Endless greens and blues, pleasures right down to the plate.
A secret cove, intoxicating scents on winding paths, stories that shaped Europe and myths that feed the imagination, and legendary hospitality… The Greek Islands are all this and more.
Ionian Islands, Cyclades, Dodecanese ... These are small universes stamped
"covid-free"
this summer, which gradually reveal their personality, whether you come with your family, to measure yourself against the elements, to recharge your batteries, or to savor. exoticism.
Read also: Travel to Greece: vaccines, PCR tests ... what awaits tourists this summer 2021
Islands to discover with the family: Crete and Corfu
CRETE, ANTIQUITY, SPORT AND THE ART OF LIVING
Hike to the gorges in Samaria National Park, West Crete. yrabota
It is the largest of the Greek islands, in the very south of the Aegean Sea, which explains why it is served by two airports. To the west, the airport of Chania,
Chania
in Greek, in the most romantic part of the island with its small
Venetian port
, its peaceful landscapes and the most beautiful beaches of Crete, pink sand and turquoise lagoons… Heraklion , further east, ideally located, allows you to reach all the points of interest of the island:
Knossos
and the Palace of the Minotaur, the
cave of Zeus
, the seaside resort
of Agios Nikolaos
in the Gulf of Mirabello, or the bay planted with palm trees of
Vaï
, on the east coast, where the winds meet surfers and other sailing enthusiasts.
Read the file: Crete: the
Figaro
travel guide
But Crete is also a paradise for fans of hiking trails that cross exceptional mountain landscapes where you can feel alone in the world, possibilities to choose from your stay according to your wishes, from the luxury hotel to the family pension where the we are received with extraordinary generosity and hospitality, and a gastronomic adventure at every stage of the journey.
Mythology-themed
water park
, golf, European
E4
hiking course
for experienced walkers, Crete offers an endless palette of pleasures and challenges to overcome.
Getting to Crete:
Heraklion and Chania / Chania airports are accessible from Paris and several provincial towns in season, or via Athens all year round.
Read also: Where to stay in Crete?
Ten perfect accommodations with children
CORFU, A SETTING FOR THE IMAGINARY IN THE IONIAN SEA
The Achilleion, a neoclassical Pompeian-style palace turned museum, near Gastouri, in west-central Corfu.
S. Mourélatou
Corfu, or Kerkyra in Greek, in northwestern Greece, between Italy and Albania, is the capital of the Ionian Islands. “Kerkyra” in Greek, is a melting pot of extremely ... Greek Anglo-Franco-Venetian culture! Travelers of all nationalities but also numerous national visitors meet there from the spring in the
luxurious
Resorts
of the east coast, along the road which leads to
Messonghi
towards the south, or in the bay of
Palaiokastritisa
, to the West, on the beach where Ulysses is said to have been shipwrecked just before returning to Ithaca. The north, less touristy, is a succession of olive groves and mountain hamlets such as
Perithia
the pirate village classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The beach and the two bays of Porto Timoni, accessible after a long walk near the village of Afionas, in the north-west of Corfu. Balate Dorin
But staying in town in Kerkyra is an interesting alternative to discover the island and its particularly inspiring atmosphere where the Durrel brothers wrote their most beautiful novels ... Children can explore the
Venetian
fort
which overlooks the sea, or visit '
the 'Achilleion
', the palace of Empress Sisi. Another pleasure of the old town, to sit under the
Liston arcades
facing the esplanade where epic games of cricket are played, and to taste a sweetness based on Kumquat which comes in candied fruit and fluorescent orange liquor. For teenagers, but not only, Corfu is the island of nautical pleasures and exploits. The "love channel" of
Sidari
beach
, promises great love, they say, to those who swim through it ...
Getting to Corfu
:
direct flights from Paris, Nantes, Marseille, Lyon or Athens.
By boat from Ancona and Bari (Italy), or Igoumenitsa (Greece).
