Greece holidays in Athens makes for an awesome trip for anyone with even the slightest interest in history. Whether you opt to spend your entire break here or you’re just planning to visit on a day trip, there are some sights you really shouldn’t miss.

Actually, you could easily spend weeks exploring all the different ancient buildings in this historical treasure trove, but below you’ll find a quick introduction to the essentials. Happy exploring!

The Acropolis

Athens’s most famous archaeological site is the Acropolis – a sprawling citadel perched high above the city centre (making it very easy to find!).

Home to a number of really important buildings, such as the world-famous Parthenon, it’s the number one place to visit if you want to get to grips with some ancient Greek history.

As well as having a nose around the buildings themselves, you should also plan to visit the Acropolis Museum, which is about 300 m away from the site itself.

What makes this so interesting is that it houses all those amazing finds discovered in the Acropolis and nearby foothills, so be prepared to see some real gems!

The Parthenon

Dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, the Parthenon is one of those buildings that always looks familiar, even if you’ve never seen it in person, since there are images of its in countless books and TV programmes.

So, why’s it so special? Well, it’s widely regarded as the most important example of surviving classical Greek architecture and it’s also a really vital site in terms of Greek art, thanks to its impressive decorative sculptures.

Don’t miss out on a trip here – it really is a wonderful slice of history and no visit to the city is complete without it!

Theatre of Dionysus

Also in the Acropolis, the Theatre of Dionysus dates back to the 6th century BC, when it was built in timber.

Between 342 and 326 BC, it was redone in marble and stone to seat a whopping 17,000. It’s still an impossibly vast site, though just 20 of the original 64 tiers have survived.

When you visit, make sure you take a peek at some of the thrones situated on the lower levels.

Once upon a time, these were used by powerful officials and one of the most important thrones (thought to be reserved for the Priest of Dionysus) features carvings of griffins and lions’ paws.

Temple of the Olympian Zeus

If you thought the Theatre of Dionysus was big, wait until you see the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

In fact, this is the largest temple in Greece, but knowing that will probably still not prepare you for its sheer size – its columns are 17 m high and, back in its heyday, there were 104 of them.

Today, just 15 remain, but it’s still a seriously impressive sight.

An interesting fact about this temple is that it took 700 years to build..! Its stop-start construction (thanks to a lack of funds) explains why you can spot different architectural influences in the temple, which was finally finished by Hadrian in 131 AD.

Last, but not least, you should make sure you see Hadrian’s Arch - built in 132 AD (also by Hadrian), it is a vast monument intended to act as a dividing marker between the ancient and Roman cities.

So, it stands as a kind of symbolic entrance to Athens’s most richly historical area, making it a must-visit during your stay.

Have you traveled to Greece before? If so, which was your favorite historical site?

(photo credits:  1 -  2 -  3)

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Chania is a beautiful port city on the north-western coast of Crete, the largest of the Greek islands – this bustling place has a charming atmosphere reflecting its Venetian and Turkish past, and is often described as one of the most beautiful cities in Greece.

Chania offers everything from beach-life, shopping, walking, scenery, nature and great cuisine.

Here are some great tips to get the most out of Chania and what the area has to offer…

Visit The Old Town

The old town is centered around the harbor, and is the most charming area of the city.

Take a romantic stroll along the 14th century Venetian harbor, visit the famous historical light house and St Nicholas Bastion, and let yourself be brought back a couple of centuries as you explore the maze of narrow streets and alleyways, old houses and local taverns.

Visit the Maritime museum by the Firka Fortress to learn more about the islands history, sit down and enjoy a refreshing Frappe, or shop for local handicrafts in the boutiques.

Day Trips To Beaches, Gorges & Lagoons

You can’t visit Greece without spending at least a couple of days at the beach.

The beach in Chania city, Nea Chora is ok for a short swim, but nothing to write home about.

Instead, go a little bit further and visit Agi apostoli and Kato Stalos, which are easily reached from the city.

Two other great day trips would be to Elafonissi Lagoon, with its pretty pink sands and beautiful sunsets, and Samaria Gorge.

Samaria Gorge is a national park, and many people choose to take the 16 kilometer long hike through the gorge, which has plenty of scenic spots along the way.

Retail Therapy

If you decide to spend the night before an early flight to Crete at the Gatwick Hilton by the airport, don’t get tempted to shop and fill your bags before you’ve even arrived, because Chania is the perfect place in Crete for shopping.

The streets of the Old Town are full of boutiques selling traditional handicraft, with charming handmade souvenirs to take home.

The traditional products that are typical for Chania are leatherboots, silverware, knives and woven rugs.

There are also a lot of artists in Chania with their own galleries and shops, selling glass, ceramic, and jewelry.

For the more modern, head to the new town and shop til you drop at the many boutiques.

Tip! Remember that shops are open from 9am – 2pm, and on tuesdays, thursdays and fridays they are also open from 6pm – 9pm. On Sundays everything is closed.

Indulge In Seafood

Greece is famous world wide for its delicious cuisine, and in Chania, the sea food is especially good.

Calamari is very popular, but if that’s not for you, give the traditional Greek dish of Moussaka a go – delicious and authentic.

