Are the Greek Islands Worth Visiting? Travel Review
Browse more guides: Greece travel | Europe destinations Are the Greek Islands Worth Visiting? Travel Review Last updated: April 2026 · 13 min read I've been to nine Greek islands across three trips between 2021 and 2025, and I'm still asked the same question almost every week: are the Greek islands worth the airfare and the hassle? The short answer is yes, but with a caveat that nobody on Instagram tells you. Greece has between 6,000 and 6,500 islands depending on which department is counting that year, but only about 230 are inhabited, and for a normal two-week holiday you're really choosing between four practical groups: the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete on its own, and the Ionian islands on the western side near Corfu. I'm writing this after my last September trip , Athens, Naxos, Milos, Santorini and a short Crete leg in eleven days. And i've also done Mykonos with friends, Rhodes and Symi as a Dodecanese loop, and Corfu on a family trip. This review is ...