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Hier findet sich wirklich eine grosse Auswahl an Infos zum Thema Griechenland. Für den Anfang gibt es hier erstmal nur Links aus Samos. Dafür alle Hotels mit GPS Koordinaten, Bars, Tavernas, Ausflugstipps.

Viel Spass!

Corfu – Nissaki

Nisaki is a tiny little village north of Corfu town. It is built into the hills around a small harbour and equally small beach. Houses are integrated into the olive woods and spread around the small road that climbs up to the main road. There are about four tavernas of excellent quality and some small souvenier shops. A perfect place for a very relaxing holiday. If you are looking for a large beach then this is probably not the right place. If you just want to escape all trouble and relax, then you might want to consider Nisaki. Stunning landscape and lovely views guranteed.

There is also a place to rent boats or go scuba diving.

Corfu – Gouvia – Taverna Moukas

Moukas really surprised me. While it looks very touristic and the owner speaks perfect Dutch it was actually a very good place. The food is simply excellent not a single thing that could be any better. The grilled dishes we especially good and the house wine is also really tasty.

Very friendly owner who is from one of the islands next to Corfu called Mathraki.

Corfu – Messonghi – Barocco bar

This is another reallynice place we discovered. Right at the beach you will find a collection of really comfy and stylish sofas to chill out. The décor is colorful and has a touch of India and Arabia. Shisha’s are available if you like it.

Prices are average with 5.50EUR for a cocktail. Nice soft music and good drinks. Excellent place to relax.

Corfu – Maria’s Snack bar in Agios Georgios

This is one of these typical Greek places that I like so much. The atmosphere and the simplicity is one of my main reason to teacel to Greece. Maria’s bar served one of the best frappé’s I had since years. The snack food is also delicious, just try the pitta’s.

It is located right next to the sandy beach.

My favourite beaches on Paros

Paros is an island with exceptionally nice beaches. Unlike many other island in Greece the beaches on Paros are often sandy and the water does not get to deep quickly. It is a pretty good island for families with smaller children in that respect. Overall the beaches also have nice bars, however are not as trendy and crowded with party folks as some other islands.

My favourite beaches on Paros are:

1) Golden beach (one of many golden beaches in Greece)

It is pretty much the next beach after Pounta on the east cost of the island facing Naxos. The winds can be a bit stronger here which leaves the beach empty at some days. It is a pretty long beach (maybe 1km) and has some nice bars in the back as well as a Pool bar at its northern end. Water is great and the beach is really sandy. It is quite easy to find (follow the signs) on the road betwenn Chrissi Akti and Dryos.

2) Aliki

This is a bit untypical of a place. It is actually right in the middle of the village of Aliki. This is a nice spot for families. The water is actually only a few centimeters deep for quite a while. There are plenty of really nice bars and tavernas all around the beach/harbour area. Aliki is really one of the nicest places altogether on Paros. We have come here several times just to relax and hang out.

3. Piso Livadi

Again, this is not a classical beach area. Similarly to Aliki, Piso Livadi offers a nice combination of beach and bars. The beach is usually big enough, but can be really busy at weekends. At the end of the mole, you will find a nice bar that offers a stunning view.

4. Santa Maria

I am not sure if this can really still be recommended, what was once the best beach on the island has turned into a full service sardines box nightmare. What once looked like a little paradise:

Has unfortuately been turned into a full service, never-have-to-get up type of location. Packed with sunbeds and umbrellas. While the water is still very nice as is the location as such, you really have to like being close to other folks if you go here. The pictures are from 2004, when we came back in 2008 it was probably double the amount of people.

It’s equally good for kids and if full drink/food service is what you prefer, then this is probably still the best choice.

I am deliberately not including any of the other popular beaches as there is plenty of information in just about every travel guide. I would however recommend to get a car or a scooter and drive around a little to find the best place according to your taste. Paros has great beaches all over the island and most of them are sandy as well. If you like it a bit more quiet, then Antiparos is well worth going as well. It has two great beaches right next to the town center which are not too crowded. Apart from that, Antiparos is a must-visit anyway. It is a gorgeous little island with a bit of interesting history and a lot of great bars and tavernas. The ferryboat ride will only take 10 minutes and cost you something like 1.50€ per person.

