Overrated & Underrated: Greece

I recently took a trip to Greece and explored many beautiful Greek Islands. Although they were all amazing, one island stuck out to me as a hidden gem, while the other one felt completely tacky and overrun with tourists. 

Overrated: Santorini

Although Santorini is stunning, so are the other Greek islands. Santorini is pretty small, so it’s easy to get bored quickly there. There are two main towns, Oia and Fira, which can be fun for about a day, but get old very quickly. Both of the towns are pleasing to the eye with all-white buildings but have very few famous blue-dome roofs. It’s cool for an Instagram pic or two, but beyond that, there’s nothing special or unique about those towns. There are a couple of other cool spots on Santorini such as the black sand beach in Perissa or the Red Beach, but both can be hard to get to from Fira or Oia as the public transportation is not the greatest on that Island. There’s not a lot of authentic Greek culture to experience as it feels like the town’s main purpose is to cater to tourists. Overall, it feels inauthentic with not a whole lot to do. 

Town of Fira on Santorini island. 

Underrated: Corfu

Corfu is an island that most people skip unless they are passing through to Albania, which is unfortunate cause it’s one of the cheapest and prettiest. Although public transportation isn’t great either, there’s a lot more to do on the island such as famous beaches and stunning hikes. Visiting the Porto Timoni Beach is a must.  It’s one of the cheaper islands and has an authentic Greek feel to it, especially in Corfu town. I stayed at the Pink Palace Hostel which I loved. Located in the remote beach town of Agios Gordios, it’s only steps away from the beach and offers a lot of daily activities, such as ATVs and kayaking. Overall Corfu is less touristy and you’ll get more bang for your buck.

Porto Timoni beach in Corfu