Climb to the Acropolis early€30
The Parthenon above Athens, best in the first hour when the marble is cool and the light is still low.
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Southern Europe
Things to do in Greece
Whitewashed islands, ancient stone, and water the color you assumed was photoshopped.
Explore Greece on the map →Budget$$
Best for10-14 days
CapitalAthens
VisaVisa-free 90 days (Schengen) for US/UK/EU
CurrencyEuro (€)
LanguagesGreek
InternetGood
Typical lodging$35–$95/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type C/F plug)
Time zoneUTC+1
Emergency number112
Dialing code+30
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Beaches★★★★★ Photography
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Tap water is safe to drink. 5–10% is appreciated, not required.
The scale of the island count changes how you travel: ferries are the road network, and choosing between Cyclades, Ionian and Dodecanese means choosing between genuinely different landscapes, food and architecture.
When to go
SpringApril–May
Wildflowers, green hills, warm days and cold sea. Ruins without queues and islands before the ferries get busy.
SummerJune–August
Hot, dry and full. The meltemi wind cools the Cyclades and cancels the odd ferry. August is the peak of everything, including prices.
Early autumnSeptember–October
The warmest sea of the year, thinning crowds and softer light. Many consider it the best month-and-a-half in Greece.
WinterNovember–March
Athens stays mild and museum-friendly, mountain villages get snow, and most small islands close down almost entirely.
21 things to do
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Culture & history
5See what came off the Acropolis, in the museum below€30
The Acropolis Museum's top floor is built to the temple's exact proportions, with glass walls facing the real thing.
Stand where the oracle spoke at Delphi
A sanctuary on the slope of Mount Parnassus that the Greeks considered the centre of the world, with the valley falling away below.
Walk the ruins of Knossos on Crete
A Bronze Age palace complex, partly reconstructed in concrete by its excavator: controversial, but it makes the scale readable.
Climb to the monasteries at Meteora
Monasteries built on sandstone pillars, reached by steps cut into rock. Still working communities, with dress codes to match.
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Food & markets
4Eat in a taverna where there's no menu
You're shown the pots, you point. Common in villages, and usually the best meal of the trip.
Take mezze seriously with ouzo
Small plates arriving slowly over hours, meant to be shared while the anise clouds in the glass. Lesvos is the ouzo heartland.
Visit an olive mill at pressing time
Late autumn brings the harvest, when the first oil is green, cloudy and peppery enough to catch in the throat.
Eat Cretan food in the hills
Wild greens, snails, barley rusks and cheese from small producers, a diet studied for decades for its longevity.
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Adventure & outdoors
4Walk the Samaria Gorge
Sixteen kilometres down through a Cretan gorge to the sea, ending where the only way out is by boat.
Hike the stone paths of the Zagori villages
Arched bridges, slate roofs and the Vikos Gorge in the mountains of Epirus, a completely different Greece from the islands.
Take the rack railway up the Vouraikos Gorge
A narrow-gauge line clinging to a gorge wall in the Peloponnese, running between Diakopto and Kalavryta.
See the Corinth Canal cut
A 6km channel sliced through solid rock, 80m deep and barely 20m wide, best seen from the bridge above.
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Coast & water
4Watch the sun go down over the Santorini caldera
The rim of a collapsed volcano, whitewashed villages along the edge. Crowded and worth it; Imerovigli is quieter than Oia.
Ferry-hop the Cyclades
Paros, Naxos, Milos, Folegandros: an hour or two apart, each with different beaches, food and levels of noise.
Swim at Milos's volcanic coves
Sarakiniko's white rock looks lunar; other beaches on the same island are red, black or reachable only by boat.
Sail the Ionian islands
Greener and wetter than the Cyclades, with calmer water. Corfu, Kefalonia and Lefkada are all in easy hopping range.
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Cities & design
2Watch the old town of Rhodes at night
A medieval walled city built by the Knights of St John, still lived in, with cobbles worn smooth.
Wander Nafplio's marble streets
Greece's first capital after independence: Venetian fortresses, bougainvillea and a harbour, three hours from Athens.
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Slow days
2Spend a day doing nothing on a small island
One beach, one bakery, one ferry a day. Islands like Koufonisia and Sikinos are built for exactly this.
Join a village festival
Saints' days bring whole villages out for food, wine and dancing that runs past midnight, especially through August.
Common questions
▾Is Greece safe to visit?
Yes. Greece is a safe, well-traveled destination with low rates of violent crime against tourists. Petty theft around crowded tourist areas and ferry ports is the main thing to watch for, along with the usual heat-related precautions in summer.
▾How much does it cost to visit the Acropolis?
The full Acropolis & Slopes ticket costs €30, with a reduced €15 rate for eligible visitors (students, EU youth, and similar categories). Prices rose substantially in 2025 and the previous winter discount was removed, so budget for the full rate regardless of season.
▾How many days do you need in Greece?
10-14 days covers Athens plus a proper island stretch, whether that's the Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos) or somewhere quieter. A one-week trip usually means Athens plus a single island rather than island-hopping.
▾Do I need a visa for Greece?
US, UK, Canadian and most other Western passport holders can visit visa-free for up to 90 days within the Schengen Area. Longer stays or nationalities outside the visa-waiver list need a Schengen visa arranged in advance.
▾What's the best time to visit Greece?
May, June, September and October offer the best balance of warm weather, calmer ferry schedules and thinner crowds. July and August are the busiest and hottest months, especially on the more popular islands.
▾Is Greece expensive?
Greece is a mid-range destination overall: mainland Greece and less-touristed islands are quite affordable, while famous islands like Santorini and Mykonos run notably higher for accommodation and dining in peak season.