Fodor's Essential Greece: with the Best of the Islands
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
A visit to the land of Homer, Aristotle, and Sophocles is a journey to the dawn of classical civilization, with archaeological splendors from Athens to Crete. The towering monasteries of Meteora and soaring Mt. Olympus inspire awe, while relaxing islands like Corfu and Santorini invite simple pleasures and a taste of the good life on the Aegean Sea. The Greek countryside presents the perfect coda with idyllic landscapes of cypress groves, vineyards, and olive trees, as well as dramatic coves with sparkling white sand and rugged mountains that plunge into the sea.
Fodor's Essential Greece: with the Best of the Islands
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
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The Cyclades
Named after the circle they form around the sacred isle of Delos, the two hundred and twenty or so Cyclades are the most Greek of all the islands...
Athens
It's no wonder that all roads lead to the fascinating and paradoxical metropolis of Athens. Lift your eyes 200 feet above the city to the Parthenon...
The Peloponnese
Over the millennia the rugged terrain of the Peloponnese—a vast region that hangs like a large leaf from the stem of the Corinthian isthmus...
Rhodes and the Dodecanese
Wrapped enticingly around the shores of Asia Minor, the Dodecanese are Greece’s easternmost island chain, edging the sunny fringes of the Aegean...
The Northern Aegean Islands
Quirky, seductive, fertile, sensual, faded, sunny, worldly, ravishing, long-suffering, hedonistic, luscious, mysterious, legendary—these adjectives...
Attica and Delphi
One of the great surprises of Athens is how much there is to see around it. The mountainous region of Attica (or Attikí), which incorporates...
Crete
Crete is a land of myth and imagination, where Theseus slayed the Minotaur, where Daedulus and Icarus set off on their ill-fated flight, and...
The Sporades
Little mentioned in mythology or history, the Sporades confidently rely on their great natural beauty and cultural history to attract visitors...
The Saronic Gulf Islands
Only have a few days in Greece but need a taste of island life? Hopping over to one of the Saronic isles is the perfect solution. Called the...
Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia
A land shaped by gods, warriors, and ghosts, Northern Greece sparkles with the sights, sounds, scents, and colors of its melting-pot history...
Corfu
Temperate, multihued Corfu—of emerald mountains; turquoise waters lapping rocky coves; ocher and pink buildings; shimmering silver olive leaves...
Mykonos
From backpackers to the super-rich, from day-trippers to yachties, from Joe Average to celebrities who head here by helicopter, Mykonos has...
Epirus and Thessaly
...
Santorini (Thira)
Undoubtedly the most extraordinary island in the Aegean, crescent-shaped Santorini remains a mandatory stop on the Cycladic tourist route—even...
Paros and Antiparos
In the classical age, the great sculptor Praxiteles prized the incomparably snowy marble that came from the quarries at Paros; his chief rival...
Thessaloniki
At the crossroads of East and West, where North blends into South, Thessaloniki (accent on the "ni") has seen the rise and fall of many civilizations...
Rhodes
The fourth-largest Greek island and, along with Sicily, Crete, and Cyprus, one of the great islands of the Mediterranean, Rhodes was long considered...
Naxos
Great sweetness and tranquility" is how Nikos Kazantzakis, premier novelist of Greece, described Naxos, and indeed a tour of the island leaves...
Mykonos Town
Although the fishing boats still go out in good weather, Mykonos largely makes its living from tourism these days. The summer crowds have turned...
Lesvos
The Turks called Lesvos the "garden of the empire" for its fertility: in the east and center of the island, literally millions of olive trees...
Tinos
Tinos is among the most beautiful and most fascinating of the major Cyclades. The third largest of the island group after Naxos and Andros,...
Rhodes Town
Early travelers described Rhodes as a town of two parts: a castle or high town (Collachium) and a lower area (Bourgo). Today Rhodes Town—sometimes...
Nafplion
Oraia (beautiful) is the word Greeks use to describe Nafplion. The town's old section lies on a peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Argolis...
Corfu Town
Corfu Town today is a vivid tapestry of cultures—a sophisticated weave, where charm, history, and natural beauty blend. Located about midway...
Skiathos
Part sacred (scores of churches), part sin (lots of nightlife), the hilly, wooded island of Skiathos is the closest of the Sporades to the Pelion...
Chios
Craggy Chios" is what local boy Homer, the island's first publicist, so to speak, called this starkly beautiful outcropping that almost touches...
Aegina
The eastern side of Aegina is rugged and sparsely inhabited today, except for Ayia Marina, a former fishing hamlet now studded with hotels....
Spetses
Spetses shows evidence of continuous habitation through all of antiquity. From the 16th century BC, settlers came over from the mainland and...
Skopelos
This triangular island's name means "a sharp rock" or "a reef"—a fitting description for the dramatic terrain on the northern shore. It's an...
Spetses Town
By most visitors’ standards, Spetses Town is small—no larger than most city neighborhoods—yet it’s nevertheless divided into districts populated...
Hydra
As the full length of Hydra stretches before you when you round the easternmost finger of the northern Peloponnese, your first reaction might...
Kentro
The lively shopping streets, bustling markets, and cafés of the Kentro (City Center) and adjacent areas reward you with the unexpected encounters...
Naxos Town
As your ferry sweeps into the harbor, you see before you the white houses of Naxos Town (Chora) on a hill crowned by the one remaining tower...
Skyros
Even among these unique isles, Skyros stands out. The rugged terrain resembles that of an island in the Dodecanese, and the spectacularly situated...
Ioannina
On the rocky promontory of Pamvotis Lake lies Ioannina, its fortress punctuated by mosques and minarets whose reflections, along with those...
Hydra Town
Even though Hydra’s beautiful harbor is flush with bars and boutiques, Hydra Town seems as fresh and innocent as when it was "discovered." The...
Syros
The mercantile bustle of modern Ermoupoli—Syros’s port, capital, and the archipelago’s business hub since the 18th century—often makes people...
Chania
Chania surrendered its role as capital of Crete to Heraklion in 1971, but this elegant city of eucalyptus-lined avenues, miles of waterfront...
Kos
Aglow with flowering oleanders and hibiscus, the island of Kos is the third largest in the Dodecanese. It certainly remains one of the most...
Tinos Town
Civilization on Tinos is a millennium older than Tinos Town, or Chora, founded in the 5th century BC. On weekends and during festivals, Chora...
Skiathos Town
The harbor is especially picturesque at sunset, when violet-orange lights cast a soft glow and houses on the hills behind the quay begin to...
Samos
The southernmost of this group of three Northern Aegean islands lies the closest to Turkey of any Greek island, separated by only 3 km (2 miles...
Chios Town
The main port and capital, Chios Town, or Chora, is a busy commercial settlement on the east coast, across from Turkey. It lacks the historic...
Skopelos Town
Idyllic Skopelos Town, the administrative center of the Sporades, overlooks a sparkling turquoise bay on the north coast. Three- and four-story...
Glyfada
Gateway to the Athens Riviera and the Apollo Coast—which stretches from Pireaus south to Cape Sounion's famed Temple of Poseidon—Glyfada is...
Fira
Tourism is Santorini's major industry and adds more than 1 million visitors per year to a population of 15,500. As a result, Fira, the capital...
Vouliagmeni
If Glyfada is all about credit cards and consumer bustle, Vouliagmeni showcases another side to the Athens Riviera. This classy seaside residential...
Heraklion
In Minoan times, Crete's largest city, the fifth-largest city in Greece, was a harbor for Knossos, the grandest palace and effective power center...
Aegina Town
As you approach from the sea, your first view of Aegina Town takes in the sweep of the harbor, punctuated by the tiny white chapel of Ayios...
Naousa
Quaint fishing village no longer, Naousa (also Niaoussa) long ago discovered the benefits of tourism, and its outskirts are mushrooming with...
Rethymnon
Rethymnon is Crete's third-largest town, after Heraklion and Chania. The population (about 40,000) steadily increases as the town expands—a...
Paros Town
First impressions of Paroikía (Paros Town. sometimes spelt Parikia), pretty as it is, may not necessarily be positive. The port flashes too...
