10 ESSENTIAL PLACES TO SEE IN GREECE

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There are many places to see in Greece, cradle of the current western civilization and a country full of corners that we are sure will make you fall in love as soon as you arrive. And it is difficult to resist archaeological sites that transfer you to Ancient Greece, monasteries located between vertigo landscapes, beautiful islands of transparent waters and dream villages, which together with an exquisite and varied cuisine, make Greece a safe choice for your vacation days
Based on the experience of our trip to Greece in 32 days, we have made a selection of what we think, are the 10 essential places to visit in Greece. We start!

1. Athens

Athens is a city with more than 3,000 years of history and without a doubt, one of the most essential places to see in Greece. And although it is said of the capital of Greece that as soon as you step on it or love it or hate it, we believe that if you invest 2 or 3 days to get to know it well and explore its most charming places, you will end up loving it and of course, wanting to return.
Of all the places to see in Athens, the most impressive and visited place in the city is the Acropolis, located on top and with the remains of the ancient Parthenon as the authentic jewel and icon of Greece.
In addition to the Parthenon and other Acropolis temples, you cannot miss a visit to the Plaka, Monastiraki and Anafiótika neighborhoods, find the temple of Zeus, climb Mount Lycabettus or the Philopapo to watch the sunset, enjoy the Central Market, enter In the Acropolis museum, stroll through the ancient Agora and the Roman Agora as well as enjoy traditional dishes such as moussaka, gyros or Greek yogurt.
During our three days in Athens we stayed at the Phaedra Hotel, with a great location in the Plaka area, which also has one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
A good option to get to know the amazing and long history of Athens is a free Athens tour Free! passing through the most important places in the city or booking this offer that includes the entrance to the Acropolis Museum.
You can find more information about the city in this post of essential tips for traveling to Athens.

Athens

2. Santorini

The island of Santorini, located in the Cyclades archipelago, is for us the most beautiful island and one of the places to visit in Greece.
This island product of a large volcanic eruption has a crescent shape with several islands around its famous caldera, which also highlights its geological configuration, which gives a different aspect to other Mediterranean islands, highlighting in this its beautiful villages, overlooked to cliffs, white facades, and doors and windows of a vibrant blue.
Take a dip in one of its beaches, watch the sunset over the caldera from some viewpoint, do some hiking route, enjoy the atmosphere of Fira, fall in love while walking through Oía or visit archaeological sites such as Akrotiri, are some of the best things to see in Santorini.
After our experience, especially if you travel in high season, we recommend you book the hotel well in advance, as prices are high and places are sold out very easily.
We stayed during the four days we were on the island at Gaby Apartments with incredible views, very friendly staff and great value for money.
The best option to go from Athens to Santorini, if you do not use a plane, is to book a ferry from the port of Piraeus.
In the port there are several companies that offer the trip and the price will depend on the type of boat you choose, taking into account that the fast lines that are more expensive can take around 4 hours for a price of about 60 euros, while the cheap ones They cost 40 euros and take more than 7 hours.
Another more comfortable alternative is to book a getaway to Santorini for 2 or more days or this 4-day getaway where you will also know Mykonos, the hotel includes more transfers.

Santorini

3. Meteora

Meteora is a valley located in northern Greece where stone colossi rise more than 600 meters high, where several monasteries were built more than 7 centuries ago. These monasteries suspended from heaven, declared World Heritage, are one of the places to see in Greece and more beautiful in the world.
Its situation high in the mountains, gave protection and a perfect place to meditate on the monks, and although they became 24 monasteries, many of them were destroyed during World War II, so there are currently 13 monasteries although only 6 can be visited, among which the monastery of the Great Meteoro and the monastery Varlaam stand out, in which inside you can see ancient frescoes as well as fantastic views of the valley.
To stay in Meteora, the best option is the villages of Kastraki and Kalambaka, located very close to the monasteries. These two villages, located more than 4 hours by car from Athens, have a good hotel and restaurant infrastructure although we recommend booking well in advance, especially if you travel in high season, since hotel beds are often easily exhausted, even faster than island hotels.
In our case we chose the Hotel Doupiani House in Kalambaka, where we spent 3 days with magnificent views of Meteora.
To visit the monasteries of Meteora from Athens, you can rent a car in Greece to make a route through Greece for free, or go by train from Athens in about 5 hours.
Another good option is to book a two-day excursion with a guide in Spanish that includes the incredible Delphi and accommodation.

