The 10 Best Travel Experiences in Greece

Oia is the northernmost village on Santorini and the best known, with its white-washed Cycladic architecture, blue-domed churches, and cliffside position above the caldera.

It is particularly famous for its sunset, which draws crowds from across the island to watch the sun sink into the Aegean.

The crescent-shaped caldera of Santorini, formed by a massive volcanic eruption around 1600 BC, is a 12km-wide bay ringed by cliffs that rise up to 300 metres straight out of the sea.

White-washed cube houses and blue-domed churches line the rim at Fira, Imerovigli and Oia, and boat trips run out to the still-active volcanic islets at its centre.

It is one of the world's most recognisable islands, and priced accordingly.

A rusting shipwreck sits on white sand in a cove ringed by sheer limestone cliffs, reachable only by boat from Zakynthos.

Mineral runoff from the cliffs turns the water a startling turquoise, and boat trips let visitors land and swim beside the wreck itself.

Rockfalls have periodically closed both the beach and the clifftop viewing platform above it, so check what is actually open before committing to a trip.

Elafonisi, on Crete's southwestern tip, is known for sand that turns pale pink where crushed coral mixes with white quartz, and a shallow lagoon warm and calm enough to wade across to a small offshore islet.

The water is startlingly clear and turquoise even by Greek island standards, and the beach's gentle slope makes it one of the easier stretches of coast for families with young children.

Mykonos built its reputation on whitewashed alleys, the row of windmills overlooking the harbour, and a nightlife scene that runs from beach clubs by day to bars in Chora by night.

Little Venice's balconied houses sit almost in the water, and beaches like Paradise and Psarou draw a see-and-be-seen crowd through the summer.

Away from the party scene, quieter coves and Cycladic villages inland offer a calmer version of the same island.

Delphi was the ancient world's most important oracle, where pilgrims travelled from across the Mediterranean to consult the priestess of Apollo.

The sanctuary's ruins climb a steep slope of Mount Parnassus overlooking a valley of olive groves that stretches to the Gulf of Corinth, and the on-site museum holds the bronze Charioteer, one of the finest surviving Greek statues.

The Acropolis of Athens is a flat-topped hill rising 150 metres above the city, crowned by the Parthenon — the greatest surviving monument of ancient Greek civilisation.

Built under the direction of Pericles between 447 and 432 BC, the marble temple dedicated to the goddess Athena has stood as a symbol of democracy and Western culture for 2,500 years.

Byzantine-era monasteries perch atop towering sandstone pillars rising 400 meters above the Thessalian plain, originally reachable only by rope basket.

Six remain active today, their frescoed interiors and the otherworldly rock landscape outside making this one of Greece's most singular sights.

A collapsed cave roof on Kefalonia opens onto an underground lake so clear that the rowing boats appear to hang in mid-air.

When the sun is directly overhead the water turns an electric blue that looks artificially enhanced but isn't.

A short boat trip takes you through the lit chamber and out under the open dome.

An island-hopping cruise from Piraeus through the Aegean, passing whitewashed clifftop villages, ancient ruins, and volcanic caldera views without repacking each night.

Santorini's caldera and Mykonos's windmills are the classic stops, though smaller ports add quieter beaches and tavernas.

Many sailings overnight at an island for sunset views from the water.

It's an easy, accessible way to see several Greek islands in a single week.