Why Greece works so well for families
Greece comes up again and again when you start researching family holidays, and for good reason. While most Greek islands are around 4 hours flight from the UK, the weather is reliably warm from late April through October, and the choice of family-friendly hotels is enormous. It’s also a destination that really suits different ages, whether you’ve got a baby who needs shallow water and easy logistics, a toddler who needs sandy beaches and an early bedtime, or older kids who want a waterpark and a kids club.
The harder question is which island to choose. Crete is huge and resort-heavy, Rhodes can be very different depending on where you stay, and Zante has some of the best shallow beaches anywhere in Greece but also has some party areas. Quieter options like Lefkada or Kefalonia offer a completely different pace again.
I’m sharing some of the places we have loved, as well as recommendations from other parents, to bring you our guide to the best Greek islands for families. I’ve also added some mainland Greece family stays worth considering.
Quick answer: best Greek island by family type
- Best for sandy beaches: Zante
- Best for toddlers: Kos
- Best for luxury family resorts: Crete
- Best for easy all-inclusive: Rhodes
- Best quieter alternative: Kefalonia
- Best mainland option: Athens combined with the Peloponnese
What makes a Greek island good for families?
The factors that come up most often when parents rate Greek islands are: sandy beaches rather than pebbles, shallow water for paddling, calm bays rather than open sea, short airport transfers, and family-friendly restaurants and promenades close to where you’re staying. This is why islands like Zante, Kos and parts of Crete top most lists. It’s also worth thinking about what kind of holiday you want, because there’s a big difference between a resort-heavy island like Rhodes and somewhere more laid-back like Lefkada.
Zante (Zakynthos) for sandy beaches and shallow water
Zante is one of the most consistently recommended Greek islands for families, particularly with younger children. It has some excellent sandy beaches and a relatively relaxed feel outside the livelier resort areas. Kalamaki is particularly good with toddlers: the beach is sheltered, the water is shallow and it’s also known for sea turtle nesting, which is a lovely bonus. Alykanas and Tsilivi are popular family areas with plenty of restaurants and easy beach access. Vassilikos is quieter and has some of the most beautiful beaches on the island.
Choose your area carefully though, because some parts of Zante are very different from others. Laganas is very much the party end of the island and best avoided with young children, and outside the quieter areas the overall vibe can feel more British package holiday than authentic Greek. Zakynthos Town is pleasant for an evening stroll and has a good harbour, but it’s not a destination in itself. If you’re coming for cultural sightseeing or a sense of local Greek life, Zante isn’t the strongest option. If you’re coming for beautiful shallow beaches and easy logistics with little ones, it’s hard to beat.
Best areas for families: Kalamaki, Alykanas, Tsilivi, Vassilikos
Recommended family hotels in Zante: Alykanas Beach Hotel, Alykanas Village Hotel, Aqua Bay Suites, Lesante Cape Resort & Villas
Kos for toddlers and soft sand beaches
Kos comes up equally often in parent recommendations, particularly the north coast around Tigaki (sometimes spelled Tingaki) and Marmari. These areas are known for long, sandy beaches and very shallow water that stays calm. The island is fairly compact, so airport transfers are short and getting around is easy.
What often surprises people about Kos is that it punches above its weight when it comes to things to do beyond the beach. Kos Town has a proper harbour, a well-preserved medieval castle and some good restaurants that don’t feel purely tourist-facing, which makes it worth a day trip if you fancy a change of scene. There’s also the Asklepion, an ancient sanctuary and healing centre set on a hillside with views across to Turkey, which older children tend to find genuinely interesting. It’s not Crete in terms of cultural depth, but there’s more here than most families expect.
