Discover Greece - cradle of Western civilization, land of 6,000 islands, where the Parthenon still stands over Athens and every village has a story older than most countries.
Greece is a country in Southern Europe. Its capital is Athens.
Greece is the country that invented civilization and never lets you forget it. Democracy, philosophy, theater, the Olympic Games, trial by jury, the alphabet you're reading - all Greek. When Socrates was asking uncomfortable questions in the Athenian agora, most of Europe was living in huts. When Archimedes was calculating pi, Rome was still a small city-state. The Greeks didn't just build the foundations of Western culture - they built most of the walls and the roof too.
But Greece is far more than a museum. It's 6,000 islands scattered across the Aegean and Ionian seas, most of them uninhabited. Whitewashed villages spilling down volcanic cliffs in Santorini. Byzantine monasteries perched on impossible rock pillars at Meteora. Olive groves as old as Homer. Food so simple and perfect - grilled octopus, feta drizzled with honey, fresh fish by the harbor - that it makes complicated cuisine feel unnecessary. And the Greeks themselves are among the most hospitable people in Europe, with a word for it that they invented: philoxenia, love of strangers. They take it seriously.
The calm middle leg of Halkidiki: long sandy beaches, pine hills and Mount Athos on the horizon. Five outings from one base.
Bases: Nikiti, Neos Marmaras, Vourvourou, Sarti, Toroni
A walled medieval town, a white village under an acropolis and sandy bays. Five days on Rhodes, planned around the October season.
A car-free white town, the sacred island of Delos and beaches that go quiet in October. Three days, planned properly.
The Acropolis, a lot of marble and even more souvlaki. Five days in the city that invented democracy, planned properly.
A flooded volcano and the most famous sunset in Greece, or sand, beach clubs and a car-free white town. Most people can do both.
Islands and island hopping, or one big all-inclusive resort with Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappadocia a flight away.
Father of Western philosophy who taught by questioning everything, ultimately sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens
Philosopher who systematized logic, biology, ethics, and politics, tutored Alexander the Great, and influenced thinkers for 2,000 years
Author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, the foundational texts of Western literature composed nearly 3,000 years ago
Crete-born painter whose elongated figures and dramatic lighting in works like View of Toledo bridged Byzantine and Western art
Author of Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ, Greece's most translated modern writer
The most famous opera soprano of the 20th century, whose dramatic interpretations and vocal range redefined the art form
The Greek Freak - NBA MVP, NBA champion, and Finals MVP, one of the greatest basketball players ever, son of Nigerian immigrants to Athens
Alexandrian-Greek poet whose Ithaka and Waiting for the Barbarians became touchstones of modern world poetry
Greece has more archaeological museums than any other country in the world
The Greek national anthem has 158 verses, the longest in the world, though only the first two are ever sung
Greece has between 1,200 and 6,000 islands depending on definition, of which only about 200 are inhabited
The ancient Greeks invented democracy, theater, the Olympic Games, and trial by jury
Greeks consume more olive oil per capita than any other nation - about 20 liters per person per year
The word alphabet comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta
Athens has been continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world
No point in Greece is more than 137 kilometers from the sea
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Greece and its neighbours without a second thought.
Southern Europe · Europe
