download free non touristy greek islands to visit

In the evening, the village of Oia, on the northern tip, is overrun by those looking for a perfect sunset photo - people sometimes stacked five-deep on overlooks, drones in the air.īut you can skip the sunset mayhem and opt for a quieter pleasure: a bottle of Assyrtiko. Shaped by a massive volcanic eruption in the 16th century B.C., there’s no other island like this, its whitewashed buildings perching precipitously on the rim of a caldera that still steams to this day.

(Officials awarded them as prizes.)įrom the capital, I take a 45-minute flight to Santorini, the most popular of the Greek islands. At another, a stylish, modern bakery, we try chewy loukoumades, doughnuts that originated with the first Olympics, in 776 B.C.

Our guide, Josephine Perdikidou of Alternative Athens, takes our group of about 10 through four different downtown districts, the tour being as much about food as it is the history and culture of this bustling city of three million.Īt one stop, a quiet, old-school cafe displaying Greek icons and artifacts, we sip strong, black Greek coffee. Which is how I find myself digging into a Greek salad on an Athenian afternoon that’s as hot as an oven. Food and wine tours tend to be small and friendly, giving an opportunity to chat with real Greeks - the tour leader, the shopkeepers - and taking you to tucked-away corners. Even during the financial crisis, Greeks still went out, met at cafes and restaurants, and had legendary food and wine - just, perhaps, less of it.Īnd this is the perfect way to escape the crowds. The culture in this small Mediterranean country has long emphasized the importance of breaking bread and enjoying a bottle together. My best advice: Be like Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and good times. So, how do you spend a vacation here, without raging at the long lineups and general unpleasantness of sweltering afternoons spent jostling for a better photo?

Download free non touristy greek islands to visit