Greek Islands

The Greek Islands are scattered like jewels across the Aegean, each with their own unique characteristic, from hedonistic playgrounds to holistic retreats.  Greece has 1,400 islands in total, each with their own unique history and traditions – you can take your pick from peaceful retreats to 24 hour party island.
Greek island-hopping is the perfect holiday for free spirits, comfortable and cheap rooms are easy to find and ferry links on the main routes are frequent, making the Greek island the ideal destination for a first class budget holiday.

Arguably the most famous, are the Cyclades Islands, including Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos and Paros, largely down to their reputation for an exciting nightlife, lovely beaches and water sports.

Rhodes, is one of the Dodecanese Islands, situated in the far south-east of the Aegean Sea, along with Kos, Simi and Karpathos, while the beautiful island of Crete, the biggest of all the Greek islands, is a short hop across the Mediterranean to Africa.

The Ionian Islands of Kefalonia, Corfu and Zakynthos, located to the west side of Greece, are also a magnate for holiday makers and boast a significant choice of stunning beaches, bars and nightlife.

The Saronic Gulf islands, including Aegina, Poros, Hydra and Spetses, are close to Athens and provide a more rustic holiday experience.

The tranquil, verdant Sporades islands are also ideal for those who want to relax and soak up the sun. Located to the far east of the Aegean Sea are the North East Aegean islands of Samos, Hios and Lesbos, which have plenty of ancient monuments to explore.

Secluded Beaches in Greece

Navagio Beach in Zakynthos, also known as Shipwreck bay, is the trademark of the island. It can only be reached by boat (leaving hourly), from Porto Vromi. Greece is one of Europe’s most popular summer playground, so avoid the crowd by hitting the beach in April or end of September.

 

Getting Around

Athens Metro is an excellent way to get around. Electric trams and trolleys are quite efficient, and can take you all the way to the Athens coasts. Buses are overcrowded and best avoided. When taking the taxi make sure the taximeter is on and running properly and you won't have a problem. Be careful when crossing the streets - green lights does NOT mean that you can cross the road without looking. Renting the car is not a good idea for Athens, but it’s an excellent way for touring Greece.

Shopping

The big shopping street is Ermou, just off Syntagma square. Glyfada and Kolonaki are the exclusive quarters with many boutiques and shops. In Plaka you'll find lots of souvenirs from all over Greece, and the biggest department store Vassilopoulos. Best value and more original souvenirs are found near Monastiraki metro at the Athens Flea Market. Adrianou, has more expensive items. At Athinas street you will find many interesting shops that sale herbs, dry fruits and nuts. Nearby is the main fish and meat market of Athens.

Cuisine

Plaka is where most travelers eat and is probably the most picturesque, but equally the priciest. Find places where the locals eats. Syntagma and Kolonaki also has many places, and in Glyfada and Vouliagmeni you'll find more sophisticated places to eat close to the sea. More adventurous tourists escape to stylish Psiri that has lots of lovely places with live music day and night. International fast food is available everywhere. Greek equivalent of the fast food is souvlaki and gyros, make sure you try it. Food variety and quality is generally good,  seafood is expensive, and kebab, salads, and beer are the best values.

Nightlife

Jazz bars, discos, bouzouki clubs, heavy metal bars - Athens has it all. Most frequented areas are Syntagma, Kolonaki and Glyfada. Traditional Greek Music is found in tavernas in Plaka, Monstariki and Psiri and should not be missed. Keep you eyes open for promotional material and your ears open as you wander. Don’t forget to break the plate.

Accommodation

Stay in the Plaka or Monastiraki areas if you want to walk everywhere, or further away but near a metro stop, if you want a hotel in Athens which is better value for money. Best time to visit is from March-June, September-November, in July and August it’s  extremely hot and crowded.

Day Trips from Athens

Piraeus and Rafina are Athens' two main ports, and don’t have much to offer, other than the access to Greece's islands. Easily reached by Metro.
Cape Sounion, 70kms from the city, is a great sunset viewpoint, with its Temple of Poseidon and graffiti from Lord Byron. Buses take about two hours.
Naflio is an old town with elegant houses and huge fort. It makes a good base to explore ancient sites like Mycenae and Epidaurus. It’s 2.5 hours from the city by bus.

There are several beaches at Athens Riviera The most popular ones are in Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Voula, Varkiza, Nea Makri, Crysi Akti (Golden Coast ), Lagonisi,  Kavouri and Alimos.  Most of the beaches in Athens have a small entrance fee. You can reach them by bus or metro.

  Best of Europe

Things to do in Greece

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Best time to travel

From March to June, mid September and October for sightseeing. The very best month for traveling the islands is September, with warm seas, fewer tourists and most ferry services still operating. From mid July to end August is extremely hot and overcrowded.
Minimum worthwhile stay: Athens and its surroundings - 1 week, 3 weeks for a brief look at one or two Greek regions, and  at least 2 months for a real study of the country.

Transport

Athens is the busiest of Greece’s 16 international airports, with connecting scheduled and charter flights from all European airports to the Greek mainland and many islands.

