ISSUE 121, APRIL 2024
The Greek islands are so familiar to most that the mere mention of the Aegean Sea jolts the memory and senses, instantly bringing the smell of jasmine or pine and the sight of a whitewashed village to mind.
With their ubiquitous olive groves, sandy coves and azure waters, it’s easy to forget how distinct each Greek island is. Each one’s history and culture reflects the shifting sands of the centuries before modern Greece’s existence — the Venetians, Ottomans and Knights of St John, among others, who have shaped these Mediterranean outposts.
But of the 227 inhabited islands and the thousands spread across the six main groups, how many do you really know? Corfu, Rhodes and Santorini maybe, but Syros, Lemnos and Milos? How about Skopelos, Poros and Lefkada?
This issue we celebrate the Greek islands you know, and those you possibly don’t, as well as the myriad experiences they offer — from experiencing ghost towns, Easter festivals and active volcanoes to an ouzo museum, shipwreck dives and a dune-filled desert. You’ll soon be making plans to spend lazy days on boats around Paxos, take slightly more strenuous hikes around Symi, discover the mountainous car-free island of Hydra or simply indulge in the wines and gourmet offerings in Tinos.
And maybe there’s time for one of those soft, white sandy beaches, too?
NATGEOTRAVELUK
AWARD -WINNING NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TR AVELLER
BSME Talent Awards 2023: Best Art Team • BSME Talent Awards 2023: Best Picture Editor • TravMedia Awards 2023: Travel Magazine of the Year • AITO Travel Writer of the Year 2022 • BSME Awards 2022: Editor of the Year — Travel • AITO Young Travel Writer of the Year 2021 • LATA Media Awards 2020: Online Consumer Feature of the Year Award • Travel Media Awards 2020: Consumer Writer of the Year • British Travel Awards 2019: Best Consumer Holiday Magazine • BGTW Awards 2019: B
