The best places to visit in Greece for summer 2025

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

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
🏘️ Where to stay in Crete

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 might be a little bit biased towards Methana, as it is the land of my parents, but this small volcanic peninsula in the Saronic Gulf is just a couple of hours away from the capital by car or ship from the Piraeus Port, and is slowly becoming a popular alternative destination for travellers from around the world. Here you’ll find a variety of hot springs and an extensive network of ancient paths that have reopened in recent years, making Methana a great trekking destination for hiking in the mountains and by the sea.

Why go? Walk through ancient trails from the Mycenaean era, take your bath on ancient hot tubs and enjoy the sunset from the top of what is believed to be the crater of an active volcano.

🤫 Insider tip: Every year in autumn, Methana puts on a unique mountain race that is called ‘To Gidi’, which literally translates to ‘The Goat’ – probably the most popular resident of Methana to us locals. 

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 

Kefalonia is one of Greece’s more underrated spots (criminally so, in my opinion), but it’s the biggest of the Ionian islands, and it’s got to be one of the most beautiful. If you’ve got a car, you can spend your days zipping through mountainous roads and exploring hidden beaches – if you can, go and hike down to Fteri Beach, a 1.5-hour semi-challenging trail that takes you down to a truly magnificent white beach (just make sure to bring water and snacks – this isn’t the kind of beach with a café). And try and squeeze in the Melissani Cave too. Look for an apartment in Assos, grab a rental car and make sure you have enough time there to see as much of this stunning island as possible.

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

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!

Way back when – and we’re talking way, way back – Rhodes was home to the Colossus, one of the world’s Seven Wonders. An earthquake may have destroyed that ol’ thing in 226BBC, but the island’s Unesco world heritage-classed old town is still steeped in charm and history – thanks to a series of dazzling topsy-turvy medieval inns and fourteenth-century knight’s houses that stand to this day. Head outside the city, and the mountain villages and cliff-top towns you’ll come across are just as magical as any fairytale location. And with plenty of chic shops, decent restaurants and lively bars, you’re guaranteed some modern magic, too.

Discover Rhodes:

📍 The best things to do in Rhodes
🏨 Amazing hotels in Rhodes