697 Best Sights in Greece

The Venetians built an imposing fortress on this small island in the center of the Gulf of Mirabello in the 16th century. It withstood Turkish invasion for more than 45 years after the mainland had fallen. Nevertheless, it is more recent history that gives this isle its eerie infamy; from the beginning of the last century it became a leper colony, imprisoning the unfortunate in primitive conditions until 1957. It is a poignant and evocative place with a sense of melancholy that remains to this day. The story is brought to life in the international best-selling novel The Island by Victoria Hislop. Boat excursions run from Agios Nikolaos and Elounda. Most include a swim on a deserted beach. There is also a shorter trip from Plaka, directly opposite Spinalonga. Expect to pay €14 from Elounda, €25 from Agios Nikolaos, and €12 from Plaka.

This historic cobblestone lane, known in Greek as Ippoton, runs east from the Palace of the Grand Master to the harbor, and was once part of a longer path that wound its way to the acropolis. During its medieval heyday it became a residential quarter. It is bordered on both sides by the seven "Inns of the Tongues"—auberges where visiting Knights of the Order of St. John were domiciled according to their spoken language. These were heavily renovated during the 1930s, under Italian occupation, and today mostly hold consulates and government institutions. They are nevertheless wonderfully atmospheric to wander. The most elaborate example is the Inn of France, whose ornately carved facade still bears its heraldic fleurs-de-lis patterns, and an inscription that dates the building to 1492 and its commission by Emery d'Ambroise.

At the top of the city's main square stands the Greek Parliament, formerly King Otto's royal palace, completed in 1838 for the new monarchy. It seems a bit austere and heavy for a southern landscape, but it represented proof of progress, the symbol of the new ruling power. The building's saving grace is the stone's magical change of color from off-white to gold to rosy-mauve as the day progresses. Here you can watch the Changing of the Evzones Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier—on the lower level in front of Parliament—which takes place at intervals throughout the day. On a wall behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the bas-relief of a dying soldier is modeled after a sculpture on the Temple of Aphaia in Aegina; the text is from the funeral oration said to have been given by Pericles.

Pop into the gleaming Syntagma metro station to examine artfully displayed artifacts uncovered during subway excavations. A floor-to-ceiling cross section of earth behind glass shows finds in chronological layers, ranging from a skeleton in its ancient grave to traces of the 4th-century BC road to Mesogeia to an Ottoman cistern.

This is the capital's key zone for mass demonstrations and protests, Christmas and New Year celebrations (the city's tree is set up here), and political speeches. It is increasingly a hot spot for shopping or a rendezvous at the many nearby trendy cocktail bars, cafés, top notch restaurants, and a growing number of ethnic street food places.

Gazi, the neighborhood surrounding this former 19th-century-gasworks-turned-arts-complex, takes its name from the toxic gas fumes that used to spew from the factory's smokestacks. Today Gazi district is synonymous with an intellectual gallery scene and buzzy nightlife, with a special LGBTQIA+-friendly zone to boot. The smokestacks that glowing crimson at night are referential landmarks anchoring a burgeoning stretch that runs from the central neighborhood of Kerameikos to the once-decrepit neighborhood of Rouf. Since the city of Athens bought the disused gasworks in the late 1990s, it was converted, retaining the original brick architecture, into Technopolis, where large art exhibitions and events centered on gastronomy, social history, lifestyle, and culture (like the annual European Jazz Festival) regularly take place, and where the Industrial Gas Museum is housed.

Although the columns at the Temple of Poseidon appear to be gleaming white from a distance in the full sun, when you get closer you can see that they are made of gray-veined marble, quarried from the Agrileza valley 2 km (1 mile) north of the cape, and have 16 flutings rather than the usual 20. Climb the rocky path and beyond the scanty remains of an ancient propylon (gateway), you enter the temple compound. On your left is the temenos (precinct) of Poseidon; on your right, a stoa (arcade) and rooms. The temple itself, now roped off, was commissioned by Pericles, the leader of Greece's golden age. It was probably designed by Ictinus, the same architect who helped design the Temple of Hephaistos in the ancient Agora of Athens, and was built between 444 and 440 BC. The people here were considered Athenian citizens, the sanctuary was Athenian, and Poseidon occupied a position second only to Athena herself. The badly preserved frieze on the temple's east side is thought to have depicted the fight between the two gods to become patron of Athens.

