Hiking and Travel

This part of our guide to holidays in Greece sees us covering the most popular tourist destinations…

Despite it’s relatively small size, Greece offers numerous places for travelers to visit during their stay in the country. The islands are the most popular destinations for tourists but mainland Greece has much to offer too. These are the top five places throughout Greece:

Athens, as a result of its antiquity and influence, is full of historical sites, museums and galleries, most of which can be found within a relatively small area surrounding the city centre. It also offers sites of natural beauty in the shape of it’s many parks, hills and mountains, which are ideal for those looking to escape the noise and commotion of the sprawling city streets.

Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, is famous for restaurants, bars and nightlife. But its past is also of great interest. The area has been continuously settled for about 3000 years and several sites have been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The city’s old town has narrow cobbled streets and well preserved historic houses and buildings, including good examples of Turkish architecture. Thessaloniki’s attractive waterfront promenade has panoramic views of the bay and nearby landmarks.

The island of Corfu, located just off the West coast of mainland Greece, is a popular destination for holiday makers because of its excellent beaches, rich history and mild Mediterranean climate. It’s very green compared to other Greek islands (containing over 2 million olive trees) and boasts a 1000 meter high mountain which offers breathtaking views across to neighboring islands.

Crete, Greece’s largest island and the southernmost one in Europe, is bathed in sunlight for much of the year. It’s mountain villages, long sandy beaches, rocky bays, quiet coves and a big selection of beach bars and nightclubs make it a popular travel and vacation destination, as do its abundance of wildlife, plants and flowers, many of which are unique to the island.

Rhodes, which has been inhabited since the Stone Age, has a landscape compromised mainly of hills and low mountains, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful Greek islands. The northern coast is renowned for its lively tourist resorts, whereas the south, quieter and simpler, offers an extensive medieval town and archaeological sites.