Follow in the footsteps of Greek gods and lose yourself in ancient history at the sacred site of the Acropolis in Athens or at Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games. Lesser-known but equally archaeologically important sites include the Minoan Akrotiri on Santorini, perfectly preserved due to the thick layer of volcanic ash covering it, following the catastrophic eruption of the Santorini in 1450 BC. Many of the artefacts from sites around Greece have been excavated and removed to museums. Athens is home to some of the world’s best museums for Greek antiquities, such as the National Archaeological Museum and the contemporary New Acropolis Museum.
Greece offers a vast choice of activities. You can hike the length of the longest gorge in Europe, the Samaria, in Crete, or take a more leisurely trip by boat to see the hissing sulphur vents of the volcanic Nea Kameni island off Santorini. Take a cooling dip in the Aegean or Ionian Sea, or grab a snorkel and experience crystal-clear underwater vision.
Greece is world-famous for its delicious olive oil and olives and also produces a great variety of tangy goat’s and sheep’s cheese, the most famous being feta. With a 13,000-km-long coastline, seafood is fresh and plentiful and features on restaurant menus throughout the country. Breakfast is often thick Greek yoghurt with locally produced honey and fruit such as fresh figs. Regional dishes are extremely diverse, but meze (a selection of small dishes) are ubiquitous, washed down with a glass of ouzo at a beachside taverna, or on a terrace of a cliff-top restaurant on Santorini.