The temple was built on the site of an earlier cult to Poseidon. Two colossal statues of youths, carved more than a century before the temple's construction, were discovered in early excavations and were perhaps votives to the god. Both now reside at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. The 15 Doric columns that remain stand sentinel over the Aegean, visible from miles away. Lord Byron had a penchant for carving his name on ancient monuments, and you can see it and other graffiti on the right corner pillar of the portico. The view from the summit is breathtaking. In the slanting light of the late-afternoon sun, the landmasses to the west stand out in sharp profile: the bulk of Aegina backed by the mountains of the Peloponnese. To the east, on a clear day, one can spot the Cycladic islands of Kea, Kythnos, and Serifos. On the land side, the slopes of the acropolis retain traces of the fortification walls.

The Theotoky Estate stretches over a long saddleback hill covered with pines and olives, while its vineyards and pastures blanket the adjacent valley floor. The boutique winery produces its own cold-pressed olive oil from over 4,000 ecologically managed trees, as well as the famed Theotoky wine, made from the farm's own grapes—it's one of the oldest and most respected estate-bottled vintages in Greece. Visit for a guided tour and tasting in the beautiful Venetian building where the wine is made and stored. Organic snacks are an optional extra, and the products are also for sale. You may book your tour in advance through the website.

As you travel south along the east coast, a strange sight meets you: an assemblage of buildings that look as if they have been transplanted from Morocco. In fact, this spectacular mosaic-tile bath complex was built in 1929 by the Italians. As far back as the early 2nd century BC, the area's mineral springs were prized; the great physician Hippocrates of Kos extolled these springs for alleviating liver, kidney, and rheumatic ailments. Though the baths are no longer in use, the ornate rotunda has been restored (art exhibitions are often on view), as have the peristyles and pergolas. You can wander through the beautifully landscaped grounds—note the pebble mosaics, an ancient folk tradition come alive again, with mosaics of fish, deer, and other images—and have a drink or snack in the attractive café, surrounded by a modern, sophisticated seating area with sun beds. A pretty beach rings a nearby cove.

This is the largest of the monasteries that line the gorge, and is arguably the most spectacular. Its white frontage seemingly dangles from the rocks, lidded by the heavy brow of the stone overhang. It is home to around a dozen monks at any given time. Rules are rather strict regarding visits, and between 1 pm and 5 pm it is closed to visitors. Appropriate dress is also required, and coveralls are provided in the courtyard if you only have shorts. Parts of the building date from the 16th century, and during the War of Independence it doubled as a hospital for the revolutionaries. Inside, its tiny katholico (church) is filled with exquisite frescoes. It can be reached by road as well as by hiking the gorge.

The well-preserved, ancient Mycenean citadel is an easy trip from Nafplion. The citadel makes use of a long low outcrop, on which was set the circuit wall of gigantic limestone blocks of the type called "cyclopean" because the ancients thought they could have been handled only by the giant cyclops—the largest block is estimated at more than 15 tons. Via the cyclopean ramp the citadel was entered on the east side, through a gate leading to a narrow passage between the outer and inner walls. You could then turn right, toward the residential section in the lower citadel, or to the left toward the upper citadel and palace. The heavy main gate and second gate blocked the passage to the palace and trapped attackers caught between the walls. After the second gate, the passage opens onto a rectangular courtyard, whose massive left-hand wall is pierced by a gallery of small vaulted chambers, or casemates, opening off a long narrow corridor roofed by a corbeled arch. (The chambers were possibly once used to stable horses, and the walls have been worn smooth by the countless generations of sheep and goats that have sheltered there.)

An elaborate entranceway leads west from the court to the upper citadel and palace, at the highest point of the acropolis. The complex included a colonnaded court; the great megaron (main hall) opened onto it and held the royal throne. Surviving fragments suggest that the floors and the walls were decorated, the walls with frescoes (now in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens) depicting a boar hunt and women riding in chariots. Beyond the megaron, a large court overlooks the houses in the lower citadel; from here, a long stairway descends to a small postern gate in the west wall. At the excavated part of the lower acropolis a significant discovery was made: two parallel tunnels, roofed in the same way as the galleries on the east and south sides, start within the acropolis and extend under the walls, leading to subterranean cisterns that ensured a continuous water supply.

