Finding the best places to visit in Greece over your holidays can seem like a daunting task to the uninitiated, but we’re here to help guide you through the possible choices. Greece is a popular tourist destination situated in the southeast of Europe, made up of a hilly mainland peninsula with a flourishing landscape and surrounded by thousands of islands. Depending on where you land, Greece has everything you could ever want, including stunning beaches, peaceful countryside, hair-raising gorges and mountain ranges, as well as historical landmarks dating back thousands of years.
Best places to visit in Greece – Attica
Attica is the most populous region in Greece and home to the country’s capital city and most widely visited city in the nation, Athens. But Athens isn’t the only part of Attica worth visiting, the region is also home to a range of beautiful mountains, a scenic coastline and low-lying plains where the majority of the population reside.
Athens
When people speak about visiting Greece and seeing historical monuments, they’re usually talking about Athens. The city was once the largest and most influential of all the Greek states and the place where democracy was invented. Travelling through Athens is a wonder for any history buff or those interested in the birth of western civilisation. It’s home to a variety of sought-after tourist attractions, such as the Parthenon, Acropolis Museum, Acropolis of Athens, Ancient Agora of Athens, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Mount Lycabettus.
Athens Riviera
Athens Riviera is a beach destination you didn’t know you needed until you stumble upon its breath-taking shores. It’s a 55 km stretch of coastline running from Faliro to Cape Sounion, where travellers can explore a myriad of spots along the southern coast of Athens, including the exquisite seaside suburbs of Voula, Glyfada and Kavouri, and the Vouliagmeni peninsula. Kavouri Beach is one of the most well-kept beaches in the region and offers crystal-clear waters to swim in, sunbeds and umbrellas to help keep you comfortable in the sun, and a range of activities to get involved in.
Marathon
If you find yourself in eastern Attica, one of the most important places to check out while there is Marathon, home to one of the most interesting archaeological sites in the whole country: Tymbos of Marathon. This vaulted tomb is said to be the burial grounds of the dead Athenian soldiers that died in the historical Persian battle, back in 490 BC. Down the road from the tomb, you’ll see historical findings from the battle of Marathon and parts of an Egyptian temple built close by. On the other side of the village, you’ll find an artificial lake dubbed Lake of Marathon, and northeast of the city centre is where you’ll find the best beach in Marathon: Schinias.
Best places to visit in Greece – Macedonia
Macedonia is the largest region of the country and takes up most of the northern realms of Greece. It’s teeming with incredible historical towns and cities, sun-kissed beaches with clear water and mountain peaks that’ll leave you breathless. Macedonia’s coastline is one of the most popular attractions for tourists, as are the various historical sites in and around the region. The most common place to head for a quick visit is the narrow peninsulas of Chalkidiki, which surround the legendary mountain of Mount Olympus, which you can climb.
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki is widely considered one of the most beautiful cities in Greece. It punches well above its weight when it comes to shopping, food and access to the Aegean Sea, as well as being a year-round destination with magnificent weather. Thessaloniki has a rich history that includes several well-preserved, remarkable Roman Agora in the centre of the city, as well as the Arch of Galerius and the Rotunda.
The city is also home to a plethora of period-specific museums, ranging from the Ancient Greek and Roman period to present-day Thessaloniki. Lastly, the city is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to food and offers a wide variety of late-night eats, street food, pastries and fine dining, with a culinary heritage that has both Asian and European influences bursting with flavour and fresh locally sourced ingredients.
Kastoria
Kastoria is known best for its fur trade and is a charming little town nestled on the Lake Orestiada bank. There are close to 60 post-Byzantine and Byzantine churches found in the town, which date back as far as the 9th century. You can spend time in Kastoria exploring ancient monasteries like Panagia Mavriotissa, the Agion Taxiarchon church and the district of Doltso before making your way to the lake and meandering along its edges.
Mavrovo National Park
Mavrovo National Park is Macedonia’s largest national park and hosts some of the most spectacular scenery in all of Greece. It’s the perfect spot to venture to if you’re an animal lover. Home to Mavroro Mountain, the highest peak in Macedonia, and Lake Mavroro, which stretches across 10 km, the region is a hotspot for both mountain climbers and fishermen. Another popular attraction of the park is the almost-submerged Church of St Nicolas. Back in the 1950s, the church was left completely underwater thanks to flooding and has slowly re-emerged over the years to become the incredible sight it is today.
Best places to visit in Greece – Thessaly
Thessaly is bordered by the Pindus mountain range and home to a varied and diverse landscape. The region includes the low-lying plains, where cities like Larissa and Trikala lie, as well as the mountainous coastal areas of Pelion and Ossa along the Aegean Sea.
Meteora Monasteries
Meteora is possibly the most popular area of Thessaly to visit and dates back to around the 11th century when ancient monks had settled in caves within the rocks. The word means “suspended in the air” and is a collection of unending giant rocks in the mountainous terrain, where several monasteries have been built on top of a few of these rocks.
These sensational monasteries not only offer the most magnificent views of the surrounding landscape but also a small glimpse into the monastic life of medieval times. With six of these original monasteries still home to clergy, it’s a welcoming attraction for a plethora of visitors from all over the world. Kalabaka, the picturesque town located at the base of the giant rocks, serves as the perfect camp for the long haul up to the monasteries.