Meteora

4. Delphi

Delphi, an ancient temple dedicated to the god Apollo and declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco, is another of the essential places to visit in Greece.
In ancient times in this temple was the oracle of Delphi, in which several pythonesses interpreted the words of the gods to answer questions from pilgrims. This place that became the religious center of Greece, has several archaeological ruins that are worth knowing besides the temple of Apollo, such as a theater with capacity for 5000 spectators, the stadium and the museum in which the figure stands out Bronze of the Charioteer of Delphi.
If you are en route to Greece, you can stay in the village of Delphi, located next to the site. We were at the Hotel Orfeas with a good location and a great breakfast.
To get to Delphi from Athens, if you don't have a car, you can take a bus in terminal B that takes about 3 hours for a price of 16 euros the journey.
Another more comfortable alternative that will pick you up at your Athens hotel is to book this day trip to Delphi with a guide in Spanish.

Delphi

5. Crete, one of the places to see in Greece

Crete, the largest of the Greek islands and where you need more than a week to enjoy it as it deserves, is our next recommendation of the places to see in Greece.
With everything you are looking for on a trip, Crete is perfect for enjoying cities with atmosphere, beaches with crystal clear waters, villages anchored in time, archaeological ruins, wild nature and delicious food. Starting with its capital, Heraklion with several places of interest, you can make a route by rental car or by public transport to enjoy all the wonders of the island.
Among the most beautiful places in Crete are Elafonisi beach, the Samaria Gorge, the Moni Arkadiou monastery, the fortified city of Rethymno, the cities of Agios Nikolaos and Chania, the Sendóni cave, the Gortina site, the village fishing of Loutró, the palace of Knossos and the Byzantine frescoes of several churches such as the Church of Agios Georgios or that of Kritsa.
To get to Crete the best option is by plane from Spain or other European cities, as there are direct flights to Heraklion or stopping in Athens. You can also get to Crete by booking a ferry in the port of Piraeus, since depending on the type of boat you can take from 6 to 9 hours, taking into account that there are also night ones.
Without any doubt, visiting Crete is one of the best tips for traveling to Greece that we can give you.

Crete, one of the places to see in Greece

6. Corinth, Epidaurus and Mycenae

Any route by car or public transport through mainland Greece should include the Peleponeso peninsula with its incredible archaeological sites in Corinth, Epidaurus and Mycenae.
Maroon, famous for its channel that links the Aegean with the Ionian, has the main reason in the ruins of the Old Corinth to be considered a must. In these ruins is the fantastic temple of Apollo from 550 BC. and a little further, the Acropolis located on the mountain of Acrocorinto.
Epidaurus It is known for its Ancient Theater of the fourth century BC, considered one of the best preserved Greek theaters with the best acoustics in the world where in addition to marveling at the theater, you can enjoy the ruins of the stadium, the temple of Asklepios and the Tholos.
Mycenae, located 90 kilometers from Athens, is another of the archaeological site to see in Greece. Among its most prominent places is the Treasure of Atreus, the wall with the Gate of the Lions, the circle of tombs, the remains of the Palace of Agamemnon and the Mycenaean tholos.
The best option to tour the Peleponeso is to rent a car, although if you do not want to drive and do not want to waste much time on public transport, you can book one of these guided tours in Spanish:
- Book excursion to Corinth, Mycenae and Epidaurus
- Book 4-day classic circuit
- Book 3-day classic circuit
- Book 2-day circuit

Epidaurus Theater

7. Mykonos

Mykonos, next to Santorini, is one of the islands of the most famous Cyclades archipelago and another of the places to visit in Greece.
This small island famous for its parties and its lively nightlife, also hides a natural landscape mixed with the characteristic white houses, which we are sure, will leave you speechless and will become in a few minutes, in one of the places to see in Greece more amazing
A route through the island should start in Chora, the capital of Mykonos, where you can not miss getting lost in its labyrinthine and narrow streets, photograph thousands of white houses with blue windows, fall in love in Little Venice, find the church of Panagia Paraportiani, tour the old port and climb to the top of the city to see the Windmills at sunset.
After visiting Chora you can rent a motorcycle or a car to tour the island and enjoy its beaches among which are the one of Paraga, Paradise, Super Paradise, Elia and Kalafatis, in addition to other interesting places of Mykonos such as the incredible Monastery of the Panagia Turliani and the ruins of Portes.
In addition to all these places, keep in mind that a highly recommended excursion in Mykonos is that of the nearby uninhabited island of Delos, a sacred place of ancient Greece, with one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.

