
One of the cheapest Greek islands that is set to be popular as TUI adds more hotels
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THE island of Thassos in Greece is often overlooked in favour of other Greek islands - but is set to get even more popular.
With both an airport on the island and connections via ferry to the mainland, Thassos is a great alternative holiday spot in Greece if wanting to spend less money.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
8
The island has 34 beaches in total
Credit: Alamy
8
Many of the beaches have numerous facilities for visitors
Credit: Alamy
8
And there are many towns and villages to explore on the island
Credit: Alamy
Holiday packages to the island can be found for relatively cheap, from £189pp with TUI.
And demand for holidays to the island are also increasing.
Steffen Boehnke, head of TUI product management sun & beach said Thassos is one of the "smaller, more authentic" islands seeing an increase in holidays.
The tour operator has increased the number of budget three-star hotels in response to the withdrawal of FTI and expanded its range of flights.
He said: "This means a greater choice, so families and price-conscious holidaymakers in particular can travel on the same budget as last summer," reports FVW Travel Talk.
Thassos boasts different activities meaning it caters to many different interests as a destination.
One of the main destinations on the island is the Ancient Agora, a site with old temples, remains of sanctuaries, an ancient theatre and other buildings.
Occasionally the site is used for performances of ancient dramas and comedies.
There is also the Monastery of Archangel Michael, protector of the island - which has a great view over the sea.
The ministry is the biggest and most popular monastery of Thassos and houses a collection of religious articles and works created by the monks.
The completely stress-free way to island hop in Greece - discovering its less-crowded beaches & towns
Interestingly, the Monastery of Archangel Michael is exclusively female and is built on the edge of a cliff.
As for towns and villages on the island, Limenaria is the island's second-largest town and is known for being the hub of Thassos' mining industry in the 20th century.
You can still see the turreted mining headquarters on the headland overlooking Limenaria Beach and there's a mine which travellers can take tours of.
Limenaria is also where the old port is located and is a picturesque neighborhood to enjoy a coffee by the sea.
For those who prefer to explore nature, the island has many hiking paths.
And across the island there are a total of 34 beautiful beaches.
Paradise Beach is considered one of the best swimming spots in Limenas, on the island, because it resembles tropical waters.
8
The old port is located in the town of Limenaria
Credit: Alamy
8
Thassos also boasts many historical sites and ruins
Credit: Alamy
8
One beach in particular has been noted for resembling a 'tropical destination'
Credit: Alamy
The beach has fine white sand and azure blue, shallow waters.
It is also surrounded by green mountains and can be reached via a narrow alley passing through a small woodland area.
Alternatively, visitors can head to a lagoon called Giola.
Here the rock formations have created a natural pool where people can swim.
For a while it has been popular destination with Instagrammers, who are often seen jump from the rocks and plunging into the water below.
When it comes to eating, the island has numerous restaurants, cafes and bars with traditional taverns serving classic Greek cuisine.
It takes around three-and-a-half hours to fly to the island.
There are also a number of other islands in Greece that are good value for money.
Plus, the enchanting Greek island where no one lives and exotic animals roam free on sandy beaches.