For generations the Tossizza family had been one of the most prominent in Metsovo, and to get a sense of how Metsovites lived (and endured the arduous winters in style), visit their home, a restored late-Ottoman-period stone-and-timber building that is now the Tossizza Museum of popular art and local Epirote crafts. Built in 1661 and renovated in 1954, this typical Metsovo mansion has carved woodwork, sumptuous textiles in rich colors on a black background, and handcrafted Vlach furniture. In the stable you'll see the gold-embroidered saddle used for special holidays and, unique to this area, a fanlight in the fireplace, ensuring that the hearth would always be illuminated. The goatskin bag on the wall was used to store cheese, one of the area's most noted products. Wait for the guard to open the door prior to the tour. Guides usually speak some English.

Considered by Herodotus as the world's Eighth Wonder, this famed underground aqueduct was completed in 524 BC with archaic tools and without measuring instruments. The ruler Polycrates, not a man who liked to leave himself vulnerable, ordered the construction of the tunnel to ensure that Samos's water supply could never be cut off during an attack. Efpalinos of Megara, a hydraulics engineer, set perhaps 1,000 slaves into two teams, one digging on each side of Mt. Kastri. Fifteen years later, they met in the middle with just a tiny difference in the elevation between the two halves. The tunnel is about 1,018 meters (3,340 feet) long, and it remained in use as an aqueduct for almost 1,000 years. More than a mile of (long-gone) ceramic water pipe once filled the space, which was later used as a hiding place during pirate raids. Today the tunnel is exclusively a tourist attraction, and though some spaces are tight and slippery, you can walk the whole length—a wonderful way to enjoy natural coolness on swelteringly hot days—or part sections. On a hillside above the tunnel entrance are the scant remains of a Greek and Roman theater, and ancient city walls.

Athens's cacophonous Central Market runs along Athinas Street: on one side are open-air stalls selling fruit and vegetables, with a few stores selling mainly Eastern European foods tucked at the back. Across the street, in the huge Neoclassical covered market, built between 1870 and 1884 (and renovated in 1996), are the meat market next to the fish market, juxtaposing the surrealistic composition of suspended carcasses and shimmering fish on marble counters. The shops at the north end of the market, to the right on Sofokleous, sell the best cheese, olives, halvah, bread, spices, and cold cuts—including pastourma (spicy cured beef)—available in Athens. Nearby is Evripidou Street, lined with herb and spice shops all the way down. Small restaurants serving traditional fare and patsa (tripe soup) dot the market; these stay open until almost dawn and are popular stops with weary clubbers trying to ease their hangovers.

A steep 30-minute walk from downtown leads to a world utterly removed from the bustle below. This ruined 15th-century Venetian Castle sits high in the quiet hamlet of Bohali, built atop the site where the island's acropolis is thought to have stood. In 1514, invading Ottomans destroyed it only for its walls to be later rebuilt. It set the tone for the earthquake-stricken years that followed. Attempts by the British to conserve the building in 1812 stopped the rot, though today it's more like a quiet forest park, with only a few vestiges of its past still visible in its dungeons, armory, and fortifications. Views from the top are worth the climb alone.  Bear in mind the castle closes 30 minutes before the official closing time.

One of the great medieval monuments in the Mediterranean, the walls of Rhodes are wonderfully restored and illustrate the engineering capabilities as well as the financial and human resources available to the Knights of St. John. For 200 years the knights strengthened the walls by thickening them (by up to 40 feet in places) and curving them so as to deflect cannonballs. The moat between the inner and outer walls never contained water; it was a device to prevent invaders from constructing siege towers. You can get a sense of the enclosed city's massive scale by walking for free inside the moat; entrances can be found at the gates of St. Athanasius and Ambroise. It's particularly stunning early in the morning or in the evening, and makes a great spot for kids to run around and play games.

The city's most famous landmark, and a symbol of Macedonia, the White Tower is the only medieval defensive tower left standing along the seafront (the other remaining tower, the Trigoniou, is in the Upper City). Now a part of the Museum of Byzantine Culture, its six floors offer a wonderful multimedia introduction to the city's history. Much of that history occurred within these walls—for centuries this was a prison—and on its walls: formerly known as "Blood Tower," it got its current name in 1896 when a convict exchanged his sentence for whitewashing the entire structure (which was removed in a 1980s renovation). The displays teach you that formidable seawalls and intermittent towers encircled the medieval city and were erected in the 15th century on the site of earlier walls. In 1866, with the threat of piracy diminishing and European commerce increasingly imperative, the Ottoman Turks began demolishing them, except for the White Tower. At the top of your climb of 96 steps you are rewarded with a lovely museum café, whose rooftop setting provides sweeping vistas of the city.

