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We've compiled the best of the best in Greece - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Housed in a stone-vaulted warehouse of the Knights, this small room exhibits finely made ceramics, wooden tools and utensils, and costumes and textiles from the various regions of the Dodecanese. There is sadly little to explain what you're looking at.
This small beach is known for its pretty water and relaxed atmosphere. It’s also known around the island for Magaya, a colorful beach bar serving Thai food. In the summer, beach chairs and umbrellas are available for rent, so grab one and settle in to enjoy the view of Paroikía Bay. There’s a small rocky islet with an underwater cave in the near distance, popular for swimmers to head to, but beware, the seabed here is often full of sea urchins. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: swimming.
Manuscripts, a 35,000-volume library, and other artifacts here are from surrounding churches, monasteries, and the School of Greek Letters that flourished in Dimitsana in the 19th century. The school educated Germanos, a bishop of Patras, and other young men who went on to become Greek scholars and church leaders.
Growing the best Greek grapes has everything to do with the land, and the oenologists at Domaine Sigalas, on the ancient plain of Ia, are happy to share their knowledge of the unique Santorini soil and over three millennia of wine making on the island. A respected name in Greek wines, the family-run winery has opened up its lush inland vineyard at Baxes for tastings and food-pairing sessions. Groups are kept small and are priced from €70 per person.
Burned by the Germans during World War II, Kalambaka has only one building of interest, the centuries-old cathedral church of the Dormition of the Virgin. Patriarchal documents in the outer narthex indicate that it was built in the first half of the 12th century by Emperor Manuel Comnenos, but some believe it was founded as early as the 7th century, on the site of a temple of Apollo (classical drums and other fragments are incorporated into the walls, and mosaics can be glimpsed under the present floor). The latter theory explains the church's paleo-Christian features, including its center-aisle ambo (great marble pulpit), which would usually be located to the right of the sanctuary; its rare synthronon (four semicircular steps where the priest sat when not officiating) east of the altar; and its Roman-basilica style, originally adapted to Christian use and unusual for the 12th century. The church has vivid 16th-century frescoes, the work of the Cretan monk Neophytos, son of the famous hagiographer Theophanes. The marble baldachin in the sanctuary, decorated with crosses and stylized grapes, probably predates the 11th century.
The unusual 13th-century "double church" of St. John exemplifies Venetian tolerance. On the left side is the Catholic chapel, on the right the Orthodox church, separated only by a double arch. A family lives in the tower, and the church is often open. From here, take a moment to gaze across the peaceful fields to Chora and imagine what the islanders must have felt when they saw pirate ships on the horizon.
Exhibits reconstruct traditional farming life with remains of an olive and winepress. There are panoramic views of the island and the surrounding seas. The adjacent church of Agios Panteliemon celebrates the feast day of St. Panteliemon on July 27, and seemingly the whole island visits.
Just to the east of Molyvos is this empty stretch of coastline, blessed not just with a beach but with thermal mineral baths. You can soak in the enclosed tubs for a small fee or find a spot just below the old baths where the hot water bubbles into the sea. An easy walk east from there takes you past a pleasant beachside taverna, the Xrisi Akti (Golden Beach), to a long expanse of sand and pebbles, remote enough in parts to attract nudists, especially on the eastern side after the dividing headland. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: nudists; solitude; swimming; walking.
On the headland sits Agios Nikolaos, the current cathedral of Spetses, and a former fortified abbey. Its lacy white-marble bell tower recalls that of Hydra's port monastery. It was here that the islanders first raised their flag of independence.
Long, tranquil, and beautiful, Elia is a popular option for those who seek beach relaxation. Attracting a predominantly LGBTQIA+ crowd, this southern beach is also popular with those who want to relax on a soft sand beach that’s protected from the north winds that sweep through the island from time to time. Umbrellas and sun beds are for rent and water-sports facilities pop up during the peak summer months. Dining options are plentiful with several cafés and tavernas close by. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; toilets. Best for: nudists; swimming.
Though the beach is pebbly rather than sandy, a handy location right at the edge of Old Town makes this seaside strip immensely popular, and it's lined with chairs and umbrellas. An offshore diving platform is a huge hit with kids and what seems to be most of the teenage population of Rhodes. What you won't find here is solitude, and what semblance of peace and quiet you might find will likely be interrupted by an endless stream of hawkers selling everything from trinkets to cold drinks. Nevertheless, it's provides a good spot to cool off, with views across the water of Marmaris, Turkey. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.
