First / maybe only trip to Greece.. suggestions on non touristy island

You made the right decision about Santorini. We couldn’t wait to leave!
There are so many Greek islands that it is hard to choose one.
Easy to get to from Athens is the island of Spetses.

Are the beaches nice and easy to get to? Suggestions on Hotel? Thank you!

Any island with an airport will be touristy. Spetses is a 2-1/2 hour ferry ride to and from Pireaus (Athen's harbour). I have not been, but here is some info to research: https://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/spetses/
Corfu has direct (2+ hours) flights to Milan, currently for $50+. It's a bigger island known for its beaches. Mostly visited by Europeans.

SYROS !!!
After many visits to various dial da we tried syros last year and fell in love with it .

Close to Piraeus ( the port for most ferries from Athens to the islands ) so not a long ferry ride or flight .

Syros is where the Greeks go to relax !

Syros is actually the administration capital of the Cyclades islands - and a working shipyard , so has a year round population ( unlike both Mykonos and Santorini where tourists always outnumber the locals lol )

It’s fascinating too as you can really see the Venetian influence !

We stayed in a place called Galissa Beach - at the Dolphin resort . Place was literally steps from a beautiful big calm bay with sandy shallow entry ! Many small places to eat a few minutes stroll away !
We loved it so much going back this June .

If it is the current situation that worries you, know that despite Santorini being highlighted in the media, all the Cyclades islands are impacted. (the strongest earthquake occurred yesterday around 9pm local time, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, with more than 10 aftershocks above 4 overnight, the strongest reaching 4.5)

Historically, previous major earthquakes followed by volcanic eruptions that occurred in the region have had an impact throughout the Aegean Sea. Provoking tsunamis whose traces of destruction have been found from Crete to the Turkish coast, more than 200 kilometers from Santorini. and ashes ejected by the volcano covered the entire region

So, if it comes to avoiding any risk, know that in the event of a cataclysm you would not be safe anywhere in the Aegean Sea.

That being said, as already said before, all the Greek islands that have an airport are touristic. Those that have an international airport with direct flights to Milan are the most touristic and are: Corfu, Zante, Kos, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Kefalonia and Crete.

These flights are operated by Easyjet or Ryanair, two low cost airlines.

So logically in your case, to go to a Greek island you should first forget your risk and non-tourist criteria.

In this eventuality I suggest an example among others: Amorgos which is 1 hour by ferry from Santorini from where you can take a direct flight to Milan if the ferry/flight times are compatible.

https://amorgos.gr/

Thank you all for replies..
I had another question..
what about staying on mainland Greece - some not so large coastal town not too far from Athens that has ferry service to some of the islands.

Any suggestions on that travel plan vs going to touristy islands? or a coastal city that has nice accessible beach?

Thank you

Pat
Thank you so much for Syros and hotel suggestions! Very helpful we will look into.
Also as I just posted another thought… wondering if we should find a nice coastal town on mainland and take a ferry from there to an island just for day. Just to stay on mainland and relax at a nice hotel near the beach.
Any suggestions on maybe the same kind of coastal town on mainland that is as you described Syros?
Thank you for sharing your experiences!!

JoLui
Thank you so much for the details on your reply! Very helpful.. wondered your thoughts on the idea of finding a coastal Town on the mainland like Pat described.. that would be relaxing not too far from Athens that we could maybe take a ferry ride to an island.
Any thoughts appreciated.

some not so large coastal town not too far from Athens that has ferry
service to some of the islands.

There are 3 main ports near Athens where ferries depart for the islands: Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina. There is no other city or port within a 2 hour drive from Athens.

But the question is mainly: what motivates you to go to an island rather than going to the seaside on the mainland?

Is it the typical Cycladic landscapes with its whitewashed houses and blue domes, or simply to stay somewhere by the sea in a place with beaches?

I guess I wanted a little of both!! It seems staying on the mainland might be a little less complex.. but probably a tradeoff. We don't want to go a very crowded touristy place. Just get to experience Greece and a pretty accessible beach so we c ould swim in waters.
I asked our hotel where would the Greeeks go?
The hotel suggested to check out these three islands
Egina Poros Sifnos
these three villages
Lagonisis
Anavyssos
Sounid

Have you heard of any of these?

Lagonisis, Anavyssos and I guess you mean Saronida are 3 seaside towns south of Athens.

They are full of particularly hideous resorts, a series of concrete buildings and swimming pools and they have absolutely nothing Greek about them, just typical examples of the worst places on the Mediterranean coast (there are some in Spain too).

See heer:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/rekK5c7xQS7riz5B6

Aegina, Poros and Sifnos are indeed islands.

Aegina and Poros are the closest to Athens (more or less 1 hour by ferry) but in the Saronic Gulf, they do not have the Cycladic style.

Aegina:

https://www.thisisathens.org/excursions-day-trips/things-to-do-aegina-greece

Poros

https://www.thisisathens.org/excursions-day-trips/things-to-do-poros-weekend

Sifnos is in the Cyclades and has plenty of those famous whitewashed houses, blue domes and sandy beaches. It is also more untouched by tourism than other more popular islands. But it is a 2h30 to 5 hour ferry ride from Athens depending on the type of ferry.

Sifnos

https://sifnos.e-sifnos.com/

You have plenty of time to think about it by September

Regarding Poros:

While it's not part of the Cyclades Islands the town uphill away from the waterfront does have classic Cyclades architecture with white washed house, colorful trim, and narrow lanes with views.

The rest of the island is really not bad and the northern part are where the beaches are.

If you want a "close" island to Piraeus that has lots of options for services including uphill that does resemble a village on a Cyclades Island then Poros may be a good option.

Sifnos is highly suggested. It does have more than 100 kilometers of hiking paths. It’s a foodie heaven. Some of the best food I’ve ever had we ate in Sifnos. All of the towns have excellent places. It can be hilly but it’s a very walkable island. It’s getting more touristed every year. We were there in 2023. Last year we went to Folegandros, a very small island close to Sifnos and to Milos, a much larger island with a well developed tourist infrastructure and airport. We loved both of those too but Sifnos has that Cycladic architecture and heart. Even the port town, Kamares is pretty and has a very wide and pretty sandy beach. We stayed in Faros at a beautiful small hotel that serves the most delicious breakfasts daily. Wherever you go you will enjoy it. It’s Greece after all.

Poros is much too close to Athens. It is the only Greek island I have ever regretted visiting. It is the Greek island version of a really boring suburb. Don't deprive yourselves of all the magic and atmosphere that Greece has to offer. Choose Syros, Sifnos or Amorgos instead, as has been suggested. If being close to Athens is important, follow Ricks Steves advice and choose the island of Hydra. If only I had done that myself.

I share your concern about Santorini. It was the least appealing island we visited during our island hopping trip. Yes, it was beautiful but so were the other islands. It was crowded and expensive. Don't worry about missing the Santorini sunset. Sunsets are gorgeous all over the Greek islands. One suggestion for you is Naxos. Yes, many tourists go there but so do Greeks. It's a large island so you can see a little bit of everything. Whitewashed architecture, mountain villages to explore, a nice main town with great restaurants, beaches. You can fly from ATH or take ferry from Pireus. You can also take a day cruise to Paros or even to Mykonos if you want. Please know that the beaches in the Greek islands are not like the endless stretches of sand you see in the US and the Caribbean.