Greek Islands
Interesting facts about the Greek Islands
How many islands does Greece possess?
Greece has 1200-6000 Greek islands and islets, depending on the minimum size.
According to the various resources, only 166-227 are inhabited.
Which are the largest islands of Greece?
The largest one is Crete by both area and population.
The second-largest Greek island is Euboea (Evia) which is connected to the mainland by the Euripus Bridge (The New Bridge of Chalkida).
The next ones in the row are Lesbos and Rhodes, the rest of the islands are much smaller than them. Only two-thirds of the area of Rhodes or smaller.
Which island is the odd one out?
Since the building of the Corinth Canal, the Peloponnese has been considered an island technically.
However, it was made into an “island” artificially, so it can’t be regarded as an island but as a peninsula.
The groups of the Greek Islands

Argo-Saronic Islands
Argo-Saronic Islands are an archipelago near Athens: Salamis, Aegina, Agistri, and Poros. Hydra and Dokos lie between the Saronic and the Argolic Gulf. Therefore, these islands are sometimes included in the Saronic Islands.
You can approach them from Athen’s Port, Piraeus, or the Peloponnese.
Cyclades Islands
The archipelagos’ name derives from the round shape the islands are forming, surrounding the sacred island of Delos.
The Cyclades includes about 220 islands. The most desired tourist destinations are the islands of Thira or Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos, and Paros.
According to its area, the largest one is Naxos, and the most populated is Syros.
Cretan Islands
Cretan Islands are located in the Aegean Sea and Lybian Sea and lie around the island of Crete.
Dodecanese Islands
The Dodecanese includes 15 larger and 150 smaller islands in the Southern Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Turkey’s Anatolia. 26 islands are inhabited.
The most popular Dodecanese islands are Rhodes, Kos, and Karpathos.
Euboea and surrounding islands
Euboea is located in the Central Greece region in the Aegean Sea and is bounded to the mainland by a cable-stayed bridge.
North Aegean Islands
The main islands are located in the Northeastern Aegean Sea, along the Turkish coast are the Greek islands of Samos, Ikaria, Chios, Lesbos, Lemnos, Agios Efstratios, Psara, Fournoi Korseon, and Oinousses.
Sporades Islands
The islands of Sporades lie along the East coast of Greece, in the Aegean Sea. This archipelago consists of 24 islands, of which Alonnisos, Skiathos, Skopelos, and Skyros are permanently inhabited.
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands contain seven principal islands and many smaller ones as well. The six northern islands are off the West Coast of Greece, in the Ionian Sea. The main islands are Kerkyra (Corfu), Paxi (Paxos), Lefkada (Lefkas), Ithaki (Ithaca), Kefalonia (Kefallinia), Zakynthos (Zante), Kythira (Cythera).
Kythira is not part of the Ionian Islands but belongs to the Region of Attika.
How to travel to the Greek Islands?
You can reach the Greek Islands by plane and by ferry.
Due to its connection with the Greek Mainland by a bridge, you can go to Lefkada and Euboea (Evia) even by car.
The more economical solution is to purchase tickets well in advance and jump on a ferry.
Greece has three ports on the Greek mainland: Piraeus, Rafina, and Lavrion.
I like flying, but travel by ship is more affordable and highly enjoyable unless you are prone to seasickness.
Learn more about travelling by ferry here.