Attica
Athens (Αθήνα (Athina))
The Parthenon & Acropolis Museum, whitewashed Anafiotika lanes beneath the Sacred Rock, vibrant Koukaki and Psyrri meze quarters, and Piraeus ferry gateway to the Aegean.
Where to go
Greece Destinations (12 Flagship Guides)
Compare Greece's 12 essential cities and regions by travel style, ideal stay length, best season, and realistic daily budget in Euros (€ EUR) — or browse all 1,450 Greek cities, market towns & island & mainland villages across all 13 Regions.
South Aegean (Cyclades)
Santorini (Thira) (Σαντορίνη / Θήρα)
Dramatic volcanic caldera cliffs, Oia's blue-domed Cycladic churches, the Bronze Age Pompeii of Akrotiri, and mineral-rich Assyrtiko vineyards overlooking the Aegean.
South Aegean (Cyclades)
Mykonos & Sacred Delos (Μύκονος & Δήλος)
Dazzling whitewashed Chora mazes, 16th-century Kato Mili windmills, Little Venice seafront balconies, golden south-coast bays, and the UNESCO island sanctuary of Delos.
Crete
Crete (Chania, Heraklion & Rethymno) (Κρήτη (Kriti))
Europe's oldest civilization at the Minoan Palace of Knossos, Chania and Rethymno's Venetian harbors, Samaria Gorge, pink-sand Elafonisi, Balos Lagoon, and legendary Cretan hospitality.
South Aegean (Dodecanese)
Rhodes & the Dodecanese (Ρόδος (Rodos))
Europe's largest living medieval walled city built by the Knights of St. John, the clifftop Acropolis of Lindos above St. Paul's Bay, and pastel neoclassical Symi Island.
Ionian Islands
Corfu (Kerkyra) (Κέρκυρα (Kerkyra))
Venetian arcades and twin sea fortresses in UNESCO Corfu Old Town, emerald cypress-draped bays at Paleokastritsa, Achilleion Palace, and aromatic Ionian cuisine.
Thessaly
Meteora & Kalabaka (Μετέωρα & Καλαμπάκα)
Six active 14th-century Byzantine Orthodox monasteries balanced atop towering 400-meter congenital sandstone pillars rising above the Thessalian plain and Pindus mountains.
Central Macedonia
Thessaloniki & Chalkidiki (Θεσσαλονίκη & Χαλκιδική)
Greece's northern gastronomic capital on the Thermaic Gulf: 15 UNESCO Paleochristian & Byzantine monuments, the White Tower, Modiano Market, and the turquoise peninsulas of Chalkidiki.
South Aegean (Cyclades)
Naxos & Paros (Νάξος & Πάρος)
The golden heart of the Cyclades separated by a 30-minute ferry: Naxos's marble Portara gate, endless sandy beaches, and fertile mountain villages paired with Paros's Venetian harbor of Naoussa.
Central Greece
Delphi, Arachova & Mount Parnassus (Δελφοί & Αράχωβα)
The navel of the ancient world on the cliffs of Mount Parnassus: the Temple of Apollo, Tholos of Athena Pronaia, bronze Charioteer of Delphi, alpine Arachova, and Byzantine Hosios Loukas.
Peloponnese
Nafplio & the Peloponnese (Ναύπλιο & Πελοπόννησος)
Greece's most romantic Venetian capital at Nafplio, the 999 steps of Palamidi Fortress, Bourtzi Water Castle, the 4th-century BC Theater of Epidaurus, Bronze Age Mycenae, and Monemvasia.
Ionian Islands
Zakynthos & Cephalonia (Ζάκυνθος & Κεφαλονιά)
Towering white limestone cliffs and electric-turquoise Ionian bays: Navagio Shipwreck Cove, the Blue Caves, Caretta-caretta sea turtles, Myrtos Beach, Melissani Underground Lake, and Venetian Fiskardo.