Argolis
In its day Epidavros, 30km east of Nafplio, was famed and revered across the Mediterranean as a place of miraculous healing. Visitors came great distances…
Must-see attractions in Greece
Around Athens
The Ancient Greeks knew how to choose a site for a temple. At Cape Sounion, 70km south of Athens, the Temple of Poseidon stands on a craggy spur that…
Museum of the Kalavryta Holocaust
Peloponnese
This is a powerful tribute to the residents of Kalavryta who perished in the 13 December 1943 slaughter perpetrated by the German army. It’s a dignified,…
Messinia
The best preserved of all Mycenaean palaces lies 17km north of Pylos and is a thrilling sight. It's described in Homer's 'Odyssey' as the court of the…
Elounda
Tiny Spinalonga Island became a leper colony in 1903 and catapulted into pop-cultural consciousness thanks to Victoria Hislop's 2005 bestselling novel The…
Peloponnese
Situated on a wild, isolated spot overlooking rugged mountains and hills, this World Heritage–listed temple is one of Greece’s most atmospheric…
Zagorohoria
The Voïdomatis ('Good Water' in its Slavic roots) River, a tributary of the Aoös, carved the 12km-long, 900m-deep Vikos Gorge over millions of years. Per…
Rethymno Province
The 16th-century Arkadi Monastery, 23km southeast of Rethymno, has deep significance for Cretans. As the site where hundreds of cornered locals massacred…
Hania Province
Tucked into Crete’s southwestern corner, this symphony of fine pink-white sand, turquoise water and gentle rose dunes looks like a magical dreamscape. As…
Hania Province
The ruins of the ancient city of Aptera, about 13.5km east of Hania, spread over two hills that lord grandly over Souda Bay. Founded in the 7th century BC…
Peloponnese
The remarkable Cave of the Lakes lies 16.5km south of Kalavryta near the village of Kastria. A 500m boardwalk snakes its way through the cave, through the…
National Marine Park of Alonnisos Northern Sporades
Alonnisos
In a country not particularly noted for ecological foresight, Europe's largest marine park (2260 sq km) is a welcome innovation. Created in 1992, its…
Thessaloniki
Macedonia's prehistory, Hellenistic and Roman periods are charted in this wonderful museum, home to many of the region's major archaeological discoveries…
Dadia-Lefkimi-Soufli National Park
Thrace
This large patch of protected forest is on a major bird migration route and home to three of Europe's four vulture species. Visits are best in spring or…
Athens
This was the city’s market area under Roman rule, and it occupied a much larger area than the current site borders. You can see a lot from outside the…
Hania
The setting alone in the beautifully restored 16th-century Venetian Church of San Francisco is reason to visit this fine collection of artefacts from…
Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest
Lesvos
This fascinating state-of-the-art museum chronicles what a volcano can do at a moment's notice – in this case 20 million years ago. Don't miss the…
Central Greece
The monastery of Moni Osios Loukas, a World Heritage site, overlooks a remote valley 23km southeast of Arahova, between the villages of Distomo and…
Athens
The 1st floor of this exceptional private museum is dedicated to the iconic minimalist marble Cycladic figurines, dating from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. They…
Macedonia
Founded in 356 BC by the energetic Macedonian dynast Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, this evocatively sited ancient city is on Unesco's World…
Cyclades
From the 8th century BC until the 7th century AD, this remote twin cove was the site of the ancient city of Karthaia, one of Kea's four historic city…
Samos
In a word: extraordinary. In 524 BC, when Pythagorio (then called Samos) was the island’s capital and a bustling metropolis of 80,000, securing sources…
Church of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris
Athens
At the foot of Filopappou Hill, this 16th-century church may not be the oldest in Athens, but it is certainly one of the loveliest, with a heavy timber…
Rethymno Province
Although just a huge and fairly featureless hole in the ground, Ideon has sacred importance in mythology as the place where Zeus was reared by his mother,…
Rethymno Province
A must-see for anyone visiting the ruins of Eleutherna is the accompanying modern museum that contextualises the ancient city through the exhibition of…
Syntagma & Plaka
The Roman emperor Hadrian had a great affection for Athens. Although he did his fair share of spiriting its Classical artwork to Rome, he also embellished…
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio
While not particularly large, this museum houses a significant collection of Islamic art. Four floors of a mansion display, in ascending chronological…
Corfu Town
The rocky headland that juts east from Corfu Town is topped by the Venetian-built 14th-century Palaio Frourio. Before that, already enclosed within…
Rethymno Province
About 2km outside the village of Melidoni is this stunning cathedral-like cave, an evocative underworld of stalactites and stalagmites. A place of worship…
Aegina
This enchanting remote hillside is dotted with the remains of a Byzantine village. More than 30 surviving churches punctuate the rocky heights of the…
Dodecanese
A visit to the caldera is like stepping into a science fiction movie, cows grazing amid strange coloured rocks in what resembles a lunar landscape.
Ierapetra
Ierapetra is the launch pad for boat trips to uninhabited Chrissi Island (also known as Gaïdouronisi or Hrysi Island). It is famous for its golden beaches…
Hania
There are few places where Hania's historic charm and grandeur are more palpable than in the old Venetian Harbour. It's lined by pastel-coloured buildings…
Thessaloniki
This enormous 7th-century basilica honours Thessaloniki’s patron saint. A Roman soldier, Dimitrios was killed around AD 306 at this former Roman bath site…
Archaeological Museum of Patras
Patra
This fabulous museum should be shouting its existence from its space-age rooftop. Its exhibits comprise regional objects from prehistoric to Roman times…
Hania Province
Akrotiri Peninsula’s major cultural site, the impressive and beautiful 17th-century Moni Agias Triadas, is an active monastery with a rich library and is…
Rhodes
Cradled in a natural hillside amphitheatre 1km up from the sea, the remarkably complete ruins of ancient Kamiros stand 34km southwest of Rhodes Town…
Samos
Follow the north-coast road out of Vathy for 10km and look for a signposted dirt road to the left leading to Livadaki Beach. Here, tropical azure waters…
Iraklio
After six years of restoration, Iraklio’s symbol, the 16th-century fortress called Rocca al Mare by the Venetians, reopened in August 2016 with a brand…
Aegina
The well-preserved remains of this impressive temple stand proudly on a pine-covered hill with far-reaching views over the Saronic Gulf. Built in 480 BC,…
