For travelers who do not mind driving and want to see a bit of everything–historic sites, seaside & mountain villages, Medieval fortresses, beaches, hiking trails, and all types of activities then one of the regions of mainland of Greece or one of the larger islands is the best place to start your first adventure. Here is a very summarized list of some possibilities:
ON THE MAINLAND
The Peloponnese: The island of Pelops, which was the heart of Ancient Greece and is full of bronze age, classical ancient Greek, Byzantine and medieval sites as well as lovely mountain & seaside villages, beaches, waterfalls, rivers, islands off the coast–just about everything! This is a large region and exploring all of the Peloponnese would take at least a month, so travelers need to choose which part to explore. The Rio-Antirio bridge which crosses the Corinthian Gulf means that it is easy to visit Ancient Delphi located across the gulf as well AND the ferries that take you to the Ionian islands of Kythira, Zakynthos, Kefalonia and Corfu leave from ports on the Peloponnese, and the Saronic islands of Hydra, Poros and Spetses also connect with ports in the Argolid, as well as Elafonisos with its fantastic sandy beaches. The Peloponnese is close to Athens and has excellent roads and is great for visiting at all times of the year. Here are blog posts about one part of the Peloponnese very close to Athens called the Argolid: Nafplion , Epidaurus and Mycenae
Also all six of the sample itineraries are in the Peloponnese:
10 Days in the Amazing Peloponnese, Fitness Retreat, Seaside cooking retreat, Olive Oil Roads, In the Steps of Heracles, Easter in Greece
Central Greece: This part includes the area surrounding Athens all the way to Parnasos Mountain where Delphi and the Byzantine monastery of Hosios Loukas is located, as well as many other ancient and Byzantine sites, lovely mountain villages, ski resorts, seaside villages, beaches, rivers and the town of Nafpakto (Lepando in the Middle Ages). High season is in the winter because of the popular ski resorts, but anytime of the year is a great time to visit. The ferry to the island of Ithaka is in this region.
Here is a blog post about this region
Thessaly: To the north of Athens and this region includes the famous Meteora monasteries, located on top of tower like monoliths, Mt. Olympus, the absolutely gorgeous mountain villages and coast of Mt. Pelion (home of the mythic centaurs) and town of Volos, where one can eat delicious mezedes or tapas and take a ferry to the Sporades–the “Mama Mia” islands of Skiathos & Skopelos and Alonisos.
Epirus: The northeastern part of Greece is not high on the tourist radar, but it is an amazingly beautiful part of Greece, characterized by the Pindus Mountain and traditional Zagori villages and the lush coast opposite the islands of Corfu and Paxos, which can be reached by ferry via Igoumenitsa. The capital of the region is Ioannina, located on the shores of Lake Pamvotida with remnants throughout the town from the Ottoman Empire. There are also important ancient sites such as Dodona and the Necromanteion of Acheron and lovely seaside towns of Parga, Syvota and Preveza, where there is a bridge to the island of Lefkada. Here is a blog post about Epirus
Macedonia: The central northern part of Greece is crowned by the lovely Thessaloniki, which was the second city after Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire and is now the second city in modern Greece after Athens. Western Macedonia is lush with rivers. lakes and mountains–on the western border is Nymfaio–one of my favorite villages and named one of the ten most picturesque villages of Europe, according to UNESCO. It is a cobble stoned village without cars, but with stone guesthouses, delicious restaurants, fringed with forest and a wild bear refuge. Moving eastward, there is the lovely town of Kastoria with its grand lake, Florina and her waterfalls, Nemea with excellent wines, Vergina with the magnificent tomb of Philip of Macedon (Alexander’s father), and the lovely towns of Veria, Kozani, Grevena and Litochoro on Mt. Olympus. Below Thesaloniki are the three peninsulas of Halkidiki–Cassandra, Sithonia (my favorite) and the third is Mt Athos (only for men who want to visit the monasteries). Halkidiki has amazing tree lined sandy beaches. To the east are the wine famous areas around Drama, the biblical Philippi, the lovely town of Kavala, which connects to the beautiful, foresty island of Thassos. Here is the Greek tourism site for more information about Macedonia.