Greece also has a large ferry network, making travel around the islands by sea easy and relatively cheap. The advent of modern fast ferries, hydrofoils and catamarans in recent years has made island-hopping faster and far more comfortable than in the past.

If your island hopping journey starts from Athens, then head to the ports of Piraeus and Rafina for access to most of the islands. If you are traveling from the west coast you can sail from the ports of Patras and Igoumenitsa to the Ionian islands.

From Thessaloniki, you can take ferries to the northern islands such as Limnos and Thassos, and the Sporades islands can be reached from the mainland ports of Volos or Agios Konstantinos, or from Evvoia.

Ferry timetables, can be hit and miss, with ferries either turning up late or not at all. It’s worth checking with the local tourist information office for the up-to-date times.

More information on Greek Ferries to and from Greece.

Festivals and Events

Greece - February and March are carnival months in different regions of Greece and the city of Athens itself. Entertainment includes traditional dances, serenades and mandolin music, rock ballards, piazzolla, tabors and rebetiko, Cuban music, samba and tarantella, jazz, acrobatics, violins, performances by well-known Greek artists and "gaitanaki". One of the grandest carnival is celebrated in Rethymno Town in Crete.

Website: Rethymno Carnival Website

The Greeks have made endless contributions in culture, art, education, food, sport, democracy and western civilization to the lives of people everywhere, but to go to Greece itself is unlike any other vacation. The essence of Greek countryside is sized up in three words – mountains, islands and coastline.

Turkey is a great country. scattered with stunning ancient artifacts, and populated by some of the friendliest people on earth. The sun shines endlessly, beaches are fair, prices are low and shopping is excellent, especially leather goods in Istanbul.

Greece Guide

The Greeks have made endless contributions in culture, art, education, food, sport, democracy and western civilization to the lives of people everywhere, but to go to Greece itself is unlike any other vacation. The essence of Greek countryside is sized up in three words – mountains, islands and coastline.

The Greek coast is nearly 10,000 miles in length, half of which is found around more than 5000 Greek islands. The coast of Greece is also made up of small bays, coves and caves, beach dunes, rocky shores, and even steep, mountainous rocks and dark sand.

The islands themselves, whether Corfu, Samos, Crete or countless others, are picturesque combinations of whitewashed walls, deep blue water, olive trees, terraced homes, great food, and romantic hideaways.

Mt. Olympus, home of the Gods, according to Greek mythology has been transformed into skiing area. Beyond the mountains and the coastline, there is an ever inspiring history of ancient Greece and its great architectural wonders.

Attractions

Athens, you don't need much time there as the main sights are in a compact, easily walkable area, but you should give it at least a couple of days.

Delphi is the striking World Heritage home of Apollo, Dionysos, the oracle and varied stone treasures, and a spectacular cliff top village.
The Peloponnese island/peninsula offers the traveler the essence of Greece, with its beautiful mountains and valleys, superb beaches and remnants of lost civilizations (Olympia, Epidaurus and Mycenae). The good base for exploration is Nafplio, Greece's first capital, full of fortresses and fancy mansions.
Meteora monasteries situated on the huge meteoric rocks.

The Halkidiki peninsula, near Thessaloniki has three smaller peninsulas, the Sithonia with excellent beaches, Athos the Orthodox monasteries and Kassandra, a very touristy place.
The Greek Islands

Escaping to a Greek island, whether by cruise ship or as part of a self-guided tour, is a not-to-be-missed life event. 

For many people Greece conjures up idyllic images of blue domed churches set against a backdrop of wonderful, azure skies and golden beaches.
And when it comes to choosing a sunshine holiday, the Greek Islands tick all the boxes.  Start your journey from Athens, the Greek Capital.

Athens is the city with the glorious history, a city worshipped by gods and people and a birthplace for civilization. It is the city where democracy and many wise men were born. The most important civilization of ancient world flourished in Athens and relives through some of the world's most beautiful edifices, for you to discover.

Highlights

The first place you should visit when in Athens is of course the Acropolis. Standing up there, on the sacred rock as the Greeks call it, you can practically feel the magnificence of ancient Greece.

From here you can continue on to tranquil Keramikos cemetery and its magnificent funerary monuments, see the little whitewashed houses of Anafiotika, stop by the ancient Agora (market), the Temple of Hephaestus, the temple of Zeus and the arch of Hadrian.

At the Syntagma Square, visit the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. See the guards (the Evzones) in their impressive uniforms with fluffy bobble shoes. Wait to see the slow and complicated change of guards. North-east of Sintagma, take a cable car to  Lykavittos Hill and enjoy the views.

Museums: Visit  the Acropolis museum, the National Archeological Museum, Benaki Museum, an old family house revamped as an eclectic private museum, showing pottery, jewelry, furniture and ethnic clothing from the region. Other museums are: the Folklore museum, the Ceramics museum (Keramikos), the Byzantine museum, the Music museum, the War museum, and many more.

Concerts and performances are performed at Athens Concert Hall, Pallas Theatre and Olympia Theatre. The opera, Megaron Mousikis, holds many wonderful performances, but even lovelier is the Herodes Atticus theatre just below the Acropolis, where from June to August, you can watch some excellent performance