ByTasos Kokkinidis
23 Greek islands are mentioned as best for travel in 2022 by the London-based international magazine Conde Nast Traveller. Credit: Jean Beaufort/Public Domain
Famous and off-the-beaten-track Greek islands make the official list of the best for 2022 by leading Conde Nast Traveller magazine released earlier in December.
Conde Nast Traveller, published in London, is a luxury travel magazine aimed at the upmarket, independent traveler.
The list selects the top 23 picks among 200 potential island destinations for different types of travel experiences.
It is recommending Syros for its “culture and off-season cachet.” Syros has a long history that began three millennia ago. This explains the differences in architecture and the many government buildings in the capital, Ermoupoli. It also explains the wealth of museums and cultural events that take place there in the summer.
Syros was never under Ottoman occupation as it was protected by the French, and there is a strong Catholic element on the island due to the Venetian influence there.
The magazine recommends Sifnos, one of the islands of the Western Cyclades, for its food. Sifnos is a balance of beautiful beaches, nightlife, pristine white villages, low-impact tourism — and perhaps the best food in the Cyclades.
Mouthwatering local specialties for your dining pleasure on Sifnos include chick pea balls, Manoúra (cream cheese), mastélo (lamb cooked in red wine and spices), amigdalotá (small round cookies with ground almond, rosewater and powdered sugar) and honey pie.
The island of Hydra is recommended as a weekend getaway “ with the art crowd.” Nestled in the Argo Saronic Gulf, just under two hours away from Athens by ferry, Hydra has long been a destination for artists, musicians, and free spirits inspired by its stunning natural beauty and vibrant port town.
Internationally known as the muse and longtime home of poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen, Hydra is imbued with a spirit of creativity and beauty that can be felt just by exploring the breathtaking island.
Conde Nast Traveller also recommends Milos for its “photogenic and dramatic coastline”. Milos, the setting of the latest collection from the iconic French fashion house of Dior, possesses a captivating colorful landscape with soft sandy beaches, underwater sea caves and reddish cliffs, and has more than 75 exotic beaches.
Another 19 Greek islands were mentioned for Summer 2022
Another 19 Greek islands, big and small, get a mention including a number of well-established destinations such as Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini but also some that are off the beaten track, such as Ithaca, Folegandros, Paxos and Symi.
Naxos is recommended for its “ endless sandy beaches”, Lefkada as the go-to island for sea and surf, Patmos for its “ stark mystique”, Tinos for its tavernas and traditional villages and Astypalea for “ escaping the crowds”.
A favorite tourist destination, Greece has become known as the summer capital of the world, and not without good reason.
Its unique mix of natural beauty and cultural amenities have established the eastern Mediterranean country as a first-class destination for any traveler wishing to experience a feel-good and carefree vacation in a land of true hospitality.
Greek reporter