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.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Traveling alone changes what matters on a Greek island. You pay for the whole room, so the price floor counts double. You probably do not want to drive, so buses and ferries matter. And you want evenings where eating or drinking alone feels normal. On our scores, Paros does all three best.
It is the ferry hub of the central Cyclades, its two towns are linked by buses, Naoussa has a nightlife strip, and a 3-star room in Parikia was $89 on Kayak for July 14, 2027. Crete ranks second on its overall strength, and Mykonos third for the most social scene on our list, if you can pay for it.
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 | Paros | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 9.2 | 4.9 |
| 2 | Crete | 8.2 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 3.6 | 8.6 | 6.4 |
| 3 | Mykonos | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 3.6 | 7.1 | 2.0 |
| 4 | Naxos | 7.4 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 6.3 |
| 5 | Rhodes | 7.3 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 3.5 | 9.6 | 4.7 |
| 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 | Santorini | 5.9 | 8.1 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 3.6 | 9.9 | 1.0 |
1Paros wins for solo travel on three counts our editors name in its solo tag: buses, a nightlife strip in Naoussa and ferries to almost everywhere. Its value score, 9.2, matters more when you pay for the whole room: a Parikia 3-star was $89 for July 14, 2027. Days fill easily with the Byzantine path from Lefkes, Kolymbithres' coves and a hop to Antiparos. The catch is the strong north wind in July and August.
2Crete is second without a solo tag, on the best overall score in Greece, 8.2. Chania and Heraklion are real cities that stay open all year, and Knossos, the archaeological museum and the old harbor work well alone. The catch is getting around: buses link the north coast towns, but the best beaches and villages are far from the routes, so you will want a car or tours. A Chania 3-star was $59 for January 13, 2027 and $112 for July 14.
3Mykonos is third, the most social island here. A compact walkable town, beach buses and a social, LGBTQ-friendly crowd earn its solo tag, and the sheltered south coast beaches score 7.5. Delos, by boat for $28 (€25) return, is an easy solo day. It is held down by crowds, a score of 2.0, and price: the July floor in town was $198, and you pay it alone. Its own page suggests three or four days in June or September.
4Naxos is fourth. It has no solo tag, but it works alone better than its place suggests: buses serve the town and the west coast beaches, and its beaches score 8.5. Evenings are quieter than on Paros or Mykonos, a few bars on the waterfront and in Agios Prokopios. For the mountain villages and the kouroi, you will want a car or a tour. A town 3-star was $122 for July 14, 2027.
5Rhodes is fifth, and the cheapest island here for one: $36 for January 13, 2027 and $96 for July 14 near the Old Town. Rhodes Town is the best base without a car, with the bus station, ferry port and Elli beach on foot, and buses down the east coast to Faliraki and Lindos. The Medieval City is easy to explore alone. It has no solo tag, and its resort strips are built for families and package groups.
6Corfu is sixth. Corfu Town is a working city that does not close, and its old town, the Liston arcade and the fortresses suit a solo wander. But the island is built for driving: the coast road is narrow and winding, and the west coast coves and mountain villages need a car. Things to do score 8.5, beaches 7. A 3-star near town was $130 for July 14, 2027.
7Milos is seventh. Its beaches score 8, but it is hard alone. A car or ATV is close to essential, the best coves need a boat or a scramble, and there is no nightlife to speak of. Rated hotels are scarce and costly, $291 for the cheapest 3-star-or-better in Adamas on July 14, 2027, though unrated rooms are cheaper. A boat day to Kleftiko is the obvious day out.
8Santorini is last for solo travel, despite good buses from Fira to Oia, Kamari and Perissa. It has no solo tag, its crowd score is 1.0, and its beaches score 5. Fira's 3-star floor was $92 for July 14, 2027, but caldera-view rooms cost several times that. Two nights for the Fira to Oia path and Akrotiri, then a ferry to Paros, is the solo way to do it.
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. Islands our editors tag as good for solo travel, meaning safe, social and easy to get around without a car, get 1.5 extra points. In Greece, Paros and Mykonos carry the tag. The method is on how we score islands.
Crete, untagged, is second because its overall score, 8.2, is the best in Greece. Read its card for the catch: it is the hardest island here to do well without a car.
From our island pages, how each island works on buses and boats:
Our Kayak prices are for one double room for two adults, and traveling alone you pay for that whole room. The July 14, 2027 floors were $89 in Parikia, $92 in Fira, $96 in Rhodes Town, $112 in Chania, $122 in Naxos Town, $130 near Corfu Town, $198 in Mykonos Town and $291 in Adamas on Milos. Unrated rooms and studios, which Kayak lists without stars, can cost less: on Milos they started at $58 in January.
Hotels add Greece's climate resilience fee per room per night: from April to October, $5.60 (€5) at a 3-star and $11.20 (€10) at a 4-star. Ferries are the other cost. Economy deck fares on Blue Star start at $57 (€51) from Piraeus to Paros, and $6 (€5.50) from Paros to Naxos, per Ferryhopper.
Solo travelers are the people best placed to hop, because you can change plans on a day's notice. Paros is the natural base: Naxos is about 50 minutes away, and Santorini about 3 hours 15 minutes. The meltemi, the Aegean's strong north wind from about mid-May to mid-September, can delay fast ferries, so keep the last night before your flight home in Athens or on a well-connected island.
For solo trips beyond Greece, see the best islands for solo travelers, which ranks all 64 islands, and our Caribbean solo ranking.
No US airline flies nonstop to a Greek island. Fly to Athens, which has nonstops from New York JFK and Newark and seasonal flights from Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington Dulles, with Detroit and Seattle added in summer 2027. You need a passport valid three months beyond your Schengen departure; the EU Entry/Exit System takes fingerprints and a photo, and ETIAS is not yet operating. See our passport guide and our overall Greek ranking.
Lunch and a controlled amount of wine, beer and soft drinks are included. The cheapest well-reviewed Antiparos boat day; meeting points depend on the option you choose.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
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, lunch, wine, beer, SUP and snorkel gear are included; Delos is passed by, not visited. Nostos Mykonos Yachts runs its own boats, maximum 25 guests.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Paros, on our scores: buses between its towns and beaches, a nightlife strip in Naoussa, ferries to most of the Cyclades and July rooms from $89 in Parikia.
Yes, socially. The town is compact, beach buses run from town, and the crowd is social and LGBTQ-friendly. It is expensive: the cheapest 3-star room in town was $198 for July 14, 2027.
Paros, Mykonos and Santorini work well by bus, and Rhodes if you base in Rhodes Town. Crete, Corfu and Milos are much harder without a car.
Yes. Blue Star alone sails Piraeus to Paros two to three times a day, and Paros to Naxos is about 50 minutes from $6 (€5.50). Allow slack in your plans, because the summer meltemi wind can delay fast ferries.
For two nights, yes: buses make it easy without a car. For longer, it is crowded and short on beaches, and caldera-view rooms cost several times the $92 Fira floor. Pair it with Paros.
Further reading
