Covers 18 European islands, from Crete and the Cyclades to Sicily, Sardinia, Mallorca, the Canaries, Madeira and the Azores, with euro prices converted to dollars on a dated rate.
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A first trip to the Greek islands should be easy, varied and hard to get wrong. On our scores, the island that does that best is Naxos. It has the best beaches in the Cyclades, a mountain interior with marble villages and Venetian towers, a ruined temple gateway on the harbor, and ferries from Piraeus every day. A 3-star room in town was $122 on Kayak for July 14, 2027.
Crete has a higher overall score, and it is second here. It is also a much bigger undertaking, best with a car and at least five nights. Santorini is third: the view most first-timers picture when they think of Greece, worth two or three nights, and best paired with Naxos.
Score = the island's overall score, with islands that suit this kind of trip ranked first. How we score
| # | Island | Score | Weather | Beaches | Things | Access | Value | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Naxos | 8.9 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 6.3 |
| 2 | Crete | 8.2 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 8.6 | 6.4 |
| 3 | Santorini | 7.4 | 8.1 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 3.6 | 9.9 | 1.0 |
| 4 | Rhodes | 7.3 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 9.6 | 4.7 |
| 5 | Paros | 7.0 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 9.2 | 4.9 |
| 6 | Corfu | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 3.8 | 7.6 | 3.9 |
| 7 | Milos | 6.1 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| 8 | Mykonos | 6.0 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 7.1 | 2.0 |
1Naxos is the best first Greek island because it is one island that does beaches, villages and history, with daily ferries from Piraeus and flights from Athens. Its beaches, 8.5, are the best in the Cyclades, from Agios Georgios in town to Agios Prokopios and Plaka. Inland, Apeiranthos, Halki and the kouroi make a car day. The Portara at sunset is the classic first evening. A town 3-star was $122 for July 14, 2027. Skip it only if you want nightlife.
2Crete is second without a first-visit tag, on the strength of the best overall score in Greece, 8.2. Knossos, Chania's harbor and beaches like Elafonisi and Balos make it the richest single island. It carries no first-visit tag, and the size is the reason to hesitate: 162 miles (260 km) long, best with a car and at least five nights for one half. Its own page says short trips and non-drivers will do better on Naxos or Paros. Chania rooms were $112 for July 14, 2027.
3Santorini is third, lifted by its first-visit tag: year-round flights from Athens, buses from Fira and a compact list of sights make it an easy first island if the view is the goal. The Fira to Oia path and Akrotiri cover two days. Its base score, 5.9, is the lowest in Greece, because its crowd score is 1.0 and its beaches score 5. Fira's floor was $92 for July 14, 2027. Stay two or three nights and pair it with Naxos.
4Rhodes is fourth, a strong first pick for history lovers. The walled Medieval City, the Palace of the Grand Master and the acropolis at Lindos fill several days, and things to do score 8.5. It has no first-visit tag, and it sits far from the Cyclades: the ferry from Piraeus takes 10 hours 40 minutes or more, so most visitors fly from Athens. Value is the best here: $36 in January and $96 in July near the Old Town.
5Paros is fifth, and the easiest island to add to a first trip. It sits on the main ferry line from Piraeus, 50 minutes from Naxos, and has two towns, Parikia and Naoussa, plus buses to the main beaches. Its value score of 9.2 comes from $60 in January and $89 in July in Parikia. It ranks below Naxos because its beaches, 7.5, are windier and it has less inland to explore.
6Corfu is sixth. It is a fine first trip for travelers who want a UNESCO old town, green hills and day trips to Paxos or Albania, and its things-to-do score is 8.5. But it looks nothing like the white-and-blue Greece most first-timers picture, and it is far from the Aegean islands, so it does not combine easily with Santorini or Naxos. A 3-star near Corfu Town was $130 for July 14, 2027.
7Milos is seventh. Its beaches score 8, with Sarakiniko and the boat-only coves of Kleftiko, but it is a more specialized island: a car is close to essential, the best swimming spots need a boat or a scramble, and rated hotels are scarce. The cheapest 3-star-or-better in Adamas was $291 for July 14, 2027. It is a better second Greek trip than a first one, for couples and active teens.