Read also: Corfu, Mykonos and Santorini: 4 chic or luxurious hotels to discover
Islands for athletes: Milos and Kalymnos
MILOS, THE OTHER VOLCANIC ISLAND OF THE CYCLADES
Sarakiniko and its beaches, in a lunar setting sculpted by erosion.
stock.adobe
We know it by name for its Venus exhibited at the Louvre, we discover it with astonishment for its geological treasures. White and blue like all the Cyclades? More than that ! Because the chalky rock of an immaculate white gives to the blue of the sea, in Milos, a depth and a prodigious brilliance. The best way to revel in the beauties of all these lunar landscapes? Go around the island in a sea kayak ...
Dive into
Sarakiniko bay from
the top of the rock, or
from Kleftiko
in the underwater hiding places of pirates, from creeks to beaches, paddle along small multicolored fishing ports with your feet in the water, flirt with rocky peaks that stand in the middle of the waves, pass under limestone arches that bathe in waters of insolent translucency. Unless you prefer to go out to sea on a paddle or windsurf from the white sand beach of
Provatas,
admire, to the east, the black basalt islets, to the south, silver beaches, or the coves of red rock carved out of hot springs from which emanations of sulfur escape. Without forgetting to stop at
Palaiochori
to eat volcanic cuisine cooked in the hot sand ... A very different atmosphere from Santorini.
Getting to Milos
:
Milos
airport is accessible from Paris and several provincial towns in season, or via Athens all year round.
By boat from the port of Piraeus or the other Cycladic islands.
Read also: Sifnos and Milos: the easy Cyclades with the family
KALYMNOS, SPONGES AND CLIFFS IN DODECANESIS
Limestone cliffs sculpt this Dodecanese island, where climbing for all levels is the queen activity.
Frida & Diego
Kalymnos, to the east, not far from the Turkish coast, is the Dodecanese island known since Homeric times for sponge fishing which required divers to breathe out of the ordinary before the invention of the diving suit. Today the island highlights another of its treasures: its limestone cliffs, a paradise for climbers and other climbing fans with ropes or with bare hands! Since 2006, the
Kalymnos Climbing International Festival has
attracted thousands of climbers from all walks of life who come to explore the 2,700 routes already open along vertiginous walls spread all around the island. Vertical walls above the sea near
Pothia
, rocks sculpted like lace, caves and slopes at
Galatiani
, the routes are divided into geographical sectors and levels of difficulty.
Kalymnos is both the island of pleasures and challenges to practice solo or as part of organized courses.
Between two climbs, lazing on the sandy beaches, stroll in traditional villages, boat trips, hikes on the heights of
Kastro
, swimming in the Isthmus of
Vathy
and its spectacular fjord or, why not, a snorkeling trip to go picking a sponge as it used to be ...
Getting to Kalymnos
: Many ferry connections per day from the port of Piraeus.
The quieter islands: Syros and Patmos
SYROS, THE ELEGANCE OF THE SOVEREIGN OF THE CYCLADES
The majestic Hermoupolis, the city of Hermès.
Built like an amphitheater, it spreads its wings over two hills from which tumble the pastel-colored cubes of the houses.
milangonda
There was a time when the capital of the Cyclades was one of the largest ports in the Aegean Sea between East and West.
Today the island shines with the sovereign charm of
Ermoupoli
and its majestic courthouse, its opera house and its many cultural festivals.
In recent years, Syros has played the ecology card.
In 2018 it was one of the first "plastic bag free" islands and, this year, it opens the tourist season with a themed geotourism campaign to showcase its natural treasures.
Have breakfast on the port lulled by the ballet of sailboats, stroll through the cobbled streets of the city hung with shade shelters, taste the best
Turkish delight
with rose in Greece, take a nap in a pocket cove, sip an ouzo in a tavern with your feet in the water under a bougainvillea, follow a hiking trail to admire the sun setting over the Cyclades, have a cocktail under the moon, and return by the beach in the softness of at night accompanied by the sound of the waves and the song of the crickets.
You are in Syros ...
