Not to miss

Peloponnese

Greece's southern peninsula is rich in history and scenically diverse. Packed into its northeastern corner are the ancient sites of Epidaurus, Corinth and Mycenae. The ghostly Byzantine city of Mystras clambers up the slopes of Mt Taygetos, its winding paths and stairways leading to deserted palaces and fresco-adorned churches.

Further south, you can explore the Mani, a region of bleak mountains and barren landscapes broken only by austere and imposing stone towers, mostly abandoned but still standing sentinel over the region. Other attractions in the region include ancient Olympia and the beautiful medieval town of Monemvasia.

Saronic Gulf Islands

The five Saronic Gulf islands are the closest of all to Athens, and Salamis is virtually a suburb of the capital. Aegina, Hydra, Spetses and Poros are all surprisingly varied in architecture and terrain, but they all receive an inordinate number of tourists and are expensive.

Hydra, once the rendezvous of artists, writers and beautiful people, is now overrun with holiday-makers but manages to retain an air of superiority and grandeur. Motor vehicles, including mopeds, are banned from the island: donkeys rule.

Crete

Steeped in Homeric history and culture, scented by wild fennel and basil, Crete spoils visitors with its wealth of myths, legends and history, a blessed and dramatic landscape, an extraordinary fusion of past and present, and an abundance of choices and experiences.

Its stunning mountain ranges are dotted with caves and sliced by dramatic gorges, and its rugged interior is blanketed in olive groves, wild flowers and aromatic herbs. Breathtaking drives along the rugged south coast lead to a sundrenched paradise of long sandy beaches and isolated coves.

Dodecanese Islands

Whitewashed walls, deep blue sky, olive groves, fig trees, azure Aegean waters...the heavenly Dodecanese Islands have all this and more. In this diverse group of islands you can experience the traditional life without the tourist trappings.

This evocative group of islands is scattered along the easternmost edge of the Aegean, where ancient history jumps out at you at every turn. Island-hop your way to heaven, or just indulge in a spot of people-watching in the bar and beach scene of the big resorts.

The islands' chequered history has endowed them with a wealth of diverse archaeological remains, but these are not their only attractions. The highly developed resorts of Rhodes and Kos have beaches and bars galore, while Lipsi and Tilos have appealing beaches, but without the crowds. The far-flung islands of Agathonisi, Arki, Kasos and Kastellorizo await Greek-island aficionados in pursuit of traditional island life, while everyone gapes at the extraordinary landscape that geological turbulence has created on Nisyros.

Athens

Redolent with history and mythology, Athens is an affable city enlivened by bustling outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets that wind through the city's ancient sites and its fair share of urban eccentrics. If you get into the Athenian mindset, you'll enjoy one of the most laid-back and quirky European cities.

The city may look like a concrete jungle and still suffers from bouts of the dreaded nefos (smog), but beyond its noisy and chaotic veneer is an undeniable charm. The historic centre, major sites and dining and entertainment precincts are all close together making Athens a great walking city.

Athens is a curious blend of east and west; raucous street vendors and colourful markets reminiscent of Turkish bazaars, happily coexist with chic boutiques and designer stores. It's no shrine to modern architecture, but the mix of restored and crumbling neoclassical mansions hark back to the city's brief heyday as the 'Paris of the Mediterranean'.

Northeastern Aegean Islands

There are seven major islands in the northeastern group: Samos, Chios, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Samothraki and Thasos. Huge distances separate them, so island hopping is not as easy as it is within the Cyclades and Dodecanese. Most of these islands are large and have very distinctive characters.

Samos is lush and humid with mountains skirted by pine, sycamore and oak-forested hills. Egg-shaped Samothraki has dramatic natural attributes, culminating in the mighty peak of Mt Fengari, which looms over valleys of massive gnarled oak and plane trees, thick forests of olive trees and damp dark glades where waterfalls plunge into deep icy pools.

Ionian Islands

Give in to temptation and succumb to the lure of the idyllic Ionian group of islands - Corfu, Paxi, Lefkada, Kefallonia, Ithaki, Zakynthos and Kythira - far more lush than those barren Aegean islands, and tinged with a distinctly Venetian flavour.

