Greece travel guide
Greece exists between its wonderfully diverse physical reality and a lovingly imagined vision conjured from multiple sources: ancient classics; timeless novels like Zorba the Greek; old movies from Never On a Sunday to Shirley Valentine. Choose where you wish to open your book of Greece: undiscovered islands like Syros or Amorgos; the mountains of Meteora or the gorges of Crete; mainland national parks like Parnassos or the marine sanctuary of Alonissos.
Greece is a classical drama playing out ancient history and traditional culture against a dramatic backdrop.
The dreamy islands and sun-drenched rustic idylls may be harder to find but are still here, as our Greece travel guide shows. The sort of places like 1930s Corfu that Gerald Durrell recalled with enchanting warmth in his acclaimed early autobiography My Family and Other Animals: “If I had the craft of Merlin, I would give every child the gift of my childhood”. You don't need a wand to experience the magic of Greece – just wanderlust.
Greece is...
a beautiful cradle of Western civilisation
Greece isn't...
just a tourist-swamped financial basket case
Our Greece Holidays
Naxos and the small Cyclades walking holiday, Greece
Walk and discover Naxos and the unspoilt Small Cyclades
From
£592 to £914
10 days
ex flights
Kefalonia, Lefkada & Ithaki walking holiday
Walk with us and explore the lush, green Ionian islands
From
£697 to £1112
10 days
ex flights
Cyclades sailing & walking holiday in Greece
Combine a sailing & hiking adventure around the Cyclades
From
£685 to £759
7 days
ex flights
Walking holiday in the West Cyclades, Greece
Walk & explore the authentic Serifos, Sifnos & Milos islands
From
£592 to £914
10 days
ex flights
Luxury Greek Island holiday accommodation
Organic country estate by the sea on Greek island of Ithaca
From
€2495 to €4950
per week (sleeps 4-6)
Laconia cycling holiday in Greece
A fantastic seaside biking tour in south Peloponnese!
From
€740 to €800
8 days
ex flights
Greece walking holiday, Kythnos
Hiking holiday on Kythnos, a beautiful Greek island in the Cyclades group
From
€350
6 days
ex flights
Greece cycling holiday, archaeology tour
Discover Greek history and the Greek seaside beauty by bike!
From
€735
8 days
ex flights
Cyclades walking holidays in Greece
A gently active holiday in the Cyclades
From
£1249 to £1499
8 days
inc UK flights
Greece cycling holiday
Superb cycling from Athens around mainland Greece
From
£1499 to £1749
8 days
inc UK flights
Sailing holiday in Greece, Mykonos to Santorini
The boat, the beach and inviting Greek villages
From
£692 to £1111
8 days
ex flights
Cyclades walking holiday, Greece
Walk ancient paths and enjoy stunning Cycladic sceneries
From
£592 to £640
7 days
ex flights
Peloponnese holiday, cultural tour in Greece
Varied historical sight seeing of the northern Peloponnese
From
£1775 to £1985
13 days
inc UK flights
Multi activity holiday in Greece
A multi activity holiday in Greece
From
€720 to €860
8 days
ex flights
Sailing holiday in the Aegean Sea
Unique sailing adventure off the beaten track in Greece
From
£520 to £635
7 days
ex flights
Liveaboard diving and sailing holiday in Greece
Combine a sailing and diving adventure in the Greek islands
From
£697 to £812
7 days
ex flights
Luxury gulet cruise in the Aegean
5 star services while cruising the Greek Islands in luxury
From
£945 to £1179
8 days
ex flights
Mani holiday in the Peloponnese in Greece
An unconventional destination for alternative travelers
From
€999 to €1699
8 days
ex flights
Athens tailor made holiday in Greece
Explore Athens, living the true life of the Athenians!
From
€249
5 days
ex flights
Greek Islands cycling and sailing holiday
Cycle and sail around the Cyclades Greek Islands
From
£1390 to £1690
8 days
ex flights
Brown bear tracking in Northern Greece
Track wild bears & explore the wilderness with park rangers
From
€625
5 days
ex flights
Ancient Greece small group holiday
The Ancient Greek Civilization (Athens-Delphi-Peloponnese)
From
€1699 to €1799
10 days
ex flights
Pilates wellness retreat in Greece
Pilates and Wellness Holiday in Pelion, Greece
From
£790
7 days
ex flights
Walking holiday in Crete
Hike the Samaria Gorge and enjoy the beaches and simple life
From
£999 to £1199
8 days
inc UK flights
Greek Islands tour
Explore the very best of Greece with stunning scenery
From
£1520 to £1950
15 days
inc UK flights
Peloponnese highlights tour, 8 days
The most complete round trip of the Peloponnese
From
€999
8 days
ex flights
What we rate & what we don't
Underrated
Bear Tracking
Little-known wildlife snippet: around half of western and southern Europe's brown bear population live in northern Greece. Who knew? Well, the guides who'll take you tracking these magnificent but very shy creatures through the gorgeous wilderness of the Pindos, alongside other natural stars like wolf and otter.
