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Island

Party & Nightlife

Beaches

Culture

Rhodes

Absolutely, the 18-30 crew heads to Faliraki, so it’s party central but a bit young and drunken.
Rhodes Town has great bars and clubs if you want something a bit more grown up.

Some lovely ones – basically you want to be on the east side; the west is too windy.  If you travel all the way to the bottom of the island you can see where the two oceans meet. (There’s good windsurfing here, but nothing else.) For a relatively quiet and pretty beach, try Kalathos or Afandou.

Oh yes – Rhodes Old Town has possibly the best preserved medieval fortress, and loads of Byzantine and Turkish architecture. 
Lindos is one of the most beautiful places on Rhodes, and is home to an incredible ancient acropolis with views over the ocean.  There is also Monolithos, home to a 15th century castle.

Kos

Yep, and the place to be is Kardamena if you want the drunken nights out.
Kos Town is pretty good too, but Kardamena does have bars that aren’t completely infested with drunk teenagers, so don’t feel like you have to avoid it.

Kardamena beach is very nice and has watersports but is very, very crowded.  If you want somewhere a bit more peaceful, Kefalos is lovely (although the water is a bit cold), and Thermes, a black sand beach, is known for its hot springs that heat up the sea.

Kos Town is home to some fantastic preserved ruins from various eras, and you can also head up to Pyli, where you will find a preserved Byzantine castle.  Be prepared for a bit of a hike.

Symi

Not really a place to party, but if you’re only looking for a few drinks and maybe a bit of a boogie, Symi town should have something for you, particularly in July and August

Symi’s beaches are beautiful for relaxing – most have small pebbles and shingles, but some have sand. 
Nos has sand and shingle, but many nudists go there, too.  There are several beautiful beaches between Symi and Niborio just down the road, only reachable by boat – it’s worth chartering a small boat for this.

It’s all about the quiet, relaxed, traditional towns here, and in the little town of Panormitis you will find an 18th century working monastery, complete with museum.

Karpathos

Karpathos is a chilled out island, and not a party-goer’s paradise.  That said, there are bars open until the wee hours, and we’re sure you’ll find somewhere to dance, particularly if you look in Pigadia Town, the capital.

The most beautiful beaches are on the east coast; try Ahata, Kyra Panagia or Apella.
Agios Nikolaus and the south west coast are great for wind surfing, whereas Lefkos comprises 3 coves, all with fine white sand.

Head to Menetes for the Byzantine Church of Agios Mamas, the Church of Assumption.  The village of Olymbos is very traditional and still has local customs.  The locals speak in their own dialect here.

Tilos

Hmm, not really.  This is a small, quiet island. 

Plaka is a beautiful, sandy beach.

The island was inhabited way back in the Stone Age, and is also famous for the remains of dwarf elephants found here.  It’s also home to 13th and 16th century monasteries.  You will also find here the abandoned village of Mikro Chorio – a collection of 220 houses

Kalymnos

There are a couple of bars and clubs in Massouri resort (the most touristy area of the island).  But basically, no, this is not a party island.

Atki Beach, about 7km from Kalymnos town, is a small sandy beach with very clear waters.  It has a nearby tavern.  We should probably point out that many of the beaches are pebbly.

The island has many beautiful villages and churches, with architecture dating back to pre-minoan period.

Leros

Not really, but there are a few bars.  The nightlife is centred around Agia Marina, and the long-standing, popular bars and Apothiki  and Apocolypsi.

At Krithoni and Alindi beach you will find soft sand and blue waters, plus the beaches are tree-lined, adding a lush feel to them.  Ksirokambos (Xirokambos) Bay is home to a lovely sandy beach. 

At the top of the hill of Platanos, you will see the huge ruined venetian castle looming over the town. 

Patmos

As this was for so many years a religious site to visit, it doesn’t have very lively nightlife.  The bars and clubs that are around here are centred on Chora, Skala and Kambos.

Patmos has several nice beaches, but the best is Psili Ammos, which is only accessible by boat. 

In the hill top Hora (village), you will find an impressive Monastery of John the Theologian.  Patmos used to be an important pilgrimage site. 

Astypalea

Not really what you’d call wild nightlife, but there are some bars.  This island is popular with Greek holidayers, so there are some more local bars. 

The best beach on this peaceful island is Livadia, but surrounding the island are several uninhabited islets, which have lovely beaches and are accessible by boat.

On the clifftop Hora you will find a Venetian fortress.  In Vathy you will find Dracospilia – the Cave of the Dragon.

Lipsi

It’s a quiet, traditional island, so no, not really, just a few bars and they won’t be open until the typical 6am like other Greek islands.

Lipsi beach itself is lovely, but if you fancy going for a wander you are likely to find secluded coves where you can have some privacy.  Monodendri is a nudist beach.

Among the island’s many Christian churches you’ll find the church Ag Ioannis (St. John), a white, blue-domed Greek church.  You will also find at Kimissi a church from the 16th century dedicated to the Sleep of the Virgin Mary.  Knees and shoulders should be covered.

Island

Party & Nightlife

Beaches

Culture

Ios

Oh yes – this is the Cyclades Island for the drunken revellers.  If you like to be absolutely wasted, dance to music until 6am and annoy the locals, this is the place to be.