The oldest winery in Greece was founded by the Bavarian Gustav Clauss in 1861 and continues to produce a distinctive line of wines. Mavrodaphne, a rich dessert wine, is the house specialty, and oak barrels still store vintages from Gustav's day. The winery is set on a hilltop amid fragrant pines in the village of Petroto.

Looming some 1,772 feet above Ancient Corinth, the Acrocorinth is one of the best naturally fortified citadels in Europe. Citizens retreated in times of invasions and earthquakes, and armies could keep an eye out for approaches by land over the isthmus and by sea from the Saronic Gulf and the Gulf of Corinth. The moat and three rings of wall are largely Byzantine, Frankish, Venetian, and Turkish—but the right-hand tower of the innermost of the three gates is apparently a 4th-century BC original. Corinth's famous Temple of Aphrodite, which had 1,000 sacred prostitutes in attendance, stood here at the summit, too. On the slope of the mountain is the Sanctuary of Demeter, which you can view but not enter. Take the road next to the ticket office in Ancient Corinth; if you don't have your own car, you can hire one of the taxis that often wait for visitors for the trip up to the tourist pavilion and café (about €10 round-trip), from which it's a 10-minute walk to Acrocorinth gate.

The Turks called this imposing hilltop of ruined fortifications Its Kale (Inner Citadel). The heights are crowned with a series of castles: a Frankish one on the eastern end of the hill, a Byzantine one on the west, and a massive Castello del Torrione (or Toro for short) built by the Venetians also at the eastern end in 1840. During the second Venetian occupation, the gates were strengthened and the huge Grimani bastion was added (1706) below the Toro. The Acronafplia is accessible from the west side via the battered elevator leading to the Nafplia Palace hotel, which sits on the ruins of the Frankish fort, and from the east via Potamianou Street, whose flights of steps ascend the hillside from St. Spyridon Square. The remains of the fortifications can be explored free of charge on overgrown sections that provide stupendous views over Nafplion and the sea.

Ancient Eresos "was founded on a hill and lied by the sea" according to the Greek geographer and historian Strabo, and sections of the preclassical walls, medieval castle ruins, and the 5th-century-AD church, Agios Andreas, remain from the storied and long-inhabited site. The church has a mosaic floor and a tiny adjacent museum housing local finds from tombs in the ancient cemetery.

About 2 km (1 mile) to the west of Rhodes's town center, atop Mt. Smith, are the freely accessible ruins of the Acropolis of Rhodes, a fine example of the stately sanctuaries that the ancient Greeks built atop many of their cities. The complex includes a theater that the Italians restored in the early 20th century, a stadium, three restored columns of the Temple of Apollo Pythios, the scrappy remains of the Temple of Athena Polias, a Nymphaia, and an Odeon. For a dramatic view, make your way to the westernmost edge of the summit, which drops via a sharp and almost inaccessible cliff to the shore below, now lined with large hotels.

Little in modern Sami points to the power this area once held. Its exploits during the Trojan War (1260–1180 BC) were once sung of by Homer, and by the 5th century BC it had become an independent state, controlling the entire east coast of the island. It only lost its autonomy when the Romans invaded in 188 BC but thereafter flourished for three centuries as a trading link between Greece and Rome, before the twin threats of pirates and earthquakes quickened its demise. What few relics of its heyday remain are found today at the end of a pleasant 2-km (1-mile) walk uphill from the town. Here, past the ruined monastery of St. Fanentes and sloping pine forests, you'll eventually reach the skeleton of the old acropolis (Kyatis), where anonymous clusters of fallen stone only hint at its past. If you don't fancy the walk, you can also drive there.

This strand of small pebbles has crystal clear, turquoise water and, despite some sun beds and umbrellas, a feeling of seclusion. Dassia, the thickly forested islet across the bay, was named after a female pirate who (legend has it) was drowned there—but not before hiding her treasure. Though it looks it, this is not a private beach. Visitors are permitted to access it via Adrina Beach Hotel. Inquire within. Amenities: food and drink; showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: snorkeling; sunset; swimming.

