Greek Island Guide
Northern Aegean Islands
Northern Aegean Islands
These islands are in general less popular than those of the Cyclades and the Dodekanese though they are no less beautiful and in many ways have retained their Greek-ness more than the very popular islands. Ferries to these islands generally leave in the late afternoon or early evening and you arrive in the morning, in some cases very early. Because of the distances it is not very practical to island-hop but these islands, especially Lesvos and Chios, are so big and have so much to see, that you probably won't feel the need to visit another island. Click on these links below or scroll down. You can use the top button to return. When you finish you can use this link or the link at the bottom of the page to return to Greek Island Synopsis Main Menu. If you want help with your Greek Island combination try my Create-an-Itinerary page. If you have any questions or can't decide what you want to do you can always e-mail me. You can find ferry schedules and book tickets at Ferryhopper.com. If you find this page useful please share it with your friends on Facebook
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The port is a city with traffic and buses, cafes, restaurants and shops and worth at least a night or two if you like cities and large towns. Once you leave town there are lots of interesting things to see including the fortress villages known as Mastichochoria for their historic manufacturing of Mastika, a gummy sap that had major value in cosmetics and medicine before the use of petroleum and still used for a variety of purposes (including a kind of chewing gum and a liquor). Chios is one of the most beautiful of the Aegean islands and has a capable bus system. Renting a car is the best way to see it though. The tiny islands of Psara and Inousses are accessible from Chios. Be sure to read Was Columbus Greek? An article about his possible origins on the island of Chios. Daily boats from Pireaus take about 8 hours and arrive at 4am. They continue on to Lesvos, Limnos and on some days to Kavala or Thessaloniki. There is also a boat that goes to Ikaria and Samos and the major islands in the Dodecanese. See my Guide to Chios |
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These small islands located between Ikaria are known as Fourni or Fournoi. The main island and its port is usually what they mean when people say they are going to Fourni and it is a throwback to the days when all the islands with the exception of the well known popular ones, were places you would go to eat in simple fish tavernas, stay in simple rooms, lay on the beach, and take walks to see small churches or other more remote beaches. With magnificent bays and sheltered coves Fourni is mostly visited by day from Ikaria and Samos but there are places to stay on the island. It is also known for the many shipwrecks that have been discovered here, some thousands of years old. See Fournoi Korseon: Shipwreck Centre of the World? by Kathleen Thompson |
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You have heard the stories about the island where people live to be 100. That's Ikaria. Whether it is their diet, their lifestyle or the fact that they have no real city on the island or if it is just a statistical anomaly, who knows? But Ikaria has gotten a lot of attention because, well, who wants to die? Right? Ikaria is known for its apricots and lack of tourists. It was the Ikarians who dredged the Cape Fear river making Wilmington, North Carolina's primary seaport because it was a source for pine resin (as in Retsina). Arministis is the island's main resort town and is surrounded by forests and fine beaches. Visit the hot springs at Therma and Therma Lefkada. There is a language school here called the Hellenic Cultural Center that may be worth checking out. They offer classes in Greek language and other programs as well. The Fourni islands , between Ikaria and Samos are a group of small islands with secluded beaches, accessible by small boat from Ag. Kyrikos that are well worth a visit if you like to swim and spend your time in small fish tavernas. Connected by ferry to Samos with a daily boat to and from Pireaus, nine hours away. If you are looking for a non-touristy island this might be for you. For more information see Alexia Amvrazzi's Guide to Ikaria |
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These islands are located between Chios and Turkey and are not what you would call tourist islands. Mainly because the inhabitants are wealthy shipowners so the islands have little need of tourism. Still people do visit them on the daily ferry from Chios or the twice a week ferry from Pireaus or by sailboat and yacht. For more information see George Malakos' Guide to Oinousses |
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Far enough away to have avoided the mass tourism which has infected other islands, Limnos has some of the best beaches in the Aegean and maybe the best wine after Santorini. The town of Myrina is famous for its excellent fish restaurants and massive volcanic rocks. There are ferries from Pireaus, Thessloniki and Kavala and excursion boats to the nearby island of Agis Efstratos. Can be combined with Lesvos or Chios. For hotel descriptions, bookings and rates search Booking.com's Limnos Page |
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Lesvos: More Than Just Another Greek island
See
Lesvos: More Than Just Another Greek island
which
some people say is my best website
Check out the Hotel
Aphrodite on beautiful and endless Vatera
Beach. Canadian owned by a family with kids so
if you are traveling with yours you know the
value of having others nearby. For houses and
villas on Lesvos see
www.greecetravel.com/villas
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Psara is about as remote an island as you can visit in Greece. As soon you step off the boat you will see evidence of an earlier time when Psara had the greatest fleet and was dominant in the Aegean. Cannons, fortress, windmills, old houses built in the traditional architecture sit next to the not so traditional new houses of the village. |
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Samos is a big, green, beautiful island with lovely beaches and pine forests. A car or bike is not essential but if you want to get the full experience you should rent one for at least a couple days because it is a semi-big island with lots to see. The main port of Vathi is busy town, almost a city but lots of fun. The formerly industrial city of Karlavassi with deserted warehouses and factories is an up and coming tourist destination with bars, cafes and restaurants in the old buildings. Pythagorio in the south is the most popular beach town with a high-speed connection to Patmos and the Dodecanese islands. Kokari in the north is the second most popular beach town with an iconic peninsula protecting the small fishing boat harbor, and several very nice beaches, those facing north popular with wind-surfers. Day trips to Turkey leave daily from Vathi to Ephesus, an entire ruined ancient city that is a stop for just about every cruise ship in the Aegean. Marc Dubin's Guide to Samos has a lot of great info since Mark lives on the island. For hotels on Samos search Booking.com's Samos Page. |
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This small island between Limnos and Alexandroupolis in Thrace is one to the most beautiful islands and boasts the highest mountain of all the Aegean islands. It is an island of forests and olive groves, springs and waterfalls and has some of the most abundant wildlife in Greece. Though virtually unknown to to tourists, many Greeks visit the island during July and especially in August. Daily ferry connections to Alexandropoulis and several a week to Kavala. The Winged Nike of Samothrace in the Louvre Museum in Pariscame from here. See the Guide to Samothraki and also Winter in Samothraki For hotels on Samos
search Booking.com's Samothraki Page |
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Beautiful island in the Northern Eastern Aegean that used to be popular with Germans because they could drive down easily. Now it is popular with Eastern Europeans and people from the Balkan countries. It's a beautiful island and not a lot of tourists though if you are coming in late July and August you would be smart to book well in advance. You have to take the ferry from Kavala which leaves every hour and there are 6 hydrofoils a day in the summer. Great beaches. See Steve Allan's Thassos Information For hotels on Thassos search Booking.com's Thassos Page |
I
love this island, also known by the name of 
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