Islands, cities and places
More than a hundred inhabited islands, a three-thousand-year-old capital and archaeological sites unique in the world.
Greek islands
A guide to the Greek islands: the seven main groups (Cyclades, Dodecanese, Ionian, Sporades, Saronic, North-East Aegean, Crete), the character of…
Cyclades
A guide to the Cyclades, Greece's most famous island group: the main and smaller islands and their character (Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros…
Dodecanese
A guide to the Dodecanese, the south-east Aegean island group near the Turkish coast: the main and smaller islands (Rhodes, Kos, Patmos, Leros…
Ionian Islands
A guide to the Ionian Islands off Greece's west coast: the Eptanisa (Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada, Ithaca, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, Kythira) and the smaller…
Sporades
A guide to the Northern Sporades, the green islands of the western Aegean: Skiathos and its sandy beaches, Skopelos of film fame and monasteries…
Saronic islands
A guide to the Saronic and Argolic Gulf islands, the closest to Athens: Aegina with the Temple of Aphaia and its pistachios, Poros and its strait…
North-East Aegean
A guide to the islands of the northern and eastern Aegean, large and authentic, close to the Turkish coast: Lesbos with its ouzo and petrified…
Crete
A guide to Crete: its history from the Minoans to Venice, the Ottomans and the 1941 Battle of Crete, the four regional units, the towns (Heraklion…
Athens
A guide to Athens: the Acropolis and Parthenon, the Agora, museums (Acropolis Museum, National Archaeological Museum, Benaki, Cycladic Art)…
Attica
A guide to Attica beyond Athens: Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, Marathon with its burial mound and museum, the Sanctuary of Artemis at…
Peloponnese
A guide to the Peloponnese: history and myth, the great archaeological sites (Mycenae, Epidaurus, Olympia, Corinth, Mystras, Messene, Pylos), the…
Central Greece
A guide to Central Greece (Sterea Ellada): Delphi and Parnassus, Arachova and its ski slopes, the monastery of Hosios Loukas, Galaxidi and Nafpaktos…
Thessaly
A guide to Thessaly, the great plain of central Greece: the hanging monasteries of Meteora and Kalambaka, Mount Olympus and the Vale of Tempe, the…
Epirus
A guide to Epirus, the mountainous north-west of Greece: Ioannina on Lake Pamvotida, the 46 stone villages of Zagori (UNESCO) and the Vikos Gorge…
Macedonia
A guide to Greek Macedonia, the country's largest region: Thessaloniki, the capitals of Philip II and Alexander the Great (Vergina, Pella), Dion and…
Thrace
A guide to Greek Thrace, the easternmost region of mainland Greece between the Nestos and Evros rivers: Xanthi's old town, Komotini and the…
Cities
An overview of Greece's main cities with a chart of population at the 2021 census: Athens and Piraeus, Thessaloniki, Patras, Heraklion, Larissa…
Acropolis
A guide to the Acropolis of Athens, a UNESCO site: its history from Mycenaean citadel to the age of Pericles, the monuments (Propylaea, Temple of…
Parthenon
The Parthenon in Athens explained: its construction (447-432 BC) under Pericles, the architects Ictinus and Callicrates and the sculptor Phidias…
Agora
A guide to the Ancient Agora of Athens, the square where democracy was born: its history and functions, its monuments (Temple of Hephaestus, the…
History of Athens
The history of Athens in brief, with a timeline: Mycenaean origins and the myth of Theseus, Solon, Cleisthenes and the birth of democracy, the…
Piraeus
A guide to Piraeus, the great port of Athens: its history from antiquity and the Long Walls to COSCO, getting there from Athens and the airport by…
Delphi
A guide to Delphi, ancient Greece's holiest sanctuary and a UNESCO site: the myth of the navel of the world, Apollo and the Pythia, how the oracle…
Olympia
A guide to Olympia, a UNESCO site in the western Peloponnese: the sanctuary of Zeus in the Altis, the Temple of Zeus and Phidias's statue among the…
Mycenae
A guide to the archaeological site of Mycenae, a UNESCO site with Tiryns: the myth of the House of Atreus, Mycenaean civilisation, the Lion Gate and…
Corinth Canal
The Corinth Canal, cutting the isthmus between the Peloponnese and mainland Greece: the ancient schemes of Periander and Nero, the diolkos for…
Patras
A guide to Patras, Greece's third city and the gateway to the Peloponnese for travellers from Italy: the port and ferries to Ancona, Bari and Venice…
Thessaloniki
A guide to Thessaloniki: its history from its founding in 315 BC to Byzantium, the Sephardic Jewish community and the 1917 fire, the monuments (White…
Mount Athos
A guide to Mount Athos, the autonomous Orthodox monastic community on the Chalkidiki peninsula: its history since the 10th century, the 20…
Palace of Knossos
A guide to the Minoan palace of Knossos, 5 km from Heraklion: the largest Bronze Age city in the Aegean, the myth of Minos and the labyrinth, Arthur…
Heraklion
