There’s something both timeless and captivating about villages in Greece. Narrow, cobblestone streets, a shaded square, a local church, and a village taverna are all part of the scene. You’ll see local men playing backgammon at the kafenion, lingering over a morning coffee. Village women chat in doorways and tend their vegetable gardens.
Time moves slowly here. There’s a sense of community, usually revolving around the church. Families gather in the square on summer evenings, kids playing while the adults eat and gossip over wine and meze. Some villagers still use donkeys as transportation and mornings are punctuated by the sound of roosters crowing.
Of course, not all Greek villages are the same. Some lie around a fishing harbor, while others cling to mountaintops. Some are deeply traditional, while others offer designer boutiques, rooftop bars, and organic restaurants.
Pyrgos, Santorini
Pyrgos, Santorini
For a small island, Santorini is highly developed, and its towns and villages sometimes seem to merge into one another. Pyrgos, however, is a classic example of a Greek village with the archetypal Cycladian architecture of brilliant white houses, sky-blue window frames and wooden doors, and photogenic churches with blue domes.
Pyrgos is the highest village on the island, spilling over the slopes of Mount Prophet Elias. As such, the views across the island and over the sparkling Aegean are spectacular. If you head to the top of the Greek mountain, you can see the whole island and get a real perspective on the shape of the caldera and the vast scale of the original volcano that stood here in around 1600 BC.
Pyrgos, Santorini
Pyrgos is a delight of sights, sounds, and textures. Many of the streets are stepped, pebbled alleyways. There are always surprises; a local musician playing, village cats lounging in the sunshine, or a donkey clattering through the streets.
You’ll find plenty of arty souvenir shops and galleries. High up on the hill is Franco’s Café, which has some of the best views of the island from its terrace. Pop into the Agia Triada church behind the café to admire the icons and absorb the sense of peace.
Pyrgos is also famed for its wine production, and some of the island’s best wineries are located here. Drop by for a tasting of Assyrtiko, the island’s impressive white, which is crisp and citrussy.
Vamos, Crete
Vamos, Crete
Lying south of Chania, in the foothills of the craggy White Mountains, Vamos is a beautiful old village. Visit in spring and you’ll enjoy gorgeous views of the village, the lemon, almond, and fig trees that surround it, and the snow-capped mountains as a backdrop.
Vamos is on record as having been inhabited by Arab pirates as early as the eighth century. It was the headquarters of the Ottoman army during the Ottoman occupation of the island and was liberated from the oppressors in 1896 by brave, patriotic locals.
Karydi Monastery in Vamos, Crete
Vamos today is an enchanting tangle of narrow alleys and old, stone-built houses, many bearing elegant Venetian influences. Check out the Karydi Monastery, which features the arched remains of a historic, industrial-scale olive press, dating back to 1862.
A wonderful way to explore the village, which as a community promotes sustainable tourism, is to take a tour organized by the tourist board that visits local small-scale producers. You can meet a herbalist who makes teas and carob syrup, a cheesemaker, a family producing high-quality olive oil, and one of the region’s top wine-makers.
You’ll find a couple of tavernas in the center of the village. Sterna of Bloumosifis has quite the following and draws fans from bigger towns such as Chania and Rethymnon. Come here for the local meats slow-cooked in the traditional stone oven, and Cretan specialties such as cuttlefish with fennel and rooster cooked in red wine.
Lakones, Corfu
Lakones, Corfu
You’ll want your camera handy for a visit to the exquisite Greek village of Lakones, high on a wooded hill above the turquoise bay of Paleokastritsa in Corfu. The village is reached by donkey trails or a precipitous narrow road.
Views aside, Lakones is packed with rustic charm. Discover the steep, narrow alleys, slightly crumbling 18th- and 19th-century houses in shades of ocher and faded terracotta, and pops of color from pots bursting with scarlet geraniums. Cool off in one of the many cafés, gazing down over the blue Ionian Sea. Head for the Bella Vista viewpoint, the best place to take in those dazzling views.