Thrace and the islands of Thassos and Samothrace: Thrace is the eastern most part of the Greek mainland that borders Turkey to the east and Bulgaria to the north. The towns in Thrace have a timeless Balkan feel–it is the meeting point of east vs west–Greece with a bit of Turkey. . On the border between Macedonia and Thraces lies the beautiful city and harbor of Kavala, crowned by the fortress built by the Byzantines and re-built by the Ottomans. The city is built amphitheatrically around its harbor and has Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman elements throughout the city. There are many lovely beaches, but one can also take a ferry from Kavala to visit the very lush island of Thassos. Moving eastward, we encounter Xanthi and Komotini, with their covered markets and minarets. And on the border with
Turkey is Alexandroupoli, where one can reach the amazing, timeless and devoid of tourists island of Samothrace–a mountain rising from the Aegean Sea and a paradise for hikers with rivers and mountain pools and the Sanctuary of the Great Gods where the Kaviria Mysteries were held– an ancient religious event of great importance, equal to that of the Eleusinian Mysteries – that brought the island’s fame to the top during ancient times–and in modern times as the famous Nike or Winged Victory of Samothrace was found there and now displayed in the Louvre in Paris.
ISLANDS
Ferries only connect between islands in the same group and sometimes between islands located close together, but in different groups such as Amorgos (Cyclades) and Astypalaia (Dodecanese) or Ikaria (Northern Aegean) and Patmos (Dodecanese). Some of the larger and busier islands also have airports.
Crete: Crete is the largest Greek island and is almost a country of its own! It would take about a month to completely explore–I have been 3 times and have visited the western and north eastern side, but there is still so much to see! It was home to the Minoans–an amazingly advanced ancient civilization that flourished from 3000-1100 BCE and visitors can see the remains of their cities across the island. It also has two tall mountains, gorges, amazing beaches–organized and easy to access on the north side and the much less touristy ones on the south side. There are small islands one can visit in the summer and the lovely cities of Chania, Réthimno and Iraklion each with Greek, Venetian and Ottoman elements that make each one utterly charming to visit in any season of the year (although they can get quite hot in the midst of summer). Crete is the southern most island and has two airports (Iraklion and Chania) and numerous ports, which connect with the Cyclades, Dosecanese and Kythira twice a week (and thus the Peloponnese if you have plenty of time!). Here is a blog post I have written about Crete.
Evia (Euboia) is the second largest island and is very close to the eastern coast of mainland Greece–and there is even a bridge that connects it to the mainland. It is lush in the north, like the Sporades, and dry in the south, like the Cyclades. You would need at least 2 or 3 weeks to explore the whole island. I would say that for its size, it is one of the least visited of the Greek islands, even though it has gorgeous beaches, lush mountains, lovely villages and the city of Eretria was very important in Ancient Greece. Other than the bridge at Chalkida, there are numerous ferries one can take to arrive at various spots on the island and also one can visit the island of Skyros and other Sporades from Kymi on the west coast.
The Ioanian Islands also called the Eptanissa (7 islands) are the group of islands off the western coast of Greece (between Greece and Italy), which consist of Corfu, Paxoi (Paxos and others close by), Lefkada (which also connects via bridge from Preveza in Epirus), Ithaki (Odysseus home Ithaca), Kefalonia (Capitan Corelli’s mandolin), Zakinthos (with the shipwreck beach–perhaps the most photographed beach of Greece), and Kythira. These are very lovely, green islands with a distinct Italian feel–they were occupied by the Venetians for centuries. There are airports on Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Kythira and can be reached via ports in the Peloponnese and Epirus.
The Saronic Islands are the islands closest to Athens and the Argolid peninsula, which make them easy to visit or even as day trips from Athens. The island of Aegina and Agistri are closest to Athens. Aegina is famous for its delicious pistachios and beautifully situated Temple of Aphea Athena, built around 500 BCE. The other islands of Hydra, Poros and Spetses are also easily reached from Athens as well as from the Argolid Peninsula and have many daily connects between them so that island hopping or day trips are very easy. Poros has the added advantage of being just 5 minutes from the coast with ferries crossing every hour.
The Cyclades are the most well known group of islands. They are quite dry and have the iconic whitewashed houses and blue domed churches that many visitors have in mind when thinking of Greek islands. This is a large group of 22 islands, many of which are very close together, making it easy to island hop. However, the ferries have separate routes for the western and eastern islands. This is the group that includes the famous islands of Santorini and Mykonos, but there are many that are much less touristy. Here are some blog posts I´ve written about some of them: The Iconic Cyclades, The Western Cyclades, Tinos, the island of marble, The small Cyclades , My Cycladic Summer
The Dodecanese(the 12 islands) are to the east of the Cyclades and include the famous island of Rhodes, Kos and Patmos. The other islands are Agathonisi and Leipsoi, which are small islands close to Patmos. Astypalaia is the Dodecanese island link to the Cycladic islands of Naxos, Amorgos and Donoussa, and connects with Kalymnos. Karpathos and Kasos are located between Crete and Rhodes and connect to both (from Sitia on the eastern shore of Crete). Leros, Halki, Nisyros, Symi and Tilos are smaller islands located around and between Rhodes and Kos with easy connections in between. Kastellorizo is the easternmost Greek island and connects via ferry with Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Tilos and Nisyros. Smaller islands in this group are Alimia, Arkoi, Farmakonisi, Gyali, Kinaros, Levitha, Marathos, Nimos, Pserimos, Saria, Strongyli and Syrna.