Best areas for families: Tigaki, Marmari, Mastichari
Best family hotels in Kos: Atlantica Marmari Beach, Neptune Hotels Resort, Astir Odysseus Kos Resort, Blue Lagoon Village, Mitsis Blue Domes, Ikos Aria
Crete for the best choice of family resorts
Crete is the only Greek island where you can genuinely combine a proper resort holiday with cultural sightseeing, and it’s better for it. The north coast around Hersonissos and Stalis is where most of the big family resorts are concentrated, with waterparks, long sandy beaches and excellent kids clubs. Lyttos Beach is one that comes up again and again in family recommendations. But Crete doesn’t stop there.
Chania Old Town in the west is one of the most beautiful towns in all of Greece, with a Venetian harbour, brilliant seafood restaurants and streets that are genuinely lovely to explore with a pushchair. The Palace of Knossos near Heraklion is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Europe and works well with children who have even a passing interest in myths and legends.
If you want a base with more character than the Hersonissos resort strip, Rethymno is one of the nicest towns on the island: a beautifully preserved Venetian old town, a lighthouse harbour and a long sandy beach running right through the centre. We stayed in Rethymno on our Crete trip and it struck a brilliant balance between authentic Greek town and family-friendly beach destination. It’s a strong argument for basing yourself in the west of the island rather than defaulting to the resort-heavy north coast. And if you’re happy to venture inland, there are mountain villages, gorge hikes and a landscape that feels completely different from anywhere else in the Aegean.
It’s much more of a destination than a resort island, and that’s either exactly what you want or more than you need depending on your family. The trade-off is size: Crete is huge, and the different parts feel quite different from each other. It’s worth being deliberate about which area you base yourself in rather than just picking a hotel.
Best areas for families: Hersonissos, Stalis, Chania, Rethymno
Top family hotels in Crete: Lyttos Beach, Stella Palace Resort, Daios Cove, Ikos Crete, Domes Zeen Chania, Grecotel Amirandes
Rhodes for an easy all-inclusive option
Rhodes is often the first Greek island people think of for a family holiday, and it’s easy to see why. There are lots of beachfront hotels, sandy beaches and all-inclusive packages that take the stress out of travelling with children. The east coast is generally the most family-friendly part of the island, with Pefkos and Kiotari popular with families looking for something a bit quieter than the main resort strips.
What often gets overlooked in the resort brochures is that Rhodes Town is one of the best medieval walled cities in Europe. The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, genuinely atmospheric and very walkable, and worth at least a full day. Lindos village is beautiful too, with its clifftop acropolis and whitewashed houses, though it gets very crowded in peak summer and involves a steep climb. Both are good reasons to hire a car for a day rather than staying poolside.
The flip side is that some parts of Rhodes, Faliraki especially, feel very heavily commercialised and are best avoided if you want any sense of local atmosphere. Choose where you stay carefully and Rhodes rewards you; end up in the wrong area and it can feel like a very expensive Magaluf.
Best areas for families: Pefkos, Kiotari, Lindos area
Best family hotels in Rhodes: Mitsis Selection Alila, Atlantica Dreams Resort, Lindos Princess, Princess Andriana Resort & Spa
Corfu for an easy first Greece trip
Corfu has a slightly different feel from most Greek islands: more lush and green, with a stronger Venetian and British colonial influence that shows up in the architecture and in some surprisingly good cricket pitches. It has a reputation as a slightly more upmarket, bohemian choice than Rhodes or Zante, and that’s fair to an extent, particularly in the north of the island around Kassiopi and Agios Stefanos where things feel noticeably less resort-heavy.
Corfu Town itself is a UNESCO-listed gem: wide Venetian arcades, good independent restaurants, a beautiful old fortress and streets you can genuinely get lost in for a morning. It’s the kind of town that makes a day trip feel worthwhile rather than like homework. The east coast has calmer water and the most family-friendly resorts, and is where most of the bigger hotel names are concentrated.
The north of the island is where Corfu’s bohemian reputation lives: smaller coves, olive groves, fewer package tourists and a handful of excellent villa rentals. It’s worth considering if you want a more relaxed, independent trip rather than an all-inclusive resort stay.
