Which island?
 

We would like to travel to Greece this fall. We want to go to Mykonos and Santorini.Can anyone suggest another island that is picturesque and a little different from the other two?

That's a very general question, but here are some general ideas to start with.

- Santorini is extremely touristed and expensive but in my opinion still worth it.

-- Mykonos is extremely touristed and expensive and in my opinion not worth it.

-- The Cyclades islands can differ quite a bit from each other, so you can get "something different" without traveling very far.

-- If you don't mind a fairly touristed island, Naxos and Paros would be easy to get to from where you're going and meet your requirements.

-- Quieter (though still popular) and a little harder to get to are Serifos, Sifnos, Milos, and Syros. Very briefly, Serifos is good for beach bums, Milos is beautiful and fairly quiet, Sifnos is beautiful and traditional and would be my choice, Syros has an unusual atmosphere with a capital that's almost a big city. Reliable guidebooks will tell you more about them.

Hello webstar! Why not try Mytilene (otherwise known as ancient Lesbos)? This is the second largest island in the Aegean and is covered with pine trees, olive groves, mountains and has a completely different character than either Santorini or Mykonos. There aren't too many sandy beaches but what there is is lovely and never crowded because the tourists who frequent Mytilene are usually descendents of those who left there several generations ago. There are no really luxurious hotels but that's good! You get to live like the natives who are very artistic, have many artists in their midst, concernts, theatre, and if you take a bus tour beyond the city of Mytilene you will discover lovely surprises, like the remnants of a petrified forest, Turkish ruins , beautiful churches and monastaries, delicious food, ouzo, crafts, etc., etc. My maternal family were from there and I have visited there many, many times and love it! So will you! Study a map, read up some history and book your trip! Take a plane or a boat (which I prefer) and have a ball!

Syros.
G.

Milos is totally different than Santorini, even though both are volcanic islands. Santorini has the breathtaking Caldera views, but the island is almost totally, perhaps even depressingly black. Milos, on the other hand, is referred to as the island of colors, because of the spectacular, colorful rock formations throughout the island, especially along its diverse coastline.

Milos has arguably the most interesting coastline than any other island that size in the world, has an incredible 11,000 year history, awesome food, offers majestic daily cruises, kayaking/scuba diving/cycling/trekking opportunities, several museums, and has not been discovered by packaged, organized tourism yet. We just started getting 1-2 medium-sized cruise ships a month here this year, for half a day to a day each. Santorini gets that many, but much larger cruise ships per hour, to the tune of 800,000 visitors/year, plus another 1.2 million in lodging per season. By comparison, Milos gets no more than 50,000 visitors/year, usually 40,000 or fewer. The Milos airport can only accommodate dual-prop, 36-seaters and only from Athens-no Boeing 737 chartered flights from major European cities. Milos sustains a decent nightlife, however, and there are always quiet spots even in the high season. Just avoid staying in Adamas if you arrive July-August, if you want to be in a rather quiet spot.

Andreas

www.milosisforlovers.com
www.iSantorini.com

Does anyone ever recommend Crete? I saw Samantha Brown's show on Crete and it looked amazing, very authentic and not so touristy.

I really liked Rhodes, and it was very different from Mykonos.

webstarr not sure how long you are going for or where you are traveling from.

I prefer Turkey to Greece. If I was set on Greece though I would find an island that provides easy excursions to Turkey. Ephesus would be one focus.

Sandi I was in crete 20 years ago. I enjoyed it then but again I was more floored but options in Turkey. Very very rural I don't recall seeing a lot of ancient ruins or cave frescoes as you would in Turkey.

Sarah, this is a forum question about Greek islands. I am not sure it is the right place for you to state how much you liked Turkey. But since you veered off-topic, let me add my 2 cents as well: I cannot fathom why any westerner in his/her right mind would want to visit (and spend money in) a muslim country. How about that?

If you've been to Crete and haven't seen ancient ruins, findings and such, you haven't looked in the right places. Crete is choke-full of remnants of ancient civilizations. Whatever Turkey has are remnants of ancient Greece, as well.

Now, can you recommend another *Greek* island besides Mykonos and Santorini to the original poster?

Andreas

http://www.milosisforlovers.com/

Turkey is a wonderful country. There is so much history, art and culture there, and the contrasts between a Judeo-Christian and a Muslim country is extremely interesting, and the Turkish people are enthusiastically hospitable towards Americans. Obvious political issues aside, if you do end up going to one of the Greek islands near to the Turkish coast, I highly recommend you try to fit a visit to Turkey, and Ephesus is the perfect place to start. You will be amazed.

Hi,

Symi is a wonderful island.

www.symivisitor.com

Enjoy!

I totally agree with Brotherleelove2004. We visited Turkey this summer, and had a fantastic time. Ephesus was a highlight of our trip, but so were the many conversations we had with people just weeks before their presidential election. We learned so much, and were fascinated by the mix of cultures and religion. If you can combine a visit with your trip to Greece, by all means do so!

I wonder if webstarr has returned and what island he/she went to.

By the way, Milosisforlovers, my brother-in-laws company had a mine or something related to mining on Milos many years ago, I'd say about forty and my sister would take the family and spend the whole summer there. They loved it. I have photo's of a beach with caves and rock formations. Very beautiful.

Regards, Joan

This past summer we went to Samos, which is a lovely island. From there, we took a ferry over to Turkey and toured Ephesus which was amazing, the highlight of our trip.

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You can also give a try to the Dodecanese islands. There are more then 15 wonderful islands in the Dodecanese ,among them Kastelorizo,Karpathos, Kasos, Rhodes,Symi ,Tilos,Nisyros, Kos, Kalymnos, Patmos, Lipsi, Arkioi, Agathonisi just google them and get information. All can can be reached by plane and ferry.Check http://www.lerosisland.com .The island does not have many sandy beaches (mostly pabble ones) but has many other attractions it is very cheap and is ideal for family holidays plus you wont find any package tourism there, instead you can fill your self at home among the locals.