The charming Aegean Maritime Museum contains a collection of model ships, navigational instruments, old maps, prints, coins, and nautical memorabilia. The backyard garden displays some old anchors and ship wheels and a reconstructed 1890 lighthouse, once lit by oil.

This small but choice collection of artifacts was founded by Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias in 1829 and is regarded as the first national archaeological museum in the newly independent Greek state. Finds from the famed Temple of Aphaia and from excavations across the island, including Early- and Middle-Bronze-Age pottery, are on display. Among the Archaic and Classical works of art is the distinctive “Ram Jug,” a mid-Protoattic oinochoe (circa 650 BC) that shows Odysseus and his crew escaping Polyphemus the Cyclops, and a 5th-century-BC marble sphinx, a votive monument with a woman’s head, a lion’s body, and outstretched eagle wings.

Aegina was renowned as one of the best schools of pottery and sculpture in antiquity, and the exhibits here prove it. Just above the Archaeological Museum stands the ancient acropolis of Kolona, long the island’s religious and political heart. The settlement was first established in the Early Bronze Age (circa 3000 BC) and took the name Kolona (“Column”), popularized in Venetian times, because a single column of the Temple of Apollo still dominates the hill. Though the site is jumbled—archaeologists count 11 successive occupation layers—it’s a delight for archaeology buffs: you can trace fortification walls circa 1600–1300 BC, foundations of Classical shrines, and even modest Byzantine structures atop the ridge.

Set inside a handsome 1828 Neoclassical town house, bequeathed to the municipality by the Iriotis family, the museum re-creates island life in three vividly staged rooms. Upstairs you’ll find a parlor decked with period furniture, naïf paintings, lace curtaining, and wedding costumes that once graced local homes. Downstairs, a Fisherman’s Room features wooden floats, nets, and sponge-diving knives, while a Village Room displays hand-forged farm tools and an olive press from the interior hamlets. A small ground-floor gallery hosts temporary exhibitions.

Just beyond Marathonas, this mostly sandy bay with crystalline green water is fringed by eucalyptus and pine trees. Shallow depths suit young swimmers; the beach bar rents loungers, runs a volleyball court and hosts low-key DJ sets on summer weekends. KTEL buses to Perdika stop about 200 meters (656 feet) above the beach. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); showers; water sports. Best for: sunset; swimming.

Considered one of Syros's most beautiful beaches, Agathopes gets packed in peak season due to its shallow waters and fine sand. If you're there at the right time, you'll find a unique small islet where white sea lilies blossom. The sea view is also dotted with the uninhabited islands of Schinonissi and Stroggilo. Beachgoers can rent lounge chairs and umbrellas, and there is a well-known beach club and a couple of local tavernas within walking distance. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: swimming.

Nestled in the shadow of the Agios Minas cathedral is one of Crete's most attractive small churches, named after St. Katherine and built in 1555. The church now houses a museum of icons by Cretan artists, who often traveled to Venice to study with Italian Renaissance painters. Look for six icons by Michael Damaskinos, who worked in both Byzantine and Renaissance styles during the 16th century. Crete's most famous artist, Domenikos Theotocopoulos, better known as El Greco, studied at the monastery school attached to the church in the mid-16th century.

South of Naxos Town, Agia Anna is a sandy-smooth extension of Agios Prokopios Beach. A small port, with connections to Paros, it often has picturesque little boats docked here. At one point considered a main commercial harbor of the island, today it's a popular beach for water sports and those who want to enjoy the simplicity of its turquoise waters. The small village behind it is filled with restaurants, cafés, and beach bars. Beach chair and umbrella rentals are abundant. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee); water sports. Best for: swimming; walking.

Somewhat hidden in the shadow of Kalafatis Beach, Agia Anna is a low-key beach, named after a little whitewashed chapel nearby. It’s a place where you can observe windsurfers in the distance as fishing boats bob calmly in the wind-protected waters. Two hills protect the bay—the locals lovingly call them divounia, or Aphrodite’s breasts. Summer beach chair and umbrella rentals are available and there is a beach bar and a couple of tavernas. There are also two easy hiking paths to neighboring Platis Gialos and Paraga beaches. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: swimming.