Things to do in Greece

21 places worth the trip in Greece, grouped by what they are. Every guide explains what to see, the best time to go and the practical details, checked against official sources. Best time to visit Greece: May–Oct.

Heritage (10)
Islands (4)
Cities (2)
Mosques & temples (1)
National parks (1)
Beaches (1)
Viewpoints (1)
Museums (1)

Heritage in Greece

Low-angle view of the Doric marble columns of the Parthenon on the Acropolis, Athens, against a clear sky

Central Athens, Attica

Acropolis of Athens

The sacred rock of ancient Athens, where the 5th-century BC temples of Pericles' building programme still stand above the modern city. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the starting point of most Greece itineraries.

Narrow stone-paved lane in Plaka lined with yellow neoclassical houses, green shutters and potted plants

Plaka and Monastiraki, central Athens (Attica)

Plaka & Ancient Agora, Athens

Lanes of neoclassical houses, Byzantine churches and Ottoman monuments on the north slope of the Acropolis, leading to the Ancient Agora, the civic heart of Classical Athens with its well-preserved Temple of Hephaestus.

The marble columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion against a deep blue sky

Sounio, Lavreotiki (Attica)

Cape Sounion - Temple of Poseidon

The columns of Poseidon's temple stand on a headland above the Aegean at the southern tip of Attica, one of the most famous sunset spots in Greece and an easy half-day trip from Athens.

The ancient theatre of Delphi on a green hillside with the Temple of Apollo below and mountains beyond

Delphi, Phocis (Central Greece)

Delphi

The ancient Greeks' 'navel of the world', where pilgrims came to consult Apollo's oracle. Temples, treasuries, a theatre and a stadium climb a mountainside above an olive-filled valley.

The Venetian Bourtzi fortress on its islet in Nafplio harbour, reflected in calm water with mountains behind

Nafplio and Mykines, Argolida (Peloponnese)

Nafplio & Mycenae

A graceful harbour town of Venetian forts and neoclassical mansions, the first capital of modern Greece, paired with Mycenae, the great Late Bronze Age citadel 24 km away.

Akrotiri village on Santorini with the caldera cliffs behind

Akrotiri, Santorini (South Aegean)

Akrotiri, Santorini

A prehistoric harbour town on Santorini's south-west coast, sealed under volcanic ash in the late 17th century BC, with multi-storey buildings, paved streets and drains still standing beneath a protective roof.

Standing marble columns with a lintel among scattered ruins and spring grasses on Delos

Delos, near Mykonos (South Aegean)

Delos

A small, uninhabited island near Mykonos that was the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, a great pan-Hellenic sanctuary and later a bustling free port, now an open-air archaeological site.

Reconstructed portico with red Minoan columns and a replica charging-bull fresco at Knossos

Knossos, Heraklion (Crete)

Knossos

The great Minoan palace complex, with its central court, Throne Room and partly reconstructed red-columned halls, about 5 km from Heraklion and part of a UNESCO World Heritage property since 2025.

Cafés and shops around a paved square below round crenellated towers of the medieval walls in Rhodes Old Town

Rhodes Town, Rhodes (South Aegean)

Rhodes Old Town

A UNESCO-listed walled city where the Knights of St John's Palace of the Grand Master and Street of the Knights sit beside Ottoman mosques, baths and lively market lanes.

Tiled rooftops and bell towers of Corfu Old Town with the sea and mainland mountains beyond

Corfu Town, Corfu (Ionian Islands)

Corfu Old Town

Corfu's historic capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007, set between two Venetian fortresses, with neoclassical houses, the Liston arcades and the church of the island's patron saint, Spyridon.

Islands in Greece

Aerial view of the turquoise shallows of Balos lagoon and the Gramvousa peninsula mountains, Crete

Crete (Region of Crete)

Crete

Greece's largest island combines the Minoan palace of Knossos, the Venetian harbour towns of Chania and Rethymno, the Samaria Gorge and the lagoon beaches of Balos and Elafonisi.

