The tiny island of Paxos has no airport and it also has a shortage of water which means it has kept

Greece and particularly the capital of Athens is a country and city steeped in myth and legend with a history that stretches back for millennia. The home of philosophy and the birthplace of Western civilisation, Athens boasts a history of habitation that is longer than any of its European counterparts like Rome, Paris, Berlin or Madrid. The city has been continuously inhabited for at least 7,000 years. The oldest known human presence in Athens has been dated back to between the 11th and 7th millennium B.C.
The Islands of Greece however is what has made the country such a sought after tourist destination. Greece has more islands under its control than any other nation in the world which means one is spoilt for choice when planning an island holiday to Greece. The popular islands are world renowned and visited by thousands of tourists every year. The Greek island towns of Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu and Naxos are some of the Mediterranean’s most popular island destinations.
Greece however “hides” us rent a car some smaller towns on their many islands that only smaller yachts and speedboats can access. These towns are not always accessible by plane and obviously being islands they aren’t accessible by road. This remoteness makes these little towns and marina’s special because one can get a true local feel of the Greek culture when visiting these places and they aren’t overrun by tourists as some of Greece’s more popular destinations. Let’s look at some of these hidden gems of the Greek islands.
Hydra is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece, located in the Aegean Sea just south of the capital Athens. The town of Hydra is the only built up area on the island with the interior of the island being largely uninhabited. The town is known for its art scene with galleries and museums scattered throughout the towns interior. The art scene was inspired by Leonard Cohen the famous singer-songwriter who used to call Hydra home and who still owns a house here.
The town’s narrow streets lead from the harbour to the popular attractions like the museum, monasteries, churches and the Cathedral. Cars and motorbikes are banned from the island making Hydra the perfect place for those travellers seeking to relax in an “old world” style destination. Donkeys and water taxis transport people across the island and along the coast to popular swimming spots and other small villages. The town is an upmarket destination thus the restaurants us rent a car on the marina is quite pricy but the food is well worth it with fresh seafood dishes being the most popular among locals and tourists. If you are looking for a local traditional Greek tavern walk down the narrow streets to the centre of town where many of these small establishments can be found.
On the farthest end of the Seronic Islands is Spetses where there are beautiful sandy beaches and cool pine forests that has not been run over by the vast numbers of group tourism. The island has a ban on private vehicles which means the silence and old world feel that Spetses has is only interrupted by the low shudder of mopeds and boats that drive on and around the island. The port of Dapia is where it all happens, it is strikingly beautiful with white washed Neo-Classic houses that have been beautifully us rent a car preserved, forms the backdrop of this port.
The little town is scattered with smart cafés and stylish boutiques that are filled with locals and tourists drinking their espressos and frappes as they eye the latest travellers climbing off the water taxis. The narrow cobble streets lead onto many Plazas in the town that are filled with local taverns and coffee shops. There is a statue of Laskarina Bouboulina on the island which is a must see. The statue is that of the Greek heroin who led the islanders’ assault on an Ottoman fleet trying to sail through this channel during us rent a car the Greek war of Independence. Be sure to take a horse-drawn carriages through the port town and try stuffed octopus at any of the local taverns to get the taste of some local cuisine.
The island of Skiathos lies in the Aegean Sea, off the North Western part of Greece’s coastline. Skiathos Town on the island is the only Built up area on the island with a history dating back to ancient times. Skiathos is famous for its excellent sandy beaches us rent a car which predominantly lies on the South and South-Western Coast of Skiathos. Koukounaries is the best beach on Skiathos and is widely regarded as the best beach in all Greece. All of the beaches have sunbeds and umbrellas for hire along with fun water sport activities that are also on offer. Banana Beach which is close to Koukounaries has two great beach bars on its golden sandy beach. This beach also offers skiing and jet skiing, for those who are interested in nudist beaches, the banana nudist beach which lies just next to the main Banana Beach is arguably the best nudist beach in Greece.