A guide to Heraklion (Iraklio), capital of Crete: its history from Arab Chandax to Venetian Candia, the Archaeological Museum with its Minoan…
Beaches of Crete
A guide to Crete's most beautiful beaches by area: the Balos lagoon and Falassarna in the west, pink-sand Elafonissi, Seitan Limania and Stavros near…
Airports of Crete
A guide to Crete's airports: Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis (HER), the busiest, Chania Ioannis Daskalogiannis (CHQ) for the west and Sitia (JSH) for the…
Santorini
A guide to Santorini (Thira): its geological history and the Minoan eruption, the caldera villages (Fira, Imerovigli, Oia, Pyrgos), the site of…
Mykonos
A guide to Mykonos: Chora's white lanes, Little Venice, the Kato Mili windmills, Paraportiani church and Petros the pelican, the beaches (Psarou…
Naxos
A guide to Naxos: the Portara of the Temple of Apollo, Chora and the Venetian Kastro, the mountain villages (Halki, Filoti, Apiranthos), the…
Paros
A guide to Paros: Parikia and the Panagia Ekatontapiliani church, the fishing harbour of Naoussa, the mountain village of Lefkes and the Byzantine…
Milos
A guide to Milos, the volcanic island with the Cyclades' strangest beaches: lunar white Sarakiniko, Kleftiko reached by boat, Firiplaka, Tsigrado and…
Ios
A guide to Ios: the white Chora with windmills and churches, Mylopotas beach, the nightlife that made the island famous with young travellers, the…
Sifnos
A guide to Sifnos: Apollonia and Artemonas, the medieval village of Kastro, the monastery of Chrysopigi on its rock, ancient towers, waymarked…
Serifos
A guide to Serifos: the white Chora perched on the mountain with its Venetian castle, the port of Livadi, wild beaches (Psili Ammos, Ganema, Kalo…
Folegandros
A guide to Folegandros: the Chora built on the edge of a 200-metre cliff, its tamarisk-shaded squares, the medieval Kastro, the Panagia church…
Sikinos
A guide to Sikinos, one of the quietest Cyclades between Ios and Folegandros: Chora and its Kastro, the monastery of Zoodochos Pigi, the Episkopi (a…
Anafi
A guide to Anafi, the small wild island east of Santorini: the white Chora, the rock of Kalamos, one of the tallest monoliths in the Mediterranean…
Amorgos
A guide to Amorgos, the easternmost of the Cyclades: the Hozoviotissa monastery clinging to the cliff, Chora with its windmills, Katapola and…
Andros
A guide to Andros, the northernmost and greenest of the Cyclades: the elegant Chora of shipowning families, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the…
Tinos
A guide to Tinos, Greece's holy island: the shrine of Panagia Evangelistria and the 15 August pilgrimage, Pyrgos and its marble-carving tradition…
Syros
A guide to Syros, administrative capital of the Cyclades: Ermoupoli with its neoclassical mansions, Ziller's town hall and the Apollon theatre, the…
Kea
A guide to Kea, also called Tzia, the closest of the Cyclades to Athens: the main town Ioulida, the Lion of Kea carved into the rock in archaic…
Kythnos
A guide to Kythnos, the Cyclades island of hot springs: the double beach of Kolona on a sandbar, the hot springs of Loutra, Katafiki cave at…
Delos
A guide to Delos, the sacred island where, in myth, Apollo and Artemis were born: the sanctuary's history, the Delian League, the Roman free port…
Rhodes
A complete guide to Rhodes, the largest Dodecanese island: the medieval Knights' city (UNESCO World Heritage), the Palace of the Grand Master, the…
Kos
A guide to Kos, home of Hippocrates: the Asklepieion, the plane tree of Hippocrates, the Knights' castle of Neratzia, the ancient ruins in the heart…
Kalymnos
A guide to Kalymnos, the island of sponge divers turned world capital of sport climbing: Pothia, Masouri, the fjord of Vathy, the islet of Telendos…
Leros
A guide to Leros, a Dodecanese island with an unusual history: Lakki, the rationalist town built by the Italians as a naval base, the Byzantine…
Patmos
A guide to Patmos, the island where, by tradition, St John wrote the Book of Revelation: the Cave of the Apocalypse, the fortified Monastery of St…
Astypalea
A guide to Astypalea, the butterfly-shaped island between the Cyclades and the Dodecanese: the white Chora with its windmills and the Venetian castle…
Symi
A guide to Symi, one of the loveliest Dodecanese islands: the harbour of Gialos with its pastel neoclassical houses, the Kali Strata and Chorio, the…
Tilos
A guide to Tilos, a small eco island in the Dodecanese: the dwarf elephant remains of Charkadio cave, Megalo Chorio and its castle, the abandoned…
Nisyros
A guide to Nisyros, the volcano island of the Dodecanese: the caldera and Stefanos crater where you walk among fumaroles, Mandraki with the monastery…
Karpathos
A guide to Karpathos, between Rhodes and Crete: the village of Olympos with its preserved costumes and traditions, Pigadia, Diafani, the beaches of…
Kasos
A guide to Kasos, the southernmost Dodecanese island near Crete: the main town Fry with its little harbour of Bouka, the memory of the Kasos…
Halki
