697 Best Sights in Greece

This interesting little museum showcases exquisite weavings and embroidered pieces, along with walking sticks, tools, and other artifacts from everyday rural life in Crete.

A sand-and-pebble beach rings a sparkling cove where languid, turquoise waters are perfect for swimming. The offshore rocky outcroppings are a playground for snorkelers, and a swim-through sea cave just off the beach makes a fun retreat in which to float and escape the sun. Amenities: food and drink; free parking; showers; toilets. Best for: snorkeling; swimming.

The west side of the peninsula on which Rethymnon sits is taken up almost entirely with this massive fortress, strategically surrounded by the sea and thick ramparts. The high well-preserved walls enclose a vast empty space occupied by a few scattered buildings—a well-restored mosque, two churches, and abandoned barracks that once housed the town brothels—and are surrounded by fields of wildflowers in spring. After a small fortress on the site failed to thwart a 1571 attack of 40 pirate galleys, Venetians conscripted 100,000 forced laborers from the town and surrounding villages to build the huge compound. It didn't fulfill its purpose of keeping out the Turks: Rethymnon surrendered after a three-week siege in 1646.

This circular fortress, built by the Knights of St. John in the 15th century, guards the entrance to Mandraki Harbor, near a row of picturesque but disused windmills.

Chalki is a pretty town, known for its Neoclassical houses in shades of pink, yellow, and gray, which are oddly juxtaposed with the plain but stately 17th-century Frangopoulos Tower. Like other towers erected by the Venetians on the island, it was primarily used in its heyday for defense purposes.

Ftelia is famous for its winds, which attract windsurfers who love to test out the sparkling waves. The beach's smooth sand is free of sun beds or umbrellas, so when you approach it, all you’ll see is a wide-open stretch of yellow sand—if the wind isn’t blowing it all about. There is a good beach club, Alemagou, at the far eastern side that has its own section of shore with daybeds and umbrellas . Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); water sports. Best for: windsurfing.

Competing with Kini for the most magical sunset, the long curve of sand and clear coastline of water at Galissas is a local favorite. It has also won the coveted EU Blue Flag award for being one of the cleanest in Europe. As one of the island's largest beaches, it's well organized with beach umbrella and chair rentals available in peak season. When the island winds roar, windsurfers show up. The next small cove, Armeos, is popular with nudists. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: swimming; windsurfing.

One of the oldest vineyards, this winery has been exporting its distinguished produce since the days when mules carted wine-filled goatskins to the port in Fira. Tastings in the atmospheric old storage and pressing rooms include Voudomato, a native dry rosé, and Nykteri, a sophisticated white from the island's indigenous Assyrtiko grapes—the name means "working the night away," because the grapes are traditionally harvested at night to avoid damage from the heat.

Book lovers who ascend the grand staircase into the hallowed aura of the Reading Room may have difficulty tearing themselves away from this superb collection of material on Greek subjects, from first editions of Greek classics to the papers of Nobel laureate poets George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis. The library's collection includes Lord Byron's memorabilia (including a lock of his hair); Heinrich Schliemann's diaries, notebooks, and letters; impressionistic watercolors of Greece by Edward Lear; and the first edition printed in Greek of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. The Gennadius is not a lending library (first-time users, usually scholars, must apply for a library card), but the temporary exhibitions (curated by internationally renowned figures) are always worth a visit.

A 15th-century palace of the Genoese, who ruled Chios until the Turks drove them out in 1566, is one of the most venerable landmarks on the island, with a loggia and external staircase. Situated between the main square and the central gate of the fortress, it is believed to have belonged to the chief magistrate. Inside are some glorious Byzantine murals of the prophets from the 13th century, as well as icons and sculptures.

Greeks have voted Glyfada Beach one of the top 10 in the country, and it's easy to see why when you visit this wide stretch of fine golden sand. The central area, which is dominated by the giant Grand Glyfada Hotel, has a number of funky beach bars that are more places to see and be seen. Here, the beach is highly organized, with rows of sun beds and umbrellas, sometimes rented from the nearest establishment. The northern end is more laid-back and has a small hotel, the Glyfada Beach Hotel. If you've had enough of the sun, you can find shade among the trees that back the beach. A choice of water sports is available for the active, but swimmers should be aware of the strong undertow. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; water sports. Best for: partiers; swimming.

