Greek Islands are a collection of over 6,000 islands and islets that belong in Greece. Only 227 of the islands are inhabited, and only 78 of them have more than 100 inhabitants.

The largest Greek Island is Crete, located at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea. The second-largest island is Euboea, which is separated from the mainland by the 60m wide Euripus Strait and is administered as part of the central Greece periphery. After the third and fourth largest Greek Islands, Lesbos and Rhodes, the rest of the islands are two-thirds of the area of Rhodes, or smaller. The Greek Islands have traditionally grouped into the following clusters: The “Argo-Saronic” Islands in the Saronic Gulf near Athens, the “Cyclades,” a large but dense collection occupying the central part of the Aegean Sea, the “North Aegean Islands,” a loose grouping off the west coast of Turkey, the Dodecanese, another loose collection in the southeast between Crete and Turkey, the “Sporades,” a small tight group off the coast of Euboea, and the “Ionian Islands,” located to the west of the mainland in the Ionian Sea.

The Argo-Saronic Islands are so-called because they lie between the Saronic and the Argolic Gulf, resulting in the Argo-Saronic Gulf and the Argo-Saronic Islands. In this complex, you can visit Aegina, Angistri, Poros, Hydra, Spetses, and Dokos. In the Saronic Gulf, the main Island is Salamis, where the Greek navy defeated the Persians in the Battle of Salamis. In the Argolic Gulf, the main Island is Bourtzi, a small island with a castle which is now a monument. Ferry routes cross the gulf from Nafplio, Spetses, and Leonidi. The cities and towns along the gulf are Leonidio, Astros, Myloi, Nea Kios, Nafplio, Tolo, Iria Beach, and Porto Cheli.

Suggested Sailing Routes in the Cyclades Islands

The Cyclades islands are a Greek Island Group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of Greece's mainland. They are one of the Island Groups which constitute the Aegean Archipelago. The Cyclades comprise about 220 Islands, the major ones being Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Delos, Eschati, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Folegandros, Serifos, Sifnos, Sikinos, Siros, Tinos, and Santorini. Most of the smaller islands are uninhabited. Ermoupolis on Siros is the chief town and administrative center of the prefecture.

The islands are peaks of a submerged mountainous terrain, with the exception of two volcanic islands, Milos and Santorini. The climate is generally dry and mild. Cooler temperatures are in higher elevations and mainly do not receive wintry weather. The Cyclades is the only prefecture in Greece that is not linked with a state-maintained highway or a highway number. All of the roads in the island complex are secondary or provincial.

Suggested Sailing Routes in the Dodecanese Islands

The Dodecanese Islands, literally “twelve islands,” are 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea. They have a rich history, and many of even the smallest inhabited islands boast dozens of Byzantine churches and medieval castles. Kos, Patmos, Kalymnos, Leros, Rhodes, and Symi are typical Greek islands in this region, and many small Greek islands can also be visited day by day.