Table of Contents
1. Explore Ancient Greece
This is, for many people, the primary reason to come. Greece is where Western civilization was invented — democracy, philosophy, theater, the Olympic Games — and the physical evidence is still there, remarkably intact.
The Acropolis & Parthenon (Athens)
The non-negotiable. Two and a half thousand years old, still standing, still extraordinary. The Parthenon is the most important building in Western architectural history and seeing it in person — surrounded by the city it has watched over since 447 BCE — is a different experience from any photograph.
Book timed-entry tickets in advance (€30, required). Arrive at 8am when the gates open. Visit the Acropolis Museum immediately afterward — it has the original Caryatids, the Parthenon frieze, and context that makes everything on the hill make sense.
Complete Acropolis & Parthenon visitor guide → | Things to do in Athens → | 3 days in Athens →
💡 Book a skip-the-line Acropolis guided tour →
Delphi
The sanctuary of Apollo, site of the most famous oracle in the ancient world, perched dramatically on the slopes of Mount Parnassus at 570m elevation. The Sacred Way, the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians, and the ancient theater are all preserved within a site that is genuinely one of the most atmospherically spectacular in Greece.
A 2.5-hour drive from Athens. Doable as a day trip, better as an overnight stop in Arachova (a beautiful mountain village 10 minutes away).
💡 Book a Delphi day trip from Athens →
Ancient Olympia
Where the Olympic Games were held every four years for over a millennium, from 776 BCE until 393 CE. The sanctuary of Zeus, the stadium, the gymnasium, the palaestra — all still there in the Peloponnese countryside, shaded by olive and pine trees. Less dramatic than Delphi but deeply affecting in a different way.
Mycenae, Epidaurus & Nafplio in a Day
The great Peloponnese day trip. Mycenae is the Bronze Age citadel of Agamemnon — the Lion Gate, the Treasury of Atreus, the cyclopean walls — a UNESCO site that predates classical Greece by 1,000 years. Epidaurus has the best-preserved ancient theater in the world, with acoustics so precise that a whisper on stage reaches the back row. Nafplio ties the day together as Greece's most beautiful small city, with a Venetian fortress, neoclassical streets, and excellent restaurants.
Nafplio travel guide → | Mycenae travel guide → | Epidaurus travel guide →
💡 Book a Mycenae & Epidaurus guided day tour →
Meteora
Not an ancient Greek site — but one of the most extraordinary things to see in Greece. Byzantine monasteries, built in the 14th–16th centuries, perched on vertical rock pillars rising 300–400 meters from the Thessalian plain. Six monasteries remain active and open to visitors. The landscape is unlike anything else in Europe. Visit at dawn before tour buses arrive, or at dusk when the rock turns amber.
💡 Book a Meteora guided tour →
2. Go Island Hopping
Greece has over 6,000 islands — 227 inhabited. The skill is knowing which ones to pick for what you want, and how to connect them. Ferries are the backbone of island travel; flying is faster but you miss the arrival experience.
The fundamental choice: Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Milos) or Ionian Islands (Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Lefkada)? The Cyclades are more dramatic, more Greek-postcard, and better connected. The Ionians are greener, lusher, and have a Venetian influence that makes them feel distinctly different.
Santorini
The most famous island in Greece — justifiably so, and occasionally overhyped. The caldera is genuinely extraordinary: a submerged volcanic crater with sheer cliffs dropping 300 meters to the sea, villages hanging on the rim. Sunset from Oia (get there an hour early for a good position), wine tasting at a vineyard with views over the caldera, a boat trip around the volcanic islands — these are the experiences that define Santorini.
The island is very busy from July through September. For a dramatically better experience: visit May or October.