Kos Town
The modern town lies on a flat plain encircling spacious Mandraki Harbor and is a pleasant assemblage of low-lying buildings and shady lanes...
Ia
At the tip of the northern horn of the island sits Ia (or Oia), Santorini's second-largest town and the Aegean's most-photographed village....
Symi
The tiny island of Symi is an enchanting place, where life centers around sparkling Yialos Harbor and a 19th-century town of neoclassical mansions...
Arachova
Gray-stone houses with red-tile roofs cling to the steep slopes of Mt. Parnassus, the highest mountain in Greece after Mt. Olympus, to form...
Marathon
Athenians enter the fabled plain of Marathon to enjoy a break from the capital, visiting the freshwater lake created by the dam, or sunning...
Mytilini
Built on the ruins of an ancient city, Mytilini (so important through history that many call Lesvos by the port's name alone) is, like Lesvos...
Patras
Like all respectable Greek cities, Patras has the kind of storied history that puts even European capitals in the shade. Off the harbor in 429...
Molyvos
Also known by its ancient name, Mythimna, this is a place that has attracted people since antiquity. Legend says that Achilles besieged the...
Galaxidi
Unlike nearby Delphi, the history of Galaxidi tends more toward the modern. That's not to say it doesn't have a long past—settlements here date...
Metsovo
The quaintly traditional village of Metsovo cascades down a mountain at about 3,300 feet above sea level, below the 6,069-foot Katara pass,...
Ayios Nikolaos
Ayios Nikolaos is clustered on a peninsula alongside the Gulf of Mirabello, a dramatic composition of bare mountains, islets, and deep blue...
Patmos
For better or worse, it can be difficult to reach Patmos. For many travelers, this lack of access is definitely for the better, since the island...
Kalambaka
Kalambaka may be dismissed as one more drab modern town, useful only as a base to explore the fabled Meteora complex north of town. Yet an overnight...
Skyros Town
From the southern landscapes, amid brown, desolate outcrops with only an occasional goat as a sign of life, Skyros Town suddenly looms around...
South Coast
The popular south coast beaches stand on their own; hotels, restaurants, cafés, and beach bars have sprung up around them, drawn to their turquoise...
Kardamyli
The gateway to the Mani on the Messenian side is Kardamyli, considered part of the outer Mani (or Exo Mani), an area less bleak and stark than...
Monemvasia
The eastern "finger" dangling off the southern edge of the Peloponnese is the dramatic setting for Monemvasia (meaning "single entrance"). This...
Yialos
As the boat from Rhodes to Symi rounds the last of many rocky barren spurs, the port of Yialos, at the back of a deep, narrow harbor, comes...
Delphi
Up in the mountains, modern Delphi is perched dramatically on the edge of a grove leading to the sea, west of an extraordinary ancient site...
Skala
Skala, the island's small but sophisticated main town, is where almost all the shops and restaurants are located. It's a popular port of call...
Folegandros
If Santorini is the Hollywood leading lady of the Greek islands, Folegandros is the demure, younger sister, star of off-beat independent cinema...
Antiparos
This smaller sister isle to Paros may have once been a well-kept secret, but thanks to celebrity resident Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson...
Delos
Arrive at the mythical, magical, and magnificent site of Delos and you might wonder how this barren islet, which has virtually no natural resources...
Mt. Olympus
To understand how the mountain must have impressed the ancient Greeks and caused them to shift their allegiance from the earth-rooted deities...
Lindos
Lindos, cradled between two harbors and dominated by its massive hilltop acropolis, is remarkably well preserved. Steep paths wind past its...
Pelekas
Inland from the coast at Glyfada is Pelekas, an attractive hilltop village that overflows with tourists because of its much-touted lookout point...
Paleokastritsa
To quote one recent traveler: "I’d rather go to Paleokastritsa than to Heaven." Considered by many to be the site of Homer’s city of the Phaeacians...
Pythagorio
Samos was a democratic state until 535 BC, when the town now called Pythagorio (formerly Tigani, or "frying pan") fell to the tyrant Polycrates...
Samos Town
Also known as Vathi, the capital is tucked into the head of a sharply deep bay on the northeast coast. Red-tile roofs sweep around the arc of...
Troullos
West of the Kalamaki Peninsula the coast road rounds Troullos Bay and comes to Koukounaries Beach—famous and beautiful but not a remote hideaway. ...
Olympia
Ancient Olympia, including the Sanctuary of Zeus, was famously the site of the ancient Olympic Games. Scenically located at the foot of the...
Laconia
The Laconian plain is surrounded on three sides by mountains and on one side by the sea. Perhaps it was the fear that enemies could descend...
Kalamata
...
Volos
A relatively new city by Greek standards, Volos and surrounding Magnesia are steeped in history and myth, with Neolithic settlements dating...
Imerovigli
Set on the highest point of the caldera's rim, Imerovigli (the name means "watchtower") is quiet, traditional, and less expensive than other...
Elounda
From its origins as a sleepy fishing village, Elounda has transformed into the de rigueur destination for luxury resorts. The shores of the...
Southeast Coast
The southeastern beaches, the farthest beaches from Mykonos Town, are favorites for those looking for something calm, yet organized, such as...
Mt. Parnitha
The summit of Mt. Parnitha (1,413 m [4,635 feet]), Attica's highest mountain, affords splendid views of the plain of Athens. Sadly, large swaths...
Zagorohoria Region
One of the most beguiling and untamed sections of Greece is the region of Zagorohoria (pronounced zah-go-ro- hor -ee-ah), also known as Zagori...
Lefkes
Rampant piracy in the 17th century forced thousands of people to move inland from the coastal regions; thus, for many years the scenic village...
Kavala
With 27 centuries of history, this port city draws from deep roots. Long a center of the tobacco industry, Kavala now earns much of its income...
Mesta
Pirgi may be the most unusual of the mastic villages, but Mesta is the island's best preserved: a labyrinth of twisting vaulted streets links...
Sounion
Poised at the edge of a rugged 195-foot cliff, the Temple of Poseidon hovers between sea and sky, its "marbled steep, where nothing, save the...
Pounta
Pounta is not even a village, just a few houses, a handful of restaurants, and a tiny harbor from which ferries leave for Antiparos. The road...
Ayios Ioannis Bay
Heading east from Tinos Town, you’ll travel on a winding road surrounded by bare, rocky Cycladic island landscapes. It eventually slopes down...
Areopolis
In Areopolis, the typical Maniote tower houses begin to appear in earnest as spooky sentinels amid the harsh landscape. The town was renamed...
Chorio
It's a 10-minute walk from the main harbor of Yialos up to the hilltop town of Chorio, along a staircase of some 400 steps, known as Kali Strata...
Ladakika
...
Ermones
On the coast, 8 km (5 miles) north of Pelekas lies the small, low-key resort of Ermones, with pebbly sand beaches, heavily wooded cliffs, and...
Ayia Anna
Ayia Anna is one of the island’s ideal beach towns, where long stretches of sand front a main road lined with tavernas, restaurants, and cafés...
Vai
The appeal of the surrounding, fertile coastal plain was not lost on the ancient Minoans, who left behind ruins that are not as grand as those...
Chalki
You are now entering the heart of the lush Tragaia Valley, where in spring the air is heavily scented with honeysuckle, roses, and lemon blossoms...
Ano Polis
Ano Polis, where many fortified towers once bristled along the city's upper walls, is what remains of 19th-century Thessaloniki. It's filled...
Kamari
Santorini’s most popular beach resort is just that—a long line of hotels and tavernas strung out along a stretch of red-and-black sand on the...
Souvala
Souvala is a sleepy fishing village that comes to life in summer, as it is a favorite resort of many Athenians. The tamarisks and pine trees...
Ayia Marina
The small, somewhat-overrun port of Ayia Marina has many hotels, cafés, restaurants, and a family-friendly beach with shallow waters. On the...
Ornos
Ornos has always been more popular with Mykonians than tourists. The locals like its relaxed atmosphere for a family swim and beachside dining...
Chora
As the boat approaches the dusty port of Karavostasi, bare, sun-scoured rocks offer little suggestion of the glory to come. After a steep 3...
