The 15 best places to visit in Greece

Obviously, if you’ve heard anything about Greece, you know about its beautiful capital Athens. Athens is that perfect mix of traditional but trendy, ancient but modern, full of nature but cosmopolitan at the very same time. Here you’ll find huge, open roads covered in restaurants and bars, tiny cobbled streets, beautiful old buildings and galleries showcasing local talent. Visit outdoor cinemas under the stars, tick the Acropolis off your bucketlist and try the best Greek food you’ve ever tasted at its best restaurants. Trust me, being born there and still based in Athens, my hometown is a sprawling, incomparable beauty that is like no other. 

Why go? It’s known for its history, but Athens doubles up as a weekend city break that’s up there with Paris, Rome and Lisbon, thanks to the food, nightlife and some very cool neighbourhoods.

🤫 Insider tip: Escape the pulsing city (and the heat) at the National Gardens, where you’ll find plenty of speckled shade, and even a small zoo home to peacocks and wild goats. –Demetrios Ioannou

Discover Athens:
🧿 How to spend a weekend in Athens
📍 The best things to do in Athens
🏨 The best hotels in Athens

An easy ferry ride from Athens, Paros has it all – vibrant Mykonos-esque nightlife, glimmering white rocks and buildings, ancient architecture and a beating local heart. A lot of our time was spent on our trusty ATV hire, venturing off the beaten track to lush secluded beaches and hidden traditional tavernas with the best selection of fresh fish and traditional dishes. Tourists are flocking to this Cycladic island a little more in recent years but, as one resident in its labyrinthine capital of Parikia told us (partly helped by it becoming a destination dupe for the tourist-filled Santorini), it firmly holds onto its Greek soul. 

Editor’s tip: For the best view of the sculptural granite formations of Paros’s famous Kolymbithres Beach, book a kayaking trip. It includes snorkelling plus a stop-off at a tiny nearby island, with a homely picnic prepped for you.

📍 The world’s best places for snorkelling

A little over an hour away from the port of Piraeus, the island of Aegina is the closest to the Greek capital and a popular destination for tourists and locals. In 1827, after the Greek Independence War had ended, it served as the first capital of the newly founded Greek state for a while. Today, the island is mostly famous for pistachios, chock-a-block full of pistachio trees, and thought to be the best in the world for the stuff. 

🤫 Insider tip: It’s worth visiting the famous Aphea Temple, dedicated to goddess Athena, the Saint Nektarios Monastery and the nearby uninhabited Islet of Moni, where wild peacocks and deer stroll uninterrupted. 

I explored the coastal city of Nafplio on my first ever visit to Greece, swiftly beelining for the Peloponnese after three sweltering nights in Athens. With its cutesy cobbled streets and bougainvillea covered tavernas, Nafplio’s Old Town is ideal for a romantic meal or a leisurely afternoon stroll – if you can battle the crowds. Luckily there’s plenty of peace and quiet to be found on the sandy shores of the Peloponnese and many of the beaches are only a short walk or drive from the centre. If you’re craving culture that will help you hit your daily activity goal, struggle up all 999 steps of the Palamidi Fortress – just maybe avoid doing this particular activity in the midday sun.

Why go? While Nafplio gets touristy during peak season, the mix of old town charm and stunning coastline make it the perfect pit-stop after Athens.

🤫 Insider tip: If you’re staying in the centre, beware of the incredibly narrow streets – we learned this the hard way after nearly losing the side mirrors on our tiny rental car!

You’ll need a car to explore Greece’s biggest island, but if you’re after golden beaches, crumbly old towns, world-class museums and UNESCO Heritage sites, Crete ticks every box. Chania in the west is the liveliest part of the island, while Sitia in the east is famed for its pristine coves and sandy beaches – a perfect rural and picturesque escape. Nature seekers could hike Samaria, Europe’s longest gorge, culture hunters should track down the Minoan palaces, and kids are guaranteed a good time at the island’s countless waterparks.

Why go? Much more than just an all-inclusive beach holiday hotspot, Crete is a mish-mash of fabulous stuff to see, do, eat and drink. 

Discover Crete:

📍 The best things to do in Crete

The scenery in Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, seems crafted by the Greek gods: whitewashed villages crown the island with views over its majestic coastlines, rural vineyards span huge stretches inland and the beaches are black, red, and out of this world. There’s a ridiculous amount for explorers, foodies and culture vultures to discover, from archaeological sites to swimming spots and brilliant wine and food. And trust us: this place is even more beautiful IRL than it looks on the ’gram.

Discover Santorini:
📍 The best things to do in Santorini
🏨 The best hotels in Santorini
🏖️ Where to stay in Santorini 

Better known as Zante, Zakynthos draws a party-ready crowd to its notorious Laganas nightlife strip, but this sunstruck Ionian isle – known by the Venetians as ‘the flower of the East’ – is also blessed with some of the Med’s most beautiful scenery. This includes the spectacular Shipwreck Beach, whose bright-blue waters hemmed in by sheer white cliffs can only be reached by boat, and Zakynthos Marine Park, home to slippery seals and savvy turtles. It’s truly wild – in multiple senses of the word.

Famous for its carved marble-fronted buildings – and, increasingly, its burgeoning food scene – Tinos is yet another jewel in the Cyclades archipelago. To get there, you’ll need to fly to Mykonos and catch a ferry. It’s worth the journey: some of the best Greek wines are produced here, and chefs from all over Europe have opened restaurants among its sage-scented hills. Most are situated in the main town of Chora – we recommend the traditional Greek menu at Thalassaki.

The largest of the Cyclades islands, Naxos is also one of the least explored – which means you can expect secluded sandy beaches and a low-key, laidback atmosphere that’ll make the pressures of everyday life feel worlds away. Packing an incredible amount of variety into an incredibly small space, this is a place where you can venture up into tiny high-flung mountain villages or laze on an endless chain of silky sand beaches away from the madding tourist crowds.

Italianate villages, ornate palaces and romantic beaches are on the cards if you visit the lush island where the Durrell family once lived. With its sundry influences left by past invaders, Corfu is a place where you can drink ginger ale with your Greek salad, stroll streets packed with Byzantine and Venetian architecture and meet modern-day monks in Paleokastritsa’s spectacular medieval monastery. And after a hard day’s sightseeing and stuffing your face, you’ll obviously want to jump straight into the Ionian Sea – never not a stunning shade of turquoise blue.

Discover Corfu:

📍 The best things to do on Corfu