Trip to Santorini → | Things to do in Santorini → | Santorini tours → | Where to stay in Santorini → | Best hotels in Santorini → | Best restaurants in Santorini →
💡 Book a Santorini caldera sailing tour → | Browse Santorini hotels →
Mykonos
Greece's most cosmopolitan island — spectacular beaches, famous beach clubs, excellent restaurants, and nightlife that runs until dawn. Little Venice (the old waterfront quarter), the iconic windmills, and the chora (old town) with its winding whitewashed lanes are all genuinely beautiful during daylight hours. Best visited for 2–3 days rather than as a base for a longer stay.
Trip to Mykonos → | Things to do in Mykonos → | Mykonos tours → | Where to stay in Mykonos → | Best restaurants in Mykonos →
Crete
Greece's largest island and one that functions almost as a separate country — big enough that you need a car and several days to see it properly. Ancient Minoan ruins at Knossos, the Samaria Gorge (one of Europe's great hikes), the pink-sand beach at Elafonissi, the Venetian harbor at Chania, the mountain village culture of the interior — Crete rewards time more than almost any island.
Crete travel guide → | Things to do in Crete → | Chania travel guide → | Things to do in Chania → | Where to stay in Crete → | Tours in Crete →
Naxos
The most underrated major Cycladic island. Greece's largest Cycladic island has everything: long sandy beaches (some of the best in the archipelago), a beautiful fortified old town (chora) with a Venetian castle, inland mountain villages, ancient marble quarries, and exceptional local food — Naxos graviera cheese, Naxos potatoes, fresh seafood. Less frenetic than Santorini or Mykonos, more authentic, and significantly cheaper.
Naxos travel guide → | Things to do in Naxos → | Where to stay in Naxos → | Best restaurants in Naxos →
Paros
The best all-rounder in the Cyclades. Golden beaches, excellent tavernas, a beautiful traditional village (Naoussa), watersports (Paros is a world-class windsurfing destination), and easy ferry connections to everywhere. Works for couples, families, and solo travelers. Less scenically dramatic than Santorini, more relaxed than Mykonos, more infrastructure than Naxos.
Paros travel guide → | Things to do in Paros → | Where to stay in Paros → | Best restaurants in Paros →
Milos
The island with the best beaches in Greece — full stop. Sarakiniko (white volcanic rock formations creating a lunar landscape), Kleftiko (sea caves and turquoise water accessible by boat), Tsigrado, Firopotamos, Papafragas. The island is geologically unique — volcanic, with coastlines unlike anywhere else in the Aegean. A boat trip around Milos is the single best day-trip activity on any Greek island.
Milos travel guide → | Things to do in Milos → | Where to stay in Milos →
💡 Book a Milos boat tour to Kleftiko →
Corfu
The greenest Greek island — Venetian palaces, cricket matches on the Esplanade (a British colonial legacy), and the densest concentration of ancient olive trees in Greece. The old town of Corfu is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Beautiful beaches on the west coast (Paleokastritsa, Glyfada). Works well for families and those who want organized beach infrastructure.
Corfu travel guide → | Things to do in Corfu → | Where to stay in Corfu → | Best restaurants in Corfu →
Rhodes
Greece's most historically layered island. The medieval walled city of Rhodes Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe — a UNESCO site where the Knights of St John built their headquarters in the 14th century. The Palace of the Grand Master, the Street of the Knights, and the old town walls are all intact. South of the city: Lindos (a cliff-top ancient acropolis), and long sandy beaches that explain why Rhodes is one of Greece's most visited islands.
Rhodes travel guide → | Things to do in Rhodes → | Where to stay in Rhodes → | Rhodes tours →
More island guides: Kefalonia → | Zakynthos → | Lefkada → | Hydra → | Sifnos → | Folegandros → | Ios → | Skiathos →
3. Eat and Drink Seriously
Greek food is one of the great underrated cuisines — and that underrating is largely because what gets exported and imitated abroad bears little resemblance to what you eat in Greece itself.