A deeply shaded glen watered by seven mountain springs (epta piges in Greek) is made all the more photogenic thanks to the imported peacocks that flaunt their plumage in the woods around the pools. The waters are channeled through a 164-yard-long tunnel, which you can walk through, emerging at the edge of a cascading dam and a small man-made lake where you can swim. Here an enterprising local shepherd began serving simple fare in 1945 and his sideline turned into the busy waterside taverna and tourist site of today. Despite its many visitors, the beauty of the springs remains unspoiled.
In modern times, this Byzantine fortress—its name means "the seven towers" even though there are 10 towers—was an abysmal prison, closed only in 1988. There's not much to see here except wall ruins and a small museum that documents the building's history. The area is an untended green space, not an unpleasant place to sit and survey Thessaloniki below. The surrounding tavernas accommodate throngs of locals in the evening.
The old village of Eresos, separated from the coast by a large plain, was developed to protect its inhabitants from pirate raids. Along the mulberry tree–lined road leading from the beach you might encounter a villager wearing a traditional head scarf (mandila), plodding by on her donkey. Equally you might meet a former hippie reliving their youth; it is that kind of place—a community of spiritually minded people you would not expect to find in a remote Greek island village. The settlement of two-story, 19th-century stone and shingle houses, often restored by Northern European second homers and retirees, is filled with superb architectural details. Note the huge wooden doors decorated with nails and elaborate door knockers, loophole windows in thick stone walls, elegant pediments topping imposing mansions, and fountains spilling under Gothic arches.
Stroll the main street, Ermou, which goes from the port on the north side of town to the port on the south side. Scruffy but characterful, Ouzo wholesalers rub shoulders with clothing boutiques. Walk past the fish market on the southern end, where men haul in their sardines, mullet, and octopus, and explore narrow lanes filled with grand old mansions in varying states of romantic ruin.
Central to the life of the town, this huge open esplanade (spianada) and park just west of the Old Fortress is a splendid place to collapse in the shade of a tree for the afternoon. It's bordered in the west by a street lined with Venetian and Georgian houses and a famous arcaded building called the Liston, built by the French under Napoléon and meant to resemble the Rue du Rivoli in Paris. Cafés spill out onto the passing scene, and Corfiot celebrations, games, and concerts take place here. At night, lovers promenade and children play in this festive public space. Sunday cricket matches, a holdover from British rule, are occasionally played on the northern half of the Esplanade, which was once a Venetian firing range. Standing in the center is an ornate Victorian bandstand and, just south of it, the Maitland Rotunda, a circular Ionic memorial built in honor of Sir Thomas Maitland, the not-much-loved first British Lord High Commissioner who was appointed in 1814 when the island became a protectorate of Britain. At the southernmost tip of the esplanade a statue of Ioannis Kapodistrias, a Corfu resident and the first president of modern Greece, looks out over Garitsa Bay. Kapodistrias was also, unfortunately, the first Greek president to be assassinated, in 1831.
This ancient landmark is tucked away in what was once the Jewish ghetto, a warren of narrow lanes known as Evraki, just off the harbor south of the Firka. The building was formerly the Venetian church of St. Catherine, became a synagogue under the Ottomans in the 16th century, and was sorely neglected and near collapse by the end of the 20th century. Venetian Gothic arches, a mikveh (ritual bath), tombs of three rabbis, and other architectural features have been beautifully restored and are a stirring memorial to Crete's once sizable Jewish population, obliterated during World War II; many Cretan Jews drowned when a British torpedo sank the ship carrying them toward Auschwitz in 1944.
The town's harborside cathedral is a 1920s Italian-built replica of the Knights' Church of St. John in the Old Town, which was destroyed in an accidental gunpowder explosion in the mid-1800s after the Ottomans began using its basement as a storage facility. The outside is drably slavish to the idea of the Gothic original, but the church interior is rather magnificent, illuminated by the Byzantine-style frescoes of the great modern Greek painter Fotis Kontoglou.
