Best Greek Island for Nightlife: Which Island Wins Each Kind of Night Out

Crete has clubs and bars in five towns, Laganas on Zakynthos packs more than 100 bars and clubs onto one strip, and Mykonos can host 50,000 visitors in a night. The best Greek island for nightlife therefore changes with the kind of night, and the top-reviewed evening listing, on Santorini, shows 7,404 reviews.

Ios puts its clubs on the main square of Hora, while Rhodes puts its bars in the medieval lanes of the Old Town. Before you choose an island at all, the Greece Tours homepage shows every region we cover.

Which island wins as the best Greek island for nightlife?

No island wins every kind of night. Mykonos wins beach clubs, and Ios wins late squares and beach bars. Zakynthos wins one packed strip in Laganas. Rhodes wins a big-town night. Santorini wins sunset evenings at sea.

Four checks decide the best Greek island for nightlife. The checks are the spread of areas, the season, the evening listings and their reviews, and the way home. A check that no source covers stays blank here.

• Mykonos – beach clubs and a sunset bar crowd. Wikipedia says its upscale parties and nights out belong to the summer.
• Ios – the late square. The national tourism site says the clubs are in the main square of Hora, and the beach bars start in the afternoon.
• Zakynthos – one strip. A travel guide site says a large share of the Laganas venues sit on Main Street, about three kilometres long.
• Rhodes – a big-town night. A travel blog names Orfanidou Street and Hippocrates Square in Rhodes Town, set in the medieval streets of the Old Town.
• Santorini – the sunset evening at sea. A travel blog centres the island’s bar and club nights in Fira.
• Crete – a resort strip for a young crowd. Wikipedia says Malia draws holidaymakers from Britain between the ages of 18 and 30.

Check one is the spread of areas. Measured by towns alone, the best Greek island for nightlife is Crete. A travel guide site names five towns with clubs and bars on Crete: Malia, Hersonissos, Heraklion, Chania and Rethymno. The same site names three towns on Rhodes and two on Corfu.

Check two is the season. Wikipedia ties Laganas to June, July and August, and ties Mykonos to summer. A source that ties a place to summer gives no answer for April. So the best Greek island for nightlife in July is not always the island to pick for a spring trip.

Check three is the listings. On GetYourGuide, Santorini’s top nightlife listing by review count shows 7,404 reviews. Rhodes shows 1,761, Mykonos 1,028 and Corfu 710. Crete shows 193, Paros 46, Zakynthos 38 and Kos 3. Milos shows 0.

Read those counts with care. The four highest belong to sunset cruises, not to clubs. A review count shows the number of guests who rated one listing, and it does not rate the bars. These numbers alone never crown the best Greek island for nightlife.

Ios, Naxos, Kefalonia and Lefkada have no listing in the set checked for this guide. Their verdicts rest on sources only. Hard numbers are rare in those sources. Wikipedia estimates that Mykonos can hold 50,000 visitors per night. It also says Rhodes holds more nightclubs and bars for its population than New York or Paris.

Two resort strips compete for the late hours. Wikipedia gives Laganas over 100 bars and clubs. Kavos is the southernmost seaside village on Corfu. Wikipedia says young visitors from Britain, Germany, Serbia and Northern Europe favour it, and it gives no count of bars.

Sources also disagree on a winner. The national tourism site calls Mykonos the utmost clubbing destination worldwide. It names Ios and Paros as party islands too. A Greek travel site names Mykonos, Paros, Ios and Zakynthos. A travel blog adds Crete, Corfu, Santorini and Rhodes.

So far, Crete leads on the spread of towns in that guide, and Santorini leads on listing reviews. Laganas is the only place with a venue count. No island leads on every check, so none is the best Greek island for nightlife for every kind of night.

Age settles a tie between two islands. Match the ages in your group against your best Greek island for nightlife. A travel blog says the Ios crowd is younger than the crowd elsewhere in the Cyclades.

A travel guide site says Paros nights draw every age band, older guests included. It also says the clubs in Heraklion, Chania and Rethymno cater a little more to the older crowd.

Check four is the way home. This guide scores it only where a source states the walk, bus, taxi or ferry. Later sections cover each one, so the best Greek island for nightlife on this check stays open until then.

If one island does not cover every night you want, combine two. Our guide to Greek island hopping explains how to plan the route between islands. The next sections judge each island in turn, then sort the verdicts by kind of night, month and way home.

How do you judge the nightlife of a Greek island?

Use five checks: the kinds of venue, the season, the crowd, the walk between bars, and the way home. The checks show whether your best Greek island for nightlife is a club strip, a bar street or a harbour.

Start with the kinds of venue. Wikipedia defines nightlife as entertainment that is popular from the late evening into the early hours. It lists pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, cinemas and shows.

On the islands, the sources name five kinds of venue. They are bar streets, club strips, beach clubs, live-music venues and harbour cafe-bars. An island rarely holds all five at one size, so name the kind of night first. Then find the island that matches it, and that island is your best Greek island for nightlife.

Bar streets and strips come first. Wikipedia says Kos Town has a bar street with a number of nightclubs. A travel site says Kos packs its clubs and bars into two streets in the heart of the town. Wikipedia says Dimokratias Street, the seaside road in Malia, holds bars, restaurants and nightlife venues.

Beach bars and harbour bars follow. The national tourism site says the party on Mykonos starts in the beach bars. It says the bars at Alefkandra and Little Venice become the meeting point by sunset. Wikipedia says a number of houses in Little Venice are now bars and cafes.

Live music is a separate kind of night. Wikipedia says refugees from Anatolia brought the bouzouki to Greece in the early twentieth century. It says the instrument became central to rebetiko and is now an element of modern laiko pop. The national tourism site also lists seaside bars on Paros where soul, jazz and rock are the music.

A crawl is a different format. Wikipedia says a pub crawl is the act of visiting more than one pub or bar in a single session. It says a number of crawls are social gatherings for local expatriates and tourists. Ask whether your best Greek island for nightlife has a crawl listing at all.

Season is the second check. Wikipedia says Malia is largely dormant in winter. It says its restaurants and nightlife spots stay shut until foreign tourists begin to arrive in spring.

A travel guide site says August is the busiest month of the year. It adds that a large number of islands shut down for the tourist season between late October and Easter. Dates decide the best Greek island for nightlife as much as places do.

Check the clock too. The national tourism site says the party on Ios starts early in the afternoon around the beach bars. It says the night there can run past sunrise.

A travel blog says the bars in the Old Town of Rhodes shut early, so the night moves to Faliraki. Ask when the bars close. The answer shapes the best Greek island for nightlife for your trip.

Check three is the crowd. Wikipedia says Kardamena on Kos is a resort for young holidaymakers, primarily from the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. It says Stalida, three kilometres from Malia, is seen as friendlier to families than Malia. Pick the crowd that matches yours when you choose the best Greek island for nightlife.

A Greek travel site splits party islands in two. One group is polished and international, built around beach clubs, DJs and sunset rituals. The other is looser and younger, driven by crowds that move together from day to night.

Check four is the walk. Wikipedia says Kavos is built along one long strip beside the coastline. On Ios, it says Chora is largely inaccessible to cars, with narrow alleys and steep stairways. A footpath climbs to Chora from the port, so a night there is spent on foot.

Noise is part of the walk. A travel guide site says it pays to stay a little way from the harbour in Naoussa. It warns that harbour noise can last until morning. Pick the room before you pick the bar.

Check five is the way home. The best Greek island for nightlife must also get you back to your bed. A later section covers the taxi, bus and ferry facts that sources state.

The evening listings add a view of the night itself. Four listing pages read for this guide run from 2 to 5 hours. Each shows a rating between 4.6 and 4.8 stars and offers free cancellation. Three state a booking cut-off, from 15 minutes to 12 hours ahead. They show one view of the best Greek island for nightlife.

Rank your two priorities first. The island that covers both is the best Greek island for nightlife for your trip. A crawl, a party boat or a Greek night then fills the evenings the bars leave open.

• Kinds of venue – bar street, club strip, beach club, live music or harbour cafe-bar.
• Season – the months the bars open and the weeks the strip is busiest.
• Crowd – the age band and the home countries a source names.
• Walk – the length of the strip and the lanes between the bars.
• Way home – the walk, bus or taxi back from the best Greek island for nightlife you pick, covered in a later section.
• Listings – the hours, the rating, the review count and the cancellation wording.

Does Mykonos qualify as the best Greek island for nightlife?

Mykonos fits the best Greek island for nightlife brief when you want big clubs, beach afternoons and sunset bars. The national tourism board calls it a clubbing destination at world level. It is a weaker fit if you want one small area to walk.

The Wikipedia article on Mykonos never uses the label best Greek island for nightlife. Wikipedia calls the summer nightlife and parties on the island upscale. It puts Mykonos second among the summer destinations of Greece. It estimates yearly visitors at 1.5 million or more, with room for about 50,000 per night.

The crowd is international. The national tourism board says celebrities and the jet set meet on the island every summer. Wikipedia says jet-set tourists found Mykonos in the nineteen-sixties. No source gives a share of local and foreign guests on a given night.

Mykonos Town is the base for bar nights. Wikipedia says the town, also called Chora, sits on the west coast. Wikivoyage says cars are not allowed inside the town, so you walk the lanes. A fuller list of venues sits in our guide to Mykonos nightlife.

Little Venice is where the evening starts. Wikipedia says a number of its sea-front houses are now bars and cafes, and people gather there for the sunset. The national tourism board says the bars of Alefkandra and Little Venice play lounge music. Clubbers fill them at sunset.

