Things to do in Greece

32 things to do in Greece

Listed in full below. The running order is set by votes and loads with the page.

• Watch the caldera sunset from Santorini

  Find a quieter ledge and let the white villages catch the last light.

  Santorini

• Climb to the Acropolis before the heat

  Go early and connect Athens today with the stone city above it.

  Athens

• Share meze beside the sea

  Order slowly, pass plates around, and make lunch last longer than planned.

  Cyclades

• Swim at a beach reached by boat

  Choose a cove where the water does most of the convincing.

  Milos

• Visit Meteora's cliff monasteries

  Stand below stone towers and climb toward monasteries that seem suspended in air.

  Meteora

• Eat seafood on a harbor at noon

  Order simply, sit by the boats, and let grilled fish, lemon, and bread do enough.

  Crete

• Walk through old town Rhodes

  Spend a few hours inside walls, lanes, gates, and layered island history.

  Rhodes

• Sail between the Cyclades

  Let ferries and wind connect whitewashed villages, swimming stops, and long evenings.

  Cyclades

• See Delphi on the mountain slope

  Walk the sanctuary with valley views and a sense of ancient pilgrimage.

  Delphi

• Stay late in Thessaloniki's food streets

  Move from meze to sweets to waterfront walks in Greece's great northern city.

  Thessaloniki

• Marvel at the Parthenon atop the Acropolis

  Climb the sacred rock of the Acropolis to stand before the Parthenon, the enduring symbol of ancient Athens, and gaze over the sprawling city below.

  Athens

• Walk through the Minoan Palace of Knossos

  Roam the reconstructed throne room, grand staircases, and frescoed chambers of Europe’s oldest palace, the labyrinthine heart of the Minoan civilization.

  Crete

• Stand at the ancient sanctuary of Delphi

  Walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle spoke, set against the dramatic backdrop of Mount Parnassus and the olive groves of the Pleistos valley.

  Delphi

• Taste dakos and raki at a taverna in Chania

  Settle into a harbour‑side taverna in Chania’s Venetian port for a crunchy barley rusk dakos with tomato and mizithra cheese, followed by a shot of throat‑warming raki.

  Chania, Crete

• Dance at Super Paradise Beach Club in Mykonos

  Party until dawn on the golden sands of Super Paradise Beach, where international DJs, foam parties, and a hedonistic crowd define Mykonos’ legendary nightlife.

  Mykonos

• Swim beneath the shipwreck at Navagio Beach

  Arrive by boat to a secluded cove where a rusted smuggler’s ship lies marooned on blinding white sand, surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and impossibly blue water.

  Zakynthos

• Hike the stunning Samaria Gorge

  Trek the 16‑km path through Europe’s longest gorge, passing the narrow Sidiroportes (Iron Gates) where sheer walls rise 500 metres, ending at the Libyan Sea village of Agia Roumeli.

  Crete

• Bungee jump over the Corinth Canal

  Leap from a 78‑metre bridge for an adrenaline‑surging free‑fall between the sheer canal walls, with the turquoise water of the Corinthian Gulf rushing towards you.

  Corinth Canal

• Eat fresh bougatsa at Modiano Market in Thessaloniki

  Push through the fragrant food hall of Modiano Market to a tiny counter selling bougatsa — flaky filo pastry filled with warm custard, dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar — while locals queue around you.

  Thessaloniki

• Watch a performance at the ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

  Sit on the limestone seats of the 4th‑century theatre, famed for its flawless acoustics, and still today experience a live Greek tragedy echoing across the pine‑scented hillside.

  Epidaurus

• Explore the luminous Blue Caves of Zakynthos

  Glide by boat into sea‑carved grottoes on the northern coast, where the sunlight turns the water an electric, unearthly blue and you can dive into shimmering underwater chambers.

  Zakynthos

• Run on the ancient track at Olympia Stadium

  Sprint across the original 192‑metre long track where the ancient Olympic Games began, passing through the same stone archway athletes entered 2 800 years ago.

  Olympia

• Relax with a Greek coffee in Nafplio's old port

  Order a thick, sludgy ellinikós kafés at a seaside kafeneio on Bouboulinas promenade while the Venetian‑fortified islet of Bourtzi drifts before you.

  Nafplio

• Summit Mount Olympus, home of the gods

  Tackle the two‑day climb to Mytikas peak at 2 917 metres, traversing the ‘Throne of Zeus’ and gazing over endless ridges to the Aegean Sea far below.

  Litochoro

• Sample volcanic wines at a Santorini winery

  Walk among gnarled, low‑basket‑pruned vines rooted in black pumice, then taste the zesty, mineral‑driven Assyrtiko white on a cliff‑edge terrace at Santo Wines with the caldera shimmering below.

  Santorini

• Step back in time in the fortress of Monemvasia

  Enter the fortified islet via a single gateway, leaving cars behind to explore Byzantine churches, stone mansions, and a winding main lane that feels frozen in the Middle Ages.

  Monemvasia

• Peer into the active crater of Nisyros

  Descend into the Polyvotis crater on the volcanic island of Nisyros, where sulphur vents hiss and the ground feels warm under your feet, surrounded by a lunar‑like yellow basin.

  Nisyros

• Walk the Byzantine Walls of Thessaloniki

  Follow the 4‑kilometre curtain of fortifications that once defended the city on a scenic ramble from the Eptapyrgio fortress, taking in sweeping Gulf and city panoramas.

  Thessaloniki

• Learn to make dolmades in a Cretan kitchen

  Roll vine leaves stuffed with herbed rice in a village home near Chania, drizzling them with lemon and olive oil, while your host shares stories and raki to turn cooking into a joyful feast.

  Chania, Crete

• Discover the Petrified Forest of Lesvos

  Roam a 20‑million‑year‑old fossilised woodland near Sigri, where standing and fallen sequoia trunks shimmer in agate and opal colours, preserved by volcanic ash.

  Lesvos

• Trek the awe‑inspiring Vikos Gorge

  Hike the void of the Voidomatis river from Monodendri to Vikos village, gazing up at the sheer 1‑000‑metre limestone walls of the world’s deepest canyon by proportion.

  Zagori, Epirus

• Explore Hydra by donkey and foot

  Step off the ferry onto the car‑free harbour of Hydra, where stone‑built mansions climb the hillside and donkeys carry your bags; walk the coastal path to hidden pebble coves.

  Hydra