Combine your visit to Lakones with a trip to Angelokastro, a Byzantine castle in an astonishing location—the top of a sheer-sided rock. You can tour the ruined fortress, visit an ancient cave church, and take in the art and artifacts exhibited here.
Ano Mera, Mykonos
Ano Mera, Mykonos
Pretty Ano Mera is a far cry from the designer shopping and buzzing hipster scene of Mykonos Town. Located in the island’s dry, hilly interior, it’s a quiet place, best known for the impressive Panagia Tourliani monastery, built in the 16th century but restored in the 18th century.
The whitewashed monastery is characterized by its blood-red dome and tall bell tower. An exquisite marble fountain lies outside, while inside, you can admire silver incense holders in the shape of dragons, gilded icons, old wood carvings, the original church bells, and an iconostasis, or altar screen created in the 18th century by artists from Florence.
After visiting the monastery, spend time in the village, where you’ll find tavernas and cafés with shaded terraces, as well as bakeries selling flaky pastry cheese pies, still warm from the oven.
Oia, Santorini
Oia, Santorini
Oia is more town than village nowadays, thanks to its popularity, but it’s so beautiful that every visitor to Santorini wants to capture that iconic shot of the blue-domed church with the curve of the caldera and sparkling Aegean beyond.
The church, incidentally, is Anastasi, and has a pink bell tower as well as the brilliant blue cupola. Next to it is Agios Spyridon, which also has a blue cupola. Line up the shot carefully and you can capture both domes and the bell tower.
Oia, Santorini
Explore the spotless alleyways lined with whitewashed houses, designer boutiques, and art galleries, and stop for lunch in one of the restaurants with uninterrupted caldera views. You will pay a premium for the view, of course, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. You can’t go wrong by ordering local specialties like pureed fava beans, lamb moussaka, baked feta, and fried calamari.
Oia is best visited early in the morning or in Santorini’s shoulder seasons, spring and fall, unless you’re prepared to share it with hordes of others.
You could even work up an appetite by walking here from Fira, the capital. It’s a six-mile trek, so it’s only to be attempted in cooler weather. The views are jaw-droppingly spectacular all the way along the clifftop trail and through whitewashed villages spilling over the edge.
Vlychos, Hydra
Vlychos, Hydra
Vlychos can at best be described as a hamlet, as it’s essentially just a few houses and a couple of tavernas strung along car-free Hydra’s picturesque shoreline.
Why visit? Because the 45-minute walk along the clifftop from Hydra port is delightful. You’ll leave the bustling port area and pass tiny coves accessed by rocky trails. Leonard Cohen fans can stop at the memorial here, looking out to sea; the singer was a famous resident of Hydra during its hippie heyday.
You’ll pass smallholdings and farmland and as you arrive at Vlychos, cross over the dramatic, high-arched stone Vlychos Bridge, built in the 17th century.
The village itself is best known for its beach, which has loungers and umbrellas to rent and a gently sloping, stony sea floor with glass-clear water, perfect for snorkeling. Stop for lunch in one of the tavernas before heading back to Hydra.
Anafiotika, Athens
Anafiotika, Athens
Athens is a sprawling Greek city but you can still find neighborhoods that have the sleepy vibe of traditional villages.
One of the prettiest is Anafiotika, a tiny, pedestrianized area of the Plaka district that sprawls across the lower slopes of the north side of Acropolis Hill. Wander through the narrow streets and you’ll have a vague sense of being in the Cyclades.
There’s a reason for this; craftsmen from the Cycladic island of Anafi were brought to the capital around 1840 to work on the royal palace. They built their own homes in the style of the Cyclades, with whitewashed exteriors and colorful woodwork, and named the “village” after their island.
Stop to take in details; a scarlet shutter, an ornate doorway, or a cat snoozing on a stone wall. Walk to the top of the village and you’ll have views across Athens to Mount Lycabettus.