My personal Greek islands Toplist

I realized that some of the information i collected during the past 14 years in travelling Greece may not be so very accurate anymore. This is the reason why i have so far only put travels from the last two years onto the site. I still feel that it would provide some value to put locations into context and compare them to each other. So this is my personal Greek islands toplist. All islands in the list are truly worthwhile going.

1. Samos

This is just such a beautiful island and although there was a big fire in 2000 that burned away a lot of the old olive and pine trees, the landscape is still stunning. It also has quite some decent mountains (1400m) and excellent pebble beaches. Food is rich and a bit tastier than in other regions of Greece. Best places to go are Kokkari and Pythagorio.

2. Santorini

Santorini is pure magic! I may be a bit biased because i got married here, still the caldera view is quite unique. Anywhere from Thira (Firostefani, Imerovigli) you have a stunning view from the cliffs which can go as high as 300 meters. If you arrive by ferry, the villages look like snow on top of mountains. Hotels are often built into the rock which is an experience of its own. Be aware that it is an incredibly expensive place as well.

3. Corfu / Korfu /Kerkyra

I was simply stunned by Corfu’s landscape. It is to unbelievably green and olive trees form true woods here. They grow higher than on other islands and a larger in number as well. Corfu has a long tradition of tourism. This means that there are some areas which are probably better to be avoided. However it has managed to keep touristic infrastructure to a pleasant minumum in many other areas. If you avoid places like Sidari, Kavos, Acharavi, Gouvia and Dassia you can certainly spend an excellent holiday here.

4. Paros / Antiparos

Paros does not have a lot of nature. Its beauty is often man-made which results in some of the most beautiful villages and a harbour (Naoussa) that is definately among the top 5 of the agean. Antiparos is quite different, but equally nice.

5. Rhodos

This may be a bit controversal. Rhodos can be really horrible if you are in the wrong place. Rhodos town and Lindos are really beautiful places on the other hand. I am still amazed by Rhodos town which is one of the most exciting cities i have visited on any of the islands. Make sure you do not end up in one of the touristic, all-inclusive areas and get a car/bike to explore the island’s beauty.

6. Skiathos

A little gem for sure. While the island is only 12km long, it will not make you miss a thing. Skiathos has great beaches and plenty of entertainment options in Skiathos town.

7. Naxos

According to the number of people that exit the ferry each time, Naxos seems to gain popularity by the year. It is bigger and certainly has more green and more exciting nature than Paros, still i would personally consider it to be the calm sister of Paros. It is more relaxed and actually also more affordable. Its beaches are quite popular, sandy and very nice indeed.

8. Kos

I have to be honest and tell you that we went to Kos to party – and i have to say that this is a pretty good place for doing so, entertainment options are plenty. Apart from that, the island has very nice beaches which may require a bit of a drive. You will find any option from full service (me no like) to areas which are much more natural. A visit to the Asklipion is a must (lazy folks can take the small train) as this was one of the first ‘hospitals’ built. It is a huge area and you still get the feeling when you are inside. I would personally recommend to stay close to Kos town which has amazing archaeological excavations.

9. Thassos

Thassos is also gaining more popularity it seems. The island has some nice towns (Limenas was our favourite) and its beaches are gorgeous. There is a road that is going all around the island (90km) which is a great drive and opens up a lot of great nature to the travellers. It marble has made Thassos rich and famous in former times and the locals went as crazy as plastering the whole harbour (inside the water) with it. I can hardly imagine how impressive this must have looked to any visitor (like a gigantic swimming pool).

10. Mykonos

Obviously Mykonos is posh, do not expect anything else. However it is also posh in a quite funny way if you know how to take it. Its poshness also brought some of the best hotels to the island as well as plenty of entertainment options. Prices are a bit higher than elsewhere, but you can still find some affordable places. Its little venice waterfront is probably an exception where prices are just completely crazy not justifying the view at all.

Samos – Ormos Marathokampou

This is a beautiful small village on the south coast of Samos. It basically is the harbour area of Marathokampou which is located a few kilometers back from the seafront. It has a small harbour area and a few bars located around it.  Although there are some rooms for rent in this area that looked nice, we have not stayed there.