8
The island also has a historic monastery which has views across the ocean
Credit: Alamy

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
All the benefits that could be STOPPED over easy holiday mistake including Universal Credit and PIP
We reveal below how you can check if you're eligible for benefits TRIP UP All the benefits that could be STOPPED over easy holiday mistake including Universal Credit and PIP Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A SIMPLE holiday error could see a host of benefits including Universal Credit and PIP stopped. You may even have to pay back any overpaid money and in a worse case scenario an up to £5,000 penalty too. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 A number of benefits can be stopped if you don't report going abroad Credit: Alamy Going abroad is classed as a change in circumstances which must be reported to the office that pays your benefits. If you do not, it may be reduced or stopped and you could be told to pay back any overpaid amounts. If you are found to have deliberately not reported going abroad, it is classed as benefit fraud and you could be taken to court or asked to pay a penalty of between £350 and £5,000. However, at which point you have to report going abroad varies based on the benefit you are receiving. For example, you don't have to report going abroad if you're on Attendance Allowance (AA) and going away for less than four weeks. If you do need to report going abroad, you need to tell your local Jobcentre Plus or the office that pays your benefit. This is the full list of benefits where you may have to report going abroad this summer: Universal Credit Jobseeker's Allowance PIP Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Attendance Allowance Carer's Allowance Pension Credit Housing Benefit Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) Maternity Allowance Child Benefit Guardian's Allowance Here are the rules on reporting going abroad for the major benefits. Universal Credit If you're on Universal Credit, you can stay abroad for one month and carry on receiving payments. You still have to tell your work coach you're going away and have to carry on meeting the conditions of your claim. For example, if you are in the intensive work group and have to spend a minimum amount of hours per week looking for a job, you have to continue doing this. There are exceptions to the one-month rule though - such as if a "close relative" dies while you are abroad and it is not deemed reasonable for you to return to the UK. Meanwhile, you can carry on claiming Universal Credit for up to six months if you have gone abroad for medical treatment. You can report going away on holiday by signing in via your Universal Credit account. Jobseeker's Allowance If you are on New Style or income-based JSA you must report if you are leaving Great Britain for any length of time. You can let the Government know you are going away by calling the JSA helpline on 0800 169 0310. You can also write to the Jobcentre Plus office that pays your JSA. You can find your nearest office by using its online branch locator. PIP and DLA You have to tell the DWP if you are on Personal Independence payments (PIP) Or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and going away for more than four weeks. You have to tell the Government the date you are leaving the country, how long you are going away for and which country you plan to visit. You also need to tell the DWP why you plan to go abroad. You can call the Disability Service Centre on 0800 121 4433 to inform them you are going away if you are on PIP or DLA. Attendance Allowance Like with PIP and DLA, you have to tell the DWP if you plan to go abroad for more than four weeks and are on AA. You can claim AA for up to 13 weeks while abroad, or 26 weeks if you're going away for medical treatment. Carer's Allowance If you are on Carer's Allowance, you can go away for up to four weeks over a six-month period while still receiving the benefit. But you still have to report this or risk having to pay back your entitlement or paying a fine. You can report going away via the Government's website or by calling the Carer's Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297. Pension Credit You can claim Pension Credit for up to four weeks if you are abroad. This is extended to eight weeks if the absence is due to the death of your partner or a child. However, you still need to report going abroad. You can do this via the Government's website or by calling the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 731 0469. Housing Benefit You can usually only carry on claiming Housing Benefit for up to four weeks if you go abroad. Like with Pension Credit, you can carry on receiving it for eight weeks if you have to go abroad because a close relative has died. But you should contact the Benefits Service on 020 7364 5000 to let them know you're going away. You might also be able to via your local council's website. You can find your local council by using the Government's online locator tool. Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories


Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
TUI expands flights to 4 European hotspots as Brits ignore over tourism pleas
