Greece, as anyone who has ever traveled to the Mediterranean nation can tell you, is wildly photogenic. Its azure waters, white-washed buildings, and iconic blue roofs are simply stunning and make for one heck of an Instagram image. However, there seems to be one Greek island getting a little more love than the rest on social media.
Kinglike Concierge, a website connecting travelers to handpicked villages, recently surveyed Instagram hashtag data for more than 50 Greek islands to determine which island can be crowned the most “Instagrammable.” And it comes as little surprise that the ever-popular island of Santorini came out on top.
“Santorini took the top spot in the findings with 7,828,338 posts containing Santorini-related hashtags, more than any other Greek island,” the company’s findings showed.
Santorini, well-known for its white-washed townships that hover over craggy volcanic cliffs that fall right to the gin-clear waters of the Med, is a favorite spot for travelers. In fact, by some estimates, the island sees about 1.5 million visitors a year, making it easy to calculate just how it could be mentioned so often on the ‘gram. It’s also consistently regarded as one of the best places to view a sunset on Earth, making it even more appealing to photographers.
“Social media has a profound influence on people, and now has become a vital factor when researching holiday destinations,” Thanasis Mougios from Kinglike Concierge shared in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. “It is fascinating what these insights have revealed, that so many people visit Greece and absorb the culture of the islands and the people, hopefully influencing others to visit the vast number of Greek islands.”
The island of Crete, Greece’s largest island, came in a close second with more than 6 million posts using related hashtags, while the party-ready island of Mykonos ranked third, with 5.4 million posts. (It should be noted that the island of Ios had come in second. However, the company disqualified it from the rankings due to its similar spelling to Apple’s “iOS.”)
Rounding out the top 5 islands is Kos in the fourth position with 2.8 million posts and Rhodes with 2.5 million. Though, really, we’re fairly certain Greece has no bad angles, so no matter where you go, you’re bound to snap a photo that deserves a spot on your main feed.