Golden Beach (or Chrysi Akti in Greek) is a series of tree-fringed sandy beaches that are well organized and in close proximity to an array of taverns, restaurants, and cafés. The area is famous for its water-sports activities (the Windsurfing World Cup has held events here) and several centers are based here offering diving excursions, kayaking, and windsurfing lessons. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); water sports. Best for: swimming; windsurfing.

The east side of Volos butts up against the pine-forested Goritsa Hill, which rises about 650 feet above the town, is accessible by hiking trails, and provides panoramic views. At the top is the church of Zoodochos Pigis, erected atop of a temple on what was the summit of the ancient city's acropolis. But it's the church of Panagia Tripa di Gorista at the bottom, built inside a natural cave thought to be sacred since ancient times and once dedicated to Zeus, that remains the favorite.

This 16th-century, Venetian-era monastery on the north end of the Akrotiri Peninsula is said to be one of the oldest and largest remaining religious communities on Crete. Delightful frescoes cover the wall of the courtyard chapel, while a path leads down the flanks of a seaside ravine past several caves used as hermitages and churches to the remote, 11th-century Katholiko, the monastery of St. John the Hermit, who pursued his solitary life in a nearby cave. Follow the path down to the sea along a riverbank for another mile or so to a secluded cove that is the perfect place for a refreshing dip, the aptly named Katholiko Beach. The return walk requires a steep uphill climb.

Housed in a repurposed cinema from the 1970s, the Greek Film Archive has transformed a once-abandoned building into a hub for cinephiles. It holds over 4,000 Greek and international film prints, alongside vintage posters, costumes, cameras, and memorabilia. Its on-site Film Museum offers a fascinating look at the evolution of Greek cinema, from early silent films to contemporary productions. Screenings and festivals run year-round, with summer evenings unfolding in the charming open-air theater atop the building.

The Greek Folk Art Museum (also known as the Modern Greek Culture Museum) encompasses numerous buildings and focuses on folk art from 1650 to the present, with especially interesting embroideries, stone and wood carvings, carnival costumes, and Karagiozis (shadow player figures). After an impressive expansion, it now incorporates the beautiful 19th-century Neoclassical Bath-House of the Winds in Kyrristou Street, a spectacularly vast mosque (now deconsecrated and given over to museum displays) located in Areos Street, and exhibitions at nearby  22 Panos St., which handles the vast overflow of objects on view. The permanent exhibition at the museum is entitled "Man and Tools" and presents utilitarian objects that have served a purpose in the evolution of culture. Don't miss the room of uniquely fanciful landscapes by beloved Greek folk painter Theophilos Hatzimichalis, from Mytilini in the northern Aegean island of Lesvos.

The Greek Orthodox cathedral was built in 1789 on the site of a church called Zoodochos Pigis (Life-giving Source). The cathedral was built from the materials of ancient temples: the solid granite pillars are said to be from the ruins of Delos. Amid the gold and the carved wood, there is a vividly colored iconostasis painted by a well-known iconographer of the Cretan school, Dimitrios Valvis, and the Gospel Book is believed to be a gift from Catherine the Great of Russia.

Northeast of the palaestras is the Gymnasium, a square courtyard nearly 40 meters (131 feet) long on each side. Scratched into the rock are early graffiti of the local boys' names and the girls they ogled. The long, narrow structure farther northeast is the stadium, the site of the athletic events of the Delian Games. East of the stadium site, by the seashore, are the remains of a synagogue built by Phoenician Jews in the 2nd century BC.

One of the most important Roman monuments surviving in Athens, Hadrian's Arch has become, for many, one of the city's most iconic landmarks. This marble gateway, built in AD 131 with Corinthian details, was intended both to honor the Hellenophile emperor Hadrian and to separate the ancient and imperial sections of Athens.

This institution holds a rare (and unfortunately poorly kept) collection of Islamic manuscripts, including many rare Korans, from lands east of and including Turkey. Founded in 1793, this remains a striking reminder of the island's Ottoman presence. The collection and the adjacent Mosque of Süleyman are still used by members of Rhodes's Muslim community. Many are descendants of those who managed to keep their homes on the island after the Treaty of Lausanne's infamous, nationwide 1923 population exchange, when some 500,000 Muslims (primarily of Turkish origin), were forcibly relocated from Greece to Turkey following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Hassan Pascha Mosque, also known as the Janissaries Mosque, is the oldest Ottoman building in Crete, built at the water's edge when Turks captured the town in 1645 after a two-month siege. Its back courtyard, once home to a garden of palm trees, and its minaret were both bombed and destroyed during the Nazi occupation. It doesn't operate as a mosque nowadays—you can enter the building when the town uses it to host temporary art and trade exhibitions---but the presence of the domed structure at the edge of the shimmering sea lends Chania part of its exotic aura.

