Greece and Greek Island Travel

Greece Travel: a Europe Tour that’s a Gold Medal Experience!

Greece travel need not be an Olympic marathon. Given Greek history, the most interesting tourist sights naturally tend to be in the more southern areas of mainland Greece rather than the north.

After Athens, most tours concentrate on the major historical sites like Olympia and Delphi and a few other places of interest such as the monasteries at Meteora and the Perama Caves. Unless you have special reasons for spending longer, two weeks is really quite sufficient to cover Athens and the main areas.

Greek island travel however can take as long as you want, and the time you allot usually tends to be too short! There are seven main groups of islands, each island with a slightly different feel. The individual Greek islands all have their own unique beauty and allure, and to no two islands are the same.

Choose the classical Greek style of the Cyclades Islands, or the  Venetian influence on the Ionian Islands, or a quiet and relaxing vacation amid the green scenery of the more laid-back Sporades Islands. Whatever your taste, there’s an island to match…

Of course, ignoring expatriate Greeks visiting relatives, the majority of tourists visiting Greece come on package tours to a single island destination. However, this need not be a disaster, as in many if not most cases these package tourists are isolated in resort hotels and areas. Careful choice of island and hotel (and season) can still give you the Greek holiday you dream of!

A Cruise Alternative

Another alternative is to take a cruise around the Greek Islands, and these ships often slot in a visit to the Turkish coast as well. There are some interesting cruises that take in a few Greek islands and also some Italian destinations which you may find interesting.

Although tending towards the expensive end of the market, a cruise is certainly a relaxed way of seeing the various island destinations, and can often be combined with a land tour for a more comprehensive experience. You may also get to cover a greater selection of islands in a limited time if you’re on a tight schedule.

Of course, it’s best to allow yourself as many lazy days as possible when you’re in the islands, but the main drawback of a cruise option for me is that you usually don’t get to spend the evenings there, so it’s not possible to enjoy a lazy late night dinner in the tavernas.

Book European Cruises : Choose “Greek Isles” when you search.

Our other Greece pages:

Tour Routes in Greece and the Greek islands

When to travel to Greece and the Greek islands

Useful facts, dates and links to help you plan your tour of Greece

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TRAVEL TO GREECE WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

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Athens Sightseeing: The Acropolis

An awe-inspiring heritage from Greece’s Golden Age:

A highlight of any holiday in Athens is a visit to the Acropolis.  One of the earliest religious complexes in ancient Greece, this awe-inspiring heritage from its the Golden Age still dominates the skyline of modern Athens.

The Acropolis is an extremely popular tourist attraction and each day bus loads of tourists of different nationalities descend upon the site.  Shuffling in the queue as you wind your way to reach the top can be a test of patience as sometimes the less public spirited group tourists may jostle and push their way through causing others to lose their cool.  If you’re able to get there early in the morning or in the late afternoon when there are less tour groups, you may have a more pleasant experience of this impressive site.  The complex is open from 8am to 7pm in summer and from 8am to sunset in winter.

To reach the plateau, you enter through an large portal, and at the top are the ruins of three of the most important temples built in the 5th century BC.  The Acropolis is under various stages of restoration and photographers may be a little frustrated by the scaffoldings.

Temples of the Acropolis

The Parthenon is the largest building on the Acropolis and one of the world’s most legendary man-made structures. It was built by Perikles to honor the virgin goddess Athena.  Except for the wooden roof, the whole building was constructed entirely out of marble. The Parthenon’s architecture and illusion of perfect symmetry has been the study of many architects and historians and thousands of buildings around the world have been modeled on it. Most of the artifacts from the temple are housed in the Acropolis Museum nearby.

The Temple of Athena Nike, also called the Temple of the Wingless Victory, is a small temple that once contained a sanctuary and an altar for animal sacrifices. The temple was restored to its former splendor in time for the 2004 Olympics.

The Erechtheion can be recognized by the six maidens, or caryatids, holding up the roof of the porch. Five of the original caryatids are stored in the old Acropolis Museum with the sixth in the British Museum in London.

The Acropolis Museum lies hidden behind the Parthenon and contains all of the portable objects removed from the Acropolis since 1834.  It displays antiquities including three of the original sculptures from the Parthenon’s pediment and sculptures of humans and animals dating back to the 6th century BC. Due to its limited size, a new and much larger Acropolis Museum is currently under construction a few hundred yards to the south (scheduled for opening in June 2009).  The old museum has been closed since 2007 to prepare for the move of its treasures to their new home.

From the top of the Acropolis, you also get a sweeping view of Athens and the Saronic Gulf.  Crowds and scaffolding notwithstanding, this ancient sacred site never fails to impress its visitors.

Hopefully these tips have been helpful. What do you think?