The six monasteries in the region are Saint Nicholas Anapausas Monastery, Saint Stephen Monastery, Rousanou Monastery, Varlaam Monastery, Great Meteoron Monastery and the Holy Trinity Monastery. If you’re in this region of Greece, do yourself a favour and pay a visit to all these monasteries for a proper introduction to and feel for the monastic life of the past.
Pelion
Pelion is a mountainous peninsula in Thessaly located between the Pagsetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea. Although there isn’t a whole lot for tourists to do in the area because most of it isn’t built up enough to accommodate visitors, one of the things not to be missed is Mount Pelion. Mount Pelion is a hiker’s dream, stretching about 44 km long and roughly 20 km wide. The dense vegetation, oak forests and fir trees set against the backdrop of the ocean sea and sand are a stunning natural sight and well worth a hike.
Best places to visit in Greece – Dodecanese Islands
All of the Greek islands are grouped according to their clusters and given a name based on where they are. The Dodecanese Islands are located alongside the Aegean Sea on both the middle and east sides, with a few of the islands being close to the Turkish borders.
Rhodes
The biggest and most popular island of the Dodecanese is Rhodes, also referred to as the island of the knights because it was occupied by knights back in the 13th and 14th centuries. A few of the main attractions on the island include the old town and the port where knights’ buildings still stand, giving you the feeling of going back in time.
The centre of the island, the Acropolis of Lindos, still stands atop a rock overlooking the surrounding areas and offers exquisite views of the picturesque and charming houses of Lindos village. Rhodes is also home to several magnificent beaches like Faliraki, Saint Paul’s Bay, Tsambika and Kallithea, where you can spend your afternoons soaking up the sun and finding somewhere to drink a cocktail while breathing in the ocean air.
Karpathos
Karpathos is an island well known for keeping ancient traditions alive and is home to some of the most beautifully quaint and remote villages in Greece. You’ll find women wearing traditional Karpathian outfits, and many of the locals still take part in age-old arts, including wood carving and embroidery. Meander along the island and visit the village of Olympos, one of the most exquisite villages on the island and a nest of local traditions, or make your way to the Ancient Potideon, the archaeological museum, and the Acropolis of Arkassa. Lastly, don’t miss out on the majestic beaches around the island, such as Achata, Kyra Panagia and Ammoopi.
Patmos
Patmos has been a central hotspot for pilgrims for a couple of centuries thanks to Saint John, who wrote the book “Apocalypse” on the island. It’s also an island that offers mesmerising beaches, vibrant nightlife and incredible natural beauty spread out across the landscape and villages. The peaceful island of Patmos offers an unrivalled natural habitat that’s scarcely been touched by tourism and combines these breath-taking sites with a plethora of religious sites, delicious local cuisine, festivals throughout the year, unspoiled beaches and green rolling hills.
One of the most sought-after experiences on the island is to wander through the Cave of Apocalypse. It’s a holy site nestled on a hill between Skala and Chora, with a sanctuary made of white stone that offers sweeping island views, and is adorned with beautiful bell towers.
You can step inside the cave and relive the experience Saint John had when he made the cave his place of rest and where the vision of “Apocalypse” came to him.
Epirus – the mountainous wonder of Greece
You’ll find Epirus tucked away between the Ionian Sea and the Pindus range in northwest Greece. It provides a coastal getaway with pine-trimmed coves and a warmer climate, with a vast inland that’s also known to have snow-covered peaks in the dreary winter months. Epirus is home to a variety of natural sights people come to see from all over the world.
Vikos–Aoos National Park
This national park is home to a gorge that has the greatest depth to width ratio on the planet and reaches a depth of 1 km at the lowest point. There are two ways to experience the national park and the gorge itself: one way is to stand at the top and view it from above, and the other way is to make the long trek to the bottom of the gorge along the Voidomatis River. The hike along the Voidomatis to the village of Vikos takes around 5h and is an incredibly fulfilling way to experience this mind-bending natural wonder.
Ioannina
Ioannina is the capital of Epirus, located in the northwest part of the country and spread out around Lake Pamvotida; it only became seen as a part of Greece in 1913. Although there isn’t a whole bunch of activities to do in the city, the stunning landscape and flowing waters of the lake coupled with the serene atmosphere of the town makes for a perfect getaway from the everyday hustle and bustle of city life or standard travelling woes.
Take time out to sit on a bench overlooking the lake and enjoy the picturesque setting and calm environment. One of the things worth checking out, apart from the glorious lake, of course, is the Ioannina Castle, the oldest Byzantine fortress in the country. It was built in the 6th century and still stands as an inhabited area to this day.
Acheron River
Acheron River can be traced back to its mouth at Ammoudia and offers a giant playground where you can spend time water trekking, swimming, kayaking, rafting and horseriding, depending on the time of year. The source of the river is said to be near the village Zotiko, in the southwestern part of the Ioannina region. It was once believed to be a river that flowed straight to Hades because it winds through gorges and even goes underground at some point.
Some of the things worth doing along the river include trying one of the local dishes prepared at one of the nearby restaurants, or if you’re more adventurous, there are paths along the river for hikers and rafters. If you’re not too scared of the frigid water, do a quick cold submersion and reap the benefits of the cold crystal-clear water.