Late hours are one input to the best Greek island for nightlife call on Mykonos. Wikivoyage lists opening times for bars in the town. Three open at 22:00, and one of those closes at 03:30. Another listing gives the busy window as 23:30 to 02:00.

A sunset cocktail bar is listed as busy only until about 22:00. These are one guide’s listings, not a rule for the island. No source gives closing times for every bar.

If late hours drive your best Greek island for nightlife pick, read the club listings. Wikivoyage lists an open-air club beside Paradise Beach for 00:30 to 08:30, in July and August only. It says the party there starts at 02:00 at the earliest. A second listing, for the biggest nightclub on the island, puts its daily party at around 16:30.

The beaches run on an earlier clock. Wikivoyage says the music at Paradise and Super Paradise gets loud at about 16:00. Paranga gets noisy at about 17:00 with its beach bars. One Paranga beach bar is listed with a DJ from 18:00. Music from late afternoon is a Mykonos strength for anyone hunting the best Greek island for nightlife.

The national tourism board says the party starts in the beach bars, with loud music and DJs. It adds that there is no specific dress code. It also lists beaches and beach clubs among the highlights of the island. Our guide to Mykonos beach clubs goes through the venues one by one.

Two GetYourGuide listings show how visitors book a night out here. A sunset party boat listing runs 3 hours and shows a 4.7 rating from 1,028 reviews. The boat leaves the Old Port and stops for a swim at Agios Stefanos beach. It anchors at Little Venice for the sunset.

That boat listing includes one drink and lets you buy more. It also names a cruise along the north coast in a traditional wooden boat. The booking widget shows free cancellation and a cut-off of 15 minutes.

A beach club crawl listing runs 4 hours 30 minutes over four stops, with a 4.8 rating from 522 reviews. It is sold as a day party. The booking widget shows pickup, free cancellation and a cut-off of 10 hours. Neither widget shows a group size, a language or a minimum age.

Season changes the best Greek island for nightlife answer. Wikivoyage says Mykonos is extremely crowded in July and August. It names late spring into June, or September to mid-October, as the better time to visit. It adds that a large number of hotels close in late October and reopen around the end of April.

Sources differ on what the best Greek island for nightlife looks like on Mykonos. The tourism board lists dancing at beach bars and clubs. Wikivoyage says the nightlife focuses mainly on bars, with a number of notable dance clubs. It calls the number of bars and clubs vast but gives no count.

Four kinds of night fit what the sources state:

• A sunset drink in Little Venice, where the sea-front bars face the sunset and play lounge music.
• A bar night in the lanes of Mykonos Town, on foot, with bar doors opening from 22:00.
• A beach afternoon at Paradise, Super Paradise or Paranga, with the music rising from 16:00 or 17:00.
• A late club night on the hill beside Paradise Beach, listed for 00:30 to 08:30 in July and August.

A travel blog puts the nights of Santorini in Fira, while Ios keeps its nights in one town, Chora.

So does Mykonos earn the title? For clubbing, beach afternoons and sunset bars, the sources say yes. For one compact area, the same sources point to Ios. The best Greek island for nightlife depends on the kind of night you want.

What does Ios offer after dark?

Ios packs its nights into one hill town, which gives it a claim on best Greek island for nightlife. Chora fills with bars and clubs around its main square, and the beach bars at Mylopotas start in the afternoon. Sources describe a young crowd and nights that run past sunrise.

Ios is small, and size shapes any best Greek island for nightlife pick. Wikipedia gives its size as about 18 km by 10 km, halfway between Naxos and Santorini. The latest census count in the article is 2,299 residents, against 10,704 on Mykonos. The Chora article gives 1,957 for the town itself.

Chora suits a best Greek island for nightlife plan that stays on foot. Wikipedia says its alleys and steep stairways make it largely inaccessible to cars. It adds that the central path of the town holds restaurants, boutiques, bars and discotheques. Our guide to Ios Chora covers the town by day and by night.

In Ios, the main square carries the best Greek island for nightlife argument. The tourism board puts the heart of the party there. It says the top clubs of the island sit there. Wikivoyage agrees on the meeting point. It says the nightlife of Ios sits in Chora, unlike a package-resort strip.

By day Chora is quiet. Wikivoyage says it turns back into a tranquil Greek village, where locals chat in cafes and play backgammon. It names the harbour area, Yialos, and Mylopotas beach as places to escape the evening crowds. That helps a group that wants the best Greek island for nightlife with a quiet corner nearby.

Mylopotas gives Ios a beach side to its best Greek island for nightlife case. Wikipedia says the settlement has 151 residents and a large number of night clubs. Young tourists spend their time there. The same article calls the beach the largest on Ios.

Wikipedia says Mylopotas has grown into a mass package-tourism resort, like Platys Gialos and Paradise Beach on Mykonos. In the seventies, it adds, young visitors slept on the sand in sleeping bags after partying through the night.

The tourism board says the party begins early in the afternoon in the beach bars along the coast. It names Mylopotas, Manganari and Agia Theodoti, where people swim to loud music. Sources differ on one point. Wikivoyage lists Mylopotas as a place to escape the evening crowds.

The crowd is young, and age shapes the best Greek island for nightlife choice. Wikipedia says Ios has drawn young Europeans since the seventies. It keeps its name as an island of youth and entertainment. The tourism board calls it the Sleepless Island of the Cyclades and a pole of attraction for youth.

A Greek travel portal describes the youthful energy and nonstop beach parties of Ios around Chora. A travel blog for backpackers says the crowd is significantly younger than elsewhere in the Cyclades. It says Ios is a popular stop for gap-year travellers. Wikipedia says the island has tried since the nineties to appeal to more kinds of visitor.

Late nights are part of the record. The tourism board says partying can run past sunrise. Wikivoyage says the bars and clubs offer entertainment seven nights a week in the summer months. An airline guide says the clubs of Chora are packed around the clock in peak season. No source gives closing times for Ios venues.

A church festival adds a different kind of night. The tourism board says the church of Panagia Gremiotissa holds a festival on 15 August. It features a procession through Chora, island songs and dancing until dawn.

The two islands answer the best Greek island for nightlife call in different ways. Mykonos spreads its nights across the town, the south-coast beaches and a hill beside Paradise Beach. Ios keeps them in Chora and at Mylopotas. Another travel blog calls Ios less geared to luxury than Mykonos. Our Ios nightlife guide goes deeper into both areas.

Choose Ios when you want a young crowd and nights in one walkable town. Choose Mykonos when you want beach clubs and open-air clubbing. The sources agree on both points. None of them ranks the two islands on one scale. The best Greek island for nightlife depends on your group.

How do Santorini’s nights compare with the party islands?

Santorini’s nights start with the caldera sunset and move to one bar street in Fira. The Greek National Tourism Organisation calls the island cosmopolitan and romantic, with an intense nightlife. Its party-islands page starts the fun on Ios and Mykonos in the beach bars instead.

Fira is the island’s capital. Wikipedia’s article on Fira places its whitewashed houses on the edge of a caldera that is 400 metres high. The town counted 1,516 residents at the latest census. In any search for the best Greek island for nightlife, Fira is the Santorini town to check first.

A backpacker blog calls Fira the centre of the island’s nightlife. It says people flock to Fira’s bar street from all over the island, and that the party goes on late. Judged as the best Greek island for nightlife, Santorini rests its case on one town.

Wikivoyage sorts the bars of Fira by type. It lists a bar for the tourist party crowd, a Scottish bar and a cocktail bar. A cafe-bar looks over the caldera. One nightclub is described as the place to close out the night. One bar’s happy hour runs from 9 pm to 10:30 pm.

The day crowd leaves early. Wikivoyage says cruise ship passengers return to their vessels in the early evening. The cafes then become much more relaxed. That rhythm shapes the case for Fira as the best Greek island for nightlife: quiet early, busy late. Wikipedia adds that large cruise ships anchor off Fira, close to the volcanic island of Nea Kameni.

Four other areas matter for Santorini’s claim to the best Greek island for nightlife.

• Oia: Wikipedia says the town is crowded with people at sunset, and cafes, bars and tavernas line its coastal path. Wikivoyage lists a cocktail bar there that is open from 5 pm to 1:30 am.
• Imerovigli: Wikivoyage calls this village on the caldera rim the balcony of the Aegean, and lists a wine bar open from 6 pm to 10 pm.
• Kamari: Wikivoyage says the village has taverns, bars and clubs along a long black sand beach, plus a regular water taxi to Perissa.
• Perissa and Perivolos: Wikivoyage describes a 3 km beach with beach bars that feel like a beach day club. The backpacker blog adds day clubs on the black sand.

Season matters for any pick of the best Greek island for nightlife. Wikivoyage says hotels open from Greek Orthodox Easter, in April or late spring. They close by the end of October. July, August and September count as high season.

Five party-island lists show who competes for the best Greek island for nightlife. Their sources are a tourism organisation, a Greek travel portal, an airline, a travel site and the backpacker blog. Santorini appears on one of them, the blog. The blog says Santorini is better known for honeymooners and romantics.

A Santorini travel blog draws the same line. It says the island suits caldera views, while Mykonos suits beach clubs and nightlife. If clubs drive your pick of the best Greek island for nightlife, these lists point away from Santorini.

