Greece is famous for its cuisine, interesting historic landmarks and beautiful beaches. But the country is also known for the party atmosphere on some very famous islands. Think of Ibiza on a lower budget and surrounded by a lot of history.

Mykonos

It has been considered for a long time THE BEST party island in Greece. During the day, the party is on the beach and we agree that Paradise Beach is definitely the world’s best party beach.

The beach offers all the facilities you need to combine sunbathing with partying: sun beds, showers, diving center, water sports center, restaurant and beach bar. The partying starts early. By 2 p.m. everything is in party mood on the beach. Of course, Mykonos is an excellent destination if you want to party all night long as well.

Aside from the beach bars which get you going, the friendly locals are also responsible for the excellent party atmosphere.

Mykonos is the place to be seen. Everyone comes here and there are quite a few chances to see some international celebrities partying in the same place as you are.

How to get to Mykonos

There are many daily flights from Athens and Thessaloniki. If you book ahead of time, expect to pay about €75 for a one-way ticket from Athens (on Aegean Airlines).

>>read more about Flights to Mykonos

There are also ferries connecting Mykonos to both the mainland and other Greek islands. The fastest ferry from Athens takes 5 hours to get to Mykonos. Tickets can be bought online here.

>>read more about Ferries to and from Mykonos

Where to stay in Mykonos

Make sure to book your room in advance especially if you plan to arrive in Mykonos in August. It is possible to book the Mykonos room on your own but you need to plan in advance. In case you like some adventure in your life and don’t book ahead of time, when you arrive on the island you’ll see a lot of locals waving pictures of their available rooms for rent. Chances are you can get quite a good deal. And if this fails, there’s always the campsite close to Paradise Beach.

Read more about
>>Hotels in Mykonos
>>Best Luxury Hotels in Mykonos
>>Budget accommodation in Mykonos

Ios

Over the past years, Ios has emerged as the newest and hottest place to party in Greece. Famous among the young crowd for years, Ios combines the history and culture with excellent partying, reviling with Mykonos.

During the evenings and nights, the squares and streets fill with partying people. Typically the party starts in the main square where the majority of bars and clubs are to be found. The main pedestrian street – which passes through three squares – often gets overcrowded (specially during the high season).

How to get to Ios

Part of the Cyclades , Ios is only accessible by ferry. Most travelers, however, prefer to fly from Athens or Thessaloniki into Santorini or Mykonos and then take a ferry to Ios. For example, the ferry ride from Mykonos to Ios takes 1 hour 30 minutes. Tickets can be bought online here.

Read more about:
>>Flights within Greece
>>Ferries from Myknonos to Ios

Where to stay in Ios

Ios is not a very large island but there are quite a lot of hotels and pensions to choose from. There are also three camping sites if you prefer want to save some money and love nature.

Zakynthos (Zante)

Although once Corfu was the main Ionian party island, Zante is now the hottest place to be if you want to have a lot of fun. The island is blessed with astonishing natural beauty and has quite a lot of historical sites to offer as well.

The nightlife here is exciting and there are a lot of clubs and bars offering various types of music. The nightlife is definitely concentrated around famous beach resorts of Argasi, Laganas, Alykes and Tsilivi.

It’s not called nightlife for nothing…so show up around midnight. Most clubs are open until 4 a.m. or even earlier. They feature international DJs playing the latest club mixes.

How to get to Zakynthos

Zante, the island which often shows up on European bucket lists, is served by an airport (code ZTH) which receives both domestic and international flights. Almost all international flights are charter flights from major European cities and are available only during the summer season (May to October). Olympic Airlines offers flights from Athens to Zakynthos. The flight time is about 1 hour and the tickets start around €70 one way if you book ahead of time.

The island can also be reached by ferry. Zante is connected with the mainland Greece via Kyllini port (the westernmost port town in the Peloponnese) and there are also ferries to Kefalonia.

>>read more about Ferries in Greece

Where to stay in Zakynthos

Make sure to book your room in advance and it’s a good idea to opt for air conditioning (or at least a fan) if you plan to be here during the hottest months (July and August). There are plenty of hotels, pensions and apartments for rent on the island.

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This article was first published in 2010. It was updated in July 2018.