What area of Greece is the best choice for Dutch citizens buying a home in Greece? There are so many beautiful areas of Greece to choose from, with stunning scenery, warm hospitality, views of the Mediterranean sea, and local Greek food.
But what factors matter most to Dutch home seekers, and why would some areas of Greece be a better choice for them? Our team of analysts gives you all the answers below.
Methodology
We used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. We started with a list of popular destinations from award-winning Dutch travel site Griekenland.net, which has over 50,000 readers. They asked their Dutch readers to cast their vote for their top ten destinations in Greece for 2024.
Crete, Samos, Corfu were at the top of the list, followed by Zakynthos and Kefalonia, which are both found in the Ionian Sea. Kos, Lefkada, and the Peloponnese rounded out the list.
In our methodology, we also included some areas that are gaining popularity among Dutch expats in Greece. Halkidiki, Thessaloniki, and Pieria, for example, are becoming more popular for Dutch expats and were part of the “Vakantiebeurs 2024” expo held in Utrecht, Netherlands this year.
Based on the above criteria, these are the best places for Dutch citizens looking to buy a home in Greece:
Ranking Methodology
Now comes the hard part. How do we decide what factors are most important for Dutch home buyers? To solve this challenge, we first asked our sales and legal team, who offer consultation and legal handling to dozens of Dutch clients (whether or not they choose to buy a home).
We asked them to tell us what are the most common questions Dutch people ask when searching for a home in Greece. We then made a small survey of Dutch clients who purchased a home to find out their highest priorities. The following themes were the most common:
The following weights were assigned, based on how important the factor was, and how often the topic came up from Dutch home seekers.
Sea View: 35%
Property Prices: 30%
Direct Flights: 15%
Good Internet: 10%
English Speakers: 5%
Dutch Expat Community: 5%
Sea View (35%)
Technically, all of the locations listed have sea view. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since it is one of Greece’s most attractive features. But not all of the listed locations have the same amount of coastline.
For example, Crete – Greece’s largest island – has many more opportunities for a home with a sea view compared to a city like Thessaloniki. The combined miles of coastline for each area is listed below. Areas with more coastline were ranked higher in our algorithm.
From this list, the winners for most miles of coastline are the Peloponnese, Crete, and Halkidiki. The least amount of coastline is found in Thessaloniki, Pieria, and Kos.
Property Prices (30%)
The data here are from Spitogatos’s property index, which tracks the average asking price (€/sqm) for houses in Greece. Spitogatos based these results on millions of property data points from all over Greece. For areas like Crete and the Peloponnese, we calculated an average based on an average of the property prices in the main towns.
In the category of price, the winners are Samos, Pieria, and the Peloponnese. The most expensive are Thessaloniki, Kefalonia, Corfu, and Chalkidiki.
Direct Flights (15%)
The data used from comes from Skyscanner. According to Skycanner, during the month of June, you can fly to the following destinations (just the ones from our list are included) in Greece directly from the Netherlands. This assumes flexible leaving times, as flights to some of the smaller airports in Greece (anywhere besides Crete, Thessaloniki, and Athens) do not fly on certain days of the week.
This page was last updated in February, 2024, and is subject to change.
Note that scores for the direct flights category also take into account how close a location is to an airport. For example, from some large areas in our list like the Peloponnese, it will take several hours from southern villages to get to the Kalamata airport. Similarly, Lefkada island does not have its own airport, but the Preveza airport is nearby and can even be reached by car.
Internet Strength (10%)
According to a survey released recently by Ookla, a network intelligence and connectivity insights provider, Greece’s best internet speeds are found in some of its largest urban centers.
To test internet performance in Greece for the areas listed in this article, we used Ookla’s Speedtest® data from millions of consumer-initiated tests taken every day for mobile and fixed broadband networks. The following are the download speeds:
Most areas of Greece have similar internet speeds. The best locations (but not by a large margin) are Thessaloniki, Crete, Pieria, and the Peloponnese. The internet speeds in your particular location will also depend on how remote your home is.
English Speakers & Dutch Community (5% & 5%)
These two factors are closely related. Where there are English-speaking Greeks, there are typically Dutch expats (and in some areas, you might even hear Dutch walking around). Generally speaking, most heavily touristed areas will have more English-speaking Greeks and more expats.
English Speakers
There are over 10 million people in Greece, and over 5 million of them speak English. Larger cities and tourist areas you will find that there is a higher concentration of English-speaking Greeks, as it is necessary for the tourism industry.
Dutch Community
To assess where you will find a local Dutch community, we consider the most popular destinations for Dutch travelers listed by Griekenland.net. The most likely places to find Dutch travelers is in Crete, Samos, Corfu, and Zakynthos.