The Meteora
As you drive through the mighty Pindos range, strange rock formations rise ever higher from the plain. Just beyond the dramatic sheer cliff...
Pirgi
Beginning in the 14th century, the Genoese founded 20 or so fortified inland villages in southern Chios. These villages shared a defensive design...
Dimitsana
From the stone-built villages high above Lousios Gorge, a trail picks its way down to the river bed, passing medieval monasteries that dangle...
Skala Eressou
The poet Sappho, according to unreliable records, was allegedly born here circa 612 BC. She most likely presided over a finishing school for...
Perdika
Follow the lead of the locals and visiting Athenians and, for an excursion, take a bus (a 25-minute ride from Ethneyersias Square) to the pretty...
Vergina
The modern city of Vergina wasn't established in its present form until 1922, but the ancient city of Aigai, the original capital of Macedonia...
Kontokali
Kontokali is best known for providing the main entry point to Corfu's biggest marina, a delightful place to stroll and admire the yachts, especially...
Vouraikos Gorge
The Vouraikos Gorge is a fantastic landscape of towering pinnacles and precipitous rock walls that you can view on an exciting train ride. In...
Ayios Stefanos
About a 45-minute walk north from Mykonos Town, Ayios Stefanos has water sports, restaurants, and umbrellas and lounge chairs for rent; kids...
Kokkari
A spectacular stretch of coast road west of Samos Town is lined with olive groves and vineyards and ends in the fishing village of Kokkari,...
Magazia and Molos
Coastal expansions of the main town, these two resort areas are the places to stay if you love to swim. Magazia, where the residents of Skyros...
Matala
Renowned in the 1960s as a stopover on the hippie trail, with Joni Mitchell immortalizing it in song, Matala today is a small, low-key beach...
Ouranoupolis
Meaning "heaven's city" in Greek, Ouranoupolis (also spelled Ouranopolis) is an appealing cul-de-sac on the final point of land that separates...
Akrotiri
This village is most famous for its ancient ruins, but the little collection of houses surrounded by gardens and fields is a pleasant place...
The Achilleion and Gastouri
...
Dion
At the foothills of Mount Olympus lies ancient Dion. Even before Zeus and the Olympian gods, the mountain was home to the Muses and Orpheus...
Pyrgos
Though today Pyrgos has only 500 inhabitants, until the early 1800s it was the capital of the island. Medieval houses are stacked on top of...
Panormos Bay
With a long beach and sheltered inner cove ideal for yachts, Panormos is fast becoming a holiday village, although so far this stretch of the...
North Coast
The beaches along the north coast are blessed with consistent winds suitable for windsurfing, and Ftelia is the island's center for the sport...
Mikri Vigla
Mikri Vigla is a small village known for its nearby pristine beaches. Several small room rentals and a few cafés and beach bars dot the area...
Firostefani
Firostefani used to be a separate village, but now it comprises the quieter, more pleasant northern end of Fira. The name derives from Fira...
Kaminia
A small fishing hamlet built around a shallow inlet, Kamini has much of Hydra Town's charm but none of its bustle—except on Orthodox Good Friday...
Atsitsa
On the northwest coast, pine forests grow down the rocky shore at Atsitsa. The beaches north of town—Kalogriá and Kyra Panayia—are sheltered...
Chora
Atop a hill due south of Skala, the village of Chora, clustered around the walls of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, has become a preserve...
Pirgos
The village of Pirgos, second in importance to Chora, is inland and up from the little harbor of Panormos. Tinos is famous for its marble carving...
Mystras
While little remains to attest to Spartan power and might, residents of the Byzantine capital just to the west left behind a treasure trove...
Methoni
Methoni, a small fishing and farming village on a cape south of Pylos, has long cast a spell over visitors. It was one of the seven towns Agamemnon...
Monolithos to Kameiros
Rhodes's west coast is more forested, with fewer notable beaches than its eastern side. But what it lacks in sun beds it more than makes up...
Mycenae
The ancient citadel of Mycenae, which Homer wrote was "rich in gold and once ruled much of the Mediterranean world," stands on a low hill, wedged...
Stemnitsa
Also called Ipsous, Stemnitsa is one of the most beautiful towns in southern Greece, wondrously perched 3,444 feet above sea level amid a forest...
Sigri
Sigri is built around a lovely cove with exceptional dark-sand beaches nearby. ...
Vlichos
From Kamini, the coastal track continues to Vlichos, another pretty village with tavernas, a historic bridge, and a gray-pebbled beach on a...
Isternia
The village of Isternia (Cisterns), lofty on the slopes of Mount Meroviglia, is verdant with lush gardens. Many of the marble plaques hung here...
Lavrion
After Sounion, the road twists and turns along the coast, winding past holiday homes, before hitting a rather dreary stretch by Lavrion's boatyard...
Lasithi Plateau
The Lasithi Plateau, 2,800 feet high and the biggest of the upland plains of Crete, lies behind a wall of barren mountains. Windmills for pumping...
Ano Meria
The island's paved road runs from the port, through Chora and along the backbone of the island to Ano Meria. Terraced fields where barley was...
Vatera
The village of Vatera is all about its 9-km-long (5½-mile-long) sandy strip of sparkling water, lined with tamarisk trees and framed by green...
Epidauros
What is now a pleasant little agricultural village surrounded by orange and olive groves has been on the Greek map for millennia, and the ruins...
Sangri
Sangri is the center of an area with so many monuments and ruins spanning the Archaic to the Venetian periods it is sometimes called little...
Palace of Phaistos
On a steep hill overlooking olive groves and the sea on one side, and high mountain peaks on the other, the second-largest Minoan palace was...
Kamari
On Kefalos Bay, the little beach community of Kamari is pleasant and less frantic than the island's other seaside resorts though still plastered...
Panormos Bay
Panormos Bay, an unpretentious port once used for marble export, has ducks and geese, a row of seafood restaurants, and a good beach with a...
Megalochori
Megalochori is a picturesque, half-abandoned town. Many of the village's buildings were actually canavas, wine-making facilities. The tiny...
Argos
The city of Argos, set amid citrus groves on the western edge of the Argive plain, is the economic hub of the region, a workaday town with a...
Kionia
The little seaside town of Kionia is a short scenic drive, bike ride, or hike west of Tinos Town. A few simple tavernas and rooms are set off...
Agiassos
Agiassos village, the prettiest hill town on Lesvos, sits in an isolated valley amid thousands of olive trees, near the foot of Mt. Olympus...
Tripoli
History, along with the practicalities of the road network in this part of Greece, makes it very likely that you'll at least pass through the...
Ancient Corinth
The isthmus is where the Peloponnese begins. Were it not for this narrow neck of land less than 7 km (4½ miles) across, the waters of the Gulf...
Galanado
On a hill, Galando’s village streets offer a pretty view toward Naxos Town. It’s an agricultural village that is famous for the landmark Tower...
Volissos
Homer's birthplace is thought to be here at Volissos, though Smyrna, Colophon, Salamis, Rhodes, Argos, and Athens also claim this honor. Once...
Vouno
In the mountainous southern half of Skyros, a passable dirt road heads south at the eastern end of the isthmus, from Aspous to Ahilli. The little...
Gerolimenas
Located at the end of a long natural harbor, Gerolimenas was an important port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sleepy as it now is...
Plomari
Plomari, the second-largest town on Lesvos, is dramatically set in a cliff face overlooking a wide harbor and Aegean sunsets. This was once...
Malia
In its effort to serve mass tourism, the town of Malia has submerged whatever character it might once have had. The sandy beach, overlooked...
Knossos
Paintings of bull-leapers, sculptures of bare-breasted snake charmers, myths of minotaurs, and the oldest throne in Europe are just a few of...
Arkadi
As you approach Arkadi from the north, through the rolling lands at the base of Mt. Ida, one of the contenders in the dispute over the alleged...
Kanoni
The suburb of Kanoni was once one of the world's great beauty spots, made famous by countless pictures. Today the landscape has been engulfed...
Asklepieion
The ruins of one of the great healing centers of antiquity still impress and fire the imagination, framed by a thick grove of cypress trees...