The (Northern) Sporades –These are 24 islands, but only 4 are permanently inhabited, located along the east coast of Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea, in the Aegean Sea. Skiathos and Skopelos are the most well known and sometimes known as The “Mama Mia” islands, because the island of Kalokairi (which means summer in Greek) was actually Skopelos. These two islands are very lush, green islands with sandy beaches. I lived on Skiathos for over a year and in my opinion offers some of the best beaches, swimming, sailing and boating in all of Greece, because of the fact that it is protected from the winds by the peninsula of Mt. Pelion to the north. It also offers the natural shade from trees on its sandy beaches. The islands of Alonissos and Skyros are less visited, but gorgeous as well, however slightly drier. Skiathos has an airport and the four islands connect via ferry from Kymi in Evia, Agios Constantinos & Volos in Thessaly, and Thessaloniki in Macedonia.
The Northern Aegean Islands are the group that I would say are the most unspoilt by tourism. They include Samos, Ikaria, Chios, Lesbos, and Lemnos, which have substantial permanent populations and airports–and the lesser known, Agios Efstratios, Psara, Fournoi and Oinousses. I have been to Samos, Ikaria, Chios and Lesbos and have been enchanted by all of them. They each are charming in their own unique way and large e
nough to have plenty to do for a week or two. I have had some of the most delicious food on these islands and lovely accommodation well within even the tightest of budgets. All are lovely destinations, made easy to visit because they have airports and connect easily between each other via ferry. One can also day trip to Ephesus from Samos.
Region and time of year
Greece has 4 distinct seasons and some destinations are better in certain seasons. In general, the mainland and larger islands are nice to visit during the whole year, but at the height of summer, cities can be quite hot and archaeological sites are best left until the late afternoon. The smaller islands are best to visit in the summer and early fall.
Spring: March 15-June 15 : The temperature ranges from around 45F in the early spring and evenings to the 70s in the late spring and at midday. It is usually warm in the sun, but quite chilly in the shade and in the evening. There are beautiful wildflowers, amazing Easter celebrations and some rainy days. Spring is a lovely time to visit the mainland and the larger islands. However, it is too cold to swim until around June 1–and the water is really quite chilly until around June 15. However, it is possible to bite your lip and swim on warm sunny days from May 15 at midday.
Summer: June 15-September 15 The temperature ranges from around 70F in the early summer and in the evenings to the 90s in the late summer and at midday. Almost no rain, but very strong midday sun, which is quite hot when not in the shade. Temperatures in the shade are usually very pleasant, unless there is a heatwave–and one always eats outside in the shade during summers. Around the sea, there is usually a pleasant breeze. Bad summer weather is caused by the strong winds which can ruin boat trips or island hopping, especially in the Cyclades which usually have the strongest winds. The occasional heatwave is felt much more in the cities and on the mainland, where there is no sea breeze. Mountains are also lovely havens of cool pleasant breezes with great hikes and mountain river and lake swimming. Days are very long and sunset is around 8:30-9:30 during summer. There are also many village festivals, celebrating their patron saints, and especially around August 15, which is a major religious holiday for the entire country.
Autumn: September 15-November 15: The temperature ranges from around 80F in the early fall and at midday and in the 50s in late autumn and in the evenings. Days are shorter–sunset from 6:30-8, but the sea is warm until mid October. There is more rain–especially in November. Grapes are harvested and wine is pressed in early September and many festivals take place at this time. Olives are harvested in November–and tsipouro is distilled in November or December. Also, the national celebration of “no” and St. Demetrius in Thesaloniki.
Winter: November 15-March 15: The temperature ranges from around 50F in the early winter and at midday and in the 30’s or 40’s in late winter and in the evenings. There is more rain in the winter and sometimes even snow, especially in Northern Greece and in the mountains. Days are short, but it is a lovely time to visit cities and destinations on the mainland and spend time around the fire. The holiday season starts with the celebration of St Nicolas on December 6 . Then continues with holiday cookies, carolers on December 24, Christmas and Boxing day follow. Then December 31 and january 1 celebrating the new year with St Basil’s day and cake. January 6 is the day of enlightenment and January 7 is dedicated to St. John (the baptist). Soon after the holidays, comes carnival time and the “Clean Monday“, the festival that will begin Lent–40 days of a vegan diet for the pious Greek Orthodox.
