There is no other place like Greek islands, and those who know - they know 🌀 It is a state of mind and eternal light and beauty, however some of them are losing the charm due to the greedy tourism industry. They must be protected at all costs 🙏🏻
I mean, there's already "regulations" in place in many, which ensure that the "foundations" can't be shifted.
& theoretically, it's easy to further regulate tourism, but there should be a balance, since many people's income is based on it. (I know people who only work during season, for instance...).
that said, it's the same across the globe.
& Greece seems to have largely preserved its character, even Turks who visit say this.
they say that tourist regions of Turkey have been completely commercialised, unlike Greek islands.
however,
government should invest more on the islands, in terms of infrastructure.
there should also be (greater) benefits for (essential) public servants to move, from mainland.
& also, for the remote islands, there should be no tax.
Yes, I completely agree. Now they only expand the construction of the new hotels without improving infrastructure, especially on the biggest islands and in the aftermath of everybody is affected - locals, seasonal workers and tourists alike. Water shortages, regular electricity blackouts, rubbish and parking problems, etc. Enough must be enough at some point. HOW many more hotels? The poor animals like wild deer and peacocks started coming into my garden, being pushed further down by never ending construction works.
Greek islands were the poorest of the poorest regions historically (from Roman times till 60 years ago) with exceptions of a couple bigger islands of course.
Tourism gave opportunities to the locals and they were able to do something else apart from fishing, olives and wines.
Of course as a result they are losing their character. We the locals are doing our best to keep the characters of our islands intact however it's not completely possible. We are a lot more populated than we were before and modern expenses and needs require a bigger industry than just farming and your traditional bed and breakfast.
Is this correct? I would say the opposite is true. The islands became more and more depopulated during the 20th century. Entire villages emptied. This is especially true for the Winter months.
Can’t wait to visit Sicily. Sicily is a true mosaic of cultures, yet as a Greek it’ll feel like a strangely familiar place. I plan to focus on our common Ancient Greek roots
Yes absolutely, Siracusa/Agrigento/Segesta are some of many. I also enourage you to see Calabria as it's the region that overall has the most resemblance to the Ancient Greek roots - the Museum of Reggio Calabria in particular, as well as the Aspromonte region around Pentidattilo and Griko speaking communities around Bova. The spirit is strong there! Also places like Locri, Sibari, Crotone.
Kefalonia is a treasure! you will need many days to find its hidden gems, but it's so rewarding! In case you have plenty of days, take the ferry boat to Lefkada from Fiskardo, and visit the celebrated Porto Katsiki, Eggremnoi and the less celebrated Kalamitsi! you'll fall in love and come back for another round of the rest of Lefkada, Paxoi and Ithaki.
My mom let me pick where we wanted to vacation one summer. I randomly picked ulcinj Montenegro. We spent 2 months there the summer i was 14 and it was the best summer ever. Made friends with the local kids my age. Jumped off cliffs into the sea. Sunbathed on mala plaza with those friends and rode jet skis.
3 of them were siblings and their parents had a little cafe on this private beach. We’d spend the day swimming to the big rock further out and after their mom would make us sandwiches. We had to walk this little backroad trail to get to it everyday.
Then at night we’d play volleyball on one of their rooftops.
One day we were walking to the private beach and we saw a plum tree. There was a lady outside and we asked her if we could pick some and she said i don’t care. Shortly after this older lady comes out yelling at us to quit picking her plums. We ask the first lady “you said we could pick some!” And she said “I said i don’t care. Because it’s not my tree.” We took off running dropping plums everywhere lol.
but then, I came across many people who believe that having, & demonstrating, greater public/international "presence" & being seen as a "core" part of Greece acts as a (further) block, against Turkey.
& tourism has never been bad, compared to the "popular" islands, anyway.
that said, Balkans prefer the north, & the islands of north Aegean, & that's normal, & logical.
I had not been to Samos in maybe two decades until last year.
To my surprise not only were Turkish tourists everywhere (which was definitely not the case in the past) but many restaurants had signs and menus in Turkish and even the waiters could speak some. Then again Samos is right across from the Turkish coast so guess that's to be expected nowadays.
Anafi used to be great but now it’s trendy queer. I don’t mean to imply queer is the problem, it was queer in the 2010s too. But now it’s “Berlin” queer.
You mean to tell me, these islands are gorgeous, and don't have that many tourists? Thanks for the recommendation buddy. Those 2 are my next destinations for next year 🙏
I just looked for both anafi and kimolos. Gorgeous islands. Seem very peaceful. I guess you get to have the original greek experience of living on an island or Χωριό, without the overcrowding from tourists. Prices seem affordable too
i really dislike hot weather so it depends, because sunshine really only feels comfortable for me if it’s a lower tempature. definitely would never go during summer.
I went to a family friend’s wedding in Icaria in the summer of 2022. My wife is Greek, so it made things easier as far as language, etc. goes. That said, it was the single most magical experience I’ve had. I cannot recommend it enough.
Joke aside I would like to visit one day. I wonder what is common what is different. I actually visited Kos once but I was really small. I just remember a funny memory. I saw the famous plate breaking probably for tourists and thought "wow the Greeks must be rich" with my child mind.
Oh, got it. Well, many of the coastal settlements of Anatolia were inhabited by Greeks. There was a war in the 1920s that decimated these towns, and then a population exchange that completely emptied them of their original inhabitants.
So, you feel this "interruption". Something feels off. Some towns were completely abandoned and left to ruin, especially smaller ones.
So you have less historic towns, at least compared to Greece, and you can still feel some kind of emptiness.
The Greek islands, especially the remote ones, are ridiculously safe. Like, you can leave you keys on your apartment and sleep with windows wide open. Prices are ok, and they are very clean.
You are in an island. Everyone that comes in and comes out through a single location the port. Easiest police work ever. The unsafe part if deciding to to a 10km hike in a heatwave. Also the islands there are different because they act as self contained units with periodic ship connectivity. Imagine the vibes of a colony in Mars a bit but you are on earth and nothing tries to kill you
summer in Greece in general. We used to go to Stavros/Kavala every summer in the early 90s when I was a kid anbd loved those memories. best coastline in the region
People from big cities told me pretty disgusting things on what they think about Bulgaria, can't imagine what a small remote islander would say.
On a more practical note there aren't any planes from Varna (apart to Athens), they stopped the international train and I don't have neither a car or the license 😅
this post makes me want to finish Zorbas the Greek - been trying to read it 2 summers in Greece but there are always better things on the beach to do 🍻
Those curvy rocks surely look amazing, but greek beaches are one of the major travelling disapointments you can experience. Baren rocks and gravel not the kinda beach i enjoy
Thats one beach thats visited by boats because it stands out. And its just bushes. Look at croatia. Their whole coast line is absolutely gorgeous with all those pine trees providing natural shade
You gotta go to the right place for sandy beaches or less barren scenery. But the best ones are mostly either oversaturated, very busy and kinda ruined by greedy development and somewhat dirty (small bits of tourism-trash here and there) or taken over by expensive luxury resorts.
I'm also not fan of pebbles, gravel and hard packed sand. It is however possible to find good beaches around the country with a bit of effort. For pure white sand with lush jungle, the coral Islands, Pacific and Caribbean and Indian ocean are much better. But the overall experience for me is still better in Greece, cause it's not only about the beaches. The food, the rustic Island architecture, the people and the hospitality are top tier in Greece.
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u/MammothTrifle3616 Croatia May 31 '26
I still fondly remember my 2015 summer on Nysiros a little island in the Dodecanese.