Ancient Messene
The ruins of this remarkable fortified ancient city, about 20 km (12 miles) north of the modern town of the same name, are set amid a lush landscape...
Kalamaki Peninsula
On the least-developed part of the south coast, villas are tucked above tiny, isolated coves. Access to most of the shoreline is by boat only...
Agnonda
Used as an alternative port by hydrofoils and ferryboats during bad weather, Agnonda has numerous tavernas along its pebbled beach. It's named...
Gennadi and the South Coast
The area south of Lindos, with fewer beaches and less fertile soil, is traditionally not as well traveled as the stretch to its north but things...
Eleusis
The growing city of Athens has long-since co-opted the land around what was Eleusis (now a modern city known as Elefsina), placing shipyards...
Temple of Apollo at Bassae
Typically seen as part of a day trip from either Olympia or Kalamata (it's about 1½ hours from both), the winding mountain roads here morph...
Marmari
You won’t find much that’s authentically Greek in this unattractively overbuilt resort town surrounded by holiday villages. Even so, the surrounding...
Epta Piges
...
Dodona
The only thing to do, or see for that matter, at the somewhat isolated Dodona, are the ancient ruins. This archaeological site, steeped in history...
Vori
Vori, the closest town to Phaistos and Ayia Triada, is a pleasant farming community of whitewashed houses on narrow lanes; you might enjoy stopping...
Ayios Mamas
South of Galanado, and a kilometer (½ mile) past a valley with unsurpassed views is one of the island's oldest churches (9th century), Ayios Mamas. ...
Abram Village
The route through the mountains from Apeiranthos to the north is very scenic. Apollonas is a small resort with a couple of good beaches backed...
Nea Moni
...
Ayia Marina
Ayia Marina is the most cosmopolitan beach on the island, so head here if you want to see and be seen. ...
Monastery of Daphni
Daphni means "laurel tree," a species that was sacred to the god Apollo. The myth says that Eros made Apollo fall in love with a nymph after...
Skalohori
Skalohori is set beautifully in a valley, with tiered houses facing west toward the Aegean sunsets. Until recently, wild horses roamed the volcanic...
Petaloudes
Shady lanes and babbling brooks winding through the forested grounds of a former Venetian estate would be quite enticing even without the presence...
Osios Loukas
The monastic complex at Osios Loukas, still inhabited by a few monks, is notable for its exquisite mosaics and its dramatic location, looming...
Ireo
Although Samos was a center for trade and commerce for a long time prior, it was Polycrates "the Tyrant" who really put the island on the map...
Moni
Off the fine asphalt Chalkiou-Keramotis road, Moni ("monastery") remains high in the mountains overlooking Naxos's greenest valley and has become...
Tiryns
...
Ayia Anargyroi
With plenty of water-sports options, this popular beach is set against a luscious green backdrop, offering the added prospect of seeing the...
Skala Sikaminias
At the northernmost point of Lesvos, past Pelopi, is the exceptionally lovely fishing port of Skala Sikaminias, a miniature gem—serene and real...
Ayia Paraskevi
In a sheltered cove and easily accessible by bus or water taxi, this is a favorite with locals and visitors alike. In the height of summer the...
Marathonas
This small village a few miles south of Aegina Town is reachable by bicycle or bus. The beach is just beyond. ...
Zogeria
A pine-edged cove with deep sapphire waters, Zogeria has a gorgeous natural setting that more than makes up for the lack of amenities—there...
Paliachora
The haunting remains of Aegina's medieval Paliachora (Old Town), built in the 9th century by islanders whose seaside town was the constant prey...
Pirgi Thermis
Pirgi Thermis is known for its tower mansions and for its 12th-century church, Panayia Tourlot, near the outskirts of town. The town's onetime...
Kastro
The ruins that are also known as the Old Town perch on a forbidding promontory high above the water, accessible only by steps. Skiathians founded...
Apeiranthos
Apeiranthos is very picturesque, with views and marble-paved streets running between the Venetian Bardani and Zevgoli towers. As you walk through...
Castle of Antimacheia
This proud fortress standing high above the sea is not just a symbol of the former might of the Knights of St. John. These days it also reminds...
Moria
On the coast as you head north from Mytilini, Moria is best known for its Roman aqueduct. But the town is also famed for its annual Feast of...
Ancient Nemea
This quiet little town, surrounded by undulating vineyards, was once as famous as Olympia, site of biennial games that attracted athletes from...
Lalaria
The much-photographed, lovely Lalaria Beach, on the north coast, is flanked by a majestic, arched limestone promontory. The polished limestone...
Filoti
Filoti, a peaceful village on the lower slopes of Mt. Zas, is the interior's largest. A three-day festival celebrating the Dormition starts...
Ano Mera
Inland, the little town of Ano Mera has a couple of quiet tavernas and a monastery. The town only lights up during the monastery's festival...
Pylos
With the blue waters in its port and the bougainvillea-swathed, pristine white houses fanning up Mt. St. Nicholas, Pylos may remind you of an...
Glossa
Delightful Glossa is the island's second-largest settlement, where whitewashed, red-roof houses are clustered on the steep hillside above the...
Mandamados
Pretty Mandamados has stone houses, wood carvings, and the ruins of a medieval castle. The village is famous for its pottery, koumari urns...
Mandraki
The only sandy beach on Hydra is an activity-centered beach by the Miramare Hotel, near Mandraki, which is currently closed (but you can still...
Monastery of Taxiarchis Michael Panormitis
The tiny hamlet of Panormitis on the south end of the island is a remote and idyllic setting for this holy assemblage, a popular place of pilgrimage...
Sfageia
...
Depot
The Depot neighborhood was once where the wealthy, mainly Jewish, merchants lived in impressive 19th-century villas. Very close to the port...
Pella
Pella was Alexander's birthplace and the capital of the Macedonian state in the 4th century BC. The modern-day village is not the most alluring...
Mt. Athos
The third peninsula of Halkidiki, Mt. Athos is called Ayion Oros (Holy Mountain) in Greek, although it does not become a mountain until its...
Vrisses
This appealing old village is famous throughout Crete for its thick, creamy yogurt—best eaten with a large spoonful of honey on top—that is...
Marathi
During the classical period, the island of Paros had an estimated 150,000 residents, many of them slaves who worked the ancient marble quarries...
Ano Syros
One of the two towering peaks that rise over town, Ano Syros was greatly expanded in the 13th century by Venetians, who erected a walled town...
Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli spills like multicolored lava from the twin colonial hills of Ano Syros and Vrodado, topped respectively by churches—Roman Catholic...
Isthmus
...
Kini
This small village on the island's west coast has a couple of good beaches, a selection of tavernas and cafés, and a few places to stay. Since...
Poseidonia
This small village has a few whitewashed taverns, cafés, and churches, which serve as a backdrop to a popular beach. Other good beaches are...
Vari
Vari is a small beach town on a sheltered bay on the south side of the island. Its location attracts visitors who seek the low-key, quiet calm...
Pamfila
In the 19th century, Pamfila's traditional tower mansions were used by wealthy families as summer homes. The views across the straits to Turkey...
Gythion
At the foot of the Taygettus range on the northeastern edge of the Mani, Gythion seems terribly cosmopolitan, compared to the stark countryside...
Argostoli
...
Galissas
The village of Galissas has a selection of tavernas and beach bar-cafés as well as room rentals and the Dolphin Bay Family Beach Resort. Since...
Mega Yialos
Megas Yialos has slowly grown into one of the island’s more popular beach towns and is accessible by bus from Ermoupoli. Its nearby beaches...
Sparta
...
Athens
It's no wonder that all roads lead to the fascinating and paradoxical metropolis of Athens. Lift your eyes 200 feet above the city to the Parthenon...
Thessaloniki
At the crossroads of East and West, where North blends into South, Thessaloniki (accent on the "ni") has seen the rise and fall of many civilizations...
Nafplion
Oraia (beautiful) is the word Greeks use to describe Nafplion. The town's old section lies on a peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Argolis...
