15 Hidden Gems and Unique Places to Visit in Greece. The country has more than 6,000 islands and islets - plenty of quiet and romantic Greek islands with pinch-me-I’m-dreaming beaches to escape to.
And with thousands of years of history, Greece is also home to mythical sites and one-of-a-kind spiritual places to soothe the soul.
So if you’re keen to discover Greece’s unique, alternative and secret side, read on!
#Ikaria . One of the most unique places to visit in Greece is Ikaria.
This remote Greek island is located off the Turkish coast, about a 2-hour ferry ride from Mykonos.
On the remote Greek island of Ikaria, the people live long and healthy lives.
Ikaria is unique for a very interesting reason - it’s one of the world’s five “Blue Zones,” places where people live longer and healthier than anywhere else.
The other Blue Zones are Okinawa (Japan), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Sardinia (Italy) and Loma Linda (California).
One in 3 people on Ikaria lives to be over 90.
And they live well too.
No dementia. No depression. Few people get cancer. And there’s significantly less heart disease than what plagues North Americans.
So what’s Ikaria’s secret? The same recipe as for a great Greek getaway.
The Ikarians eat a good healthy diet - think fresh fish, locally grown wild greens, beans and lots of other vegetables.
You can enjoy a healthy stress-free holiday in Ikaria
The Ikarians also walk. They make love a lot (well into their old age too!). They’re not stressed about time. And they make their own organic red wine.
If you go, you’ll want to hang out on Faros Beach.
The sand-and-pebble beach boasts calm clear water - with several nearby tavernas for quaffing some of that local wine.
2) Delos
Centuries ago, Delos was once a fabulous Greek island city.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the uninhabited island of Delos (less than 2 square miles in size) is covered with archaeological ruins dating from 300 BC.
Delos was once the most prosperous commercial center in the ancient world.
The wealthy had grand villas with beautiful mosaic tile floors. The panther head in the House of Dionysos, for example, is remarkably well-preserved.
The mosaic-tiled floor in one 2nd century BC house on Delos shows Dionysus riding a panther.
You can even see remains of the residents’ toilet rooms in these once-opulent villas - canals under the whole city took waste water out to sea.
To visit Delos, take an excursion boat from the nearby island of Mykonos.
Boats leave from the Mykonos harbor for half-day guided tours of Delos.
The Delos Archaeological Museum on the island houses beautiful ancient marble sculptures
3) Santorini
Talk about unique!
Santorini is the island whose middle was blown out by a massive volcanic eruption in 1600 BC.
Santorini really is a place like no other
Any good Greece travel guide will tell you that walking along the edge of the caldera from the capital of Fira to the white sugar-cube village of Oia is one of the most pleasurable ways to take in the heart-stopping views.
Sailing offers a different viewpoint from which to enjoy Santorini’s scenery.
Booking with Sunset Oia, we joined four other couples aboard a swish catamaran.
A day sailing trip is a great way to see a different side of Santorini
From Oia, we cruised past the island’s craggy brown and white rocks to swim at a red sand beach.
For lunch, the crew barbecued huge shrimp and mussels, serving that with Greek salad featuring Santorini’s sweet juicy cherry tomatoes and unlimited goblets of wine.
We ended the day jumping off the boat to swim to underwater hot springs gushing up by the uninhabited lava islet of Nea Kameni.
The water was actually only luke-warm, but it was fun to slather on the red-brown sulphuric mud (said to be good for the skin).
Swimming on a sailing trip around Santorini
4) Milos
Milos is one of Greece’s hidden gems
Another unique Greek island, Milos is unspoiled - for now.
You may know Milos as the island where the famous “Venus de Milo” statue was discovered (now displayed in the Louvre).
One of the most unique Greek islands is Milos.
Milos is a lovely quiet Greek island
#Crete #Mykonos #Thasos #Halkidiki #Peloponnese #Kefalonia #Ithaca #Rhodes #Kos #Patmos #Corfu