British travel consultant Duncan Greenfield-Turk, who has 30 years of experience in the tourism industry and has visited dozens of Greek islands, called Tinos his main “secret” destination in a conversation with Styler (citing Metro). The island is just a 30-minute ferry ride from the bustling Mykonos, yet the contrast between them is, according to the expert, striking. Today, the consultant claims, even those who have owned property on Mykonos for years are selling it and moving to Tinos in search of a calmer pace of life. At the same time, the island remains relatively undiscovered by the mass tourist, which makes it a find for those seeking the authentic Greece.

Authenticity, Architecture and Art

Tinos’s key advantage is its authenticity. The island has preserved elegant architecture with Venetian influences, traditional blue granite hills, and charming villages scattered across the slopes. Tinos is also renowned for its craft tradition of marble carving, which has become part of the local identity and sets the island apart from its more “hotel-like” Aegean neighbours.

A Gastronomic Paradise and Spiritual Centre

According to Styler, Tinos has quietly become one of the most interesting culinary destinations in the Aegean: at local tavernas, octopus tentacles are sun-dried, and chefs work with fresh local produce. The island is simultaneously an important pilgrimage centre — it is home to the majestic Orthodox church of Panagia Evangelistria, which adds a spiritual dimension absent from purely resort-oriented neighbours.

Prices: From Budget to Luxury

Unlike the hyped-up Mykonos and Santorini, Tinos offers, according to Styler, “quite reasonable” prices for accommodation at any budget. A reference to Hotels Combined gives three ranges: budget — from 45 to 60 euros per night (guest houses and apartments near the port or the island’s capital), mid-range — from 80 to 140 euros (three- and four-star hotels and boutique apartments with pools, such as Vincenzo Family Hotel or Crossroads Inn), luxury — from 180 to 400+ euros (villas and five-star complexes like Odera — a converted neoclassical mansion — or Onar Tinos).

How to Get There from Ukraine

Since, as the publication notes, the sky over Ukraine remains closed, the trip will have to be planned with a connection in neighbouring European countries, combining ground transport and low-cost carriers. First route: by train or bus to Warsaw or Krakow, from where daily affordable direct flights by Wizz Air or Ryanair depart for Athens; from the Athenian ports of Piraeus or Rafina, ferries run daily to Tinos — the fast ferry takes 2 hours, the regular one about 4.5 hours. Second route: by bus or car to Bucharest (or a transfer from Odesa/Chernivtsi), from where Wizz Air flies directly from Bucharest airport to Mykonos, and from there to Tinos — 30 minutes by ferry.

Contradictory Data

Here it is worth honestly addressing the discrepancy in the “trendy” narratives of different publications. Styler, citing Metro, promotes Tinos specifically as the new “Mecca” for lovers of tranquillity. However, in parallel, other travel media, in particular pravda.ru, name another Greek island — Karpathos — as the main memorable European destination of 2025, and separately examine the “hidden” side of Mykonos. That is, in the public sphere there is no single consensus on which island is currently the “discovery”: for the British travel consultant it is Tinos, for a number of Russian-language publications — Karpathos. Both statements are true within the framework of their sources, but they compete for the status of “main new destination”, so the reader should treat this as a subjective recommendation from a specific expert, not as an objective ranking.