Recommended family hotels in Corfu: Ikos Dassia, Domes of Corfu, MarBella Corfu, Grecotel Costa Botanica, Angsana Corfu
Quieter Greek islands for families
If you’re looking for something less resort-focused, these two islands offer a slower pace while still being very manageable with children.
Kefalonia is the most grown-up feeling island on this list. Fiskardo in the north is achingly pretty: a tiny harbour village popular with sailors and yachties, with good restaurants and an atmosphere that feels genuinely Mediterranean rather than package holiday. Skala in the south is the most family-friendly area, with a long sandy beach and gentle water. The overall vibe is relaxed and independent rather than resort-driven, which means fewer facilities but a much more authentic experience. It suits families who are comfortable self-catering or finding their own restaurants rather than those who want everything laid on. Hotels worth looking at include Emelisse Nature Resort, though self-catering villas are popular here for good reason.
Lefkada is slightly unusual in that it’s connected to mainland Greece by a bridge, so you can drive there if you’re already on the mainland. The beaches, particularly Egremni and Porto Katsiki on the west coast, are among the most dramatic in Greece: huge white cliffs dropping to turquoise water that genuinely stops you in your tracks. The island feels wilder and less developed than Zante or Corfu, and Lefkada Town is a pleasant base with a good waterfront and some nice restaurants, even if it’s not a show-stopper.
We stayed in a villa with a private pool, which felt like the best approach for us. During our stay we hired a small boat from Nydri, the main hub on the east coast for boat hire and water sports, and spent a morning at the Nydri waterfalls, which are very cool and well worth the trip. We also had a private chef come to the villa one evening: she went to the local market that morning, came back with fresh fish and whatever else looked good, and cooked for us on site. Private chefs for villa stays are increasingly easy to arrange across the Greek islands and not too difficult to budget for if you’re self-catering. Good hotel options if you’d rather not self-cater include Porto Galini Seaside Resort and San Nicolas Resort.
Mainland Greece with kids
You don’t have to stick to islands. Mainland Greece works really well with children, particularly if you want something a little different or want to combine beach time with some sightseeing.
Athens has one of the most extraordinary concentrations of ancient history anywhere in Europe: the Acropolis and Parthenon, the Ancient Agora, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium, and crucially most of it is within easy walking distance of each other. It’s genuinely one of the most walkable capitals for sightseeing, and two to three days gives you enough time to do it properly without it feeling like a forced march. Combine it with beach time at the Athens Riviera: the area around Glyfada and Vouliagmeni has lovely beaches, calm water and a good hotel offering, and you have a really well-rounded start to a Greece trip. We’ve done exactly this ourselves and it worked really well. Family-friendly hotels to look at include Four Seasons Astir Palace and The Roc Club, Grecotel.
The Peloponnese is much less resort-heavy than any of the islands but still has beautiful beaches, some exceptional hotels and a lot less noise. For families who want ancient history alongside the pool, it’s hard to beat: Mycenae, Epidaurus, ancient Olympia and the Byzantine town of Mystras are all within reach, and the coastline around Messinia in the south is genuinely stunning. Costa Navarino is one of the most impressive family resort destinations in mainland Greece, with multiple pools, a waterpark, beaches and some of the best food you’ll find at any resort anywhere. It’s a serious treat if the budget stretches. The Westin Resort Costa Navarino and the Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino are both supposedly outstanding, and it’s high on our own list for a future trip.
Halkidiki is one of mainland Greece’s best-kept secrets for families. The three-pronged peninsula about an hour from Thessaloniki airport has some excellent sandy beaches, calm water and a cluster of luxury resorts that rival anything on the islands. Sani Resort is one of the most consistently recommended family resorts in all of Europe, spread across 1,000 acres of protected pine forest with multiple hotels, lagoon-style pools and some of the best creche provision you’ll find anywhere: babies are taken from four months with OFSTED-style ratios. It’s a destination in its own right rather than just a hotel. Ikos Olivia is also in Halkidiki and brings the same Ikos all-inclusive luxury model to the mainland, with an excellent kids club and the same strong food offering the brand is known for.
