Odysseus lingered ten years before coming home; Byron fell in love with the land and people; Lawrence Durrell wrote lyrically of island life: Greece seems to inspire all who come here. While it is commonly associated with blue seascapes and whitewashed villages, Greece, with a rugged Balkan hinterland, architecture from classical to modern periods, and islands dotted across three seas, exhibits stunning diversity. There are olive groves, Chios’ mastic villages, ancient Athens, crimson poppies every April, hirsute priests, old men sitting for hours over a single coffee, and ferries nudging into rickety piers. Many visitors come seeking sun and sea but are smitten by the hospitality of the Greeks and find they are as captivated as all who went before.

The Natural Wonders of Northern Greece

Odysseus lingered 10 years before coming home; Byron fell in love with the land and people; Lawrence Durrell wrote lyrically of island life: Greece seems to inspire all who come here. While it is commonly associated with blue seascapes and whitewashed villages, Greece, with a rugged Balkan hinterland, architecture from classical to modern periods and islands dotted across three seas, exhibits stunning diversity. There are olive groves, Chios’ mastic villages, ancient Athens, crimson poppies every April, hirsute priests, old men sitting for hours over a single coffee, and ferries nudging into rickety piers. Many visitors come seeking sun and sea, but are smitten by the hospitality of the Greeks and find they are as captivated as all who went before.

Greece seems to inspire all who come here

Island hopping across the Aegean and Ionian seas is something of a traveler's rite of passage. Santorini's whitewashed towns and Mykonos's nightlife may be fan favorites but there are plenty (thousands, actually) of off-the-beaten-coast isles to discover. Welcome to your big fat Greek vacation.

Customized travel to Greece. Island hop to Santorini, visit the Parthenon in Athens, or go snorkeling in Zákynthos. Local travel. Responsible travel.