On the Ionian Island of Zakynthos (Zante) there’s a world of difference between the mountainous north and west and the flatter south and east, where most of the beaches are found. The upper regions have bright white limestone cliffs plummeting to inlets and coves like the marvellous Navagio, which can only be reached by boat. …
Most of the top attractions on the mountainous island of Kefalonia are natural, like the mythic Melissani Cave or the highest peak, Mount Aenos. Kefalonia’s coastline is as rugged as its hinterland and this contributes to the majestic beauty of beaches like Myrtos and Petani. Both are coves at the bottom of mighty cliffs with …
In the North Aegean, Lesbos is the third-largest Greek island and known to many as the home of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho in the 6th century BC. Unlike a lot of the Aegean, Lesbos has stayed clear of heavy tourism, and is an island best suited to independent travellers who don’t mind travelling a …
A three-fingered peninsula in Central Macedonia, Chalkidiki is mainland Greece’s sun and sand holiday paradise. The region has 72 Blue Flag beaches on 550 kilometres of coastline, and is sprinkled with archaeological sites like Stagira where the philosopher Aristotle was born. The Kassandra and Sithonia Peninsulas to the west and centre are the tourist go-tos, …
Between the Pindus range and the Ionian Sea, the mountainous region of Epirus is in the northwest of Greece. The coast has the kind of warm climate and pine trimmed coves you’d expect from the Ionian Islands, but inland the landscape becomes vast and winters blanket the peaks in snow. One of many awesome natural …
In the Ionian Sea and joined to the Greek mainland by road, Lefkada (Lefkas) is an island with mountainous topography and beaches so immaculate you may have seen them before ‘in advertising. One, Porto Katsiki is even more beautiful than it looks, with a white pebble beach resting at the foot of white, crescent-shaped cliffs. …
In antiquity some big hitters lived on the island of Samos, like the philosopher Epicurus, the astronomer Aristarchus and, most famous of all, the mathematician Pythagoras. You may remember him from the Pythagorean theorem in your school days, and on Samos you can journey to the caves where he is believed to have lived and …
The capital of Crete, Heraklion is a port with a long and compelling story to tell. Over the centuries the city has been controlled by the Byzantines, Moors, Venetians and Ottomans before joining modern Greece in the 20th century. The Venetians were in charge all through the late Medieval and Renaissance periods, when they built …
Capital of the Achaia prefecture, Patras has a heavenly setting on its namesake gulf at the very north of Peloponnese. Modern Patras by the water was rebuilt around impressive squares after the city was damaged Greek War of Independence in the 19th century. But up the slope is the old city, where you’ll happen upon …
A northwestern suburb of Athens, Peristeri is the fourth-largest municipality in Greece. For most of its history this was empty fields on the Sacred Way, an ancient procession route from Athens to Eleusis. But during the Greco-Turkish War from of 1919-1922 Peristeri was chosen for refugee camps. These grew into a suburb after the Second …