Despite escalating calls to curb over-tourism in hotspots like the Canary Islands and Majorca - TUI has unveiled more flights for next summer TUI has unveiled a major expansion at a tiny UK airport in several EU hotspots - casting the effectiveness of anti-tourist protests into doubt. The airline, which flies to more than 100 destinations worldwide, has boosted capacity at Cardiff Airport as part of its Summer 2026 schedule. Due to soaring demand, TUI will double its weekly flying frequency to Gran Canaria next summer to twice a week, while the Cardiff to Palma De Mallorca route will be increased from five flights per week to six. Customers will also be able to choose from an additional flight to Tenerife each week, with four weekly flights due to commence. A new route to Fuerteventura, one of the less visited Canary Islands, will also commence on December 20, 2025 and will continue through the following period. Other new routes include direct flights to Hurghada from May 2, 2026, and routes from Cardiff to Faro, in Portugal - while TUI will increase its flights to Antalya, in Turkey, to four times a week. "We're really excited to be expanding our routes and flying frequency from Cardiff Airport to give our customers even more choice and flexibility," said TUI UK&I's Chris Logan." With exclusive new routes and additional flights to some of the most popular holiday destinations, we're making it even easier for travellers to visit new places from their local airport. "We've seen the demand for destinations such as Turkey, Tenerife and Mallorca grow year on year. So, this increase in capacity allows customers to explore more options when booking their holiday." Lee Smith of Cardiff Airport also welcomed the 'fantastic news' - which he says will mean there will be an additional 48,000 holidays available from TUI from Cardiff next summer. "The recent announcement of a second based aircraft this winter, followed by today's news of a fourth based aircraft in summer 2026, shows the confidence TUI has in the market," he added. However, it's likely the announcement won't go down as well with locals in the Canary Islands and Majorca - who have been ramping up their efforts against over-tourism. Following record-breaking levels of international tourists in 2024, both Brit-heavy destinations erupted into a string of protests - which saw banner-waving residents ordering holidaymakers to 'go home'. Locals argue the influx of tourists is pricing them out of the property market, and worsening Spain's housing crisis. While tough crackdowns have been announced to curb the on-going issue (including a strict ban on new holiday rentals) activists have vowed to keep demonstrations going through the summer period. Next week (June 15) widespread protests are slated to happen across hotspots including Ibiza, San Sebastián, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, the Pyrenees, and Barcelona. The Assembly of Neighbourhoods for Tourism Degrowth, which is behind the action, has been encouraging protestors to bring water pistols to target holidaymakers and get their message across. As previously reported, member Daniel Pardo Rivacoba argued water pistols are a 'popular symbol of resistance against the plundering of the tourism monoculture' before arguing that the tourism industry 'is incompatible with life'. His group is demanding rapid 'tourism regrowth' - something less likely to happen with even more scheduled flights.


Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Three-hour flight to Brit holiday hotspot turns into nightmare 32-HOUR saga as ‘passengers left vomiting & no food'
Trouble began when the plane's landing was hindered by powerful winds FLIGHT FROM HELL Three-hour flight to Brit holiday hotspot turns into nightmare 32-HOUR saga as 'passengers left vomiting & no food' A THREE-HOUR flight to a Brit holiday hotspot turned into a nightmare 32-hour saga, with passengers left vomiting with no food. The Condor flight DE1234 was embarking on what was supposed to just be a simple flight from Zurich to Heraklion in Crete, Greece - but lasted over a day. Advertisement 4 A three-hour flight to a Brit holiday hotspot turned into a nightmare Credit: Splash 4 The Condor flight DE1234 was embarking on what was supposed to just be a simple flight from Zurich to Heraklion in Crete, Greece (stock image) Credit: AFP or licensors 4 Trouble started when the plane's landing was hampered by powerful winds Credit: AFP Despite taking off half an hour late, the flight seemed to be on course to reach its destination. And after two hours, the plane began its initial descent to the holiday hotspot Greek isle. But trouble began when the plane's landing was hindered by powerful winds, forcing it to spend hours circling round before the pilot decided to divert to Athens and refuel. The plane landed at the Greek capital at 11:24am - a whopping three hours after it originally departed Zurich. Advertisement Around two-and-a-half hours later, the crew made another attempt to get the 137 people onboard to Heraklion - but this wasn't achieved, again. During the flight, many passengers were reportedly vomiting due to the terrifyingly powerful winds. And to add fuel to the fire, flyers were only given a glass of water during the whole flight. With weather conditions remaining severe, the plane circled around again before getting diverted to Kos to refuel. Advertisement On the nearby Greek island, they landed at 3:28pm after a tiring, hour-and-a-half long flight. And with the aircraft again running low on fuel, another divert was made to Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece. Dramatic moment boozed up passenger is hauled off busy plane after VOMITING on another flier Here it was finally decided that passengers and flight attendants should spend the night. The plane touched down at 6:04pm - an unbelievable 11 hours after initially leaving Zurich. Advertisement Passengers were reportedly forced to pay for their own hotel rooms but are entitled to reimbursement under European aviation guidelines. After a nights sleep, the next day at 9am, one last attempt was made to get to Crete - but wind continued to hinder their journey. Another diversion was made to Athens where it was agreed to give up and fly back to Zurich - 32 hours after their initial departure. Condor reps said: 'Due to extreme weather conditions and strong winds, takeoffs and landings at Heraklion Airport were only possible to a limited extent.' Advertisement