The scenery is really gorgeous with the mountains in the back and you can easily waste a day here sitting in some of the bars and tavernas. The village also has a mini market and a bakery while the beach is not really worth mentioning. A few kilometers to the west, you will be hitting the area of Kampos / Votsalakia which has become increasingly popular over the years and offers really nice beaches. One of the most popular is Psili Ammos (West) which is one of the two sandy beaches on Samos.

Map:

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Samos – Pythagorio

I can safely say that Pythagorio is one of my favourite spots in whole of Greece. The town is about 1500 people strong and has a perfect mix of tourist infrastructure, beauty and authenticity. It has a stunning harbour which is occupied with boats of all sizes. During peak season you may also see one or more multi-millon Euro yachts here, which leads to a bit of Marbella feeling (in the good way). The whole marina is surrounded by bars and restaurants mixed with a few souvenir shops. I have to admit that we have never eaten in this area although the tavernas are pretty crowded. I think the main reason is that i personally really see this as the bar area where you can waste an envening watching people walking by and spying a little bit on the rich and famous on their massive 50m 4 story boats.

Pythagorio does not have much of a beach to be honest. There is a small beach at the end of town which is great for the food the tervernas serve (e.g. Faros), but probably only 5 meters wide. I would recommend to go here for dinner as the staff will remove all sunbeds and put up tables right at the beach. For daytime swimming you will need to look outside of Pythagorio. The next beach worth mentioning is Potokaki. This is actually the area where most of the hotels around Pythagorion are located. It is right next to the airport and you can see (and hear) planes landing if you fancy that. The area also has some popular new beach bars which are attracting lots of young Greeks.

What makes the village such a favourite of mine is actually the charme it develops at night. There are dozens of very nice tavernas to choose from of many are located in nicely equipped gardens. You will surely have enough choice here for a two week holiday and typically the food is always nice. Samos cuisine is rich and the chefs make a lot of use of all the great herbs that grow on the island. You will find really nice shops that range across jewellery, clothes, pottery, herbs and tools. Actually the tools shop on the main road is worth a visit. This is a place which is packed with things right from the floor to the ceiling in a wierd and almost artisitic way. I am pretty sure you will find almost anything in here from a hammer and nails down to spare parts for motorbikes and electronics equipment. The owner will probably produce whatever you require from some deep corner of the shop or order it for you if it really should not be in stock. The main road actually gets closed for traffic after 6p.m. and this makes it especially nice to stroll along the shops.

I prefer to stay inside of Pythagorio and i can actually recommend a few places which are family run, just search this blog for more information.

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Samos – Kokkari

Kokkari is one of the main tourist spots on Samos and it is a really special place. We have stayed there several times and always like to go back. It is on the north coast which makes it slightly more windy than other places. You will see the most windsurfers in this region i guess. Still the beach is good for swimming as well. Kokkari has two major areas, the harbour and the long village beach. You will find most hotels in the beach area obviously and many places are actually only a stone throw away from the water. There are basically two locations, right at the beach – which is more a bar and taverna area – and one row behind, which is where the main road is. Don’t worry though, the major road across the island is outside of the town, so it is pretty quiet.

The beach is a really cool thing about Kokkari, it is a funny mixture of sitting in a bar and being at the beach the same time. It offers an amazing view onto the mountains which change color during the day. You will also find more quiet areas as well with less professional infrastrucure as the beach stretches for about 2km. While I normally prefer a more quiet beach, this is not something that ever felt disturbing. A bit of a contradiction, I know. There are some bars which I can recommend located here, I will put up a seperate post for that. There are also 2-3 other beaches right outside of Kokkari which are very popular places. We have only been to one of them, though.

The harbour area is definately equally as nice as the beach side. Here you will find bars and tavernas condensed along the waterfront. I think there must be way over 50 tavernas in Kokkari of which there are probably 20 in this area. There are plenty of options and i can only recommend to check out the Gyros places as well as the restaurants. It is a nice stroll in the evening and afternoon alike. I think the places are pretty much open all day and we had a great time sitting in the shade wasting the day reading. They usually play lounge music in the bars, not too loud – very relaxing.

Shopping is alright in Kokkari for the average needs. If you are really into shopping, you should probably visit Samos town or Pythagorio instead. A must go from Kokkari are the mountain villages Manolates and Vourliotes. I think they are both equally famous while Manolates has some really nice local art shops.

All in all this is a great place for a holiday and my second favorite for Samos.

Related pictures:

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