The guide · 36 chapters
Greece Guide
From the Parthenon to the Aegean islands
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Chapter01 · 1 chapter
Introduction
The essential read that puts the country on the map before the journey begins.
GreeceThe cradle of Western civilisation: why it deserves far more time than the cruise ships allowRead the chapter↗Chapter02 · 7 chapters
History
The essential moments that explain everything you will see afterwards.
01Minoans & MycenaeansKnossos, Mycenae and the Bronze Age: the civilisations that existed before what we call GreeceRead→02Classical GreeceAthens, Sparta, the Persian Wars and the invention of democracy: the century that defined the WestLocked→03Alexander & HellenismFrom Macedonia to the edge of the known world: how a twenty-year-old king changed historyLocked→04Roman GreeceWhen Rome conquered Greece but Greece conquered Rome: the era that preserved the templesLocked→05Byzantium: a thousand years of Christian empireFrom Constantinople to Meteora and Mystras: the Greece that doesn't look like Greece but defined it for a millenniumLocked→06Ottoman ruleFour hundred years of Turkish dominion that left a deeper mark than Greeks usually care to admitLocked→07Modern GreeceFrom the 1821 revolution to the euro crisis: two hundred years of a country that keeps reinventing itselfLocked→
Chapter03 · 4 chapters
Mainland
A considered selection for entering the destination with context.
AthensThe city that has been the centre of something for 3,000 years: the Acropolis, the neighbourhoods and what nobody tells you→ThessalonikiGreece's food capital and the city tourists don't visit: why that's a serious mistake→MeteoraMonasteries on rock pillars: how to visit one of the world's most improbable landscapes without the heat or the frustration→PeloponneseThe continent within the peninsula: Mycenae, Epidaurus, Mystras and the Mani — what makes Greece unique among its own travellers→
Chapter04 · 1 chapter
Crete
A considered selection for entering the destination with context.
Chapter05 · 7 chapters
Aegean Islands
From west to east, the stops that shape the journey.
SantoriniGreece's most beautiful tourist trap: how to enjoy it without the cruise passengers ruining your experienceOpen city↗02RhodesThe most intact medieval city in the Mediterranean: crusaders, Ottomans and an island that goes far beyond the old town13 min●↗03NaxosThe largest Cycladic island: marble, unfinished kouroi, the interior nobody visits and the finest beaches in the Aegean10 min●↗04ParosThe marble island that sculpted the ancient world, and the harbour villages that still smell of fishing rather than tourism9 min●↗05SifnosThe island that knows how to cook: centuries of pottery, trails connecting villages, and a way of being in the Aegean that Santorini forgot9 min●↗06SerifosPerseus's island: bare rock, myth and the most dramatic chora in the Aegean perched on a hill visible from the open sea8 min●↗07MilosThe volcanic island of the Venus de Milo: impossible coloured cliffs, catacombs and a lunar landscape unlike anything else in Greece10 min●↗
Chapter06 · 6 chapters
Culture & daily life
The codes, flavours and rhythms that never fit on a map.
Culture & daily lifeHow Greece really works: the table, the language, the rhythms of the day, and what no ruin will tell youRead the chapter→
Greek food: far more than saladWhy Peloponnese food is not island food, olive oil as religion, and mezedes as a way of life●The rhythm of the dayWhen to eat, when everything closes, and why the Greek night begins when you would already be asleep●Essential phrasebook35 Greek phrases with pronunciation to get beyond yasou and efjaristó●What to skip (and what to do instead)Overcrowded islands, overrated monuments, and where your time pays off more than you expect●Books & filmsBooks, films and series to understand Greece before you set foot on Greek soil●
Chapter07 · 6 chapters
Practical information
Clear answers for travelling with fewer doubts and more freedom.
When to goThe best months to visit Greece depending on your type of trip●The ferry systemHow Piraeus works, ferry types and how to book without losing your mind●Budget & accommodationWhat Greece costs and what type of accommodation to choose●Mainland transportCar hire, KTEL buses and trains across mainland Greece●Money & connectivityCash, cards, ATMs and mobile coverage in Greece●Health & customsEHIC card, emergencies and local customs worth knowing●
Chapter08 · 4 chapters
Itineraries
Choose a structure and make it yours. No two journeys need be the same.
01Peloponnese RouteTwo day-by-day itineraries for exploring the Peloponnese: the grand classic circuit via Nafplio, Olympia, Delphi and Meteora, and the deep route through Monemvasia and Mani22 minLocked ↗02Crete Route8-day itinerary crossing Crete west to east, day by day: Chania, Samaria Gorge, Rethymno, Heraklion and Knossos16 minLocked ↗03Thessaloniki & the North Route6-day itinerary through Thessaloniki, Meteora and the north, day by day: gastronomy, Byzantine heritage and the monasteries on sandstone pillars14 minLocked ↗04How to Combine IslandsPractical guide to building your Aegean island-hopping route, day by day: 10-day base itinerary plus four alternatives by ferry line18 minLocked ↗