Syntagma & Plaka
This 11th-century church is worth a detour just to see it still existing amid all the modern office buildings. Inside, you'll see a tiled dome and, under…
Syntagma & Plaka
This 11th-century church is worth a detour just to see it still existing amid all the modern office buildings. Inside, you'll see a tiled dome and, under…
Kos Town
Due to damage caused by an earthquake in 2017, Kos’ magnificent 15th-century castle is currently closed. Nevertheless, given its extraordinary location at…
Central Greece
Towering northwards above Delphi and Arahova, Mt Parnassos was sacred to the gods Dionysos and Apollo. The modern Parnassos National Park holds three…
Archaeological Museum of Amphipolis
Macedonia
This well-curated museum shows artefacts from the Athenian colony of Amphipolis (later a Macedonian and Roman city) and its surrounding area, from 5000 BC…
Argolis
The unfairly underrated Mycenaean acropolis, 4km north of Nafplio, is the apogee of Mycenaean architectural achievement. Legend has it that its massive…
Peloponnese
Ten kilometres north of Kalavryta, this is believed to be one of the oldest monasteries in Greece (though the current building dates from the 20th century…
Around Athens
Eleusis occupies a great site on the slopes of a low hill, close to the shore of the Saronic Gulf. Although little has been restored, the scale of its…
Argolis
Atmospheric Franchthi Cave is one of Greece’s oldest and most significant Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic sites, with occupation dating back over…
Kos Town
This open archaeological site, south of the centre, holds ancient ruins uncovered by an earthquake in 1933. Its real treasures are the mosaics of the…
Epiros
Set in a wildflower-carpeted valley 21km southwest of Ioannina, Dodoni was the religious capital of the ancient Epirote Alliance. It is most famous for…
Milos
Clinging to a lonely patch of hillside just below Trypiti, this large Roman-era theatre entertained the citizens of Ancient Melos from the 1st to the 4th…
Military Museum of Chromonastiri
Rethymno Province
Offering a sobering account of the Battle of Crete – one of WWII's most infamous battles, which was waged in 1941 in this very area – is this small war…
Ioannina
This monastery, active at least since the 13th century, bursts with flowers and is tended by kindly nuns – in stark contrast with its church, in which one…
The Mani
This spectacular peninsula juts out of the Mani coast like an upside-down saucepan and, indeed, its Greek name means 'frying pan'. The high point of…
Hania Province
At the eastern tip of Rodopou Peninsula are the remains of a temple to Diktynna, Cretan goddess of hunting, who was worshipped fervently in the west of…
Macedonia
Some 50km southeast of Thessaloniki on the main road is the stalagmite-rich Petralona Cave. Discovered by Petralona village locals in 1959, it became…
Thasos
West from Alyki, past Thymonia Beach, is the clifftop Moni Arhangelou, an Athonite dependency and working convent, notable for its 400-year-old church …
Rethymno Province
This peaceful square is anchored by a statue of an unknown solider that honours Anogia's role in WWII. As the main centre of resistance against Nazi…
Around Athens
Mt Parnitha, about 25km north of Athens, comprises a number of smaller peaks, the highest of which is Karavola (1413m), tall enough to get snow in winter…
Ioannina
A more heavily fortified section within the Kastro, the Its Kale (Inner Castle) today feels less like a citadel than a city park. Inside the ramparts, on…
Samos
It's hard to fully grasp the former magnificence of this ancient sanctuary of the goddess Hera, 4km west of Pythagorio, from these scattered ruins. The …
Central Greece
Just inside the Gate of Exodus, where Ottoman forces massacred escaping Greeks in 1826, this memorial garden contains a prominent statue of Lord Byron …
Symi
Climbing calf-crunching, knee-knobbling Kali Strata, the broad stair path that sets off from the alleyways behind the harbour, will bring you in a mere…
Hania Province
Founded in 1618, Moni Gonias was damaged by the Turks in 1645 but rebuilt in 1662 and extended in the 19th century. The monastery houses a unique…
Evia
Ancient Eretria was a major maritime power with an eminent school of philosophy, and was destroyed in 87 BC by the Roman commander Sylla. Its scant but…
Thessaloniki
As immaculately laid out as you'd expect of the Romans, this rectangular site was the centre of public and commercial Thessaloniki from the 1st to the 4th…
Botanical Park & Gardens of Crete
Hania Province
On the main Hania–Omalos road south of Fournes, the excellent Botanical Park is well signposted about halfway between Fournes and Lakki. It was created by…
Zakynthos
The most dramatic sight along the west coast is magnificent Shipwreck Beach. A favourite of Instagrammers travelling through the Greek islands, the beach…
Rethymno Province
A popular hike from Rethymno is through this lush, leafy gorge that spans 4km along a scenic stream. Along the route you'll encounter stone houses from…
Hippocratic Botanic Garden & International Hippocratic Foundation
Kos
This little-known place, 1km before Asklepieion, does not have the immediate 'wow' factor due to its modest collection. But it should. It houses a small…
Athens
This museum has been closed since 2015, when it began its transition to this new site at Adrianou. Once it reopens in 2020, it will display secular and…
Rethymno Province
While Iraklio gets all the plaudits as Crete's main wine producer, Rethymno has the honour of being the first place in Greece to be named a 'European City…
Corfu Town
This park-like wooded estate 2km around the bay south of the Old Town was the site of Corfu’s most important ancient settlement, Palaeopolis. More…
Central Greece
An attractive road through a high mountain valley leads for 34km south of Karpenisi to the village of Prousos. To reach the 12th-century Moni Panagias…
Thessaloniki
One of Thessaloniki's most famous mansions, built in 1912 by Pierro Arrigoni for Sephardic entrepreneur Dino Fernandez Siaz, the White House features art…
Late Minoan Cemetery of Armeni
Rethymno Province
Wandering around this leafy cemetery created by the Minoans between 1600 and 1150 BC, you can practically sense the presence of uncounted souls once…
Rhodes Town
The main gallery of the four-part Modern Greek Art Museum, near the New Town’s northern tip, holds paintings, engravings and sculptures by some of Greece…
Rethymno Province
Here guided tours take you 270m below ground and through seven chambers with such fanciful names as Sanctuary of the Fairy and Zeus’ Palace. All teem with…
Around Athens
The evocative, overgrown and secluded ruins of the ancient port of Ramnous, about 10km northeast of Marathon, stand on a picturesque plateau overlooking…
Thessaloniki
Candlelight on gold chandeliers pierces the gloom in this stunning 8th-century church, modelled on its İstanbul namesake. Among many striking 8th- and 9th…