The highest-reviewed nightlife listing for Santorini on GetYourGuide shows 7,404 reviews and a rating of 4.6. It is a five-hour catamaran tour with a barbecue dinner, unlimited white wine and soft drinks, and music on board. The listing adds swim and snorkel stops at Red Beach and White Beach.

That listing carries the bestseller label and offers pickup. Free cancellation applies, and it needs booking at least 12 hours ahead. It runs in English. Adult tickets start at age 11, and child tickets cover ages 4 to 10.

A second listing, a five-hour sunset cruise, shows 558 reviews and a rating of 4.8. It offers swim stops, dinner and drinks. Pickup is available, and it needs booking online at least 10 hours ahead. Adult tickets start at age 12.

Two boat listings alone do not settle the best Greek island for nightlife. They do show demand for a night at sea. Santorini wins the sunset night: a cruise, a caldera terrace, then Fira’s bar street. It does not win the all-night party. Our guide to Santorini nightlife covers the bars.

Do Paros and Naxos suit night owls?

Paros comes closer than Naxos to the best Greek island for nightlife. It appears on all five party-island lists checked for this page, and Naxos appears on one. Parikia and Naoussa hold the bars and clubs of Paros, while Naxos Town offers a calmer waterfront evening.

Parikia is the first stop for anyone testing Paros as the best Greek island for nightlife. Wikipedia’s article on Parikia says the town is known for its lively nightlife. With Naoussa, it forms the two busiest tourist resorts of Paros. Parikia has 4,500 permanent residents.

The tourism organisation describes bars on Parikia’s coastal walkway that play ambient music for a chill-out mood. It places the large majority of the clubs in an area called Potami, which means river. Loud music and dancing fill that area. On variety, Parikia scores well for the best Greek island for nightlife: calm bars and loud clubs share one town.

Wikivoyage adds a jazz bar on Market Street. It also lists a bar in the narrow lanes of the market that plays jazz in a lounge setting. A cafe in an old windmill looks over Parikia and the sunset. A travel site counts a complex of five venues, including an Irish pub and an Australian bar.

Naoussa is the second hub. The tourism organisation says its narrow alleys and small port are crowded every summer night. A travel site says the harbour can be very loud until morning. For night owls ranking the best Greek island for nightlife, Naoussa is the late stop.

The Paros municipality’s portal calls Naoussa the island’s second largest village, with the largest fishing fleet in the Cyclades. Wikipedia counts 3,134 residents there at the latest census.

The beaches matter for the best Greek island for nightlife question, because the fun starts there. The tourism organisation names Punta and Santa Maria, where beach bars play rhythmic music. It also names the coast from Piso Livadi to Drios, where bars play soul, jazz and rock by the sea.

An airline travel guide says the island fills with university students in the hotter months, and it names Pounda beach. The backpacker blog says Paros has a small number of nightlife venues, so everyone gathers at the same ones.

A travel site calls the nightlife on Paros a little more glamorous and sophisticated. It says the scene suits all ages, including a slightly older crowd. That range of ages matters when a mixed group picks the best Greek island for nightlife.

One travel blog places Paros between Naxos and Mykonos and calls it livelier than Naxos. Read our Paros nightlife page for the two hubs bar by bar.

Naxos answers the best Greek island for nightlife question with its main town. Wikipedia says Naxos Town, called Chora, has 8,897 residents at the latest census. The Naxos municipality’s tourism site says Chora becomes a centre of fun for all tastes once dusk turns to night.

The same site calls the town full of life throughout the year. It lists clubs and small bars with Greek and foreign music, wine bars, and restaurants with live music. It sends visitors to the Old Town’s labyrinth of small streets and the seaside bars on the port promenade.

The site also names the beaches of Agios Georgios, Agios Prokopios, Plaka and Agia Anna for seaside bars. Wikipedia’s article on Naxos Town says the Old Town covers about 30 percent of the city. Bourgos has very narrow, winding streets with dead ends, and the layout is likened to a labyrinth.

The Naxos site adds a limit. The farther you go from tourist areas, the fewer nightlife options exist, without a loss in quality. The backpacker blog calls Naxos the quiet entry on its list. It says the island does not offer the party atmosphere of the other islands.

A travel blog suggests pairing Naxos with Ios for bars. It puts the ferry between Naxos and Paros at 30 minutes. A split stay on Paros and Naxos is one way to settle the best Greek island for nightlife question.

No Naxos nightlife listing appears in the listings checked for this page. Booking data therefore cannot rank Naxos as the best Greek island for nightlife. The local picture sits in our Naxos nightlife guide.

Antiparos sits less than one nautical mile, or 1.9 km, from Paros, says Wikipedia. It had 1,265 permanent residents at the latest census. The tourism organisation calls it an island for peaceful holidays away from the noise. It also finds a cosmopolitan atmosphere in smaller form.

Wikivoyage says the entire town of Antiparos comes to life on summer evenings. A beach five minutes from the main street serves drinks and light meals at sunset. The ferry from Pounta takes ten minutes, with departures every hour from early morning until late night.

Antiparos is not a pick for the best Greek island for nightlife. It suits a quiet evening instead, as our guide to Antiparos nightlife explains.

The highest-reviewed nightlife listing for Paros on GetYourGuide shows 46 reviews and a rating of 4.6. The listing is a boat trip at sunset that lasts two hours and includes soft drinks and local wine. Free cancellation applies, it needs booking at least 2 hours ahead, and it runs in English and Greek.

A second listing, a three-hour Greek night with food, wine and dancing, shows 8 reviews and a rating of 4.8. Pickup is available and the listing is wheelchair accessible. Adult tickets start at age 12, and children aged 11 and younger have their own ticket. It runs in English and needs booking at least 10 hours ahead.

Santorini’s top nightlife listing shows 7,404 reviews and the top Paros listing shows 46. The gap compares boat evenings, not bars. The count favours the best Greek island for nightlife only when boats are your main plan.

The verdict splits by night. Paros wins the mixed night: Parikia for the start, Naoussa for the late finish and beach bars by day. Naxos wins the calm waterfront night. Antiparos wins the quiet one. If one name must answer the best Greek island for nightlife question for these three, it is Paros.

Is Crete the best Greek island for nightlife?

Crete earns the label of best Greek island for nightlife if you want choice. Sources name a party strip in Malia and a beach-club resort in Hersonissos. They add bar districts in Chania and Rethymno, and a city scene in Heraklion. Each base draws a different crowd.

Start with Malia. Wikipedia calls it a prominent tourist destination, in part owing to its nightlife scene and beaches. The article says Malia has emerged as a top tourist hub in Crete and Europe. It draws comparisons with Ibiza and Magaluf.

Wikipedia reports that 95% of the hotels in Malia banned party-themed package holidays. Tourism to the town then fell by 30% in the following years. The best Greek island for nightlife needs a party town, and Crete has Malia.

Malia is small. Wikipedia counts 3,522 residents in the community. It puts the town 34 kilometres east of Heraklion, and a travel blog says 37. The blog adds a drive of 30 to 40 minutes on the National Road. Our Malia page covers the beach and the bars.

A travel blog names Malia and Hersonissos as the two top spots for all-out partying on Crete. It says you can stay in Malia and party all night, or relax in other parts of the island.

Our Hersonissos page covers the resort side, and our Crete nightlife guide covers the whole island. The tourism board calls the resorts of the northern coast cosmopolitan. That advice fits the best Greek island for nightlife question: party in one town, relax elsewhere.

• Malia – a sandy beach 6 kilometres long runs from the base of the strip towards the Minoan palace, says Wikipedia.
• Hersonissos – the resort lies 25 kilometres from Heraklion airport and 27 kilometres from the port, says Wikipedia.
• Chania – Wikipedia lists cafes, bars and restaurants on the beach at Koum Kapi, and says Platanias and Agia Marina are busy in summer.
• Rethymno – a travel blogger rates its coastal strip of bars and clubs above those of Chania and Heraklion.

Chania runs on its old harbour. Wikipedia names Akti Tompazi, Akti Kountouriotou and Akti Enoseos on the seafront as places with historic buildings and nightlife. It calls Eleftherios Venizelos Square the heart of tourist activity. Chania adds the harbour evening to the best Greek island for nightlife list. Our Chania nightlife guide walks through it.

The article lists cafes, restaurants and bars around the old Venetian harbour, at the Venetian moat and at Splantzia square. A travel blogger says Chania caters more towards tourists than Rethymno does. Judge the crowd as well as the bars.

Chania also fills its summer evenings with culture. Wikipedia lists cultural events on a daily basis in that season, from plays to concerts. A theatre in the east bulwark of the old town is a venue for them. The article adds that traditional Cretan musicians are active in town.

Topanas has narrow alleys and old buildings restored as hotels, restaurants, shops and bars. Wikipedia says it is popular from April to October and stays a centre of activity in winter, especially for nightlife. For a winter trip, that makes Topanas the Cretan base for any best Greek island for nightlife pick.

Rethymno plays the smaller part among Cretan towns in the best Greek island for nightlife question, going by the sources. Wikipedia says the Venetians built almost the whole old town, which has narrow streets and a small Venetian harbour. About 8,000 students study on the campus of the University of Crete there.

Heraklion is the largest city on Crete. Wikipedia says 15% of all arrivals in Greece pass through its port and airport. The blogger from above says its nightlife feels much less touristy and offers a variety of options. A large number of tourists skip it for Chania or Rethymno.

Not every night on Crete is a bar night. Wikipedia describes Cretan kentra as clubs for dancing to live Cretan music. The lyra, the violin and the laouto lead the sound. The article singles out the pentozali among the island dances. A live-music night asks the best Greek island for nightlife question in a different way from a bar street.