Greek Wine
Forget retsina! Greece has made excellent wine for 4,500 years, and today around 300 wineries continue that tradition using a similar number of distinctive local grape varieties such as agiorgitiko and xinomavro (red) and moschofilero and assyrtiko (white). Oenophile hotspots stretch from islands like Santorini to mainland spots like Nemea and Naoussa. Excellent muscat dessert wines come from Samos, Limnos and Rhodes.
Retreats
Greece has a rich history of philosophical reflection - but rather than knotty problems of existence tackled by the likes of Plato and Socrates, visitors can now gain awareness in far less brow-furrowing ways with holidays centred around Pilates, blissful yoga workouts and meditation in dreamy sunlit locales. Recalibrate your aura while sitting beneath fig and pomegranate trees, gazing over mind-expanding views.
Watery Nature
The island-dotted National Marine Park of Alonissos (northern Sporades) and Marine National Park of Zakynthos are just two of Greece's beautiful ocean nature parks, havens for endangered monk seals and turtles, plus key reef eco-systems. Back on shore, twitchers should head for brilliant watery avian reserves like the Evros River Delta.
Rated
Archaeology
6,000 years of history have dotted Greece with wondrous sites wreathed in myth and drama: oracular Delphi; sporting Olympia and the ancient theatre at Epidaurus; Mycenae, city of Agamemnon; Knossos on Crete, home of the minotaur. Add stunning gorge monasteries of Loussios and Meteora, Venetian forts, Ottoman and medieval gems. Plus, of course, the Acropolis, standing proud above Athens.
Beaches
Greece has beaches for every day of the decade not just year, so picking favourites is crazy. OK, here goes: Psili Amos on Naxos; Egremni on Lefkada, reached by a 347-step descent; Ikaria's Nas backed by a lagoon and ancient temple; the rose-tinted beach on remote Ereikoussa; Agios Dimitrios in the wonderful marine reserve on Alonissos. Enjoy finding your own.
Island Sailing
Greece has 1,200-6,000 islands (depending what size you count) - though 'only' 227 are inhabited. Plenty still for sailors to drop in on or just admire gliding by. Pick a cluster to explore: the Argo-Saronic near Athens; Cyclades (central Aegean); the North Aegean islands off Turkey; Dodecanese in the southeast; or Ionian, west of the mainland.
Cycling
With over 4,000km of coast road on the mainland alone plus an interior that's 80 percent mountains, Greece offers plenty for cyclists whether you want to pootle along taking in sea views or go like a bat out of hell down a remote hillside.
Overrated
Package resorts
Greece has lovely seaside spots to holiday – they're the ones we offer. Sadly, there are also over-developed mass tourist bunkers big on noise pollution (and the other sort) and devoid of any sense of Greekness. In no particular (dis)order, special black marks go to Malia on Crete, Corfu's Kavos and Ipsos, plus Kardamena on Kos.
Athens
The Acropolis looms majestically over Athens but it often seems like beautiful icing on a rather grubby cake. Down below much of the Greek capital can feel like a crowded grimy traffic-choked sprawl, while austerity-struck museums have cut hours. And apart from a few wonderful bits near Thesseion metro, the 'famous' Monastiraki flea market is rubbish.
Plate smashing
Smashing plates is a tradition corrupted. Once a sign of abundance or passion (lovers broke a plate and each kept half to show their bond) it's now a tourist con. You get offered plates, then get charged for every one smashed. Plus it can be dangerous – shards fly in faces, people get hit by drunken throws. To show approval, yell "Opa!" instead.
Heat
We love warmth as much as anyone. But the high summer heat in Greece – particularly on the mainland – can tip you into dehydration or madness as the mercury hits 40°C and then keeps going, putting paid to fun things like hiking or biking (or breathing). In cities, it's even worse as the rays bounce off the concrete.
Food, shopping & people
Eating & drinking in Greece
Greeks are generous hosts and if you are invited out, the host will expect to pay.Plump dark Kalamata olives are a tangy Greek icon exported globally
Greeks love pies! Try tyropita (cheese pie) and spanakopita (spinach pie)
Traditional restaurant types include mayirio specialising in one-pot stews and baked dishes, plus mezedhopoleio which offer lots of small plate dishes (mezedhes).
Poet Giorgos Seferis was Greece’s first Nobel winner in 1963 – then rallied protests against the country’s 1960s/70s military junta.
Our top Greece Holiday
Archaeology holiday in Greece
A small-group archaeology tour of Greece
From
€1250
8 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2019: 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct
2019: 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 7 Sep, 14 Sep, 21 Sep, 28 Sep, 5 Oct, 12 Oct, 19 Oct, 26 Oct
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Greece or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.
People & language
The Greek alphabet may bamboozle many visitors, appearing like a no-holds-barred fight between a few ‘normal’ letters and the sort of symbols you had nightmares about in science classes. Thankfully, speaking it is easier, and knowing a few words will be appreciated.
‘Hello’ is pronounced ya-sas,
‘please’ is para-kalo,
‘thank you’ is ef-ha-risto.