The Kastro on the northern side of the island is the islands oldest establishment dating back to the 16 th century which was abandoned after the inhabitants moved to Skiathos town. Skiathos town is what gives the island its unique character with beautiful picturesque white washed buildings and cobblestone roads snaking through the old town to local taverns and beautiful us rent a car small plazas. The old town is atop of the hill that overlooks the harbour and town central. The town has some of the trendiest bars in all of Greece which are open until the early hours of the morning. Walk along the inner streets of Skiathos town and find a local tavern where they spit roast beautiful meats from lamb to chicken while an old local plays some authentic Greek music, this is how you experience the real character of Skiathos and Greece.
Parga is not an island as it lies on the eastern coastline us rent a car of Greece’s mainland us rent a car in the Ionian Sea but we thought that it had to be mentioned here because it has the character of a small Greek island town. Parga has two bays the one has a stony beach that has some awesome water sport activities available. This bay is also where private catamarans and yachts lay on anchor overnight. Water taxis come to pick you up from this bay to take you to the bay on the other side where the town is situated with all the restaurants and Bars. The taxi ride to the other bay takes all of 5 minutes but it is the highlight of ones Parga experience.
The local water taxi driver picks you up at your yacht where you have to be careful us rent a car climbing onto the much smaller boat. He plays Greek music on his little boat and takes you on a short sightseeing trip through the small islands and rocky outposts that are inside Parga bay. The small island us rent a car just across the town of Parga has only one building on it and that is the Greek Orthodox us rent a car Church. The taxi ride goes right past the island and as soon as you pass through the little rocky outposts the beautiful town of Parga lies straight ahead of you. The town has many little taverns and bars where you can enjoy local cuisine like calamari, souvlaki and giros.
The view of the castle atop of the hill that overlooks the town is spectacular at night but during us rent a car the day be sure to climb up to the top and inspect the ancient castle. us rent a car The walk up is well worth the effort as the views from atop the hill are spectacular as you can see both bays from the top and because the water is so clear you can spot all of the reefs that are scattered across the bay. Parga has been largely untouched by group tourism which means the town still has a local feel to it. One really gets the true local Greek experience when visiting Parga.
Poros is a very small volcanic island that lies just 200m from the Greek mainland. Two thirds of the island is built up with houses, shops and restaurants that has been built in typical Greek architecture style, whitewashed walls with blue or red shutters. The island itself has little to offer for those looking for sandy beaches or water activities but it does have something special, old world Greek charm with a mythical history that stretches back to the days when the Greeks used to worship the ancient Greek gods. The Sanctuary of Poseidon on the island us rent a car dates back to the 6 th century BC and it is situated on the most beautiful location on the island, must see for all visitors to Poros.
The little cobble streets and the real authentic taverns on the island is what makes Poros so unique. Because it is so close to the mainland this island has been inhabited for many years and thus has a rich history. Around every corner us rent a car of the cobble streets in Poros you find locals sitting in the street drinking wine and coffee in the shade while waiting us rent a car for the heat of the day to pass. The smell from the local bakeries in Poros fill up the air in the early morning while the smell of grilling seafood and lamb fill up the air at night. Getting lost in the maze of the narrow cobblestone roads in Poros takes you back to what Greece would have been like if you visited it before mass tourism descended onto Greece. The locals fish during the early hours of the morning and during the day they chat away in local taverns and plazas while the heat of the day passes, to experience this local life, head to Poros.
The tiny island of Paxos has no airport us rent a car and it also has a shortage of water which means it has kept mass tourism away. The island lies off the Eastern Coastline of the Greek mainland and is part of the Ionian string of islands. The coastline of Paxos has two extremes from the gentle sand/rocky bays on the eastern coastline to the bold and abrupt side on the western coastline with caves, us rent a car arches and sheer cliffs dropping down to the ocean. The main town on the island is Gaios which is a picturesque little village that has been built around the functioning port. The port is protected by two small islands namely Agios Nikolas and Panagia.
The  main road on the island runs north to the town of Lakka. The enclosed harbour at Lakka is dominated by apartments and villas but it is a nice visit for those who find Gaios a little busy. The sm