8Mykonos is last for a first visit. It is easy to reach, with ferries from Rafina from $40 (€35.50) and flights from Athens, and Delos is a short boat ride away. But it is built around beach clubs and nightlife, its crowd score is 2.0 and the July floor in town was $198, more than double Paros. Its own page rates it conditional: three or four social days in June or September.
In this guide
Each island starts from its overall score: weather 20%, beaches 25%, things to do 25%, access from the US 10%, hotel value 10% and crowds 10%, minus 0.4 if its own page gives a conditional verdict. Our editors tag the easy first picks among the Greek and Hawaiian islands, with a written reason, and those islands get 1.5 extra points. In Greece, two islands carry the tag: Naxos and Santorini. The method is on how we score islands.
Naxos wins because it has both the tag and a strong base score, 7.4. Crete, untagged, still ranks second on its 8.2. Santorini's tag lifts it from last on our overall Greek ranking to third here.
Three things, in our editors' view. Easy access from Athens: daily ferries or flights, with no long overnight crossing. Variety: beaches, a town to walk in, some history and some food, so you see more than one side of Greece. And a manageable size, so you are not spending half the trip in a car.
Naxos scores on all three: Blue Star Ferries takes about 5 hours 20 minutes from Piraeus, from about $47 (€42), and Seajets about 3 hours 25 minutes; Olympic Air and Sky Express fly from Athens. Crete wins on variety but loses on size. Santorini wins on access and the view but has the weakest beaches here.
Many first trips combine two islands, and the top three on this page make the obvious pairing. Fly to Athens, take the ferry to Naxos for four or five nights of beaches and villages, then a fast ferry of about an hour to Santorini for two or three nights of caldera. Fly back to Athens from Santorini, which has flights on Aegean and Sky Express.
Paros fits in the same route: Naxos is about 50 minutes away on Blue Star from $6 (€5.50), and Paros to Santorini is about 3 hours 15 minutes from $15 (€13), per Ferryhopper. The meltemi, the strong summer north wind from about mid-May to mid-September, can delay fast ferries, so do not plan a tight connection on the last day.
June or September. Our island pages for Naxos, Paros and Mykonos all name those two months as the best balance of warm sea and space, and our month rankings for June and September show every island here scoring 8.3 or better on weather. Avoid planning a first island trip for winter: many Cycladic hotels close from November to April.
No US airline flies nonstop to a Greek island. Athens has nonstops from New York JFK and Newark, and seasonal flights from Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington Dulles. Delta adds Detroit from June 8, 2027 and Alaska adds Seattle from May 12, 2027.
You need a passport valid three months beyond the day you leave the Schengen area; no visa for 90 days. The EU Entry/Exit System takes fingerprints and a photo on first entry. ETIAS is not yet operating. Hotels add Greece's climate resilience fee at checkout: from April to October, $5.60 (€5) per room per night at a 3-star. Our passport guide has the detail, and our overall Greek ranking shows the scores without the first-visit tag.
Only the bus and an English-speaking escort are included; Demeter's Temple (5 EUR cash) and meals are extra. At about $34 it is cheaper than renting a car for one day.
Rating as shown on Viator
Transfers and guide are included, but the gorge ticket (10 EUR) and the boat from Agia Roumeli at the end (15 EUR) are paid on the day. The gorge is seasonal and closes on bad-weather days.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Pickup, meal, open bar (local white wine, beer, soft drinks) and snorkel gear are included; Santorini Star Sailing operates the boats. It costs about $30 more than the GetYourGuide Gold cruise on the same route, so compare the two on your date.
Rating as shown on Viator
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Naxos, on our scores. It has sandy beaches, mountain villages and ancient sites, with daily ferries from Piraeus. Add Santorini for two or three nights if you want the caldera view.
Yes, if the view is the goal. Flights from Athens run all year, buses link the villages, and three or four nights covers the main sights. For beaches, pair it with Naxos, about an hour away by fast ferry.
Two is a good number for a week to ten days. Naxos and Santorini, or Naxos and Paros, are short ferry hops apart, so you spend more time on the islands than in transit.
Yes, if you have a week and will drive. It has more to do than any other Greek island, but it is 162 miles (260 km) long, and short trips without a car are better on Naxos or Paros.
Fly to Athens, which has nonstops from New York JFK and Newark plus seasonal flights from seven other US airports. Then take a short domestic flight or a ferry from Piraeus.
Further reading