‘Yes’, confusingly, sounds like ‘no’ – neh.
‘No’ is o-hi.
‘Do you speak English?’ is mi-lah-te an-gli-ka?
Spoken for 4,000 years (and written for 3,000 years), Greek is Europe’s oldest language. Globally, only Chinese is older.
‘Hello’ is pronounced ya-sas,
‘please’ is para-kalo,
‘thank you’ is ef-ha-risto.
‘Yes’, confusingly, sounds like ‘no’ – neh.
‘No’ is o-hi.
‘Do you speak English?’ is mi-lah-te an-gli-ka?
Spoken for 4,000 years (and written for 3,000 years), Greek is Europe’s oldest language. Globally, only Chinese is older.
Gifts & shopping
Greece makes excellent wine – Naoussa and Santorini have some particularly fine options.Carved objects made from olive wood are beautiful holiday mementoes for your home.
Olive oil made by small producers is a perfect gourmet gift.
On the islands in particular you'll find beautiful hand-made leather bags as well as textile products like table cloths.
Greeks have a long history of relaxing using worry beads (kompoloi) and there are some beautiful examples to buy – there's even a kompoloi museum in Nafplio
Greece has over 6,000 species of wildflower, some unique. There are more than 100 varieties of orchid alone!
How much does it cost?
Meal for one in inexpensive restaurant - £7
1.5l bottle of water – 50p
Big cup of Greek coffee - £2.50
Train ticket Athens to
Thessaloniki - £30
Bottle of excellent Greek wine: £8
1.5l bottle of water – 50p
Big cup of Greek coffee - £2.50
Train ticket Athens to
Thessaloniki - £30
Bottle of excellent Greek wine: £8
A brief history of Greece
Its classical period was turbulent enough, from epic tussles with Trojans and Persians to conquest by Rome - but modern Greece has not had it easy either. Recent years have seen the country racked by protest over crippling austerity measures imposed by richer European states and the IMF to try and sort out an economy that had long sailed a wobbly course. Its problems were deep-seated: huge public service sector with insanely generous employment terms; a fragile and significantly rural economy; massive tax-dodging. The huge cuts imposed on Greece, however, have caused social strains from which the country is still trying to recover.Read more
More about Greece
Check out our temperature & rainfall chart which features Crete and Athens alongside a month by month guide to help you discover the best time to visit Greece. Particularly useful if you’re interested in festival & events will be our recommendations on what happens when in Greece.
Learn where to go and make the most of your time as you pore over our Greece map & itineraries which will take you from Thessaloniki & Mt Olympus in the north to the Peloponnese, the Cyclades and Crete, further south.
Find out what Responsible Travel recommend for travelling in Greece with kids, including Minotaurs, the Med and magic mountains that should never be far from any family-friendly itinerary.
Discover our recommended things to do in Greece ranging from sublime sailing sites and Byzantine island churches to walking in the sandal steps of Ulysses, or paddling the pristine coastlines of Mediterranean island idylls.
If you’re interested in the myths and legends of the ancient world, the Greek mainland, including the Peloponnese, is certain to sate your curiosity.
Greece walking holidays take you along mountain trails and coastal paths with plenty of ancient sites and natural wonders to keep an eye out for along the way.
Greece self drive holidays put you in full control of how your holiday unfolds, whether you want to hike mountains or visit little out-of-the-way beaches for an authentic take on Greek life.
Discover the benefits of a Greece sailing holiday as you contemplate life in the Cyclades, and beyond, from an on board perspective that’s bound to be as relaxing as it will be exhilarating.
Small ship cruising in Greece is about experiencing island life at a relaxed pace, not about being bombarded by entertainment on a floating hotel.
Take yourself off for a week in Greece as you discover the delights of yoga holidays where the sun always shines and the food is just as fresh as the breeze skimming off the Aegean.
With between 1,200 and 6,000 islands, from tiny uninhabited specks to large rocky land masses, Greece is without parallel when it comes to island variety.
Rightfully popular and wildly beautiful, the Cyclades archipelago holds over 200 islands, which are largely mountainous and mostly uninhabited.
At just an hour and a half from Athens, the charms of the Peloponnese are well known to locals, but for international travellers, this peninsula lags far behind the Greek Islands in popularity.
While many people concentrate on the Greek islands, it’s well worth spending some time in the capital.
Greece travel advice should always start with those who know it best which is why we’ve asked our suppliers to give us their recommendations alongside a few pearls of wisdom related to health & safety in Greece.
Everyone should want to find out how to travel right in Greece, which is why our responsible tourism in Greece page is devoted to helping you preserve the wildlife & environment of this gorgeous part of southern Europe.
From idyllic island-hopping to hiking between fascinating archaeological sites and sublime cycling, find your perfect holiday, and stacks of information on what to see and do, with all our Greece guides in one place.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Alex Antoniadis] [Is/Isn't: Tom Grimbert]
[Underrated: NH53]
[Rated: Arthur Yeti]
[Overrated: AneKcen WynnK]
[People & language: Paul Arps]
[How much does it cost?: jeffreyw]
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