Greece

Athens: the Acropolis above a city that never stopped living

Most visitors start at the Acropolis, and they're right to. The Parthenon was built in the 5th century BC as a temple to Athena.

Down below, the Acropolis Museum has glass floors over excavated ancient streets, and many of the original sculptures from the hill.

Wander through Anafiotika, a tiny neighborhood of whitewashed houses built by workers from the island of Anafi. It feels like a Cycladic village under the Acropolis.

End the day on Lycabettus Hill for sunset over the whole city.

Best for: history, city breaks, food · Spinny tip: Go up the Acropolis as soon as it opens, before the heat and the tour groups arrive.

Photo by Ezgi Kaya on Pexels

Santorini and the Cyclades: a volcano's rim, painted white and blue

Santorini is what's left of a volcano. A huge Bronze Age eruption created the caldera, a flooded crater ringed by steep cliffs.

The white villages along the rim, like Oia and Imerovigli, are why everyone comes. At Akrotiri, you can walk through a Bronze Age town that was buried in volcanic ash.

The other Cyclades have their own stars. Milos has the white, moon-like rocks of Sarakiniko, and Naxos has long sandy beaches and mountain villages.

Ferries link the islands through the summer, so it's easy to hop between two or three.

Best for: romance, island hopping, beaches · Spinny tip: Skip the sunset crush in Oia. Watch it from Imerovigli or from a boat instead.

Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels

Crete: Minoan palaces, a famous gorge and lagoon beaches

Crete is Greece's largest island, big enough for a whole trip on its own.

Near Heraklion, Knossos was the center of the Minoan civilization, one of the earliest in Europe.

In the west, Chania has a Venetian harbor and a lively old town. From there, hike the Samaria Gorge down to the Libyan Sea, or head for the shallow lagoons of Balos and Elafonisi.

Best for: road trips, hiking, beaches · Spinny tip: Rent a car. Many of Crete's best beaches and villages are hard to reach by bus.

Meteora and Delphi: monasteries on rock towers and the center of the ancient world

On the mainland, Meteora looks invented: Orthodox monasteries perched on top of huge rock pillars. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and monks and nuns still live in several of the monasteries.

Delphi, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, was home to the oracle of Apollo. The ancient Greeks considered it the center of the world.

Both work as long day trips from Athens, but they're much better with a night nearby.

Best for: history, photography, hiking · Spinny tip: Cover shoulders and knees for the monasteries. Women are expected to wear a skirt, and wraps are often available at the entrance.