In the village of Mochos, the night between 14 and 15 August brings a celebration of the Virgin Mary. The village belongs to the Malia municipal unit, says Wikipedia, and the event includes traditional Cretan food, music and dance. Treat a village feast like this as a second kind of night for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Two listings on GetYourGuide sell a Crete night out. One, listed in Heraklion, is a Cretan dance show with a buffet dinner and wine. It runs 3 to 8 hours and offers pickup. It holds a rating of 4.2 from 115 reviews. Children aged 3 and younger are not permitted.

Its calendar shows Saturdays only, from late April to late October. The listing offers English, German and French, and free cancellation. You must book at least 10 hours ahead.

The other listing is a five-hour catamaran trip from Kolymvari to the Agioi Theodoroi islands. It includes dinner on board and drinks, with a sunset at sea. It shows 5 stars from 193 reviews. That is the highest review count among the Crete nightlife listings. Weigh that figure beside the best Greek island for nightlife claim.

It offers pickup, a private option and wheelchair access, in English and Greek. Its calendar shows dates on nearly every day from April to late October. Book 10 hours ahead at the latest. Free cancellation applies.

The tourism board counts 624,408 residents on Crete. Wikipedia counts 1,961 on Amorgos. A travel blog says Crete needs at least a week to explore, and preferably two or three. Choose Crete for the best Greek island for nightlife when you want choice. Pick a smaller Cyclades island when one calm evening is enough.

Which smaller Cyclades give you an evening out?

Syros leads the smaller Cyclades for evenings. Milos, Sifnos, Amorgos and Folegandros offer calmer nights. None of them is the best Greek island for nightlife if you want a club every night. Each suits a different kind of evening.

• Syros – the city hall of Ermoupoli stands in Miaoulis Square, ringed with cafes, seating areas and palm trees, says Wikipedia.
• Milos – a travel blog says the island has a small number of bars and small clubs.
• Sifnos – the tourism board says Apollonia, the Hora of the island, teems with life, especially in the evening hours.
• Amorgos – the tourism board calls the port of Katapola calm and the port of Aegiali more youthful.
• Folegandros – the tourism board describes squares with large plane trees and traditional cafes in the Hora.

The tourism board lists cafes, theatres and festivals in the heart of Ermoupoli. Its festivals include a classical music festival of the Cyclades, an animation festival and the Ermoupoleia. Our Syros nightlife guide covers the evening in town.

The board calls Syros lively in winter and summer alike. Of these five islands, only Syros gets that description. That makes it the one to weigh against the best Greek island for nightlife in the cold months.

Ano Syros is the medieval town above Ermoupoli. Wikipedia says its streets are a network of marble steps. The climb from the harbour to its main entry is about 1,000 metres. Plan the walk back before you plan the evening.

Wikipedia says Milos receives fewer visitors than a number of other Cyclades islands. It offers a less crowded setting than Santorini or Mykonos. Adamas has 1,268 residents and Plaka has 902. No cars can enter Plaka. If crowds are your measure of the best Greek island for nightlife, Milos falls short on that description.

Milos has two nightlife listings on GetYourGuide, and both carry the new-activity label. One is a 3-hour sunset walk through Plaka with a take-away cocktail. Its abstract promises private door-to-door transport. The booking form takes 1 to 8 adults. Our Milos nightlife guide covers the island evening.

You can book the cocktail walk 10 minutes ahead. The other listing is a night cruise from Adamas that lasts 5 hours 30 minutes. It promises music, drinks and Sarakiniko under the moon, for a small group. You must book that one at least 5 hours ahead. Both offer free cancellation.

Wikipedia says Sifnos holds 237 churches and 2,625 residents, with festivals on the island almost every month. The tourism board adds that the panigyria come with unique tunes and dances. A village festival is the Sifnos night out. No source names a bar district there. Sifnos stays out of the ranking for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Wikipedia says the geography of Amorgos prevents mass tourism, and visitors reach it by boat alone. It lists Katapola, Aegiali and Chora as the three main tourist bases. Pick Aegiali for the more youthful evening. Amorgos does not become the best Greek island for nightlife that way.

The Hora of Folegandros sits about 200 metres above the sea, says the tourism board. A zigzag path climbs above it to the Church of Panagia, and the board singles out the view at sunset. That is a good evening, though not the best Greek island for nightlife.

Tinos has coves with tavernas where the waves almost reach your feet, says the tourism board. It also lists about 40 traditional villages. Wikipedia names 15 August as the date of the yearly pilgrimage to the church of Panagia Evangelistria.

The board describes the Hora of Andros with a spacious tree-lined square and museums. Neither page names a bar district, so neither island enters the best Greek island for nightlife field.

Pick Syros for a town that lives all year. Pick Aegiali on Amorgos for a younger harbour evening. Pick Milos, Sifnos or Folegandros for a drink, a festival or a sunset, never for a club. For clubs, look back at the Cretan resort strips above. Each pick answers a different version of the best Greek island for nightlife question.

Do Corfu and Kefalonia rank as the best Greek island for nightlife across the Ionian Sea?

Corfu is the stronger Ionian choice. It has a resort strip at Kavos and an old town that blogs call the island’s nightlife hub. Wikivoyage calls Kefalonia not a nightlife island. It stays out of the running for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Compare what each island offers after dark. Corfu has an old town and a resort village. Kefalonia has a capital, a bar road and a northern harbour. The best Greek island for nightlife among them depends on whether you want a club strip or a quiet drink.

Corfu Town is where the island’s evenings begin. Wikipedia says the city’s cobblestone streets, called kantounia, are narrow and in places too narrow for vehicles. On those streets a night out is on foot. The same article says the Liston esplanade holds upscale restaurants and European-style bistros.

A travel blog names Corfu Town as the main hub for nightlife on the island. An airline’s travel guide tells readers to begin the evening in the old town with a cocktail. Neither source gives a closing time, so this guide gives none. Our page on Corfu nightlife covers the old town and the resorts.

The town also offers a free concert before the bars. Wikipedia says the city’s philharmonic bands give promenade concerts on summer weekends at the Spianada pavilion. Spianada is the large square beside the old fortress. Corfu Town earns an extra point here toward the best Greek island for nightlife.

Kavos is the second half of the Corfu answer when the question is the best Greek island for nightlife. Wikipedia calls it the southernmost seaside village on the island and a resort heavily devoted to tourism. Its main part is a long strip that runs parallel to the coast. Our page on Kavos describes the village in full.

Wikipedia says the strip holds a large share of the restaurants, shops, hotels and apartments. It names young holidaymakers from Britain, Germany, Serbia and northern Europe as its crowd. Wikivoyage agrees and calls Kavos a lively resort for young holidaymakers from Britain and northern Europe.

Two travel blogs draw the same line. One calls Kavos the party heart of Corfu’s nightlife and mentions its pizza bars and fast food. The other puts the island’s clubs in the south and the wider choice of venues in Corfu Town. If you chase the best Greek island for nightlife on Corfu, that split decides where you sleep.

Corfu draws more than a young crowd. Wikipedia says the island is also widely visited by middle-class families from the UK, Scandinavia and Germany. Wikivoyage names summer as the main season. That mix sets Corfu apart from a pure party strip. Variety is Corfu’s route to the best Greek island for nightlife.

Corfu’s top nightlife listing by review count sits on GetYourGuide with 710 reviews and a 4.8 rating. This listing is a two-hour sunset cruise on a classic wooden boat with cocktails and snacks. The listing text says the boat sails at half capacity. The booking form shows one guest band, age 99 and younger.

The same listing offers free cancellation, and bookings close two hours ahead. A second listing, a party cruise in the Kavos area, shows 72 reviews and the same 4.8 rating. It lasts five hours and lists pickup, free cancellation and an optional audio guide. Bookings for that cruise close 10 hours ahead.

The text of the Kavos cruise names music, dancing on board and swimming stops. The listing also carries a wheelchair-accessible label. Its title gives Lefkimmi as the starting point, the small port at the southern tip of the island.

The best Greek island for nightlife is not decided by one number. Still, the highest review count for Corfu belongs to a sunset cruise, not to a club night. That fits a town that opens its evening with a cocktail.

Kefalonia is the largest island in the Ionian Sea, says Wikipedia. A big island is not automatically the best Greek island for nightlife. Wikivoyage names one place for evenings: Lassi, which it says can be noisy at night because of its open-air bars. See our guide to Kefalonia nightlife for the island’s bar areas.

Wikivoyage says Lassi has a number of bars along its main road, with happy-hour offers in the evening. The national tourism site calls Argostoli the eclectic and active capital. Wikipedia says Argostoli holds one-third of the island’s inhabitants and Lixouri is the second town. The Wikipedia article on Argostoli has no section on nightlife.

Fiskardo is the northernmost port on the island. Wikipedia says the earthquake that levelled virtually all of Kefalonia spared the Fiskardo area. It adds that a small tourist industry has grown there. Wikivoyage lists one bar in Fiskardo with cocktails and entertainment until the early hours. One late bar is thin evidence for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Music is the clearest after-dark fact about Kefalonia. Wikipedia says the Ionian Islands developed the cantada, a serenade style drawn from Italian music. It says cantadas can still be heard today. Lixouri has had a philharmonic orchestra since the nineteenth century. That tradition suits an evening, but it does not make Kefalonia the best Greek island for nightlife.