Often cited as the best beach on the island, Falassarna stretches along the western edge of the island, about 60 km (37 miles) west of Chania. The long expanse of sand is broken into several coves and has a little bit of everything—amenities on the main section, Pachia Ammos, which has a beach party atmosphere, but quieter in other parts, and even ancient ruins behind the northern end. One small disadvantage is a steady wind from the west, which can make the water choppy (but is a boon for windsurfers). Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets, water sports. Best for: nudists; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.
Faliraki's reputation is better these days, after authorities cracked down 20 years ago on the bars that once made this the hedonistic party capital of Greece. It remains the most popular beach resort area on Rhodes, and will be your idea of paradise or hell, depending on what you think of crowded sands backed by fun parks, supermarkets, all-inclusive resorts, and fast-food joints. Stretches of the 5 km (3 miles) of fine sand are a little less cramped than others, such as the southern end, which is officially designated as a naturist beach. Beyond its southern tip lies the beautiful Anthony Quinn Bay, named after the Mexican-American actor; while filming The Guns of Navarone in 1960, he loved it so much that he bought the land. Years later the Greek government reclaimed it, and the legal battle that ensued continued even after the actor's death. Its tiny shore fills up fast but the emerald waters here are the best on the island for snorkeling. Buses regularly run between Rhodes Town and Faliraki throughout the day and late into the evening. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: nudists; partiers; swimming; walking.
An end-of-the-world atmosphere prevails at this lovely stretch of sand at the far west of the island just north of Sigri, punctuated by a rocky outcropping and fronting a green river valley, where you're likely to see waterfowl and turtles. Amenities: parking (no fee). Best for: nudists; solitude; sunset; swimming; walking; windsurfing.
Sheltered from the summer island winds, Finikas Beach is the perfect spot for those seeking a calm beach day southwest of Ermoupoli. Boasting the island's second-largest port, yachts often dock here and there's typically a picturesque scene of fishing boats bobbing on the calm waters. Tamarisk trees dot the beach providing natural shade, although beach umbrella and chair rentals are available during peak season. There are plenty of eateries to choose from as well. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: swimming.
Above the harbor at the western edge of town are the ruins of a fortification known as the Five Brothers, the only remaining part of the lower wall built around Nafplion in 1502. The name comes from the five guns placed here by the Venetians around 1690; they remain in place, all bearing the winged lion of St. Mark.
Here is where the chaos, spirit, and charm of Athens turn into a feast for the eyes. The market has combined sight, sound, and scent into a strangely alluring little world where everything is for sale: 1950s-era scuba masks, old tea sets, antique sewing machines, busts, old tobacco tins, gramophone needles, old matchboxes, army uniforms, and lacquered eggs. Get there before the crowd becomes a throng at 11 am, and practice your haggling skills.
Established by three wealthy brothers in 1984, who turned their family home into a museum to display their personal collections of art, lithographs, coins, and furniture, this tiny museum is as eclectic as any hoarder’s pile. Subjects veer from landscapes of the island by 19th-century British painters to an exhibition of photos documenting the effects of the 1953 earthquake. It's a worthy modern history of the island.
Housed in an 18th-century house originally built for Captain Nikolaos Malouchos, this museum exhibits a bedroom furnished and decorated in the fashion of that period. On display are looms and lace-making devices, Cycladic costumes, old photographs, and musical instruments that are still played at festivals.
The Folklore Museum is set in a garden full of large models of traditional windmills, dovecotes, churches, and other such famous Cycladian monuments, making for an utterly charming setting. It also showcases the lifetime hobby of fisherman Benetos Skiadas, who loves to make detailed models of ships, and his scrupulous craftsmanship is on view here.
Naousa's small Folklore Museum, about 500 feet from the main town square, is in a traditional house donated by Kanstantinos and Marouso Roussos. It's run by the Music, Dance, and Theatre Group of Naousa and features folk costumes from Paros and the rest of Greece. The furniture and implements are also historic.
This small, two-room museum has some fascinating old black-and-white shots of traditionally dressed locals and festivals as well as examples of their clothing. Proceed behind the museum for access to the wonderfully moody-looking clocktower, which has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, having been leveled by earthquakes and Nazis alike. The view from above soars over the red-tiled roofs of this noble town and across to the spectacular gorge below.
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