Car-free island hopping from Athens: Poros and Spetses
If you’re spending time in Athens, one of the best things you can do is extend the trip with a few nights on one or both of the Saronic Gulf islands, which are easily reached by hydrofoil from Piraeus port. Poros and Spetses are the two most family-friendly options, and both are genuinely wonderful without a car; in fact Spetses is better for it.
Poros is just over an hour from Athens by hydrofoil and small enough to explore on foot or by bike. The town is pretty and harbourside, the beaches are calm and sheltered, and there’s a lovely unhurried pace that makes a nice contrast after the city. It works well as a first stop if you’re island hopping, with Spetses reachable by ferry from there.
Spetses is the standout for families looking for something genuinely different. Private cars are banned on most of the island (residents aside), which means you get around by horse-drawn carriage, bike or water taxi. You can cycle the whole island in a few relaxed hours, which is a lovely thing to do with older children, and the absence of traffic makes the whole place feel noticeably calmer and safer. The town is beautiful, the beaches are good and the general atmosphere is more upmarket and independent than most of the bigger resort islands. We visited both on the same trip and would happily go back to either.
A good shape for this kind of trip is two or three nights in Athens seeing the sights, then three nights on Poros, then two or three on Spetses before the hydrofoil back to Athens for your flight. It’s a brilliant way to see a genuinely different side of Greece without any internal flights.
Should you book a villa or holiday home in Greece?
For a lot of families, a private villa or holiday home is actually a better fit than a hotel in Greece, and it’s worth thinking about before you default to an all-inclusive. A private pool is a game-changer with toddlers: no fighting for sun loungers, no stress about nap times, no schlepping to the pool bar. Greece has a brilliant stock of villa rentals across most of the islands, from modern whitewashed builds with sea views to traditional stone houses with gardens. The quieter islands, particularly Lefkada, Kefalonia and the north of Corfu, lend themselves especially well to self-catering because they have good local markets and tavernas within easy driving distance.
The main question is which platform to book through. Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and a handful of specialist villa sites all have strong Greece listings, but they differ in terms of cancellation protection, how properties are verified and what happens if something goes wrong. I’ve written a full comparison of the main holiday rental platforms with families in mind, which covers the pros and cons of each and what to look out for when booking abroad: holiday rental platforms compared.
The best family resorts in Greece
If you’re choosing Greece primarily for the hotel rather than a specific island, these are some of the most consistently recommended family resorts across the country.
Best luxury family resorts: Ikos Dassia (Corfu), Ikos Olivia (Halkidiki), Ikos Aria (Kos), Ikos Crete, Daios Cove (Crete), Domes of Corfu, Sani Resort (Halkidiki)
Best beachfront family resorts: Lyttos Beach (Crete), Atlantica Marmari Beach (Kos), Mitsis Selection Alila (Rhodes), MarBella Corfu
Some of these also feature in our guide to the best European resorts with kids clubs.
Which Greek destination is right for you?
- Travelling with a baby or toddler? Kos or Zante for the shallow beaches and manageable transfers.
- Want a luxury resort with all the facilities? Crete or Corfu, where the biggest and best resort hotels are concentrated.
- Prefer easy all-inclusive? Rhodes has the widest choice, but pick your area carefully.
- Want sightseeing alongside the beach? Crete for the most depth, Rhodes Town for a brilliant day out, or the Peloponnese for serious ancient history.
- Looking for something quieter and more authentic? Kefalonia or Lefkada, ideally in a villa.
- Want a city break combined with islands? Athens plus Poros and Spetses by hydrofoil (no car needed).
- Want the full mix of culture and beach? Athens plus the Peloponnese is hard to beat.
- Want world-class kids club facilities on the mainland? Halkidiki, with Sani Resort or Ikos Olivia.
Greece is one of those destinations where it’s genuinely hard to go wrong, but picking the right island for your family’s priorities makes a real difference. We hope this helps narrow it down.
Allie, Jack & R x
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