The season sets the limits. Wikivoyage says July and August are very busy on Kefalonia and September is much quieter. It says a sizeable share of the summer residents live abroad in winter. The reason it gives is too little work out of season. Wikipedia adds that Italians are a popular group of visitors.

Four kinds of night come out of the sources for the two islands.

• Old-town cocktails and a free concert – Corfu Town.
• A resort strip with a young crowd – Kavos, Corfu.
• A sunset cruise with cocktails and snacks – Corfu, on the water.
• A harbour evening with a late bar – Fiskardo, Kefalonia.

Choose Corfu if your group wants a calm start and a late strip on one island. Choose Kefalonia if the nights matter less than the beaches. For a group that wants clubs every night, Zakynthos fits the best Greek island for nightlife test better than either.

What happens after dark on Zakynthos and Lefkada?

Zakynthos has the louder nights. Wikipedia calls Laganas one of Greece’s top party destinations. Lefkada keeps a smaller scene in Lefkada Town, Nidri and Vasiliki. Of the pair, Zakynthos is the stronger entry for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Laganas sits on the southeast coast of Zakynthos. Wikipedia says a large part of it is a national park for turtles. It adds that Laganas used to be a calm fishing village. Here Zakynthos makes its pitch for the best Greek island for nightlife. Our page on Laganas covers the beach and the bay.

Wikipedia’s article on the island dates the change to the mid-eighties of the last century. It says Zakynthos became a hub for tourists aged 18 to 30. Laganas, once a quiet village, turned into a centre of clubbing, nightclubs, bars and restaurants. Wikivoyage describes the main street as almost entirely nightclubs, bars and fast food outlets.

The party season and the turtle season overlap. Wikipedia gives June, July and August for both. In those months loggerhead turtles come to the bay to lay eggs, and ecologists watch over the protected beach. Laganas is busiest in the same three months. Check that overlap if Laganas decides your choice of the best Greek island for nightlife.

Zakynthos has softer evenings too. Wikivoyage calls Kalamaki a busy resort that is less of an all-night party area than Laganas and suits families. It says Tsilivi has a small number of late-night bars and near-nightclubs but is mainly a family resort.

A travel guide site says Tsilivi is known for its beach clubs. An airline’s guide places clubs along the ocean at Tsilivi and Laganas. That range gives Zakynthos more than one answer if you ask for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Zakynthos Town is the capital. Wikipedia says the town hosts a small number of resorts itself. It adds that visitors come from across the island for boat trips, nightlife and food. Our page on Zakynthos nightlife covers the town and the strip together.

The same article names Croatian and British visitors as a popular group. Wikivoyage points to Bochali, an old quarter with cafes and an evening view. Add that cafe evening to the Laganas strip and Zakynthos offers two kinds of night. Both kinds of night go on the scorecard for the best Greek island for nightlife.

Zakynthos’s top nightlife listing by review count sits on GetYourGuide with 38 reviews and a 4.4 rating. It is a Greek night with sunset, dinner and dance, and views from the hills of Kampi village. It lasts five and a half hours and lists pickup. The listing text says dinner is not included in the price.

The booking form caps the group at 20. It splits guests into two age bands, 12 and younger and 13 to 99. The listing shows free cancellation, and bookings close 10 hours ahead. It also carries a wheelchair-accessible label.

A second listing, a sunset tour to Kampi with a Greek night, shows 14 reviews and a 4.3 rating. It lasts five hours and lists pickup, and bookings close one hour ahead. Its form caps a group at 15. It uses three age bands: 3 and younger, 4 to 10, and 11 to 99.

Its text speaks of local flavours and a sunset, not of clubs. Compare the counts for the two Ionian islands: 710 for Corfu and 38 for Zakynthos. The two Zakynthos listings read here are Greek nights, so they say nothing about the Laganas strip. Reviews cannot settle the best Greek island for nightlife.

Lefkada Town is the island’s capital and port. Wikivoyage describes it as the place where the nightlife is. The national tourism site lists narrow alleyways, small squares, cobbled pedestrian streets and a modern marina on the east side. Our page on Lefkada nightlife goes through the town’s evenings.

Nidri is the largest resort on Lefkada, says Wikipedia, and it looks across to Skorpios and Meganisi. Wikivoyage names bars in both Nidri and Vasiliki. Vasiliki is a windsurfing centre, and its harbour holds around 15 restaurants and fast food outlets.

None of the sources read here gives a club count, a closing time or a clubbing district for Lefkada. The national tourism site lists festivals instead: folk, art and wine events, and a staged traditional wedding in Karya. That leaves Lefkada with thinner evidence as the best Greek island for nightlife.

Pick Zakynthos for a packed strip, a family resort next door and a Greek night above Kampi. Pick Lefkada for a marina walk and a bar in Nidri or Vasiliki. Among the two, the sources point to Zakynthos for the best Greek island for nightlife.

How do Rhodes and Kos compare as the best Greek island for nightlife?

Kos packs the clubs and bars of its main town into two streets. Rhodes spreads its nights over the Old Town, Faliraki and Lindos. Pick Kos for one walkable strip and Rhodes for variety. Neither is the best Greek island for nightlife in every case.

Wikipedia says Rhodes is described as a party island. It states that New York and Paris have fewer nightclubs and bars per capita. The article cites a printed guidebook and shows no count. That reputation shapes how travellers read Rhodes nightlife, so it needs a check against other sources.

A travel blog places the liveliest bars and clubs of Rhodes Town around Orfanidou Street and Hippocrates Square. These sit inside the medieval Old Town. The same blog says the historic centre shuts early and sends night owls to the resort strip. The Old Town gives Rhodes a claim to best Greek island for nightlife, but only for early evenings.

A travel site stresses the stylish beach clubs of Rhodes Town instead, so the two sources stress different nights. The national tourism board adds that the medieval town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For the best Greek island for nightlife, Rhodes Town gives the setting and the resort strip gives the late hours.

Faliraki is that resort strip. Wikipedia puts it on Faliraki Bay, with a 5 km beach and a water park. A travel wiki says nightlife starts around 22:00 and centres on Ermou Street, called Bar Street.

Pigon Kallitheas Avenue is called Club Street. Late hours are where Faliraki earns Rhodes a seat in the best Greek island for nightlife debate. Wikipedia adds that the centre fills with children and families in July and August.

Lindos adds a quieter third kind of night to the best Greek island for nightlife debate on Rhodes. A travel wiki lists roof-garden bars and two nightclubs in the village. It adds an open-air club a short taxi ride away. Another travel site says Lindos has a good selection of bars and clubs of its own.

A travel wiki also lists Ialysos as a resort with big hotel complexes and a large number of nightclubs. Size explains part of this spread. Wikipedia gives Rhodes 125,113 residents and Kos 37,089. The tourism board calls Rhodes the fourth-largest Greek island.

Kos nightlife starts in Kos Town, says Wikipedia’s article on the island. It lists a number of nightclubs there, forming the town’s bar street. It adds that Kardamena draws young holidaymakers, mainly from the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.

An airline travel guide puts the clubs and bars of Kos Town in two streets in the centre. It names beach raves, DJ nights and more clubs at Tigaki and Agios Stefanos. A travel blog calls Kos the party capital of the Dodecanese. That title covers the Dodecanese only, so it settles nothing about the best Greek island for nightlife.

Kos adds Kardamena to its claim on best Greek island for nightlife. The town sits 7 km from the airport on the south coast. Wikipedia gives it 2,132 inhabitants at the last census and says the population triples between June and September. It lists pubs, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and watersports, and says the town has drawn summer visitors since the sixties.

On the national tourism board’s site, the Kos page lists venues for nightlife under its lively resorts. The Rhodes page lists medieval heritage, varied landscapes and living culture, and no nightlife. Going by the board’s highlights, Kos has the stronger case between these two as the best Greek island for nightlife.

Listings give the best Greek island for nightlife a test beyond reputation. On GetYourGuide, the highest-reviewed nightlife listing for Rhodes has 1,761 reviews, rated 4.7. The trip is a 3-hour sunset cruise with music, drinks and an optional Greek barbecue. The listing carries a Bestseller badge and free cancellation.

The second Rhodes listing has 1,185 reviews, rated 4.8. The trip is a 3-hour catamaran cruise at sunset with a dinner buffet, drinks and Greek music. It sails with a maximum of 24 passengers plus crew, and adults start at age 18.

The one Kos listing here is a 4-hour evening party trip by boat off the bay of Kos Town. It shows a 2.3 rating from 3 reviews.

Guests must book 10 hours ahead or more, and the listed adult age range is 18 to 60. Three reviews are too small a number to rank Kos as best Greek island for nightlife from listings alone.

Choose by how you move at night. Faliraki lies 14 km south of Rhodes town, so a night there ends with a ride back. Kos offers its clubs close together, and Rhodes offers cruises, an old town and a resort strip. Between these two, the best Greek island for nightlife follows your base, not a ranking.

Which Sporades and northern islands have lively nights?

Skiathos has four sources behind its nights. They are a tourism board, an airline guide, a travel site and a travel wiki. Thassos and Samos have one each. Among the Sporades and northern islands, Skiathos gives the best Greek island for nightlife question its fullest sourced answer.

The national tourism board lists nightlife among the highlights of Skiathos. It calls the main town a modern resort centre with one of the Aegean’s largest harbours. The same site’s pages for Skopelos, Samos, Hydra, Aegina, Symi, Ikaria and Spetses do not list it. That gives Skiathos the lead in the best Greek island for nightlife search here.

