Boasting four millennia of classical history, thousands of sunny islands home to storybook white-washed villages, and a laid-back culture that welcomes celebration, Greece has something to offer for every traveller. To make sure you choose just the right Greece tour packages to suit you, we’ve compiled a list of our favourite things to do below.
The ancient Acropolis
Rising from the traffic-laden streets of Athens, the ancient ruins of the Acropolis symbolise the cultural birthplace of Western civilisation. These magnificently divine Parthenon and marble tributes to the gods still stand over 3,400 years after they were constructed.
Greek Island hopping
As an archipelago of over 6,000 islands (of which only 227 are inhabited), no trip to Greece is complete without sunbathing, swimming and sunset-gazing your way around the aquamarine coastline – with the help of sailing and island cruises. The skipper and crew will take care of meals and logistics, leaving you in charge of relaxing.
Sunsets at Santorini
The familiar postcard image of blue-domed Greek Orthodox churches and white-washed houses clinging to the cliff-side on top of a metamorphic volcanic caldera forms the quintessential picture of Greek islands. Dodge donkeys and tentacles from freshly-caught octopi hung out to dry during the day, and at sunset, grab a cold drink and find a spot to take in that famous view.
Party on Mykonos
The island of the winds shuffles throngs of A-listers through mazy cubist lanes and ‘Little Venice’ al fresco eateries, in search of the old town’s tastiest octopus salad and old windmills. By night, the heady summer vibes of liberalism and beat-dropping Paradise Beach clubs claim the young and sleepless.
Magnificent Meteora
Take an excursion from Kalambaka to these heaven-high ecclesiastical monasteries, pedestalled upon an array of mighty sandstone pillars. Awe-inspiring and remarkable are two adjectives that cannot quite capture the majesty. This is the ultimate panorama shot.
The mystical ruins in the mountains: Delphi
The Centre of the Earth, according to Zeus, where two eagles crossed and created the residence of the Oracle. Solid temples of Apollo columns and crumbling ancient theatre seats bear fruit to the archaeological intrigue of Greece’s fascinating classical history.
Dance it up Zorba the Greek style
Plato once said, “dancing is divine in its nature, it is a gift of the gods” – and his ancestry have carried it on with Syrtaki style. Costumed plate smashing, gleeful feet thumping and sporadic cries of ‘Opa!’ come together to create the excitable echo from the cellar heard on nights in old tavernas. Bonus points if you manage it at a pirate ship toga party.
The epic battle scene of Thermopylae
This is Sparta! Home to King Leonidas I’s heroic battle against Xerxes. The epic story is brought to you on a stopover coach tour, which relives the warrior courage of 300 soldiers against a one-million-strong Persian army.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
