Just off the west coast of central Greece sits the beautiful Ionian island of Lefkada. It is connected to the mainland by a long causeway and a floating bridge, which renders it a convenient destination to help you combine both mainland and island destinations during a trip to Greece.
The westernmost island of the Sporades, Skiathos' proximity to the peninsula in Magnesia, render it a great destination to combine both mainland and island destination in your Greek vacation. Due to its small size, the island of Skiathos never played a major role in antiquity. However, it holds a dear place in the heart of Greeks as it was the place where the first flag of modern Greece was created during the War for Independence.
Zakynthos or Zante is the third largest Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It has the shape of an arrowhead, with the "tip" (Cape Skinari) pointing northwest. The western half of the island is a mountainous plateau and the southwest coast consists mostly of steep cliffs. The eastern half is a densely populated fertile plain with long sandy beaches, interrupted with several isolated hills, notably Bochali which overlooks the city and the peninsula of Vasilikos in the northeast.
The third largest of the Dodecanese islands, located in the southeastern corner of the Aegean, Kos is an attractive destination for locals and tourists alike. The island has a rich history which goes as far back as Homer's epic poem Iliad, and has been a point of interest for numerous civilizations, from the Ancient Greeks, to the Romans, the Ottomans, Byzantium and modern Italy.
Koufonisia is a group of islands in the heart of Cyclades and the Aegean Sea. The group is divided into two islands: the Upper and the Lower one, with each one offering a different side to your vacation experience. Only the Upper part (Ano Koufonisi) is inhabited and this is where you will find hotels, restaurants, bars and sights, while the Lower part (Kato Koufonisi) is uninhabited, but admittedly the most naturally beautiful of the two. It can only be reach by boat from Ano Koufonisi.
Kythnos is a small and quiet island in Western Cyclades, but one with a rich history. The island has two significant settlements, the capital called Messaria and the village of Dryopis. Both villages are notable for their winding and often stepped streets, too narrow for vehicular traffic. They are very picturesque but in different architectural styles. Messaria has the more-typical flat roofs of the Cyclades, while Dryopida's rooftops are slanted and tiled.
On the northeastern part of the Aegean and just a stone’s throw away from Turkey, Samos is a source of pride for any Greek, for it has been a site of scientific progress since antiquity. Due to its wine production, it became a powerful city-state in Ancient Greece and that gave Samians the comfort to invest in research. The Eupalinian aqueduct, a marvel of ancient engineering, still stands today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to remind everyone of the significant role the island played in its heyday.
Just a few miles southwest of Samos, lies Ikaria, an alternative vacation spot that mainly attracts locals. Its name is derived by Icarus, who according to legend, fell on the sea nearby after his famous flight. The island’s history however extends even further, back to around 7000BC when it was populated by the Pelasgians. After being colonized by Greeks, Ikaria became part of the sea empire of Polycrates and remained predominantly under Greek rule until the early 16th century.
Cephalonia, or Kefalonia as it is known in Greek, is the largest of the Ionian Islands. Beyond its obvious ties with Ancient Greece, the island's size and strategic position have rendered it enviable destination throughout history, with the Byzantine Empire, the Kingdom of Sicily, Venice, France and Britain all claiming ownership of Cephalonia at some point. All of these have left their mark on the face of the island today, with Italy making the biggest impact.