NORTH EAST AEGEAN ISLANDS (Greece)

Vacation Rentals & Holiday Rentals in North East Aegean Islands and surrounding area.	Hotels	Flights	Car Hire/Rental

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Many of the North East Aegean islands actually lie closer to Turkey than to Greece, yet the Turkish legacy is much less obvious here than in some of the Dodecanese islands further south. Tourism isn't as developed as in other regions, either, so the islands retain a distinctively Greek flavour.

There are seven major islands: Samos, Ikaria, Chios, Lesvos, Limnos, Samothraki and Thassos. It's a fairly arbitrary grouping, more for administrative purposes than for any other reason, and the islands are very different in character. What they do have in common, though, is that they're quite large and are much greener, lusher and more mountainous than other island groups further south.

First impressions aren't always good - most of the ports aren't particularly pretty, for example - but go further afield and the attractions become evident. There are pretty hillside villages and good walking inland (though several of the islands have been badly damaged by forest fires in recent years) and plenty of uncrowded beaches to discover.

As well as the larger islands, there are smaller ones, such as Fourni, Psara, Inousses and Agios Efstratios, which have limited accommodation and would suit anyone wanting a really quiet, away-from-it-all holiday.

Cultural associations are strong here. There are some well-preserved Byzantine monasteries, especially on Lesvos, Samos and Chios.

The group is renowned as the home of many artists and literary figures: Pythagoras, Sappho and possibly Homer all came from the North East Aegean. Mythology features highly too. The island of Ikaria is said to get its name from Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and, when the wax holding his wings together melted, fell into the sea near here.

Limnos was reputedly the home of the blacksmith god Hephaestus and so, according to Homer, had many blacksmiths among its inhabitants.

Of the seven main islands, Samos is considered by many to be the most beautiful and is the most popular with tourists (even Anthony and Cleopatra once holidayed here, according to Plutarch). Lush and green (though much of the central forest was burned last year), it's a good island for walkers, especially in spring, when the north and west are carpeted in poppies, oleander, purple sage and wild flowers. It has some of the tallest mountains in the Aegean (its name means 'high' in Phoenician), lots of beaches and some interesting archaeological sites, including the Heraion and the Evpalinus Tunnel.

Largest of the group is Lesvos , a beautiful island renowned for its literary and artistic associations and once a major cultural centre: the poet Sappho was born here, and Epicurus and Aristotle taught at its Philosophical Academy. One of Greece's main olive production zones, it is, unsurprisingly, covered in olive groves, and there are good walking trails through these and the pine woods that cloak the mountains. It's a popular bird-watching spot, especially in spring, but there are also good beaches for those who prefer sunbathing to twitching. There are also lots of mineral springs, including the hot sulphur springs that made Loutra Thermis a spa centre as far back as 3,000BC.

There are natural hot springs, too, on Ikaria , with a reputation for curing everything from infertility to arthritis - though some have been discovered to be radioactive, and have been closed off! This wild, rugged island is little known outside Greece but famous locally for its natural beauty and lovely sunsets. It has dramatic cliffs and mountains, beautiful hill-top lakes, lush forests, and fine, white sandy beaches. Those with a historical bent will find Byzantine churches and monasteries, classical remains and troglodyte houses built into rock.

One of Chios's main claims to fame is as Homer's birthplace (at Pitios). The other is its production of mastic (a sap used to make gum and sweets), which has brought it much prosperity over the years (one of the explanations for the island's name is that it comes from the Phoenician word for mastic). Chios has particularly lovely medieval villages, important Byzantine monuments and monasteries, and peaceful beaches. This is 'real' Greece rather than package Greece.

Also relatively unspoiled and traditional is Limnos , where fishing and agriculture are still more important than tourism. Now that the island's acquired an airport, though, more people are expected to come and enjoy the superb beaches, rolling countryside, and attractive capital of Myrina, with its Genoan castle, café-lined harbour and neoclassical buildings. Legend has it that the local women once made the grave mistake of upsetting Aphrodite. She, in revenge, gave them all such dreadfully bad breath that their husbands brought in new wives from Thrace. The Lemniot women promptly drugged the men and threw their bodies over the cliffs.

Of the remaining major islands, Thassos is appreciated for its beautiful beaches, mountain villages and archaeological remains, while Samothraki is home to the highest peak in the Aegean, Mount Fengari, at 1,611metres. (Poseidon is said to have watched the Trojan War from the top of it.) It also has lovely forests of oak and olives, waterfalls and rock pools, and an important ancient site in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods, which once made the island a major religious centre.