Rhodes Town
Early travelers described Rhodes as a town of two parts: a castle or high town (Collachium) and a lower area (Bourgo). Today Rhodes Town—sometimes...
Corfu Town
Corfu Town today is a vivid tapestry of cultures—a sophisticated weave, where charm, history, and natural beauty blend. Located about midway...
Spetses Town
By most visitors’ standards, Spetses Town is small—no larger than most city neighborhoods—yet it’s nevertheless divided into districts populated...
Kentro
The lively shopping streets, bustling markets, and cafés of the Kentro (City Center) and adjacent areas reward you with the unexpected encounters...
Naxos Town
As your ferry sweeps into the harbor, you see before you the white houses of Naxos Town (Chora) on a hill crowned by the one remaining tower...
Ioannina
On the rocky promontory of Pamvotis Lake lies Ioannina, its fortress punctuated by mosques and minarets whose reflections, along with those...
Hydra Town
Even though Hydra’s beautiful harbor is flush with bars and boutiques, Hydra Town seems as fresh and innocent as when it was "discovered." The...
Chania
Chania surrendered its role as capital of Crete to Heraklion in 1971, but this elegant city of eucalyptus-lined avenues, miles of waterfront...
Tinos Town
Civilization on Tinos is a millennium older than Tinos Town, or Chora, founded in the 5th century BC. On weekends and during festivals, Chora...
Chios Town
The main port and capital, Chios Town, or Chora, is a busy commercial settlement on the east coast, across from Turkey. It lacks the historic...
Skiathos Town
The harbor is especially picturesque at sunset, when violet-orange lights cast a soft glow and houses on the hills behind the quay begin to...
Skopelos Town
Idyllic Skopelos Town, the administrative center of the Sporades, overlooks a sparkling turquoise bay on the north coast. Three- and four-story...
Glyfada
Gateway to the Athens Riviera and the Apollo Coast—which stretches from Pireaus south to Cape Sounion's famed Temple of Poseidon—Glyfada is...
Fira
Tourism is Santorini's major industry and adds more than 1 million visitors per year to a population of 15,500. As a result, Fira, the capital...
Vouliagmeni
If Glyfada is all about credit cards and consumer bustle, Vouliagmeni showcases another side to the Athens Riviera. This classy seaside residential...
Heraklion
In Minoan times, Crete's largest city, the fifth-largest city in Greece, was a harbor for Knossos, the grandest palace and effective power center...
Aegina Town
As you approach from the sea, your first view of Aegina Town takes in the sweep of the harbor, punctuated by the tiny white chapel of Ayios...
Naousa
Quaint fishing village no longer, Naousa (also Niaoussa) long ago discovered the benefits of tourism, and its outskirts are mushrooming with...
Rethymnon
Rethymnon is Crete's third-largest town, after Heraklion and Chania. The population (about 40,000) steadily increases as the town expands—a...
Paros Town
First impressions of Paroikía (Paros Town. sometimes spelt Parikia), pretty as it is, may not necessarily be positive. The port flashes too...
Kos Town
The modern town lies on a flat plain encircling spacious Mandraki Harbor and is a pleasant assemblage of low-lying buildings and shady lanes...
Ia
At the tip of the northern horn of the island sits Ia (or Oia), Santorini's second-largest town and the Aegean's most-photographed village....
Arachova
Gray-stone houses with red-tile roofs cling to the steep slopes of Mt. Parnassus, the highest mountain in Greece after Mt. Olympus, to form...
Marathon
Athenians enter the fabled plain of Marathon to enjoy a break from the capital, visiting the freshwater lake created by the dam, or sunning...
Mytilini
Built on the ruins of an ancient city, Mytilini (so important through history that many call Lesvos by the port's name alone) is, like Lesvos...
Patras
Like all respectable Greek cities, Patras has the kind of storied history that puts even European capitals in the shade. Off the harbor in 429...
Molyvos
Also known by its ancient name, Mythimna, this is a place that has attracted people since antiquity. Legend says that Achilles besieged the...
Ayios Nikolaos
Ayios Nikolaos is clustered on a peninsula alongside the Gulf of Mirabello, a dramatic composition of bare mountains, islets, and deep blue...
Galaxidi
Unlike nearby Delphi, the history of Galaxidi tends more toward the modern. That's not to say it doesn't have a long past—settlements here date...
Argostolion and Lassi
As both the island’s capital and the setting for Louis de Bernières’ wildly successful novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin , Argostolion’s name...
Metsovo
The quaintly traditional village of Metsovo cascades down a mountain at about 3,300 feet above sea level, below the 6,069-foot Katara pass,...
Skyros Town
From the southern landscapes, amid brown, desolate outcrops with only an occasional goat as a sign of life, Skyros Town suddenly looms around...
Kalambaka
Kalambaka may be dismissed as one more drab modern town, useful only as a base to explore the fabled Meteora complex north of town. Yet an overnight...
Monemvasia
The eastern "finger" dangling off the southern edge of the Peloponnese is the dramatic setting for Monemvasia (meaning "single entrance"). This...
Kardamyli
The gateway to the Mani on the Messenian side is Kardamyli, considered part of the outer Mani (or Exo Mani), an area less bleak and stark than...
Zakynthos Town
Zakynthos's main town is often skipped over by visitors. The island attracts a beach-loving crowd, for whom the café-drenched squares, churches...
Yialos
As the boat from Rhodes to Symi rounds the last of many rocky barren spurs, the port of Yialos, at the back of a deep, narrow harbor, comes...
Delphi
Up in the mountains, modern Delphi is perched dramatically on the edge of a grove leading to the sea, west of an extraordinary ancient site...
Skala
Skala, the island's small but sophisticated main town, is where almost all the shops and restaurants are located. It's a popular port of call...
Antiparos
This smaller sister isle to Paros may have once been a well-kept secret, but thanks to celebrity resident Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson...
Lindos
Lindos, cradled between two harbors and dominated by its massive hilltop acropolis, is remarkably well preserved. Steep paths wind past its...
Samos Town
Also known as Vathi, the capital is tucked into the head of a sharply deep bay on the northeast coast. Red-tile roofs sweep around the arc of...
Pelekas
Inland from the coast at Glyfada is Pelekas, an attractive hilltop village that overflows with tourists because of its much-touted lookout point...
Pythagorio
Samos was a democratic state until 535 BC, when the town now called Pythagorio (formerly Tigani, or "frying pan") fell to the tyrant Polycrates...
Mt. Olympus
To understand how the mountain must have impressed the ancient Greeks and caused them to shift their allegiance from the earth-rooted deities...
Paleokastritsa
To quote one recent traveler: "I’d rather go to Paleokastritsa than to Heaven." Considered by many to be the site of Homer’s city of the Phaeacians...
Laconia
The Laconian plain is surrounded on three sides by mountains and on one side by the sea. Perhaps it was the fear that enemies could descend...
Olympia
Ancient Olympia, including the Sanctuary of Zeus, was famously the site of the ancient Olympic Games. Scenically located at the foot of the...
Plaka
North of Adamas lies the classical center of Milos. Plaka is the largest of a cluster of four villages that huddle beneath a small crag and...
Kalamata
...
Troullos
West of the Kalamaki Peninsula the coast road rounds Troullos Bay and comes to Koukounaries Beach—famous and beautiful but not a remote hideaway. ...
Elounda
From its origins as a sleepy fishing village, Elounda has transformed into the de rigueur destination for luxury resorts. The shores of the...
Imerovigli
Set on the highest point of the caldera's rim, Imerovigli (the name means "watchtower") is quiet, traditional, and less expensive than other...
Mt. Parnitha
The summit of Mt. Parnitha (1,413 m [4,635 feet]), Attica's highest mountain, affords splendid views of the plain of Athens. Sadly, large swaths...
Volos
A relatively new city by Greek standards, Volos and surrounding Magnesia are steeped in history and myth, with Neolithic settlements dating...
Lefkes
Rampant piracy in the 17th century forced thousands of people to move inland from the coastal regions; thus, for many years the scenic village...
Kavala
With 27 centuries of history, this port city draws from deep roots. Long a center of the tobacco industry, Kavala now earns much of its income...