Well, the afternoons see the beaches packed out with young, hungover people apparently doing their best to induce skin cancer.  However, Ios beaches are nice, and they’re so, so quiet before noon, which is about the time you should be hiding from the Greek sun anyway.

Beautiful churches and monasteries.  Tomb of Homer, but be warned – it really does resemble just a pile of rocks.  But should still go.

Santorini

Yes, to a certain extent – Fira (Thira) is the place to be for the best bars and clubs.  Kamari and Perissa have bars and clubs too, to cater for the tourists. 

The two main beach resort areas are Perissa and Kamari, as they have the best sand, but they’re not the best representation of Santorini as a whole.  If you stay here for the beach, make sure you hire a car at some point and head up to Fira and Imerovigli.

Akrotiri, an ancient town, is still in the process of being excavated, but plenty of it is already up for viewing, and it is a wonderfully preserved example of ancient Greek life. 

Naxos

There is a fair amount of party life here, without going over the top a la Ios or Kos.  You can find both Greek bars and clubs aimed more towards foreigners.  The main party site is Chora, but the Ag Anna resort can be good for nightlife in summer, with the parties often spilling over onto the beach.

Naxos has arguably the best beaches in the Cyclades group, and has your choice of sand or pebbles.  The nudist area is in Plaka, and the most popular areas are Ag Anna and Ag Georgios.  If you want something quieter, head for Orkos, which is within a line of pretty, peaceful coves.

Naxos is full of well-preserved architecture, the most famous being the great gate on the outskirts of Chora.  There are churches and monasteries on view from the 600BC to the 1800s.  You will not run out of things to see on Naxos.

Mykonos

Another party island, yet not quite as overwhelming as the adopted 18-30 resorts of the Greek islands, Mykonos has a lot of party action, but still allows you to get to sleep at night.  It’s also pretty expensive compared to other Greek islands, and is pretty popular with the gay crowd. 

Mykonos beaches tend to be pretty busy, so be prepared for this.  There are a few beaches that are famous for their visiting nudists, such as Paraga, Paradise and (honestly) Super Paradise.  Try Kalafatis beach if windsurfing’s your thing.

The small village of Ano Mera is home to a beautiful monastery from the 15th century.  You can get a boat out to the holy island of Delos, which still has tons of archaeological remains.

Milos

Rapidly expanding as a resort, but still (as of the beginning of 2008) a pretty Greek island with a lively atmosphere yet traditional values.  Most of the nightlife is centred around Plaka and Adamas, and because the island is a favourite for Greek holidayers, you’ll hear plenty of Greek music.

Oh yes, there’s loads!  And they range from sand to pebbles to caves to coves to cool rock formations.  Check out Tsigrado beach for lovely sand, and Sarakiniko and Papafragas beaches for some caves and very random rock formations.

Milos was the spot of the discovery of the world-famous Venus de Milo statue.  As such, it has a good archaeological museum with many artefacts from excavations.  There are some excellent Christian catacombs from the 1st to 3rd century.

Paros

Yeah, you’ll find them everywhere, but the real party scene is in Parikia, the capital on the island.  Paros is very central within its group of islands, so it gets many island hoppers who wish to party.

Paros beaches are lovely, so the only words of advice would be: Golden Beach is good for windsurfers because the sea is quite rough and the winds are strong, but obviously that means it’s not ideal for swimming. 

Ekatontapiliani (quite a mouthful, that), is an incredibly beautiful cathedral in Parikia, dating back to the 3rd century.  Head to Antiparos across the water to check out the amazing caves.  Have a look at the picturesque Naoussa’s 15th century Venetian citadel, and the lovely ancient capital of Lefkas.

Andros

Good links ensure that there a quite a few travellers here, and the main nightlife is centred around Batsi and Gavrion.  Weekends are busier than midweek because Greeks come over from the mainland for the weekend.

The main beach is at Batsi, and it’s very nice, or you can walk a bit further around the bay to Fanormos to a more secluded one. 
If you like nature in general, the centre of Andros is very lush and you can find some lovely waterfalls within the valley, such as Remata.

Andros has an archaeological museum and some natural wells at Sariza to see and drink out of. 

Syros

Quite a relaxed island, really.  You’ll find that most of the nightlife is in Ermoupolis, including bars and clubs.

There are lots of very pretty beaches on the island, many hidden in secluded bays and coves.
Try (if you are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary) the north beach of grammata, Ambela or Santorinious for peace and quiet. 

Syros has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and also has the oldest Acropolis in the Cyclades. 
Ano Syros is a Venetian settlement from about 1200AD, and is definitely worth a visit.  Check out the Monastery of Agia Varvara near Kini.

Koufonisia

No, not really.  There’s a couple of small, quiet bars, but this island is about peace and tranquillity.

Some really beautiful, peaceful beaches here.  Try Fanos for water sports, Pori for a beautiful sandy beach, and the Pori Caves and Gala for rocks and caves by the sea.

While there has likely been habitation of the island for about 12000 years, there is quite a lack of archaeological evidence, and so there are relatively few things to see here.  There are some very pretty churches, though.