The essentials: a proper horiatiki (village salad) with tomatoes that actually taste like tomatoes; grilled octopus dried and charred over charcoal then drizzled with olive oil; fresh-caught sea bream; spanakopita still warm from the bakery oven; tzatziki so garlicky it makes your eyes water.
The best food cities in Greece:
Athens — The Central Market (Varvakios) is one of Europe's great food markets. The neighborhood of Monastiraki has excellent souvlaki. Psyrri and Exarchia have the best traditional tavernas. Kolonaki has excellent modern Greek restaurants.
Things to do in Athens → | Best restaurants in Athens →
💡 Book an Athens food tour → | Book an Athens cooking class →
Thessaloniki — Widely regarded as the best food city in Greece. Superior meze culture, bougatsa (cream-filled phyllo pastry) for breakfast, trigona (honey-cream pastry triangles), and a café culture that starts at 9am and goes until 2am.
Thessaloniki travel guide → | Best restaurants in Thessaloniki → | Things to do in Thessaloniki →
Sifnos — Tiny Cycladic island with a culinary tradition completely out of proportion to its size. Revithia (slow-cooked chickpea soup baked overnight in clay pots), mastelo (lamb or goat with wine and rosemary), and exceptional local cheese. Considered by Greek food cognoscenti to be the best food island in the country.
Sifnos travel guide → | Best restaurants in Sifnos →
Chania, Crete — The Cretan diet is the Mediterranean diet in its purest form. Dakos (barley rusk with tomato and mizithra cheese), fresh olive oil from local producers, wild greens, lamb from the White Mountains. The Venetian harbor area has excellent tavernas that avoid being tourist traps.
Best restaurants in Chania → | Things to do in Chania →
4. Swim at Greece's Best Beaches
Greece has approximately 13,700km of coastline and some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean. The Aegean is cooler and choppier than the Ionian — which side of the country you're on matters.
The beaches worth building a trip around:
- Elafonissi (Crete) — pink-tinged sand from crushed coral, shallow wading water, flamingo-pink tones in late afternoon light. One of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. Elafonissi guide →
- Balos Lagoon (Crete) — turquoise lagoon accessible by boat or a 45-minute walk from a clifftop car park. Pink sand, shallow water, dramatic headland backdrop. Balos guide →
- Navagio (Zakynthos) — the "shipwreck beach" — a rusted freighter stranded in a cove of pure white sand, surrounded by vertical white limestone cliffs. Accessible only by boat. Instantly recognizable.
- Sarakiniko (Milos) — volcanic white rock formations, no sand, and electric blue water. Otherworldly — more lunar landscape than beach. Swim from the rocks.
- Myrtos (Kefalonia) — sheer white limestone cliffs above a perfect crescent of white pebbles and vivid blue-green water. Best viewed from above before descending.
- Porto Katsiki (Lefkada) — similar to Myrtos in drama but sand rather than pebbles. Accessible by steps from the clifftop car park.
- Voidokilia (Messinia) — a perfect horseshoe of golden sand in a natural lagoon, backed by dunes and a Mycenaean castle. Almost empty outside August.
Best beaches in Greece → | Which Greek island has the best beaches →
5. Take a Day Trip from Athens
Athens is a superb base for Greece's greatest day trips — most of the major archaeological sites and several of the best mainland destinations are within 2–3 hours.
Day Trip | Distance from Athens | Highlights | Best For
Cape Sounion | 70km (1.5h) | Temple of Poseidon on a sea cliff, Aegean views | History + sunset
Nafplio + Mycenae + Epidaurus | 120–150km (2–2.5h) | Venetian town, Bronze Age citadel, ancient theater | Full archaeological day
Delphi | 180km (2.5h) | Apollo's oracle sanctuary, mountain scenery | History + nature
Meteora | 330km (4h) | Clifftop monasteries, rock pillar landscape | Scenic + spiritual
Cape Sounion guide → | Delphi guide → | Meteora guide → | Nafplio guide →
💡 Browse Athens day tours on GetYourGuide →
6. Hike Greece's Great Trails
Greece is a serious hiking destination, significantly underrated as such. Mountains cover 80% of the mainland, and the trail network — while less formal than alpine Europe — is extensive.