A guide to Halki (Chalki), a small car-free island west of Rhodes: the harbour of Emborio with its restored neoclassical houses, the abandoned…
Kastellorizo
A guide to Kastellorizo (Megisti), Greece's easternmost island 2 km from Turkey: the harbour with its colourful houses, the set of Gabriele…
Corfu
A complete guide to Corfu, the Greek island closest to Italy: the UNESCO-listed old town with its two Venetian fortresses, the Liston and the…
Paxos
A guide to Paxos and nearby Antipaxos, the smallest of the main Ionian Islands: the little harbours of Gaios, Lakka and Loggos, ancient olive groves…
Lefkada
A guide to Lefkada, the Ionian island joined to the mainland by a bridge: the beaches of Porto Katsiki, Egremni and Kathisma below white cliffs…
Meganisi
A guide to Meganisi, a small green island off Lefkada: the villages of Spartochori, Katomeri and Vathy, bays loved by sailors, the Papanikolis sea…
Kefalonia
A guide to Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands: Argostoli, Myrtos beach, the underground lake of Melissani and Drogarati cave, the villages…
Ithaca
A guide to Ithaca, the homeland of Odysseus: the port of Vathy in a deep bay, the villages of Kioni, Frikes, Stavros and Anogi, the School of Homer…
Zakynthos
A guide to Zakynthos, Ugo Foscolo's Zacinto: Shipwreck Beach (Navagio), the National Marine Park of Laganas with its loggerhead turtles, the Blue…
Kythira
A guide to Kythira, Aphrodite's island between the Peloponnese and Crete: Chora with its Venetian castle, Kapsali bay, the village of Mylopotamos…
Antikythera
A guide to Antikythera, the islet between Kythira and Crete famous for the Roman wreck where the Antikythera mechanism, the oldest known astronomical…
Elafonisos
A guide to Elafonisos, a small island a few minutes by ferry from Laconia: the double beach of Simos with its dunes and turquoise water, Sarakiniko…
Skiathos
A guide to Skiathos, the liveliest of the Sporades: over sixty beaches including Koukounaries with its pine wood and Lalaria with its white pebbles…
Skopelos
A guide to Skopelos, the greenest of the Sporades: the amphitheatre-shaped Chora with over a hundred churches, the clifftop chapel of Agios Ioannis…
Alonissos
A guide to Alonissos, in the northern Sporades: the National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades, refuge of the Mediterranean monk…
Skyros
A guide to Skyros, the largest and most secluded of the Sporades: the white Chora below the castle and St George's monastery, houses decorated with…
Aegina
A guide to Aegina, the Saronic island less than an hour from Piraeus: the temple of Aphaia, the harbour with its neoclassical houses, the first…
Poros
A guide to Poros, a Saronic island separated from the Peloponnese by a narrow channel: the amphitheatre-shaped town with its clock tower, the temple…
Hydra
A guide to Hydra, the car-free island of the Saronic Gulf: the amphitheatre harbour with captains' stone mansions, the 1821 revolutionary fleet…
Spetses
A guide to Spetses, an elegant island at the mouth of the Argolic Gulf: the house museum of Bouboulina, heroine of the 1821 revolution, the Armata…
Salamis
A guide to Salamis, the large island off Piraeus: the naval battle of 480 BC in which the Greek fleet of Themistocles defeated the Persians, the…
Lesbos
A guide to Lesbos, Greece's third largest island: Mytilene with its castle and the Theophilos and Tériade museums, the village of Molyvos, Petra…
Chios
A guide to Chios, the mastic island: the medieval villages of Pyrgi with their decorated facades and Mesta, the monastery of Nea Moni (UNESCO), the…
Samos
A guide to Samos, the homeland of Pythagoras: the sanctuary of Hera (Heraion) and Pythagoreio, a UNESCO site, the Tunnel of Eupalinos dug in the 6th…
Ikaria
A guide to Ikaria, the island where people live longest: the longevity "blue zone", panigyria that last all night, the hot springs of Therma, the…
Fourni
A guide to Fourni, a small archipelago between Ikaria and Samos: the fishing harbour with its fish tavernas and lobster pasta, beaches reached on…
Lemnos
A guide to Lemnos, the island of Hephaestus in the northern Aegean: Myrina with its castle and museum, Poliochni, one of Europe's oldest urban…
Agios Efstratios
A guide to Agios Efstratios, a small remote island south of Lemnos: its history as a place of political internment in the 20th century, the 1968…
Samothrace
A guide to Samothrace, the wild island of the northern Aegean: the Sanctuary of the Great Gods and its mysteries, the find site of the Winged Victory…
Thassos
A guide to Thassos, the green island of northern Greece off Kavala: Limenas with its ancient agora and theatre, white marble and the ancient quarry…
Psara
A guide to Psara, a small island west of Chios: the great fleet of the 1821 revolution, Admiral Konstantinos Kanaris and the fireships, the 1824…
Oinousses
A guide to Oinousses, a small archipelago off Chios, home to some of Greece's greatest shipowning families: the village with captains' villas, the…