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Even in case you’ve by no means laid eyes on it earlier than, you possibly can in all probability simply describe Santorini with precision: everyone knows it for the whitewashed, cliffside homes, caldera inns with out of doors plunge swimming pools overlooking the Aegean… and the crowds.
Oh, the crowds.
We can’t deceive you: Greece’s most well-known Cycladic gem is certainly attractive, however the degree of mass tourism it faces would make you’ve second ideas about coming this yr, set to be the busiest but, particularly if you cannot stand lengthy strains and overpriced providers.
Fortunately, Santorini is not the only Greek island to have all these wonderful options.
A brief 2-3 hour ferry journey away, there are two options yet to be spoiled by the lots, the place you’ll find dreamy boutique inns at less expensive charges:
Milos
Lunar-Like Landscapes, Colourful Harbors & The Venus Of Milo
The southwesternmost island within the Cyclades, Milos, is an uncommon horseshoe-shaped island characterised by its lunar-like, village-dotted panorama, pure springs full of gin-colored waters, and full with blue-dome church buildings and archeological zones.
Its important port city, which is the entry level for vacationers arriving by way of ferry, boasts a excessive focus of eating places the place you possibly can eat affordably for round $15, with Oh Hamos being significantly well-liked for contemporary Greek salads and pasta and the family-run Lydia for his or her freshly-caught fish.
Different well-liked cities for tourism embrace Plaka, the island’s capital, and a maze of pathways line with blanche homes, Klima, with its harbor-facing homes with brightly-painted doorways, and the fishing village of Pollonia, well-known for its glorious seafood and local-owned taverns.
Wanna be really mind-blown? Be sure that Sarakiniko Seaside is in your to-do record: a collective of small, ashen-white coastal cliffs lining the Aegean Sea; it’s the important purpose why Milos might be known as Greece’s Moon Island.
Should you’re right here primarily for the coastal vibes, Papafragas is to not be missed, both: discovered on the finish of a cavernous passage, this seashore has comfortable, heat golden sands and crystal-clear seas.
Now, if it is the tradition you are most keen about, the hilltop village of Trypiti ought to be a prime precedence: it options a big archeological zone comprising a partially-preserved Roman theater and the positioning the place the world-famous Venus of Milo (now exhibited within the Louvre Museum in Paris) was discovered.
Naxos
A Whitewashed Port, Lush Inland Nature & Historic Temples
Some 100 nautical miles northeast of Milos, Naxos is yet one more hidden gem of the Cyclades island group that Santorini-obsessed vacationers typically bypass––to their very own detriment.
Opposite to Milos, its terrain is rather more fertile, with lush mountains traversing its hinterland, and loads of visitor-friendly hikes resulting in tiny waterfalls that vacant into pure springs (try Routsouna), and a number of the most breathtaking viewpoints in Greece.
It is also well-known for being the house of the door-like Temple of Apollo, or what’s left of it, in addition to the deserted Hellenic settlement of Yria Naxos, courting again hundreds of years.
Naxos takes its identify after its capital, alternatively referred to as Chora, a wonderful coastal settlement stuffed together with your normal successive uphill rows of cube-shaped white homes, interrupted solely briefly by the intrusion of Venetian-style mansions and topped with a Thirteenth-century fort.
Naxos City is the most effective spot on the island to be primarily based in, not solely as a result of it’s related by bus to different factors of curiosity, just like the sleepy village of Montsouna out east and the unspoiled sandy seashores to the south, however as a result of it affords a wide selection of eating places and lodging.
Shock, inns listed here are nowhere close to as costly as Santorini, regardless of Naxos being simply as attractive!
This Polis of Naxos boutique resort, as an illustration, positioned within the coronary heart of Chora, has in a single day charges from solely $93 an evening early this summer season, and over in Agios Prokopios, yet one more fashionable space to remain in, Hotel Francesca is charging as little as $41 per evening.
How To Get To Milos And Naxos In 2025
The perfect time to go to Milos and Naxos is from April to mid-October, when temperatures are heat and nice sufficient, reaching their summer season highs in July and August––when connectivity between the islands is at its peak.
Through the off and excessive seasons, each Milos and Naxos are well-served by a large number of ferry routes linking them to different Greek islands, Santorini and Mykonos included, and even the mainland.
Getting From Santorini To Milos
The quickest ferry from Santorini to Milos takes 2 hours, whereas the longest completes the scenic crossing in 5 hours, and tickets common $16 to $81, relying on the route you go for and the pace.
Three of the primary ferry strains working on this route are Seajets, often the quickest, with as much as 7 weekly crossings, Aegean Sea Strains, which carries passengers from everywhere in the Cyclades to the Greek mainland, twice per week, and the slowest of them, Zante Ferry, with 6 weekly visits to Milos.
Alternatively, you possibly can fly on to Milos from Athens with SKY Specific, with tickets beginning at $54.
Getting From Santorini To Naxos
Going from Santorini to Naxos, ferries can be found every day, with the island serviced by Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Strains and Seajets.
Costs vary from $32 to $106, as seen on Ferryhopper, and the typical crossing time is a suitable 1h58.
Equally to Milos, Naxos has a small airport internet hosting solely home flights from bigger Greek mainland cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, and from Heraklion, the bustling capital of Crete, Greece’s largest island.
With SKY Specific, flying from Athens to Naxos will set you again by roughly $47 when booked prematurely.
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Opinions expressed listed here are the creator’s alone, not these of any financial institution, bank card issuer, resort, airline, or different entity. This content material has not been reviewed, permitted or in any other case endorsed by any of the entities included throughout the submit.