The essential hikes:
Samaria Gorge (Crete) — 16km descent through Europe's longest gorge, from the Omalos plateau to the Libyan Sea. A full day's walk through wildflower meadows, narrow canyon passages (the Iron Gates, 3 meters wide at the narrowest point), and dramatic limestone cliffs. Open May–October. Arrange transport back from Agia Roumeli to Chania in advance.
Tours in Crete → | Samaria Gorge guide →
Vikos Gorge (Zagori, Epirus) — One of the deepest gorges in the world relative to width. The trail through the gorge and the stone-arch bridges of the Zagori villages above make this one of Greece's great trekking experiences. Spectacular in autumn.
Zagori villages guide → | Vikos Gorge guide → | Ioannina travel guide →
Mount Olympus — Greece's highest mountain (2,917m) and home of the gods in Greek mythology. The summit approach from Litochoro takes 2 days with an overnight at a mountain refuge. Serious hiking but not technical — no ropes or specialist equipment required for the main routes.
Mount Olympus guide → | Litochoro guide →
Santorini Caldera Rim Walk — A 10km walk from Fira to Oia along the caldera rim. Dramatic views the entire way. Takes 3–4 hours; best done early morning in summer to avoid heat. End in Oia for sunset.
Pelion Peninsula — The mythological home of the centaurs — wooded mountain trails connecting traditional stone villages, with views over the Pagasetic Gulf. A green, cool alternative to the islands in summer.
7. Go Sailing
Sailing is one of the great ways to experience Greece — the Aegean and Ionian are among the world's best cruising grounds, with reliable winds, hundreds of anchorages, and the ability to reach beaches and islands that are completely inaccessible by road.
Options range from crewed charter yachts (you sit back, a captain and cook take you from island to island) to bareboat charters (you sail it yourself) to flotilla holidays (sailing with a small group of boats, guided by a lead boat).
Best sailing bases: Athens/Piraeus (for the Saronic Gulf and Cyclades), Lefkada (for the Ionian islands), Rhodes (for the Dodecanese), and Thessaloniki (for the Northern Aegean).
Even without a yacht: Catamaran day trips from Santorini (to the volcanic islands and hot springs) and Milos (around the sea caves) are among the best water-based experiences in Greece.
💡 Book a Santorini catamaran cruise → | Book a Milos boat tour →
8. Discover Greece's Mainland
Beyond Athens and the islands, mainland Greece has extraordinary destinations that most visitors never reach — and several that belong on any serious traveler's list.
Thessaloniki
Greece's second city deserves 2–3 days. Byzantine churches (15 UNESCO-listed monuments), Roman ruins in the middle of the city, an extraordinary food culture, and a university-driven nightlife scene that rivals Athens. The waterfront promenade at sunset is one of the great urban experiences in Greece.
Thessaloniki guide → | Things to do in Thessaloniki → | Where to stay in Thessaloniki →
The Peloponnese
The great peninsula south of Athens is where Greek history is most densely concentrated. Ancient Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus, the Byzantine city of Mystras, the medieval sea-rock of Monemvasia, and the Mani peninsula's tower houses — all within a day's drive of each other.
Nafplio → | Monemvasia → | Mystras → | Sparta → | Kalamata → | Gytheio → | Pylos →
Zagori & Epirus
The most undervisited part of Greece — and the one that most surprises people who make it there. Forty-six traditional stone villages (the Zagorochoria), the Vikos Gorge, the Voidomatis River (one of Europe's cleanest), and the medieval lakeside city of Ioannina.