Mesta
Pirgi may be the most unusual of the mastic villages, but Mesta is the island's best preserved: a labyrinth of twisting vaulted streets links...
Ayios Ioannis Bay
Heading east from Tinos Town, you’ll travel on a winding road surrounded by bare, rocky Cycladic island landscapes. It eventually slopes down...
Sounion
Poised at the edge of a rugged 195-foot cliff, the Temple of Poseidon hovers between sea and sky, its "marbled steep, where nothing, save the...
Chorio
It's a 10-minute walk from the main harbor of Yialos up to the hilltop town of Chorio, along a staircase of some 400 steps, known as Kali Strata...
Areopolis
In Areopolis, the typical Maniote tower houses begin to appear in earnest as spooky sentinels amid the harsh landscape. The town was renamed...
Pounta
Pounta is not even a village, just a few houses, a handful of restaurants, and a tiny harbor from which ferries leave for Antiparos. The road...
Souvala
Souvala is a sleepy fishing village that comes to life in summer, as it is a favorite resort of many Athenians. The tamarisks and pine trees...
Ayia Marina
The small, somewhat-overrun port of Ayia Marina has many hotels, cafés, restaurants, and a family-friendly beach with shallow waters. On the...
Ayia Anna
Ayia Anna is one of the island’s ideal beach towns, where long stretches of sand front a main road lined with tavernas, restaurants, and cafés...
Ano Polis
Ano Polis, where many fortified towers once bristled along the city's upper walls, is what remains of 19th-century Thessaloniki. It's filled...
Chalki
You are now entering the heart of the lush Tragaia Valley, where in spring the air is heavily scented with honeysuckle, roses, and lemon blossoms...
Chora
As the boat approaches the dusty port of Karavostasi, bare, sun-scoured rocks offer little suggestion of the glory to come. After a steep 3...
Ermones
On the coast, 8 km (5 miles) north of Pelekas lies the small, low-key resort of Ermones, with pebbly sand beaches, heavily wooded cliffs, and...
Vai
The appeal of the surrounding, fertile coastal plain was not lost on the ancient Minoans, who left behind ruins that are not as grand as those...
Dimitsana
From the stone-built villages high above Lousios Gorge, a trail picks its way down to the river bed, passing medieval monasteries that dangle...
Kamari
Santorini’s most popular beach resort is just that—a long line of hotels and tavernas strung out along a stretch of red-and-black sand on the...
Pirgi
Beginning in the 14th century, the Genoese founded 20 or so fortified inland villages in southern Chios. These villages shared a defensive design...
Ladakika
...
Kontokali
Kontokali is best known for providing the main entry point to Corfu's biggest marina, a delightful place to stroll and admire the yachts, especially...
Skala Eressou
The poet Sappho, according to unreliable records, was allegedly born here circa 612 BC. She most likely presided over a finishing school for...
Perdika
Follow the lead of the locals and visiting Athenians and, for an excursion, take a bus (a 25-minute ride from Ethneyersias Square) to the pretty...
Magazia and Molos
Coastal expansions of the main town, these two resort areas are the places to stay if you love to swim. Magazia, where the residents of Skyros...
Vergina
The modern city of Vergina wasn't established in its present form until 1922, but the ancient city of Aigai, the original capital of Macedonia...
Kokkari
A spectacular stretch of coast road west of Samos Town is lined with olive groves and vineyards and ends in the fishing village of Kokkari,...
Vouraikos Gorge
The Vouraikos Gorge is a fantastic landscape of towering pinnacles and precipitous rock walls that you can view on an exciting train ride. In...
Ouranoupolis
Meaning "heaven's city" in Greek, Ouranoupolis (also spelled Ouranopolis) is an appealing cul-de-sac on the final point of land that separates...
Matala
Renowned in the 1960s as a stopover on the hippie trail, with Joni Mitchell immortalizing it in song, Matala today is a small, low-key beach...
Pyrgos
Though today Pyrgos has only 500 inhabitants, until the early 1800s it was the capital of the island. Medieval houses are stacked on top of...
Dion
At the foothills of Mount Olympus lies ancient Dion. Even before Zeus and the Olympian gods, the mountain was home to the Muses and Orpheus...
Akrotiri
This village is most famous for its ancient ruins, but the little collection of houses surrounded by gardens and fields is a pleasant place...
Panormos Bay
With a long beach and sheltered inner cove ideal for yachts, Panormos is fast becoming a holiday village, although so far this stretch of the...
Mikri Vigla
Mikri Vigla is a small village known for its nearby pristine beaches. Several small room rentals and a few cafés and beach bars dot the area...
Sami
There isn’t all that much to recommend the town of Sami, the island’s busiest port. Mainland ferries dock here and at the similarly anonymous...
Adamas
Adamas, also known as Adamantas—diamond in Greek—is one of the largest natural harbors in the Aegean but remained a sleepy hamlet until it was...
Firostefani
Firostefani used to be a separate village, but now it comprises the quieter, more pleasant northern end of Fira. The name derives from Fira...
Monolithos to Kameiros
Rhodes's west coast is more forested, with fewer notable beaches than its eastern side. But what it lacks in sun beds it more than makes up...
Pollonia
Crouching around a sheltered bay with a church at each end, Pollonia started life as a fishing village but has now developed into a low-key...
Pirgos
The village of Pirgos, second in importance to Chora, is inland and up from the little harbor of Panormos. Tinos is famous for its marble carving...
Chora
Atop a hill due south of Skala, the village of Chora, clustered around the walls of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, has become a preserve...
Atsitsa
On the northwest coast, pine forests grow down the rocky shore at Atsitsa. The beaches north of town—Kalogriá and Kyra Panayia—are sheltered...
Mystras
While little remains to attest to Spartan power and might, residents of the Byzantine capital just to the west left behind a treasure trove...
Stemnitsa
Also called Ipsous, Stemnitsa is one of the most beautiful towns in southern Greece, wondrously perched 3,444 feet above sea level amid a forest...
Kaminia
A small fishing hamlet built around a shallow inlet, Kamini has much of Hydra Town's charm but none of its bustle—except on Orthodox Good Friday...
Methoni
Methoni, a small fishing and farming village on a cape south of Pylos, has long cast a spell over visitors. It was one of the seven towns Agamemnon...
Mycenae
The ancient citadel of Mycenae, which Homer wrote was "rich in gold and once ruled much of the Mediterranean world," stands on a low hill, wedged...
Sangri
Sangri is the center of an area with so many monuments and ruins spanning the Archaic to the Venetian periods it is sometimes called little...
Argos
The city of Argos, set amid citrus groves on the western edge of the Argive plain, is the economic hub of the region, a workaday town with a...
Megalochori
Megalochori is a picturesque, half-abandoned town. Many of the village's buildings were actually canavas, wine-making facilities. The tiny...
Ancient Corinth
The isthmus is where the Peloponnese begins. Were it not for this narrow neck of land less than 7 km (4½ miles) across, the waters of the Gulf...
Agiassos
Agiassos village, the prettiest hill town on Lesvos, sits in an isolated valley amid thousands of olive trees, near the foot of Mt. Olympus...
Tripoli
History, along with the practicalities of the road network in this part of Greece, makes it very likely that you'll at least pass through the...
Epidauros
What is now a pleasant little agricultural village surrounded by orange and olive groves has been on the Greek map for millennia, and the ruins...
Kamari
On Kefalos Bay, the little beach community of Kamari is pleasant and less frantic than the island's other seaside resorts though still plastered...
Vatera
The village of Vatera is all about its 9-km-long (5½-mile-long) sandy strip of sparkling water, lined with tamarisk trees and framed by green...
Vlichos
From Kamini, the coastal track continues to Vlichos, another pretty village with tavernas, a historic bridge, and a gray-pebbled beach on a...
Sigri
Sigri is built around a lovely cove with exceptional dark-sand beaches nearby. ...
Lavrion
After Sounion, the road twists and turns along the coast, winding past holiday homes, before hitting a rather dreary stretch by Lavrion's boatyard...
Isternia
The village of Isternia (Cisterns), lofty on the slopes of Mount Meroviglia, is verdant with lush gardens. Many of the marble plaques hung here...