In Mykonos, we recommend staying in Chora, the place with the most infrastructure on the island, where we were at the Olympia Hotel, located 200 meters from the beach with spacious and very clean rooms.
In addition to arriving by plane to Mykonos, you have the option to book a ferry in the port of Piraeus of Athens to arrive in less than 3 hours to the new port of Mykonos.
Another more comfortable alternative is to book a getaway to Mykonos for 2 or more days or this 4-day getaway in which you will also get to know Santorini, in both excursions the ferry, accommodation and transfers are included.

Mykonos, one of the places to visit in Greece

8. Cabo Sunión

In Cape Sunión, located 65 kilometers southeast of Athens, you can see one of the most beautiful sunsets in the world, in addition to having panoramic views of the Aegean Sea, which make it another of the places to see in Greece.
On this end two beautiful temples were built in Ancient Greece: the Temple of Poseidon and the Temple of Athena. The ruins of the Temple of Poseidon of the 5th century BC, located 60 meters above sea level, is one of the places to see in Greece essential, that we advise you not to lose yourself, in which its large columns of more than 6 meters high stand out, in which in one of them the poet Lord Byron put his name.
The temple dedicated to the goddess Athena is 400 meters from the Poseidon and although very few remains are preserved, it is worth a visit.
To get to Cape Sounion from Athens, if you don't have a car, you can take the bus at the Egiptou Square, which leaves every hour, between 6:30 and 17:30, for a price of 6 euros.
Another more comfortable alternative is to book this excursion with a guide in Spanish where you will be picked up at the hotel and considered one of the best excursions in Athens.

Cape Sunion

Recommended travel cards
Remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.

9. Olympia

Olympia, located on the Peloponnese Peninsula, is one of the most famous places in Greece, being the place where the first Olympic Games in history were held in 776 BC. and therefore, one of the essential places to see in Greece.
The Sanctuary of Olympia, in which the ceremony of lighting the Olympic flame is held every year, is its most emblematic place, although we will not deny that you have to put a little imagination to get an idea of what this place was in ancient Greece.
The entire archeological zone is a combination of temples dedicated to the gods such as the Temple of Zeus, spaces for culture such as the study of Phidias and sports venues such as the stadium where the games were played almost 3,000 years ago. In addition to the visit to the ruins you can not miss the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, one of the best and one of the places to visit in Greece.
If you do not have a car, a good option to get to Olympia from Athens is to take a bus from Terminal A, on a journey of just over 5 hours. Another more comfortable alternative is to make some of the circuits through the Peleponeso that include the city:
- Circuit for Mycenae and Olympia for 2 days
- Classic 4-day circuit
- Classic 3 day circuit

Olympia

10. Other recommended Greek Islands

The more than 2000 Greek islands that are spread over several archipelagos form a large mosaic of turquoise waters, small villages of white houses and vertigo cliffs, of which we can say, without fear of being wrong, to form some of the essential places to see in Greece.
Among the most beautiful Greek islands to see in Greece are:

- Corfu: This Ionian island offers olive groves, picturesque villages, the incredible city of Corfu with its Venetian-style houses, bays and beaches, temples dedicated to the ancient Greek gods and lots of experiences that will make you enjoy your vacation to the fullest.
- Zante: this Ionian island stands out for its caves between cliffs, the blue color of the water, the wild nature and the beach of Navagio, one of the most famous in the world with the remains of a ship wrecked in the sand.
- Rhodes: the largest island of the Dodecanese, it is also one of the most beautiful. Famous in ancient times for the great Colossus of Rhodes, which served as a lighthouse. Now it impresses with the medieval city of Rhodes surrounded by walls, the town of Londos, the spectacular beaches, mosques, churches, monasteries and archaeological sites.
- Paros: This small island of the Cyclades has sandy beaches with crystal clear waters, white house villages, narrow alleys, churches, monasteries and a lively nightlife. Next to Paros is Antiparos famous for an ancient cave full of stalactites and stalagmites.
- Naxos: This island brings together everything you could want on your vacation and with a lower price to its neighboring islands. There are many things to see in Naxos, although it stands out for having the best preserved archaeological sites in the Cyclades archipelago, as well as delicious Mediterranean food.
- Milo: This small volcanic island of the Cyclades stands out for its incredible eroded landscape and the colors of its beaches and mountains. Do not miss the place where the Venus de Milo was found, one of the most famous statues in the world, which you can currently see at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
- Folegandros: This island of the Cyclades has several prominent places such as the town of Chora with its beautiful old town, the beach of Fira and that of Livadaki, the church of Panagia and its magnificent sunsets.