Greece Bucket List

Sail sunlit islands, marble antiquities, and taverna-lined bays of Greece

Visit the stunning island of Santorini, known for its white-washed buildings and breathtaking sunsets

Visit Athens, the historic capital of Greece. Explore the Acropolis (ancient citadel with the Parthenon temple, built in the 5th century BC), wander through the Plaka district (old neighborhood with narrow streets and traditional tavernas), see artifacts at the National Archaeological Museum (one of the world's greatest museums of ancient Greek art), and watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square.

Try traditional layered eggplant dish

View the Parthenon frieze and sculptures

Visit the site of the Statue of Zeus

Climb Greece's highest mountain (2,917m) and mythological home of the Greek gods

Visit Rhodes, the largest of Greece's Dodecanese islands. Explore the medieval Old Town (UNESCO World Heritage site with the Palace of the Grand Master), see the ancient Acropolis of Lindos (cliff-top ruins with views over St Paul's Bay), relax at Anthony Quinn Bay (a scenic cove named after the actor), and visit the Valley of the Butterflies (a natural reserve with thousands of Jersey tiger moths in summer).

See Greece's shipwreck beach on Zakynthos

Visit Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city. Explore the White Tower (15th-century Ottoman fortress and symbol of the city), see the Rotunda (4th-century Roman monument later converted into a church), stroll through the Aristotelous Square (grand waterfront plaza with neoclassical buildings), and sample local dishes like bougatsa (custard-filled pastry) at Modiano Market (historic covered market).

Explore the largest Greek island, Crete, a land of myth and natural beauty. Visit the Palace of Knossos (3,500-year-old centre of Minoan civilisation, linked to the Minotaur legend), hike the Samaria Gorge (11 km through a Unesco Biosphere Reserve with towering cliffs and wild goats), and relax on Elafonisi Beach with its unique pink-hued sand. Pair ancient history with fresh Cretan cuisine in charming villages like Chania or Rethymno.

Visit the site of the Colossus of Rhodes

Master Greek, the language of philosophy

Visit Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Explore the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos (Europe's oldest city, with labyrinthine ruins and vibrant frescoes), see the Venetian fortress of Koules guarding the old harbour, and browse the Archaeological Museum (home to the Phaistos Disc and Minoan artifacts). Sample local dishes like dakos (rusk salad) and bougatsa (custard pie) at the central market.

Explore the beautiful Greek island of Corfu in the Ionian Sea. Wander through Corfu Old Town (a UNESCO World Heritage site with Venetian, French, and British architecture, including the 16th-century Old Fortress), visit the Achilleion Palace (built for Empress Elisabeth of Austria, featuring neoclassical design and statues of Achilles), and relax at Paleokastritsa (a scenic bay with crystal-clear waters, a monastery, and hiking trails).

Discover ancient Greece's legendary citadel

Single people have 45 days to find a partner or be turned into animals; Lanthimos in English.

Ten years of Odysseus getting home: the Cyclops, the Sirens, and the bow only he can string.

A Venetian fortress, a minaret-studded old town and a long beach on the north coast of Crete.

Flaky honey-and-nut pastry from the Levant.

Parents keep their adult children inside a walled garden with a false language; Lanthimos' breakout.

Married now, in the Peloponnese, with the argument in the hotel room.

Costa-Gavras on the assassination of a Greek deputy and the cover-up; thriller as journalism.

Eight Italian soldiers are forgotten on a Greek island for three years of the war.

Socrates on justice, the philosopher-king and the cave; the book Western philosophy replies to.

Aristotle on virtue as a habit and happiness as an activity; the golden mean.

Patroclus and Achilles from boyhood to Troy; Miller's Orange Prize.

The witch of the Odyssey tells her own story; Madeline Miller.

A bookish narrator and a Cretan who dances; Kazantzakis on how to live.

Fifty days of the Trojan War, the rage of Achilles and the death of Hector; the first book of the West.