Kionia
The little seaside town of Kionia is a short scenic drive, bike ride, or hike west of Tinos Town. A few simple tavernas and rooms are set off...
Panormos Bay
Panormos Bay, an unpretentious port once used for marble export, has ducks and geese, a row of seafood restaurants, and a good beach with a...
Ano Meria
The island's paved road runs from the port, through Chora and along the backbone of the island to Ano Meria. Terraced fields where barley was...
Volissos
Homer's birthplace is thought to be here at Volissos, though Smyrna, Colophon, Salamis, Rhodes, Argos, and Athens also claim this honor. Once...
Epta Piges
...
Ancient Messene
The ruins of this remarkable fortified ancient city, about 20 km (12 miles) north of the modern town of the same name, are set amid a lush landscape...
Marmari
You won’t find much that’s authentically Greek in this unattractively overbuilt resort town surrounded by holiday villages. Even so, the surrounding...
Gennadi and the South Coast
The area south of Lindos, with fewer beaches and less fertile soil, is traditionally not as well traveled as the stretch to its north but things...
Gerolimenas
Located at the end of a long natural harbor, Gerolimenas was an important port in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Sleepy as it now is...
Mandraki
As famous as neighbor Sarakiniko for its photogenic-ness, Mandraki is home to the distinctive and colorful dwellings known as syrmata, the...
Plomari
Plomari, the second-largest town on Lesvos, is dramatically set in a cliff face overlooking a wide harbor and Aegean sunsets. This was once...
Kalamaki Peninsula
On the least-developed part of the south coast, villas are tucked above tiny, isolated coves. Access to most of the shoreline is by boat only...
Kanoni
The suburb of Kanoni was once one of the world's great beauty spots, made famous by countless pictures. Today the landscape has been engulfed...
Agnonda
Used as an alternative port by hydrofoils and ferryboats during bad weather, Agnonda has numerous tavernas along its pebbled beach. It's named...
Temple of Apollo at Bassae
Typically seen as part of a day trip from either Olympia or Kalamata (it's about 1½ hours from both), the winding mountain roads here morph...
Eleusis
The growing city of Athens has long-since co-opted the land around what was Eleusis (now a modern city known as Elefsina), placing shipyards...
Vouno
In the mountainous southern half of Skyros, a passable dirt road heads south at the eastern end of the isthmus, from Aspous to Ahilli. The little...
Asklepieion
The ruins of one of the great healing centers of antiquity still impress and fire the imagination, framed by a thick grove of cypress trees...
Galanado
On a hill, Galando’s village streets offer a pretty view toward Naxos Town. It’s an agricultural village that is famous for the landmark Tower...
Apeiranthos
Apeiranthos is very picturesque, with views and marble-paved streets running between the Venetian Bardani and Zevgoli towers. As you walk through...
Filoti
Filoti, a peaceful village on the lower slopes of Mt. Zas, is the interior's largest. A three-day festival celebrating the Dormition starts...
Kastro
The ruins that are also known as the Old Town perch on a forbidding promontory high above the water, accessible only by steps. Skiathians founded...
Ayia Marina
Ayia Marina is the most cosmopolitan beach on the island, so head here if you want to see and be seen. ...
Castle of Antimacheia
This proud fortress standing high above the sea is not just a symbol of the former might of the Knights of St. John. These days it also reminds...
Mandamados
Pretty Mandamados has stone houses, wood carvings, and the ruins of a medieval castle. The village is famous for its pottery, koumari urns...
Tiryns
...
Ancient Nemea
This quiet little town, surrounded by undulating vineyards, was once as famous as Olympia, site of biennial games that attracted athletes from...
Skala Sikaminias
At the northernmost point of Lesvos, past Pelopi, is the exceptionally lovely fishing port of Skala Sikaminias, a miniature gem—serene and real...
Ayia Anargyroi
With plenty of water-sports options, this popular beach is set against a luscious green backdrop, offering the added prospect of seeing the...
Osios Loukas
The monastic complex at Osios Loukas, still inhabited by a few monks, is notable for its exquisite mosaics and its dramatic location, looming...
Ayia Paraskevi
In a sheltered cove and easily accessible by bus or water taxi, this is a favorite with locals and visitors alike. In the height of summer the...
Vori
Vori, the closest town to Phaistos and Ayia Triada, is a pleasant farming community of whitewashed houses on narrow lanes; you might enjoy stopping...
Zogeria
A pine-edged cove with deep sapphire waters, Zogeria has a gorgeous natural setting that more than makes up for the lack of amenities—there...
Paliachora
The haunting remains of Aegina's medieval Paliachora (Old Town), built in the 9th century by islanders whose seaside town was the constant prey...
Moria
On the coast as you head north from Mytilini, Moria is best known for its Roman aqueduct. But the town is also famed for its annual Feast of...
Ireo
Although Samos was a center for trade and commerce for a long time prior, it was Polycrates "the Tyrant" who really put the island on the map...
Lalaria
The much-photographed, lovely Lalaria Beach, on the north coast, is flanked by a majestic, arched limestone promontory. The polished limestone...
Moni
Off the fine asphalt Chalkiou-Keramotis road, Moni ("monastery") remains high in the mountains overlooking Naxos's greenest valley and has become...
Ayios Mamas
South of Galanado, and a kilometer (½ mile) past a valley with unsurpassed views is one of the island's oldest churches (9th century), Ayios Mamas. ...
Skalohori
Skalohori is set beautifully in a valley, with tiered houses facing west toward the Aegean sunsets. Until recently, wild horses roamed the volcanic...
Glossa
Delightful Glossa is the island's second-largest settlement, where whitewashed, red-roof houses are clustered on the steep hillside above the...
Mandraki
The only sandy beach on Hydra is an activity-centered beach by the Miramare Hotel, near Mandraki, which is currently closed (but you can still...
Pylos
With the blue waters in its port and the bougainvillea-swathed, pristine white houses fanning up Mt. St. Nicholas, Pylos may remind you of an...
Dodona
The only thing to do, or see for that matter, at the somewhat isolated Dodona, are the ancient ruins. This archaeological site, steeped in history...
Abram Village
The route through the mountains from Apeiranthos to the north is very scenic. Apollonas is a small resort with a couple of good beaches backed...
Marathonas
This small village a few miles south of Aegina Town is reachable by bicycle or bus. The beach is just beyond. ...
Nea Moni
...
Sfageia
...
Pirgi Thermis
Pirgi Thermis is known for its tower mansions and for its 12th-century church, Panayia Tourlot, near the outskirts of town. The town's onetime...
Monastery of Taxiarchis Michael Panormitis
The tiny hamlet of Panormitis on the south end of the island is a remote and idyllic setting for this holy assemblage, a popular place of pilgrimage...
Depot
The Depot neighborhood was once where the wealthy, mainly Jewish, merchants lived in impressive 19th-century villas. Very close to the port...
Petaloudes
Shady lanes and babbling brooks winding through the forested grounds of a former Venetian estate would be quite enticing even without the presence...
Pella
Pella was Alexander's birthplace and the capital of the Macedonian state in the 4th century BC. The modern-day village is not the most alluring...
Mt. Athos
The third peninsula of Halkidiki, Mt. Athos is called Ayion Oros (Holy Mountain) in Greek, although it does not become a mountain until its...
Ano Mera
Inland, the little town of Ano Mera has a couple of quiet tavernas and a monastery. The town only lights up during the monastery's festival...
Pamfila
In the 19th century, Pamfila's traditional tower mansions were used by wealthy families as summer homes. The views across the straits to Turkey...
Argostoli
...
Gythion
At the foot of the Taygettus range on the northeastern edge of the Mani, Gythion seems terribly cosmopolitan, compared to the stark countryside...
Isthmus
...
Vrisses
This appealing old village is famous throughout Crete for its thick, creamy yogurt—best eaten with a large spoonful of honey on top—that is...
Sparta
...
Marathi
During the classical period, the island of Paros had an estimated 150,000 residents, many of them slaves who worked the ancient marble quarries...