The early Samians worshipped the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus, believing she was born here beneath a bush near the Imbrassos stream. Several temples were built on the site in her honor, the earliest dating back to the 8th century BC. Polycrates rebuilt the To Hraio, or Temple of Hera, around 540 BC, making it four times larger than the Parthenon and the largest Greek temple ever conceived, with two rows of columns (155 in all). The temple was damaged by fire in 525 BC and never completed, owing to Polycrates's untimely death. In the intervening years, masons recycled the stones to create other buildings, including a basilica (foundations remain at the site) to the Virgin Mary. Today you can only imagine the To Hraio's massive glory; of its forest of columns only one remains standing, slightly askew and only half its original height, amid acres of marble remnants in marshy ground thick with poppies in spring.

At the ancient celebrations to honor Hera, the faithful approached from the sea along the Sacred Road, which is still visible at the site's northeast corner. Nearby are replicas of a 6th-century-BC sculpture depicting an aristocratic family; its chiseled signature reads "Genelaos made me." The kouros from Heraion was found here and is now in the Archaeological Museum in Samos Town.

A restored Venetian palazzo almost in the shadow of the Neratze minaret houses a delightful collection of rustic furnishings, tools, weavings, and a re-creation of a traditional Cretan shopping street that provide a charming and vivid picture of what life on Crete was like until well into the 20th century.

Established in 1870 after the end of the British Protectorate (1815–64), this Anglican church continues to serve the needs of the English-speaking community. All denominations are welcome to services and to other religious events and social activities in its sphere. Sunday morning service takes place at 10:30.

Suitably housed in refurbished factories that helped establish the island's wealth and industrial supremacy in the 19th century, the Industrial Museum walks you through the commercial district's rise and fall. The three buildings once belonged to Katsimantis Paint, the Aneroussis Lead Factory, and the Kornilakis Tannery. A tour gives insight into how employees worked, who they worked for, and how their collective skills made Syros a bustling harbor and key European trading zone, all contributing to the island's prosperity and influence on Greece as a fledgling nation. Vintage photographs, various tools, and an exhibit of two dozen large machines that were used until the mid-20th century also give insight into a thriving industrial center that once was.

The beach, located right at the foot of the little fishing village of Isternia Bay, is actually two beaches—one a pebbled area and one a sandy cove—but both are known for their peaceful seclusion, although two tavernas and a café are nearby. You can also take some time out to visit the inland village of Isternia about 5 km (3 miles) away. Whether you're lying on the beach or having a meal by the sea, you can look forward to enjoying one of the nicest sunset views in Tinos. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: solitude; swimming.

Among the displays in this museum dedicated to the history of the local Jewish community are tombstones from the city's ancient necropolis, which was on the grounds now inhabited by Aristotle University. Also on exhibit are objects rescued from the 32 synagogues that existed around the city, some of which were destroyed by the Nazis. The neoclassical building is one of the few Jewish structures that were spared in the great fire of 1917.

This maze of streets was home to the area's Jewish population from the 1600s until 1944, when the community was extirpated. Most were sent to Auschwitz by the occupying Nazis. Fewer than 100 of the 3,000 Jews here survived. At the southern edge of the ghetto, a 300-year-old synagogue with an interior in Sephardic style still stands.

Trendy Kaiki Beach (otherwise known as Scholes or College beach due to its proximity to the Anargyros School) is a triangular patch of sandy beach that draws a young crowd with its beach volleyball court, water-sports activities (about €50 for 20 minutes of Jet Skiing), and the Kaiki Beach bars (yes, there are two of them!) and restaurant, the hippest on the beach in Spetses. It will cost you about €15 for a huge umbrella, two bamboo sun beds, two beach towels, and a bottle of water for a relaxing day on the beach. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (no fee); toilets; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

This long stretch of picturesque beach with a line of shady trees is known for the water-sports and windsurfing crowds it attracts, and increasingly families are appreciating the laid-back vibe, too. The back road has an array of hotels, rooms for rent, tavernas, and beach bars, as well as a well-known windsurfing school and water-sports rental shop. A small dock to the left side of the beach houses a tavern and a boat rental office that leads excursions out to nearby uninhabited islands. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; water sports. Best for: swimming; walking; windsurfing.