Litochoro, near Thessaloniki
Litochoro, near Thessaloniki
The traditional Macedonian village of Litochoro, dating back to the 14th century, lies in a spectacular position at the foot of towering Mount Olympus. Little wonder that the mountain, covered in snow in winter and spring, was considered the home of the Greek gods.
Because of its location, Litochoro is a popular base for hikers and climbers, which gives the village a constant buzz. Explore the cobblestone alleys, lined with terracotta-roofed houses that are adorned with traditional wooden balconies.
Join a guided hike on Mount Olympus through sheer-sided gorges and lush forest, stopping at remote churches along the way. There are wonderful views over the village and down to the coast from Profitis Ilias.
Combine a visit to Litochoro with an exploration of the impressive archaeological site of Dion, dating back to the fifth century BC. This is where Alexander the Great made sacrifices before setting out to sea. You’ll see an ancient Roman theater and the foundations of villas, former basilicas, and public baths. Visit the site’s Archaeological Museum to admire the intricate mosaics found around Dion.
Lindos, Rhodes
Lindos, Rhodes
Lindos has to be one of the most beautiful villages in Greece, a cluster of sugar-cube houses cascading down a hillside, the dramatic, hilltop Acropolis as a backdrop and the turquoise Aegean below.
The Acropolis, encircled by medieval battlements, is a highlight of this pretty place. You can walk up there, or ride a donkey on the final stretch if it’s too tiring. Inside the walls, you’ll see the graceful temple to the goddess Athena Lindia, other fourth century BC structures, a stoa, or colonnade, of 20 columns, and the more recent Church of St. John, built in the 13th or 14th century by the Knights of St. John.
Far below is St. Paul’s Bay, an almost completely enclosed bay with a narrow, rocky entrance. St. Paul is said to have sheltered here from a storm in AD 57.
Makrinitsa, Volos
Makrinitsa, Volos
The aristocratic village of Makrinitsa hangs over the side of the lush Mount Pelion, which curves southeast of Volos around a large, sheltered bay. This is a verdant corner of Greece, the hillsides covered with pine, wild olives, beech, and chestnut trees. The village itself, high above the sea, is known for its peace and quiet, and narrow streets lined with sumptuous, richly decorated mansions.
Head for the plane tree-shaded main square, surrounded by cafés, a 19th-century marble fountain at its center. The church here is dedicated to Agios Ioannis Prodromos, while there’s a Folklore Museum exhibiting everyday objects from life in the past, as well as historic costumes, old photographs, and icons.
Theriso, near Chania
Theriso lies high in the hills behind Chania, at one end of the awe-inspiring Theriso Gorge, a canyon spanning five and half miles, in places less than 50 feet wide.
Theriso Gorge, near Chania
The canyon hike is an expedition in itself, through orange groves and vineyards and in the narrow section, oleander bushes clinging to the rocks. But Theriso itself is fascinating. The village is famous for its rebels who fought in the early 20th century for Crete to be united with the rest of Greece. The village was the location of a 1905 uprising that eventually achieved this goal, under the leadership of Eleftherios Venizelos, whose mother was born in the village.
Venizelos, one of the great heroes of modern Greece, went on to become Greece’s prime minister. The international airport in Athens is named after him. Get a glimpse into these turbulent times at the Museum of National Resistance before heading to one of the village’s many tavernas for lunch in a vine-shaded garden.
Moustheni, near Kavala
Moustheni, near Kavala
In the mountains behind the ancient city of Kavala, tucked up against the Turkish border, the village of Moustheni seems almost more Turkish than Greek in appearance. The village is dotted with fountains and old watermills, while elegantly arched stone bridges span rushing streams.
Traditional stone houses are painted in bright shades of blue and ocher as well as the more commonplace white, while the Old Turkish School, now a boutique hotel, has Arabic inscriptions on the facade.
You’ll find an assortment of tavernas in the village, but for elevated cuisine, the Bostani restaurant, just outside Moustheni, offers elegantly presented Greek and Mediterranean dishes in a beautiful setting.
Santorini
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