The Cyclades
Named after the circle they form around the sacred isle of Delos, the two hundred and twenty or so Cyclades are the most Greek of all the islands...
The Peloponnese
Over the millennia the rugged terrain of the Peloponnese—a vast region that hangs like a large leaf from the stem of the Corinthian isthmus...
Rhodes and the Dodecanese
Wrapped enticingly around the shores of Asia Minor, the Dodecanese are Greece’s easternmost island chain, edging the sunny fringes of the Aegean...
The Northern Aegean Islands
Quirky, seductive, fertile, sensual, faded, sunny, worldly, ravishing, long-suffering, hedonistic, luscious, mysterious, legendary—these adjectives...
Attica and Delphi
One of the great surprises of Athens is how much there is to see around it. The mountainous region of Attica (or Attikí), which incorporates...
The Saronic Gulf Islands
Only have a few days in Greece but need a taste of island life? Hopping over to one of the Saronic isles is the perfect solution. Called the...
The Sporades
Little mentioned in mythology or history, the Sporades confidently rely on their great natural beauty and cultural history to attract visitors...
Thessaloniki and Central Macedonia
A land shaped by gods, warriors, and ghosts, Northern Greece sparkles with the sights, sounds, scents, and colors of its melting-pot history...
Mykonos
From backpackers to the super-rich, from day-trippers to yachties, from Joe Average to celebrities who head here by helicopter, Mykonos has...
Epirus and Thessaly
...
South Coast
The popular south coast beaches stand on their own; hotels, restaurants, cafés, and beach bars have sprung up around them, drawn to their turquoise...
Fiskardo and Assos
The two towns of Fiskardo and Assos, sitting high in Kefalonia's wild northern tip, offer a glimpse of how the island used to look. Even the...
The Vasilikos Peninsula and Laganas
The area south of the main town bears witness to two very different sides of the island. The first is the gloriously lush, hilly peninsula that...
Southeast Coast
The southeastern beaches, the farthest beaches from Mykonos Town, are favorites for those looking for something calm, yet organized, such as...
Zagorohoria Region
One of the most beguiling and untamed sections of Greece is the region of Zagorohoria (pronounced zah-go-ro- hor -ee-ah), also known as Zagori...
Agios Nikoloas and the North
The northern half of Zakynthos is day-trip country. Resorts on the east coast of the island pitter out above Alikes Beach, and to the west there...
The Meteora
As you drive through the mighty Pindos range, strange rock formations rise ever higher from the plain. Just beyond the dramatic sheer cliff...
North Coast
The beaches along the north coast are blessed with consistent winds suitable for windsurfing, and Ftelia is the island's center for the sport...
The Achilleion and Gastouri
...
Mount Ainos and the Omala Valley
The center of Kefalonia is dominated by Mount Ainos, the highest point in the Ionian archipelago and home to a 30-square-kilometer national...
Lasithi Plateau
The Lasithi Plateau, 2,800 feet high and the biggest of the upland plains of Crete, lies behind a wall of barren mountains. Windmills for pumping...
Crete
Crete is a land of myth and imagination, where Theseus slayed the Minotaur, where Daedulus and Icarus set off on their ill-fated flight, and...
Corfu
Temperate, multihued Corfu—of emerald mountains; turquoise waters lapping rocky coves; ocher and pink buildings; shimmering silver olive leaves...
Santorini (Thira)
Undoubtedly the most extraordinary island in the Aegean, crescent-shaped Santorini remains a mandatory stop on the Cycladic tourist route—even...
Paros and Antiparos
In the classical age, the great sculptor Praxiteles prized the incomparably snowy marble that came from the quarries at Paros; his chief rival...
Rhodes
The fourth-largest Greek island and, along with Sicily, Crete, and Cyprus, one of the great islands of the Mediterranean, Rhodes was long considered...
Naxos
Great sweetness and tranquility" is how Nikos Kazantzakis, premier novelist of Greece, described Naxos, and indeed a tour of the island leaves...
Mykonos Town
Although the fishing boats still go out in good weather, Mykonos largely makes its living from tourism these days. The summer crowds have turned...
Lesvos
The Turks called Lesvos the "garden of the empire" for its fertility: in the east and center of the island, literally millions of olive trees...
Kefalonia
What saved lush, mountainous Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian islands, from the first waves of package tourism in the 1960s is likely that...
Tinos
Tinos is among the most beautiful and most fascinating of the major Cyclades. The third largest of the island group after Naxos and Andros,...
Skiathos
Part sacred (scores of churches), part sin (lots of nightlife), the hilly, wooded island of Skiathos is the closest of the Sporades to the Pelion...
Chios
Craggy Chios" is what local boy Homer, the island's first publicist, so to speak, called this starkly beautiful outcropping that almost touches...
Aegina
The eastern side of Aegina is rugged and sparsely inhabited today, except for Ayia Marina, a former fishing hamlet now studded with hotels....
Spetses
Spetses shows evidence of continuous habitation through all of antiquity. From the 16th century BC, settlers came over from the mainland and...
Skopelos
This triangular island's name means "a sharp rock" or "a reef"—a fitting description for the dramatic terrain on the northern shore. It's an...
Hydra
As the full length of Hydra stretches before you when you round the easternmost finger of the northern Peloponnese, your first reaction might...
Skyros
Even among these unique isles, Skyros stands out. The rugged terrain resembles that of an island in the Dodecanese, and the spectacularly situated...
Syros
The mercantile bustle of modern Ermoupoli—Syros’s port, capital, and the archipelago’s business hub since the 18th century—often makes people...
Zakynthos
Zakynthos is the island that launched a million “I thought it was this, but it was that . . .” travel articles. Its appeal is obvious. The most...
Kos
Aglow with flowering oleanders and hibiscus, the island of Kos is the third largest in the Dodecanese. It certainly remains one of the most...
Samos
The southernmost of this group of three Northern Aegean islands lies the closest to Turkey of any Greek island, separated by only 3 km (2 miles...
Symi
The tiny island of Symi is an enchanting place, where life centers around sparkling Yialos Harbor and a 19th-century town of neoclassical mansions...
Milos
...
Patmos
For better or worse, it can be difficult to reach Patmos. For many travelers, this lack of access is definitely for the better, since the island...
Folegandros
If Santorini is the Hollywood leading lady of the Greek islands, Folegandros is the demure, younger sister, star of off-beat independent cinema...
Delos
Arrive at the mythical, magical, and magnificent site of Delos and you might wonder how this barren islet, which has virtually no natural resources...
Ornos
Ornos has always been more popular with Mykonians than tourists. The locals like its relaxed atmosphere for a family swim and beachside dining...
Ayios Stefanos
About a 45-minute walk north from Mykonos Town, Ayios Stefanos has water sports, restaurants, and umbrellas and lounge chairs for rent; kids...
Vari
Vari is a small beach town on a sheltered bay on the south side of the island. Its location attracts visitors who seek the low-key, quiet calm...
Ano Syros
One of the two towering peaks that rise over town, Ano Syros was greatly expanded in the 13th century by Venetians, who erected a walled town...
Poseidonia
This small village has a few whitewashed taverns, cafés, and churches, which serve as a backdrop to a popular beach. Other good beaches are...
Mega Yialos
Megas Yialos has slowly grown into one of the island’s more popular beach towns and is accessible by bus from Ermoupoli. Its nearby beaches...
Kini
This small village on the island's west coast has a couple of good beaches, a selection of tavernas and cafés, and a few places to stay. Since...
Galissas
The village of Galissas has a selection of tavernas and beach bar-cafés as well as room rentals and the Dolphin Bay Family Beach Resort. Since...
Ermoupoli
Ermoupoli spills like multicolored lava from the twin colonial hills of Ano Syros and Vrodado, topped respectively by churches—Roman Catholic...
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best for nightlife
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Guidebooks
Guidebooks
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Shop NowFodor's Essential Greece: with the Best of the Islands
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's Essential Greece
Written by local experts, Fodor's travel guides have been offering advice and...
Fodor's Essential Greek Islands: with the Best of Athens
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Fodor's Greek Islands
Written by locals, Fodor's Essential Greek Islands is the perfect guidebook for those...