The Results:
Each category was given a weight (35%, 25% etc), and the values for each category were given based on a 0 to 100 scale. Certain categories had wider ranges of answers (20 kilometers to 1200 kilometers of coastline, for example), and other categories were very close together (Internet: 40 MBPS to 60 MBPS, for example).
So, the values in the chart are relative to the average of each group. The numbers in each row were added together to give the final score of a location.
The top 5 locations in Greece for Dutch citizens are ranked below:
In Green: First Place (Crete)
In Yellow: Second Place (Peloponnese)
In Orange: Other Ideal Locations for Dutch Citizens
In Red: Other Recommended Locations for Dutch Citizens
1. Crete
Crete is referred to with the nickname “island of the gods.” The famous Greek island is known for its history, its welcoming people, its picturesque landscapes, and high quality of life. It seems like everyone is always in a good mood, even when there is a disagreement.
Crete is the largest island in Greece, with immense cultural and archaeological heritage, and gems like the Palace of Knossos. The environment in Crete is stunning, with spectacular beaches, gorges and mountains and Mediterranean olive groves and vineyards.
Crete is the fifth most visited destination in Greece, and it ranks seventh in the world in terms of the number of tourists, according to data from the World Tourism Organisation.
2. Peloponnese
Of every region on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese is the most popular to visit for tourists, apart from Attica (where Athens is located). This region of southern Greece is not far from Athens and features beautiful resorts, historic monuments, UNESCO Heritage Sites, Byzantine churches and monasteries, temples to the ancient Greek gods, and the incredible cities of Olympia, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Tiryns.
Some of the most important places to see in the Peloponnese include Mycenae, Olympia, Epidaurus, Corinth, Nemea, Messene, Mystras, Monemvasia, Kalamata, Patras, Methoni and Koroni castles, and Nestor’s palace. More about these important places can be found in our complete UNESCO Greece guide.
3. Corfu
Also known as “Kerkyra” or “The Grand Lady of the Ionian”, Corfu is a beautiful island in the Ionian Sea that offers history, culture, and natural scenery. It truly has it all, with quaint villages, ancient UNESCO Heritage sites, and foodie destinations.
Corfu’s historic old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is a maze of narrow streets, brightly painted buildings and impressive squares. It is a joy to wander around the old town and see numerous landmarks, like the Old Fortress, the Liston promenade, and the Spianada Square.
Within the Old Fortress, there are a number of notable sights, and you can easily spend the afternoon walking around. The Saint George Church is one of the most photographed sights within the Old Fortress.
4. Zakynthos
This southernmost Ionian island was also called ‘the flower of the east’ or ‘Zante’ by the Venetians. For an unforgettable experience, Zakynthos is definitely the right place, as it is one of the most exotic islands in Greece! Visit its spectacular beaches, where the protected Caretta Caretta turtles lay their eggs. Especially the white sand of Sekania is very popular for this.
Furthermore, you can visit the world famous ‘shipwrecked beach’ (Navagio Beach) with its huge white rocks and clear blue water. Also some vineyards are centuries old and produce up to 60 different types of grapes.
If you’re curious about the most beautiful part of the city, go to Bokhali, which offers a beautiful view over the harbor, full of photogenic alleys with old houses and traditional cafes, crowned with a Venetian castle; you shouldn’t miss it. Zakynthos also has a great nightlife and you can scuba dive. In other words: Zakynthos will continue to surprise you!
5. Samos
Samos is a one of a kind island in the Eastern Aegean. It is known for its lush greenery, quaint villages, and stunning beaches. Uniquely, Samos is very close to the Turkish coast, so there are daily ferries to Kusadasi in Turkey. Samos is also a great place to hop to the nearby islands of Ikaria and Fourni.
Samos was the home to Aesop and the math genius Pythagoras. Some famous philosophers like Epicurus and Melissus were also from Samos. Going further back, a myth says that the goddess Hera was from the island of Samos. The Ionic Dipteral Temple of Hera, the Great Altar, and the Sacred Road are two of the monuments that you should not miss.
Samos’s beaches of Kokkari, Lemonakia, Mikali, and Tsamadou are some of the most popular beaches on the island. These beaches are known for their pristine waters. Aside from the popular spots, Samos has a lot of private bays to choose from.
What is the Right Area of Greece For Me?
Ultimately, based on your priorities and desire to immerse yourself in the Greek way of life, you may have a different ideal location. Many Dutch clients of ours tend to choose less with a formula as we described above, but more with their heart, especially when they have family or childhood experiences in a particular area of Greece.
If you still need help knowing which area is best for you (regardless of what the numbers say!), contact our team at contact@elxis.com.