An airline travel guide splits Skiathos nightlife between Bar Street on the eastern side of the harbour and Papadiamantis Street. A small number of venues spill into Trion Square in the Old Town.

A large number of clubs keep their doors shut until midnight, the guide says. Plan a late start if you choose Skiathos as the best Greek island for nightlife.

A travel site names Polytechniou Street, just off Papadiamantis Street near the harbour, and calls the mood laid-back. A travel wiki puts the main clubs about 300 m north-east of the port, by the sea. The sources disagree on street names and agree on the harbour. Skiathos nightlife on this site goes street by street.

Thassos nightlife centres on three places, says a travel wiki: Limenas, Limenaria and, above all, Potos, where younger people meet. A large number of bars and beach bars run themed nights and beach parties, announced on posters. A small number of big hotels, restaurants and pubs offer Greek nights.

The wiki says the east side and Potos draw younger visitors. Older guests choose the quieter west side beyond Limenaria. Shortlist Thassos for the best Greek island for nightlife only with a base in the east or in Potos.

Samos nightlife centres on Karlovasi, not on the capital Vathy, says a travel wiki. It credits almost 2,000 university students, especially in winter. Wikipedia gives over 1,000 active students, so the two sources differ on the number.

The wiki adds that people in Greece go to nightclubs after 02:00 as a rule. It says seafront places get busy in the evenings. In the wiki’s account, Samos competes for best Greek island for nightlife through students and winter nights.

Skopelos nightlife has no named district in the sources read here. Wikipedia says the economy of Skopelos depends fully on tourism. It estimates that the summer population rises from about 5,000 to between 15,000 and 20,000. A travel site says frequent ferries run to Skiathos from Skopelos, Alonissos and Mantoudi from late spring to September.

Six smaller islands round out the group, with one sourced fact each.

• Spetses: a travel wiki puts the popular bars around the Old Harbour, where holidaying Athenians go to be seen.
• Hydra: a travel wiki says it has no cars or motorbikes, and cafes line the harbour.
• Aegina: a travel wiki lists bars at the north end of the harbour and no free-standing bars elsewhere.
• Symi: a travel wiki calls the harbour bars relaxed and easy going, with more bars in the upper town.
• Ikaria: the national tourism board says shops in the village of Christos Rachon stay open at night.
• Lesbos: a travel wiki lists bars in Mytilene near the ferry wharf and all-day bar restaurants at Pyrgi Thermis.

Festivals fill the calendar where clubs are missing. Wikipedia says the Miaoulia Festival on Hydra takes place in the last week of June. It ends with a staged burning of an Ottoman fleet at sea, then fireworks. Aegina holds a Pistachio Festival in mid-September, and Symi holds a festival from July to September.

The tourism board calls Ikaria the island of festivals, with traditional panigyria and the Ikarian dance. None of these small islands claims the best Greek island for nightlife title in any source read here.

Season sets the limit on the small islands. Wikipedia says the tourist season on Symi lasts from Easter until Panormitis Day in early November. It says the main Athenian season on Spetses lasts two months, while hotels and restaurants open from Easter until October. Check the season before you call any island the best Greek island for nightlife.

Match the island to the night. Skiathos suits harbour clubs after midnight, Thassos suits younger crowds in Potos, and Samos suits student nights. Wikipedia says Athenians make up a sizable share of Hydra’s visitors and own second homes on Aegina.

Each island answers a single kind of night. Your crowd decides which of them becomes the best Greek island for nightlife on your trip.

Which Greek island fits each kind of night out?

The best Greek island for nightlife changes with the kind of night. Ios fits all-night clubbing, Mykonos fits beach-club days and DJ boat parties, and Rhodes fits sunset cruises with drinks. Crete fits live Greek music, and Corfu fits a town-centre night.

Each line below pairs one kind of night with one island and one fact. The facts come from the listings checked on GetYourGuide for this guide and from the national tourism board. The best Greek island for nightlife for you is the one whose line matches your night.

• All-night clubbing: Ios. The national tourism board calls Ios the Sleepless Island of the Cyclades. That makes it the best Greek island for nightlife for a night that does not stop. None of the listings checked is for Ios, so this line rests on that statement alone.
• Beach-club afternoons: Mykonos. The national tourism board lists beaches and beach clubs among three highlights of the island. One Mykonos Town listing pairs a beach club crawl with a day party and shows 522 reviews. For a beach-club day, review counts make Mykonos the best Greek island for nightlife.
• A sunset evening with drinks: Rhodes. The highest-reviewed sunset cruise on Rhodes shows 1,761 reviews and names unlimited drinks in its title. A second Rhodes sunset cruise shows 1,185 reviews. For a sunset cruise, Rhodes holds the title of best Greek island for nightlife on these counts.
• A bar crawl with new people: Corfu. Corfu holds the only listing checked with pub crawl in its title, and the title adds free shots and club entry. That listing shows 1 review, so it has little track record.
• Live Greek music and dancing: Crete. Five Cretan-night listings are among those checked, and the highest-reviewed shows 115 reviews. No other island in the same check has more than two Greek-night listings. On this count, Crete takes best Greek island for nightlife for live Greek music.
• A quiet drink away from the clubs: Milos. A travel blog lists nightlife under “not good for” on Milos and points party seekers to Mykonos or Ios. Two Milos listings, a sunset cocktail and a moonlight cruise, show 0 reviews each.
• A night out in a town centre: Corfu. A Corfu Town listing combines a night walking tour with a rooftop drink. It shows 18 reviews.
• A boat party with a DJ: Mykonos. One Mykonos party boat listing shows 1,028 reviews. A second, with an open bar and a live DJ, shows 306 reviews at a 4.4 rating.

A review count shows demand for one listing. It does not measure the quality of an island’s nights. A listing with 0 or 1 review has no track record. An island backed only by such listings is unproven as a contender for best Greek island for nightlife.

When two islands fit the same night, compare four listing details. Those are the length, the age limit, the dates and what the ticket includes. The pairs below show where two close contenders for the best Greek island for nightlife differ.

For a Greek night, Santorini and Corfu are close contenders for best Greek island for nightlife. The Santorini listing shows 38 reviews at a 4.5 rating. The Sidari show on Corfu, with a drink included, shows 42 reviews at a 4.4 rating. On reviews the two are level, so the details decide.

The Santorini night lasts 3 hours. It offers live music, traditional dancers, plate smashing and a seat by the sea. Food and drinks are paid on site. The listing is marked wheelchair accessible and runs in Greek and English.

The Sidari night lasts 2 hours and offers songs and dances. One version includes a drink and a second includes dinner. The dinner version shows 10 reviews at a 4 rating. Both run in English and Italian and need a booking 10 hours ahead.

Pick Santorini for 3 hours of live music with dancers. Pick Sidari for a 2-hour show with a drink or a dinner included. Your weekday can decide the best Greek island for nightlife here. Santorini dates fall on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sidari dates fall on Mondays and Thursdays.

For a boat party, the title of best Greek island for nightlife is split between Mykonos and Zakynthos. The Mykonos listing with an open bar and a live DJ lasts 4 hours and lists no age limit. The Zakynthos listing lasts 5 hours, leaves from Zakynthos Town port and bars guests under 18.

The Zakynthos trip includes a swim in the Blue Caves and views of Navagio Shipwreck Beach. It shows 5 reviews at a 3.8 rating. The Mykonos trip shows 306 reviews at a 4.4 rating. Its dates run from late spring to September, while the Zakynthos dates fall in July and August only.

In June or September, only Mykonos has dates. For a boat party then, Mykonos is the pick and Zakynthos is out.

For a quiet drink, Milos and Mykonos are the two contenders for best Greek island for nightlife. The blog rates Milos weak for nightlife, which suits a quiet evening. Both Milos listings have 0 reviews. A Mykonos cocktail class lasts 2 hours and takes 2 to 10 guests.

The Mykonos class bars guests under 21 and offers a private option. It runs in English and Greek, needs a booking 4 hours ahead and shows 17 reviews at a 4.2 rating. Pick Milos for the setting the blog describes. Pick Mykonos for a class with a track record.

For a sunset on the water, Rhodes and Santorini are the pair to compare for best Greek island for nightlife. Rhodes holds two sunset cruises with 1,761 and 1,185 reviews. The highest-reviewed Santorini listing is a catamaran tour with a BBQ dinner, drinks and music, and it shows 7,404 reviews.

Santorini’s own sunset cruises show 558 and 331 reviews, so Rhodes leads on sunset-titled counts. Santorini leads on the biggest single review count of any listing checked. Both are strong picks for a night on a boat.

Readers who plan the trip for older parents can compare the best Greek island for over 50s as well.

Which months suit a nightlife trip to a Greek island?

Nights on the islands follow the tourist season, which peaks between late spring and September. A monthly chart in Wikipedia puts August highest at 6.5 million arrivals. July follows at 6.1 million and September at 5.1 million.

The chart counts tourist arrivals for the whole of Greece, not for one island. It credits a Greek tourism confederation. The numbers still show how the crowd grows and shrinks across the year.

• April: 1.4 million arrivals
• Late spring: 2.5 million arrivals
• June: 4.3 million arrivals
• July: 6.1 million arrivals
• August: 6.5 million arrivals
• September: 5.1 million arrivals
• October: 3.1 million arrivals

Every month from November to March stays at or below 1 million arrivals. A trip to the best Greek island for nightlife in those months meets the smallest crowds of the year. The same article says about 75 percent of all tourist visits fall between late spring and September.