Getting to Syros
: 3 flights / week.
from Athens and many ferries every day from the port of Piraeus or from the other Cyclades islands.
Read also: Syros and Tinos, the elegant Cyclades
PATMOS, THE JERUSALEM OF THE Aegean
The monastery of Saint-Jean-le-Théologien.
51 monastic complexes, churches ... give the island a unique spiritual aura.
Theastock
Patmos is the haven of serenity where Saint John wrote his Gospel. Ideal for recharging your batteries, this island is a long string of almost desert beaches and places of pilgrimage. A total of 51 richly decorated monastic complexes, churches, hermitages and convents combine to give Patmos a unique spiritual aura. Certain sites such as
the monastery of Saint John the Theologian
and
the Sacred Grotto of the Apocalypse
are classified as Unesco heritage. In the evening, good local society and passing visitors meet in the squares of the port of
Skala
or the village of
Chora
at the top of the hill to share a moment of conviviality in a relaxed and soothing atmosphere.
Everything in Patmos calls for spiritual retreat: peaceful intertwined alleys, colorful pebble beaches, small isolated coves bordered by tamarisk and reeds, totally unspoiled nature, old marked hiking trails to connect the hamlets and the different points of interest of the island and, offshore, the islet of Agios Georgios which can be reached by swimming ...
Getting to Patmos
: many ferries every day from the port of Piraeus or from Naxos, Samos, Paros, Kos, Chios and Ikaria.
The truly exotic islands: Chios and Rhodes
CHIOS, A PERFUME OF THE ORIENT IN NORTHERN AGEAE
The amazing medieval village of Pyrgi.
Freesurf - stock.adobe.com
The
Mastiha
? It is the teardrop of resin from a tree endemic to the island of Chios: the pistachio lentisk, the cultivation of which has made the fortune and the misfortune of the island according to the various conquests of the region. Head east, a stone's throw from the Turkish coast where legend has it that Homer was born. Arid landscapes, medieval castles, Turkish baths… In Chios the decor is not white and blue.
Pyrgi
exhibits its famous white and gray facades on which are painted geometric decorations and a myriad of patterns, each more surprisingly creative than the next, and the mastiha is combined in sweet treats, cocktails and cosmetics. Unless you prefer the "
souma
», Local fig alcohol, or a citrus liqueur, another island specialty.
Candied fruits, small tomatoes which dry in bunches, honey, almonds, the generous nature and the very oriental atmosphere of Chios have a scent of voluptuousness.
Today, Chios is unequivocally an island full of sweets and pleasures.
Getting to Chios
: by plane from Athens or by boat from the port of Piraeus or Lesbos.
RHODES, A MEDIEVAL SETTING ON THE FRONT OF DODECANESIS
The Acropolis of Lindos.
Heritage, nature or beach, Rhodes concentrates all the riches.
Andrei nekrasov
The most easterly island of Greece has a lot of superlatives. Formerly renowned for its Colossus, one of the seven wonders of the world, it is also the largest of the Dodecanese islands and the most spectacular of the medieval eastern cities of the Knights of the Order of Saint John. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
the city of the Grand Masters
offers an exceptional journey through suspended time. Most of the hotels concentrated at the northeastern tip of the island provide the opportunity for walks in the small marina, through perfectly preserved medieval buildings, cut-throat alleys,
knighthood
inns
with gargoyles and coats of arms,or along the
ocher stone
ramparts
where an
Ottoman quarter
nestles
with its souk teeming with life.
But Rhodes is also the ancient cities of
Kamiros
or
Lindos
where one of the most beautiful beaches of the island is located, on the east coast, hilltop villages that are deserved after magnificent hikes,
the valley of the butterflies.
in a shimmering forest with mountain lakes and waterfalls, and beaches to explore all around the island such as
Faliraki,
renowned Antony Quinn named after its owner ...
Getting to Rhodes
: Several daily flights Athens / Rhodes and direct flights from France and Belgium in summer.
Pls crossings / week from the port of Piraeus.
