then don't reply.

As suggested on your other thread, a decent guidebook would be a good place to start your research ,,, perhaps the Rough Guide. Here's your other thread:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...reece-1730126/

I haven't been to any of the Greek Islands, but zebec has waxed eloquent about Folegandros. That's the name of the island. If you care to read more, here is a trip report:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...inale-1704081/

so, you post a basic question, without any other details and then, you post rude responses when commenters don’t suggest places you like? I’ll play. Head to Faros on Sifnos. An island with a plethora of sand beaches, quaint friendly villages and great places to hang out. Or try Folegandros, which is even smaller but has very quaint villages, virtually untouched by mass tourism. Hurry though or you’ll miss the quaintness. We also experienced quaintness on the mainland in Athens itself.

I live in Greece and frequently travel around the country. This is a list of my favorite small towns in Greece. Most of them are on islands.

Your two threads have been merged and the title slightly modified

Lindos, Syros, Tinos, Sifnos, Poros, Folegandros and Skopelos are of course all popular with European tourists, but by far not overcrowded like Santorini, Myconos, Parikia, Naxos town and not open air discoes like Ios town.
Ermoupoli can get very noisy, however.
May be you would like Apollonia (Sifnos), Sikinos Chora, Anafi Chora, Kythira Chora, Amorgos Chora, Skala (Patmos), Inousses, Psara, Mesta (Chios), Pyio (Chios), Astypalea, Samothraki Chora, Skyros Chora, Panormos (Tinos), Symi, Olympos (Karpathos)........

Thank you so much for your recommendation. I'll check it out.

I apologize if my post seems rude. I'm 87 years old and travel alone and just want to see the world and the cultures within it. I know what I want and need and thought what I was asking was okay. Sorry again if I'm rude. I'm terrible embarrassed. I did get some help from someone who was very good at giving me some personal experiences. There are 6 places I'm going to check out.

We always respond best when people do a bit of research themselves -- guide books are available free at any lilbrary. I wasnt able to visit Greece until after retirement, but spent a good bit of time compariing various guidebooks, photocopying pages of interest, looking at maps etc. Of course the internet wasn't well-developed at that time to enable me to short-cut this process. However, it gave me more in-depth understanding, and I made informed choices.

thank you!

I have traveled all over the world for one whole year and wrote a book about the experience. I do check travel books, as well. Good Advice!!!!
This is why I asked for recommendations: I was once asked what to see in California. So I gave them some places I really liked in Southern California, Central California, and Northern California. I gave personal recommendations for that is what they wanted. This is what I tried to do, but guess I came across as rude.

FWIW, I did not find your question rude.
Good luck!

Thank you everyone! I have some ideas now.

I realize you may not want to reveal your name but I, for one, would be interested in your book.

Lots of options just depends if you still want the balance of summer and/or holiday vibes - can you speak Greek?

For your request I’d say somewhere in the Peleponesse will suit you most.

consider Agios Nikolaos, Gytheio, Kalamata - you’ll still find holiday folk here but it’s just local Greeks.

If you want an island vibe highly recommend Syros - it’s very Greek.

Alternatively something like Aegina is an island close to Athens and very Greek.

Thank you

Thank you!

Fly into Athens, stay at the Royal Olympic, rent a vehicle from Kosmos (right around the corner), and travel to the city of Poros on Cephalonia. You could also travel to Argostoli (the capital), or Lixouri (a ferry-ride across the bay from Argostoli), where you will find Terra Mare (a 125-bed resort, with Olympic-size pool, set in idyllic surroundings) close by to everything you'd like to visit (i.e. - sea turtles, riding horses, grottos, uncrowded beaches, great food, etc.).

I have a soft spot for Galaxidi on the Peloponnesus. It’s gorgeous, so you can do nothing and watch the world go by, or just watch the colors change over the water and mountains. There are a handful of historical sites. You could hire a driver for a day trip to Delphi, or overnight to Olympus (the Olympic site, not the mountain). People were nice. By my third night the guys at the taverna were bringing out tsipouro that their grandfathers had made for me to try. It has enough tourist traffic to keep the economy moving, but it’s not tourist dominated. I mostly only saw them at the beach clubs along one shore, and they were easy to avoid. There are some swimming beaches, but when I was there it was too cold for that.

Thank you

Thank you. I'll check it out.