No source fetched names a peak week or a quiet week for the best Greek island for nightlife. None gives an opening or closing date for beach clubs. The chart works in months, and the month is the finest unit the evidence supports.

Wikipedia’s weather table for Mykonos adds the nights. It credits a national observatory’s monthly bulletins and lists the average low temperature for each month. To judge the best Greek island for nightlife by season, read the night low first. These figures are for Mykonos only, and no source fetched gives the same table for another island.

• April: 14.7 degrees Celsius
• Late spring: 18.0 degrees Celsius
• June: 21.8 degrees Celsius
• July: 24.3 degrees Celsius
• August: 24.4 degrees Celsius
• September: 22.3 degrees Celsius
• October: 18.9 degrees Celsius

July and August are also the driest months in the same table, with 0.1 and 1.3 millimetres of rain. Late spring averages 5.9 millimetres. October averages 24.3 millimetres, about four times as much. The article says the rainy season runs from October until March.

Late spring and October have close night lows, 18.0 and 18.9 degrees. Both sit more than 5 degrees below the July low. Rain is what separates them. A late-spring evening on Mykonos has about the same night low as an October evening. It also has about a quarter of the rain.

The Meltemi is a second marker of the season. Wikipedia’s article on the Etesian winds gives their season. They blow from about the middle of late spring to the middle of September. It also says they sometimes last for days without a break.

The article gives the direction by sea area. In the northern Aegean the winds blow from the north-east to the north. In the central Aegean they blow from the north. In the southern Aegean and the Cretan Sea they blow from the north-west.

Wikipedia’s article on Ios describes an almost constant breeze from the north in summer, which moderates temperatures. The Etesian article calls the winds dangerous to sailors, because they come up in clear weather without warning. Party boat dates fall in the same months, as the listings below show.

The best Greek island for nightlife feels different in late spring and in autumn, and the numbers show why. In spring the crowd builds, and arrivals more than triple between April and June. In autumn it thins, and arrivals drop by 2 million between September and October.

The booking dates in six listings show the same season for the best Greek island for nightlife. They show only dates open for booking, so they say nothing about the days outside them. The two Sidari shows share one range, so five ranges follow.

• Zakynthos boat party: 26 dates, 13 in July and 13 in August.
• Mykonos boat party: 52 dates from late spring to September, with 18 in July.
• Sidari Greek music shows on Corfu: 42 dates from late spring to September.
• Mykonos cocktail class: 183 dates, one for every day from April to September.
• Santorini Greek night: 61 dates from April to late October.

A July trip has all five open. That makes July the widest month for choosing the best Greek island for nightlife among these listings. A June or September trip keeps four open, and only the Zakynthos boat party is missing. An April trip has two open: the Santorini Greek night and the Mykonos cocktail class.

An October trip has one open, the Santorini Greek night. Its last listed date falls in late October. Among these listings, the best Greek island for nightlife in October is Santorini. Only a larger set of listings can widen that answer.

How do pub crawls and bar crawls run on the Greek islands?

A crawl on the best Greek island for nightlife runs as a fixed evening with a guide and a route. The Corfu crawl in the listings lasts four hours and ends at a club. Its booking form stops at 15 people.

Wikipedia defines a pub crawl as visiting multiple pubs or bars in one session. It lists bar tour, bar crawl and bar-hopping as other names. A large number of European cities have public crawls that work as social gatherings for local expatriates and tourists.

Does one crawl make Corfu the best Greek island for nightlife? No, but it shows the format in full. The crawl moves through bars and nightlife venues along the Old Town streets. A guide leads the group. The evening lasts four hours.

The summary names free shots, drinking games and challenges, then a finish dancing at a local club. The booking form accepts 1 to 15 people and lists English as the only language. A free-cancellation label sits on the listing.

The form shows one adult band, labelled age 99 and younger, so it states no minimum age. The rating is five stars from one review. One review says little about the best Greek island for nightlife or about this crawl.

The summary gives no count of bars and no count of drinks. It names no meeting point either. These three gaps are the first questions to ask the organiser.

Corfu hosts a second format, a walk, that also counts toward the best Greek island for nightlife. The night walking tour lasts two hours with a local guide. It shows the sights of the city.

The walk ends with a drink on a rooftop garden or in a bar. Labels read small group and free cancellation. It shows 4.7 stars from 18 reviews, a firmer base than the crawl has. Bookings close eight hours before the start.

The adult band of the walk begins at age 14, and a child band covers age 13 and younger. Two hours and one drink make it the short option. The four-hour crawl is the long one.

Mykonos brings a third format to this best Greek island for nightlife ranking: access, not a route. The summary offers access to VIP nightlife and day life for groups of 2 to 16 people. The duration reads one day.

Labels on that listing read skip the line and free cancellation. Bookings close ten hours before the start. The listing is new and holds no reviews, so no rating exists to read.

Across the three listings, the reviews behind the best Greek island for nightlife are thin: one, 18 and none.

A travel blog on party destinations describes the informal version on Paros. A hostel group walks to the bars together once its rooftop evening ends at about eleven. In high season the blog counts a squad of 30 to 40 people or more. That is double the Corfu cap, or higher.

Of the nightlife listings gathered for this page, only two carry a crawl. Corfu holds the guided crawl above, and Mykonos holds a beach club crawl. Santorini, Paros, Crete, Rhodes, Kos and Zakynthos show boats and Greek nights instead. For a crawl, the best Greek island for nightlife comes down to Corfu or Mykonos by that count.

Five checks apply to every crawl listing, on Corfu, Mykonos or any island named the best Greek island for nightlife:

• Hours: the Corfu crawl runs four hours, and the Corfu walk runs two.
• Group cap: the Corfu crawl form stops at 15 people, and the Mykonos access listing names groups of 2 to 16.
• Language: the Corfu crawl form lists English only, and the other two summaries name no language.
• Age band: the Corfu walk starts its adult band at age 14, and the crawl and the access listing state no minimum age.
• Cancellation and lead time: all three carry a free-cancellation label, the walk closes eight hours ahead, and the access listing closes ten hours ahead.

Pick the crawl to meet fellow travellers over four hours and a club finish, as the summary puts it. Pick the walk for a short evening with a guide. Pick the access listing for a group that already has a plan. A crawl that answers all five checks is the safest buy on the best Greek island for nightlife.

How do party boats, cocktail cruises and Greek nights run?

Boat parties, sunset drinks cruises and Greek nights all count toward the best Greek island for nightlife. Wikipedia lists parties, live music and shows as nightlife. The nine listings here last from one and a half to six and a half hours.

The party boat is the dance format of the nine listings read for this best Greek island for nightlife comparison. The Rhodes listing lasts three hours, carries a live DJ and plays games on board, such as champagne diving. It stops for a swim in Anthony Quinn Bay. The summary promises dancing until the sun goes down and beyond.

Its booking form allows 36 people and lists English. The adult band starts at age 18, and a child band of 17 and younger also appears. The rating is 4.8 from 313 reviews. If boats decide your best Greek island for nightlife, compare these numbers with the Mykonos party boats.

Four sunset listings pour drinks without a DJ. The Mykonos trip lasts two hours and passes the houses of Little Venice. It serves snacks and drinks, offers pickup and sails with a small group. It shows 4.6 stars from 64 reviews, and bookings close ten hours before the start.

Rhodes carries the other three sunset listings, and four of the nine listings overall. No other island here holds more. By count, Rhodes holds the widest choice of boat evenings for anyone judging the best Greek island for nightlife.

The Rhodes catamaran trip lasts three to four hours and serves a snack, fruit and drinks. It offers a private option and shows 4.6 stars from 249 reviews. Bookings close one and a half hours before the start.

The Rhodes Town boat cruise lasts three hours. It stops for swimming and snorkelling, explores the caves of Kallithea Springs and keeps a bar on board. Its form allows 35 people and lists English. It takes bookings until five minutes before the start.

Its adult band starts at age 4, the lowest start among the nine listings. The child band covers age 3 and younger. The rating is 4.7 from 315 reviews.

The Faliraki cruise is the shortest of the nine at one hour and thirty minutes. It starts on the east coast, crosses to the western side of Rhodes and serves champagne at sunset. It holds a small group.

The title calls it a RIB cruise. Wikipedia calls a rigid inflatable boat stable, light, fast and seaworthy. The cruise shows 4.9 stars from 46 reviews, the highest rating of the nine. Its adult band starts at age 18, and bookings close one and a half hours ahead.

Two Santorini listings serve a sit-down meal on the water, a second angle on the best Greek island for nightlife. The five-hour catamaran trip visits Thirasia and stops for a swim. It serves a Greek buffet dinner, a barbecue and an open bar. Pickup is available.

It shows 4.8 stars from 331 reviews. Wikipedia calls Thirasia the second largest island of the Santorini group. Its article on catamarans adds that the wide distance between the hulls gives stability.

The second Santorini listing runs four hours and thirty minutes. It sails with a small group and is listed under Vlichada. It serves a Greek dinner, a barbecue and an open bar, and includes hotel transfers. It shows 4.8 stars from 20 reviews. Both Santorini forms start the adult band at age 11 and close two hours ahead.

Two Crete listings sell the Greek night as a trip. Both offer pickup, and both sit outside the city. One lasts six hours and thirty minutes, the other four and a half hours. The titles name a dinner and dance show and a live show with dinner. Crete is where the best Greek island for nightlife turns into a stage.