The marble Portara gateway on Palatia islet, with the blue Aegean and distant islands behind

Naxos Chora, Naxos (South Aegean)

Naxos

The largest island in the Cyclades, known for the giant marble Portara of an unfinished temple of Apollo, a hilltop Venetian Kastro, mountain villages, unfinished kouroi and long sandy beaches.

White volcanic rock ledges of Sarakiniko curving around a deep turquoise inlet

Sarakiniko, Milos (South Aegean)

Milos

A volcanic island in the western Cyclades with more than 70 beaches, from the moon-like white rocks of Sarakiniko to the sea caves of Kleftiko, plus colourful fishing villages and the hilltop capital Plaka.

Wooden sailing boat moored in Naoussa harbour as the sun sets behind the town and hills

Naoussa and Parikia, Paros (South Aegean)

Paros – Naoussa & Parikia

Paros pairs Parikia, its port town with the ancient church of Panagia Ekatontapiliani and a castle built on an ancient acropolis, with Naoussa, a colourful fishing harbour in the north-east.

Cities in Greece

Little Venice's white houses with coloured balconies rising from the sea as waves break on the pebbles

Chora, Mykonos (South Aegean)

Mykonos Town & Little Venice

The island capital, Chora, is a maze of whitewashed lanes and churches; on its western edge, the balconied houses of Little Venice rise straight from the sea below the hill of windmills.

Pastel waterfront houses and moored boats around Chania's old Venetian harbour on a sunny day

Chania, Chania regional unit (Crete)

Chania Old Town & Venetian Harbour

Chania's horseshoe-shaped Venetian harbour, with its lighthouse, arsenals and the Ottoman Kioutsouk Hasan Mosque, fronts an old town of lanes, mansions and markets in western Crete.

Mosques & temples in Greece

Monastery with red tiled roofs on a rock pillar at Meteora, above the town of Kalambaka and the Thessaly plain

Kalambaka, Trikala (Thessaly)

Meteora

A forest of towering sandstone and conglomerate pillars in Thessaly, topped by Byzantine-era monasteries that are still home to monks and nuns. Inscribed by UNESCO in 1988.

National parks in Greece

Hikers and pack animals on the stony gorge floor between steep, tree-dotted rock walls

Sfakia, Chania regional unit (Crete)

Samaria Gorge

Crete's best-known hike descends some 16 km from Xyloskalo on the Omalos plateau to Agia Roumeli on the south coast, through a national park that opens only in its officially announced season.

Beaches in Greece

Aerial view of Elafonisi's turquoise lagoon, sandbars and rows of umbrellas with mountains behind

Elafonisi, Kissamos, Chania regional unit (Crete)

Elafonisi Beach

A protected islet and lagoon at Crete's south-western corner, known for warm water rarely more than knee-deep and sand tinted pink in places, about 80 km from Chania.

Viewpoints in Greece

Whitewashed houses and a windmill of Oia lit up at dusk on the cliff above the sea, Santorini

Fira and Oia, Santorini (South Aegean)

Santorini caldera

A sea-filled volcanic basin ringed by cliffs of more than 300 metres, with the whitewashed villages of Fira, Imerovigli and Oia strung along its rim and famous sunsets over the water.

Museums in Greece

The modern Acropolis Museum and its entrance canopy seen across the forecourt, an older stone building to the left

Makrygianni, Athens (Attica)

Acropolis Museum

The museum at the foot of the Acropolis that houses the original sculptures and finds from the sacred rock, with a top-floor Parthenon Gallery looking straight at the temple. Opened in 2009.

Greece holiday packages

Low-angle view of the Doric marble columns of the Parthenon on the Acropolis, Athens, against a clear sky

BeachHoneymoon

Greece · 8 nights5★ Boutique

Athens & Santorini Escape

Acropolis guided tour
Caldera-view suite
Sunset catamaran

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$2,727 pp

Whitewashed houses and a windmill of Oia lit up at dusk on the cliff above the sea, Santorini

CultureNature

Greece · 11 nights4★ Hotel

Classic Greece: Athens, Meteora & Crete

Delphi & Meteora
Knossos
Cretan beaches

Includes accommodation · private transfers · daily breakfast · guided sightseeing

Indicative from

$2,608 pp

Greece travel overview Plan a Greece trip

Greece travel guides