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Victoria Hislop's Autumn Greek Island Guide
Victoria Hislop picks 50 Greek islands for autumn travel, highlighting unique cultures and natural beauty.
In brief
Victoria Hislop picks 50 Greek islands for autumn travel, highlighting unique cultures and natural beauty. Victoria Hislop, author of The Wine-Dark Sea, recommends autumn for Greek island travel due to fewer crowds and rich cultural experiences. Originally reported by Dailymail.
Victoria Hislop's Greek Island Passion
Victoria Hislop has visited 50 Greek islands and claims autumn is the best time to travel there.
“I've been to 50 Greek islands and can guarantee you there's no better time to go than autumn.”
Unique Greek Island History
Each Greek island has its own customs, dances, dishes, flora, fauna, archaeology, mythology, geology, and dialect.
“a few thousand years ago, they were individual and autonomous places.”
Historical Layers
Islands were once under Italian, French, British, or Ottoman rule, leaving rich historical legacies.
“When I think of Greek islands, I think of lots of tiny countries. Yes, they are now part of the Greek state, but not so long ago they might have been under Italian, French, British or Ottoman rule, and these backgrounds form layers of Greece’s complex history, leaving rich legacies.”
Pirate's Chest of Islands
Discovering Greek islands feels like finding glittering gems of every colour and size from a pirate’s chest.
“It is like being given a pirate’s chest that’s been pulled up from the ocean. You lift the lid and find glittering gems of every colour and size.”
Ferry Travel Tradition
Travel by ferry remains unchanged since the late 1970s with the same smells, lounges, and toasted cheese sandwiches.
“For me it all began with island-hopping in my gap year, sleeping on ferries or on the beach for days at a time, and living mostly on watermelon, tomatoes and bread. It was bliss then, and still is, and it makes me smile that the ferries have hardly changed since the late 1970s.”
Autumn Travel Advantage
Victoria Hislop recommends September and October for Greek island travel to avoid crowds and enjoy swimming.
“My top months to go are September and October. Even up to the end of November, though, swimming is wonderful.”
Ithaca: The Blazing Beauty
Ithaca has trees down to the water’s edge, a safe natural harbour, and the clearest waters for swimming.
“Beautiful Ithaca has trees down to the water’s edge, a safe natural harbour and very clear waters”
Kefalonia: The Wine-Dark Sea
Kefalonia is home to the Wine-Dark Sea, a novel by Victoria Hislop, and features Myrtos beach.
“Adjacent to Ithaca, Kefalonia is much bigger, but I was drawn there by another writer: Louis de Bernieres. The novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin had just been published when I first visited, and reading it enriched my understanding of what Greece suffered under Occupation in the 20th century.”
Chios: The Leprosarium and Mastic
Chios is home to an indigenous tree that yields mastic, the first leprosarium in Europe, and medieval villages.
“Chios, with its lovely medieval villages, was once home to many of the powerful Greek shipping families whose mansions still stand. It is a place overflowing with drama in both history and landscape, and said to be the birthplace of Homer.”
Oinoussa: The Mermaid Island
Oinoussa is guarded by a mermaid perched on a rock and has a charming restaurant.
“This tiny jewel of an island is next to Chios, rich in stories of ship-building, with its own Maritime Academy and museum of shipping history. When I approached the little harbour in a caique, I was welcomed by the island’s guardian, a mermaid perched on a rock.”
Ikaria: The Blue Zone
Ikaria is one of the world’s few Blue Zones with healthy elderly populations and stress-free living.
“Ikaria is one of the world’s few ‘Blue Zone’ locations, where healthy lifestyles result in an unusually high proportion of healthy elderly people.”
Tinos: Marble Architecture
Tinos features sculpted marble architectural touches and a school of sculpture.
“Tinos, within the circle of islands known as the Cyclades, features sculpted marble architectural touches almost everywhere you look; the island has a rich source of the gleaming white stone.”
Andros: The Art Island
Andros has grand pastel-painted homes and a Museum of Contemporary Art with modern sculptures.
“Distinctive for its grand pastel-painted homes where shipowners lived in the 20th century, Andros, also in the Cyclades, is a delight, especially if you stay at Micra Anglia (Little England), an elegant boutique hotel converted from one of the shipowners’ houses.”
Milos: Volcanic Beauty
Milos was formed by volcanic activity and has other-worldly rock formations and beaches.
“Milos, another Cycladic island, is dramatic. There’s no other way of describing it. It was formed by volcanic activity and its astonishing rock formations are other-worldly.”
Kimolos: The Private Island
Kimolos feels like a private island with a charming restaurant and small museum.
“This feels like a private island. It’s a few minutes’ boat ride from Milos, even more picturesque and with a charming restaurant. A short walk from where the ferry drops you is one of my favourite Greek museums, so small there’s only really room for two people at a time.”
Naxos: The Temple of Apollo
Naxos features a temple to Apollo over 2,500 years old and the best cheese on the planet.
“When you visit Naxos, yet another Cycladic island, you are welcomed by a mighty temple to Apollo. It’s more than 2,500 years old and the scale is extraordinary, a reminder of human insignificance in relation to the divine.”
Karpathos: The Italian Island
Karpathos has a rugged landscape with hilltop villages and strong Italian influence.
“Karpathos in the Dodecanese is a case in point. It’s reached by the occasional ferry or flight from eastern Crete, and its isolation means it has preserved much of its culture. The landscape is rugged, with hilltop villages enjoying dramatic sea views.”
The one thing
Victoria Hislop, author of The Wine-Dark Sea, recommends autumn for Greek island travel due to fewer crowds and rich cultural experiences.