The longer Heraklion listing shows 4.5 stars from 57 reviews. Its adult band starts at age 10, and its child band covers ages 3 to 9. The shorter Crete listing shows 4 stars from 52 reviews and an adult band from age 13. Bookings close six hours ahead.

Wikipedia says Greek dance has a mainly social role and gathers a community at weddings, harvests and festivals. It describes sirtaki as a line or circle dance, made for a film. Dancers rest their hands on the shoulders of the next dancers. The Heraklion summary names dance, music and traditions, and the other names Cretan culture. Neither names a dance.

So the Greek night adds a dinner show to the choices for the best Greek island for nightlife. That evening is seated, with a stage, not a walk between bars.

Ratings across the nine listings run from 4 to 4.9 stars, and review counts run from 20 to 331. A spread that wide calls for care with any single rating.

The highest review counts are 331 for Santorini, 315 for Rhodes Town and 313 for the Rhodes party boat. Among these nine, the best Greek island for nightlife on a boat splits between Santorini and Rhodes by reviews.

Three of the twelve listings read for the best Greek island for nightlife carry a wheelchair-accessible label. They are the Corfu walk, the Rhodes Town cruise and the Heraklion evening.

None of the nine summaries mentions diet. Only two name a language, and both say English. Pickup appears on five of the nine, and a free-cancellation label appears on every one. Four formats cover the nine boat and stage listings behind the best Greek island for nightlife comparison:

• Party boat with a DJ: Rhodes, three hours, adult band from age 18.
• Sunset drinks cruise: Mykonos and Rhodes, from one hour and thirty minutes to four hours.
• Dinner cruise: Santorini, four and a half to five hours, with a Greek dinner, a barbecue and an open bar.
• Greek night: Crete, four and a half to six and a half hours, with pickup and a dinner show.

Read the list as a map of the nine listings. Rhodes carries the DJ boat, Santorini the dinner cruises and Crete the Greek nights. Start from the format, and the best Greek island for nightlife at sea picks itself.

How do you get home from the best Greek island for nightlife?

Your way home is part of choosing the best Greek island for nightlife. The Mykonos municipality lists buses to popular places until 4:00 in the morning in peak season. An Ios bus timetable valid from late October ends in the early evening.

Wikipedia lists three bus depots on Mykonos. The southern one, called Fabrika, serves Paradise Beach, Paraga, Psarou, Ornos, Plati Gialos and Agios Yannis. The municipality asks visitors to check the bus website for the peak-season details.

Wikipedia adds that the northern depot serves Ano Mera, Elia and Kalafatis. A depot at the old port serves Tourlos and Agios Stefanos.

A travel directory gives a different picture for Mykonos. It says regular schedules start around 8:00 and end around midnight. Service runs more frequently from late spring to September. The municipality names late service to popular places, and the directory names regular routes. Once transport counts, that gap can reorder any list of the best Greek island for nightlife.

The bus network behind these timetables is KTEL, a cooperation of 62 regional bus companies. Wikipedia says it provides 80% of all passenger transportation in Greece. The article lists separate units for Mykonos, Ios, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Corfu, Kefalonia, Rhodes, Kos and Zakynthos. Each unit runs its own regional network.

Ios tests the best Greek island for nightlife idea from the other side. The island bus operator posts a timetable valid from late October. It lists four daily buses from Chora to Mylopotas. The last bus back from Mylopotas leaves at 5:15 in the afternoon.

The same directory lists Chora to Mylopotas from 8:05 in the morning until five past midnight. It names no season for those hours. It calls buses the only public transport on Ios and says all routes start in Chora or stop there. The operator lists ticket machines at the port terminal and at Mylopotas.

On Santorini, the directory says buses stop around 7:00 in the evening or earlier off season. In summer they can run until 11:00 at night or later. It lists Fira to Kamari until 11:15 at night in summer, and Fira to Perissa and Perivolos until 11:00.

The directory says all direct routes lead to the Fira bus station. You change buses there for any other village. A traveller who picks Santorini as the best Greek island for nightlife needs that change in the plan. The Fira to Oia bus runs from 7:00 in the morning to 10:00 at night.

Paros and Naxos run buses past midnight. The directory lists the Parikia to Naoussa route until 2:00 at night, with a night ticket. On Naxos, Line 1 from the town to Plaka runs every 30 minutes until 1:00. One more bus leaves at 2:00.

The directory lists the Rhodes Town to Faliraki bus from 6:30 to midnight every day. Kos City Line 1 runs hourly until 15 minutes past midnight. The Kos Town to Kardamena bus runs until 11:00 at night. Corfu Town to Kanoni also runs until 11:00 at night.

For Zakynthos, the directory gives route counts, not hours. It lists five routes a day on Sundays between Zakynthos Town and Laganas. A table of the best Greek island for nightlife needs bus hours beside each name. The sources give them for a handful of islands only.

Ferries link islands, not bars. Wikipedia calls ferry transport the prominent way to travel between the Greek islands. High-speed vessels reach Mykonos daily from nearby islands and Athens. Santorini has a daily ferry to Piraeus, with up to five direct crossings in summer. None of these sources lists a ferry for a late night out.

On land and at sea, the sources name five ways home:

• Night bus: Santorini has night buses between 12:30 and 5:00 in the morning on certain routes, with no guarantee.
• Taxi: Mykonos has taxi stands in Mykonos Town and at Fabrika, and its dispatch lines answer 24 hours a day.
• Sea route: a sea bus links the New Port and the Old Port of Mykonos, and water taxis leave the Old Port for Super Paradise, Paradise and Paraga.
• Pre-arranged transport: the UK foreign office lists it, along with licensed cabs from taxi-hailing apps where they exist.
• Listing pickup: two Crete folk-night listings show pickup as available, and one includes drop-off in Heraklion.

The two Crete listings also show the length of the evening. One lasts 6 hours 30 minutes and offers English, French and German. The other lasts 6 hours, starts from Rethymno and offers English. Their ratings are 4.1 from 38 reviews and 4.6 from 11 reviews.

The UK foreign office gives tips for late nights around clubs and bars. It says to save the location of your accommodation in a maps app. That makes the place easier to find at the end of the night. The tips apply on every island, the best Greek island for nightlife included.

It also says to set up a messaging group with your friends. It says not to let a friend walk back to a hotel alone. No source gives a walking distance between a bar area and a harbour. For an emergency, the page gives 112 as the number to call.

The walk back crosses roads. The UK page says traffic can be busy, fast and chaotic. It says local drivers regularly ignore speed limits, including in built-up areas. It adds that drivers do not always stop at pedestrian crossings.

The Canadian travel page calls the bus network extensive and advises visitors to avoid isolated areas, especially after dark. Both governments warn about drink-driving. The UK page calls it a serious offence in Greece, and the Canadian page says never drink and drive.

The UK foreign office adds that Greek police arrest people for rowdy or indecent behaviour. It says this applies especially where excessive drinking is involved. It says travel insurance does not always cover a flight missed after an alcohol-related arrest. The best Greek island for nightlife still follows the same rules as every other island.

What do travellers ask about the best Greek island for nightlife?

Questions about the best Greek island for nightlife start with age. The Wikipedia table of legal drinking ages lists 18 as the purchase age in Greece, in venues and in shops. The UK foreign office sets the same age for selling or providing alcohol.

A business on the best Greek island for nightlife faces the same rule as any other. Serving under-18s can bring large fines and possible closure, says the UK foreign office. Wikipedia says Greece bans minors from drinking in public. The law does not apply to private events or private premises.

If a minor is harmed by excessive drinking, the adults with them can face legal consequences. So can those who supplied the alcohol. The UK foreign office points to child protection laws.

Age checks need papers on every island. The UK foreign office says to expect age verification checks at points of sale. It says to carry your passport for the police and warns that a copy can be refused. The Canadian travel page says local police can ask to see identification at any time.

Which Greek island is known as a party island?

Wikipedia describes Mykonos as an upscale summer destination for nightlife and parties. It calls Laganas on Zakynthos a popular party destination. It says Kavos on Corfu draws young holidaymakers. It names no single best Greek island for nightlife.

Can you enter a bar or club under 18?

No. The UK foreign office says bars and nightclubs cannot admit or serve anyone under 18. That holds even with an adult. The rule also covers the best Greek island for nightlife.

Do bars close early in spring?

No source lists bar hours or opening dates, so none crowns the best Greek island for nightlife in spring. The directory says Naxos buses leave more frequently from late spring to September. In winter, departures are limited and mainly serve villages.

Can you book a Greek night in advance?

Yes. Each of the two Crete folk-night listings shows one fixed weekday, Saturday or Thursday, from late spring to late October. Both need booking 10 hours ahead and offer free cancellation.

Which Greek island has the largest clubbing district?

No source ranks the districts by size. Wikipedia counts more than 100 bars and clubs in Laganas on Zakynthos. Its articles on Ios and Malia give no count, so no total can crown the best Greek island for nightlife.

Can children join a Greek night?

Both Crete listings set child ages. One lists children aged 5 to 12. It adds that a child of 4 or younger joins free, though the booking must list the child. The other lists children aged 4 to 11.

Can wind or a strike cancel your ferry home?

Wikipedia says that at force 7 to 8, a large number of inter-island ferries cannot sail in the Etesian winds. The UK foreign office says strikes can disrupt ferries, sometimes at short notice.

Is the best Greek island for nightlife the same in June and September?

No source compares the two months island by island. A travel directory puts the high bus season on Santorini from late spring to September. June and September fall in the same season. None picks the best Greek island for nightlife month by month.