Zagori villages → | Ioannina → | Metsovo → | Parga →
Halkidiki
The three-pronged peninsula east of Thessaloniki. The first two prongs (Kassandra and Sithonia) have excellent beaches and good tourist infrastructure. The third (Mount Athos) is an autonomous monastic state — 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, no women permitted, requires a special entry permit for men.
Halkidiki guide → | Things to do in Halkidiki →
9. Hidden Gems: Greece Off the Radar
Folegandros — A small Cycladic island with one of the most dramatically located village capitals in Greece (the chora clings to a clifftop 200m above the sea). No airport, limited nightlife, exceptional hiking, and a pace of life that is the antidote to Santorini.
Hydra — A Saronic island 2 hours by ferry from Athens with no cars, no motorbikes, no roads. Transport is by donkey, water taxi, or on foot. The port town is architecturally pristine — 18th-century stone mansions, a working harbor, no concessions to modernity. One of the great one-day trips from Athens.
Hydra guide → | Things to do in Hydra →
Monemvasia — A medieval town on a sea rock connected to the Peloponnese mainland by a single causeway. The lower town (inhabited) has Byzantine churches, Venetian mansions, and wisteria-covered stone streets. The upper town is deserted ruins. Completely extraordinary.
Ikaria — The "island of longevity" — one of the world's five Blue Zones, where an unusually high proportion of people live past 90. Attributed locally to the diet, the social culture (long meals, late nights, afternoon naps), and a relaxed relationship with time. Ferries run late; schedules are approximate; nobody seems troubled by this.
Symi — A small Dodecanese island near Rhodes with one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the Aegean: a semi-circular bay lined with neoclassical mansions painted in terracotta, mustard, and pale blue. Arrive by ferry from Rhodes for a day trip or stay overnight for the harbor at night, empty of tourists.
Symi guide → | Things to do in Symi →
Zagori villages — Already mentioned in the hiking section, but worth emphasizing as a travel destination in their own right. Stone-bridge villages, bears and wolves in the forests (genuinely — this is real wilderness), Byzantine frescoes in village churches, and air that smells of pine resin.
Best Things to Do in Greece: Decision Guide
Not sure where to start? Use this to narrow it down.
If you want... | Go to...
The most iconic ancient site | Athens (Acropolis)
Best overall ancient site experience | Delphi
Most dramatic landscapes | Meteora or Santorini
Best beaches overall | Milos or Naxos
Most authentic island | Folegandros or Sifnos
Best food city | Thessaloniki
Best island for couples | Santorini or Milos
Best island for families | Naxos or Corfu
Best island for nightlife | Mykonos or Ios
Best hiking | Samaria Gorge (Crete) or Zagori
Best sailing base | Lefkada (Ionian) or Athens (Cyclades)
Most underrated mainland destination | Nafplio or Monemvasia
Best off-season city break | Athens or Thessaloniki
Practical Tips for Things to Do in Greece
When to go: April–May and September–October for the best balance of weather, crowds, and prices. July–August is peak season everywhere — book accommodation and popular sites weeks in advance.
Best time to travel to Greece → | Greece weather by month →
Getting around: Ferries connect the islands — book ahead in summer, especially for car spaces. Domestic flights (Olympic Air, Aegean) are efficient for longer inter-island jumps. Rent a car for Crete, the Peloponnese, and any mainland destination — public transport is inadequate outside cities.
How to travel to Greece from the USA → | Flights to Greece from USA → | Car rental Athens → | Car rental Crete →
Costs: Greece is mid-range European pricing — cheaper than France, Italy, or Scandinavia, more expensive than the Balkans. Budget: €80–120/day per person covering accommodation, food, and activities. Midrange: €150–250/day. Islands in peak season, especially Santorini and Mykonos, push prices significantly higher.
How much does a trip to Greece cost → | Is Greece expensive →
Start Planning
How to plan a trip to Greece → | Greece itinerary 7 days → | Greece itinerary 10 days → | Best places to visit in Greece → | Where to go in Greece for the first time → | Best Greek islands to visit →
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