Greece's Most Remote Island Is An Overlooked Artsy Pastel Paradise Full Of Friendly Locals

The islands of Greece are marvelous and varied in their beauty. If you're planning a Greek vacation this summer, you could choose the usual stops for tourists like Mykonos, the city of Athens with its amazing museums, stunning Santorini, or maybe a quieter place like Alonissos. However, if you really want to get away from it all (including hordes of tourists), you can go a bit further afield and visit the remote island of Kastellorizo. It's just a 20-minute ferry ride from Kaş in Türkiye (for only around $38 per person for a day trip) or 2.5 hours on the express ferry (or longer with a local trip) from Rhodes. 

Kastellorizo (once called Megisti, which means "greatest" or "maximum") is full of colorful neoclassical homes (above), ancient ruins, lovely churches, and more. While there are no sand beaches, there are plenty of places to swim from the rocks or off of boats you can rent on the island for solo travel or with a captain. There is a gorgeous and famous sea cave that you can't afford to miss, as well as little islets to visit and a sunset to drool over. Are you ready for some χαλάρωση (relaxation)?  

Kastellorizo is a small island around a mile from the coast of Türkiye with approximately 300 residents. There is only one taxi and one road from the little airport into town. This island is very popular with the art and artist community, like collector Silvia Fiorucci, who built several artist residences there, and designer Michael Anastassiades. The harbor itself, called "Kordoni" or "shoelace," has pretty shops, colorful boats in the water, and you can swim off the piers. You'll find excellent seafood at the charming tavernas there (some have sea turtles waiting for seafood scraps), do some shopping, or you can visit the famous Alexandra's for fancier dining. (Try the "souam dormasi," or stuffed onions.) 

The Blue Grotto (above) alone is worth the trip. This cave requires a little work to get into but it glows with lovely light from the sun through the opening in the cave. Again, there are no sand beaches, but snorkeling is great at the piers at Faros and Mandraki harbors. You can rent boats to travel around and snorkel from as well. Other boats will take you to nearby Ro island, which had only one resident: Despina Achladioti, who raised a Greek flag every day to protest the Nazi invasion, and did so every day until her death in 1982. You can also snorkel there or St. George's Island, which is uninhabited other than a couple who runs a small restaurant. 

This island has friendly local residents and plenty to do out of the water as well. From the east end of the harbor, you can take a path up to see the only Lycian rock tomb in Greece from the 4th century BCE (above), with a nearby staircase that takes you down to a pretty cove. The tomb is carved right into the rockface. It's worth visiting the Historic Collection of Kastellorizo, set inside an Ottoman mosque, with artifacts, weapons, costumes, and more, giving visitors the history of the island. Another lovely spot is the Museum of Puzzles, run by collector and puzzle creator Pantazis Houlis. He's got thousands of puzzles to check out and he also does walking tours.

If you're looking for a splendid view of the sunset, you can take the 1.4-mile hike (including 401 steps) to the Agios Georgios of the Mountain monastery. (Do this later in the day and make sure to hydrate to keep yourself safe from heatstroke.) You can also speak to the only taxi driver on Kastellorizo, Yorgos, who has the key to the crypt under the monastery. When you pass the monastery, you can keep going up along the path to the catacomb of Saint Charalambos, and continue on to the Paleokastro or old fortress or castle, (the highest spot on the island) for the sunset and a view of Türkiye.