Another dish typical for Chania is Boureki, a pie consisting of layers of potatoes, zucchini, myzithra and mint.

Crete is easily reached during summer, with flights from many UK airports.

You can lower the costs by taking advantage of great value airport extras, such as airport hotels, offering convenience and great rates – check out the Courtyard by Marriot at Gatwick Airport if flying from Gatwick, or alternatively, the Sofitel at Gatwick.

These are merely just a few things to do when visiting Chania in Crete, what are your favorites?

(photo credit: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4)

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The first thing I think of when someone asks me to recommend a good place in Europe for young people looking to party – is Greece. The Greek nightlife is insane, and there are so many places to choose from.

Unlike many other places, Greek nightlife stands out with its diversity, every place in Greece is different from the other, and attracts so many different people.

In the past I have gone on many “party holidays” with friends in Europe, with those all inclusive holiday deals, and so far nothing has beaten the Greek nightlife.

What I love most about the Greece is that it really offers something for everyone.

There are plenty of places to enjoy some of the local culture where the nightclubs aren’t quite as crazy, and there are other places which have been built just for tourists coming to Greece to go nuts.

Here are a few places in Greece that are known for its great nightlife:

Nightlife in Thessaloniki – Autumn Destination

There is definitely a difference between the way people party on the islands and the mainland, but that doesn’t mean one is better than the other.

Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece, is known for its awesome nightlife: it offers everything from modern to traditional, Greek music to jazz, soul and rock.

Thessaloniki is a perfect destination in autumn, and the city is everything but dead.

In fact, in Thessaloniki things work opposite from on the islands.

The city is actually at its most vibrant and alive, and the nightlife is are the best, outside of the summer season.

Thessaloniki is one of the biggest student cities in Greece so people come back from their summer holidays and make the city go wild during the weekends.

In fact, many clubs in Thessaloniki actually shut down over summer, moving east towards the airport, so during the summer time it’s definitely best to be heading out to the islands.

Nightlife On The Greek Islands – Summer Destination

The best way to enjoy the variety of the Greek nightlife and experience both the crazy party towns built for tourists as well as the smaller places where you can find plenty of Greek taverns and party more like the locals, is to do some island hopping around Greece.

That way you can see a few places first and then decide which one you want to spend some more time in.

Island hopping is pretty easy to do on your own, and as soon as you step off a boat on an island there will be several other travel agencies standing outside their shop waving you in, eager to help you plan your next step.

Ios has become a huge hit during the past few years, and is often referred to as the “party island”, but there is also a lot of history and culture to find there.

Another place which has long had a reputation for its nightlife is Mykonos – there, the party mood sets in already at 2pm, and the beach bars are busy.

Kos is another big favorite among party-goers. It has the pretty villages, beautiful beaches and awesome nightlife – a little bit of everything.

But from my own experience, you can find good nightlife on pretty much all the islands, even small ones like Samos have some pretty crazy clubs during peak season.

(photo credit: 1 - 2 - 3)

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Our time spent in Thessaloniki, Greece was great - we had never been on the main land of Greece before, and the Northern parts were different from the islands in so many ways, but it still had that lovely Greek vibe and architecture all around.

I would have loved to see more of Northern Greece, but this time we put the focus on Thessaloniki with its many ruins, architecture, history and amazing food.

To read more about our time in Thessaloniki, make sure you check out:

• Thessaloniki, Greece – Served On A Plate

We hope you enjoyed our Thessaloniki video, and stay tuned for at least 1 new video every week – Next stop Bulgaria!

(Our Thessaloniki Episode was Sponsored by InterRail & RentRooms – Thessaloniki)

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Ok, so Greece was on the map for countries you can travel to with an Interrail pass, so of course, we were going there - but traveling by train to Greece has become somewhat of a joke.

I remember hearing a comedian talking about traveling in Europe, and how you can book a train ticket and end up on a bus or book bus ticket and end up on a boat – that couldn’t be more true in Greece.

Since the economy totally crashed in Greece, they have been cutting down on a lot of things to save money – too many things… During the time we were there, riots started down in Athens, because people have seen no real improvement despite all the cuts.

One of the things they have cut down on is train travel.

From now on, there are no longer any international trains to or from Greece. They have completely secluded themselves from their neighboring countries, and seem to have the intention of keeping it that way for quite some time.

So now you can’t travel by train to Greece, but you can still travel by train in the country.

So yes, we kind of cheated by taking a bus – but since it was the only option, I don’t know how we could have done it differently.

Getting out of Greece to Bulgaria, we were looking for a bus company which went there. It turned out that the most frequent bus is run by OSE – the Greek railway company, and you can only book it from the train station, where no trains went…

But I have to say it was definitely worth the hassle.

Our time spent in Thessaloniki was great. We had never been on the main land of Greece before, and the northern parts were very different from the islands in many ways, but it still had that lovely Greek vibe and architecture all around.

I would have loved to see more of Northern Greece, but this time we put the focus on Thessaloniki with its many ruins, architecture, history and amazing food.

With emphasize on the latter: FOOD. Thessaloniki is known for having some of the best food in Greece, and their mezes were to die for!

Churches, ruins and history in all honor, but the best of Thessaloniki is served on a plate, or many many plates …

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