Each island has its idiosyncrasies of culture and cuisine, and differing dollops of European and British influences. Their surfeit of charms include mountainside monasteries, Venetian campaniles, unspoilt villages, ancient olive groves, famous wines, white beaches and ludicrously blue-heaven waters.

The Acropolis of Lindos

Spectacularly perched atop a 116m (383ft)-high rock is the Acropolis. It's about a 10-minute climb to the well-signposted entrance gate. Once inside, a flight of steps leads to a large square. On the left is a warship hewn out of the rock by the sculptor Pythocretes. A statue of Hagesandros, priest of Poseidon, originally stood on the deck of the ship.

At the top of the steps ahead, you enter the Acropolis by a vaulted corridor. At the other end, turn sharp left through an enclosed room to reach a row of storerooms on the right. The stairway on the right leads to the remains of a 20-columned Hellenistic stoa (200 BC). The Byzantine Church of Agios Ioannis is to the right of this stairway.

The wide stairway behind the stoa leads to a 5th-century BC propylaeum, beyond which is the 4th-century Temple to Athena, the site's most important ancient ruin. Athena was worshipped on Lindos as early as the 10th century BC, so this temple has replaced earlier ones on the site. From its far side there are splendid views of Lindos village and its beach.

National Archaeological Museum

This is one of the world's great museums, housing the most important finds from archaeological sites around the country. The museum's tour de force is its fabulous collection of Mycenaean antiquities, including the celebrated Mask of Agamemnon unearthed at Mycenae, and the Warrior Vase, depicting men leaving for war and a woman waving them goodbye.

The exquisite Vaphio gold cups, with scenes of men taming wild bulls, are regarded as among the finest examples of Mycenaean art. They were found in a tholos (Mycenaean tomb shaped like a beehive) at Vaphio, near Sparta. The other big crowd-puller is the spectacular collection of Minoan frescos from Santorini (Thira).

The museum also houses a wonderful collection of sculpture, starting with the superb figurines of the Cycladic collection that inspired such artists as Picasso. Other stars of the sculpture galleries are the 460 BC bronze statue of 'Zeus or Poseidon', found in the sea off Evia, and the 2nd-century-BC 'horse and young rider'.

The pottery collection traces the development of pottery from the Bronze Age through the Protogeometric and Geometric periods, to the emergence of the famous Attic black-figured pottery of the 6th century and the red-figured pottery from the late 5th to early 4th century.

Vergina

The site of Vergina (pronounced ver-yee-nah) is ancient Aigai, the first capital of Macedon. The capital was later transferred to Pella, but Aigai remained the royal cemetery. Philip II was assassinated here in 336 BC at his daughter Cleopatra's wedding. One of Greece's most famous (and costly) archaeological sites, Vergina is known generically as the Royal Tombs.

Vergina consists primarily of the major dome (tholos). A walkway leads you inside the darkened interior of the tumulus where you can visit four separate tombs (I-IV), each fenced off from further casual investigation.

Tomb I is known as Persephone's Tomb after a mural found here of the rape of Persephone by Hades. Tomb II is almost certainly that of Phillip II, which had lain intact until its discovery in 1977 by Professor Manolis Andronikos. Tomb III is thought to be that of Alexander IV, the son of Alexander the Great, while Tomb IV was looted in antiquity and no clues remain as to its original interred owner.

The remaining site ruins are spread out. Continue a little further up the road from the Royal Tombs and you will reach the ruins of an extensive palatial complex. The focal point is a large Doric peristyle, which was surrounded by pebble-mosaic floors. One of the mosaics, with a beautiful floral design, is well preserved in situ. The site has been World Heritage listed.

Ancient Delphi

Of all the ancient sites in Greece, Delphi is perhaps the fairest of them all - the one with the most potent 'spirit of place'. Built on the slopes of Mt Parnassos, overlooking the Gulf of Corinth and extending into a valley of cypress and olive trees, this World Heritage-listed site's allure lies both in its stunning setting and its inspiring ruins.

The ancients regarded Delphi as the centre of the world: according to mythology, Zeus released two eagles at opposite ends of the world and they met here.

The Sanctuary of Apollo is on the left of the main road as you walk towards Arahova. From the main entrance, at the site of the old Roman agora, steps lead to the Sacred Way, winding up to the foundations of the Doric Temple of Apollo. Entering the site, you pass the pedestal which held the statue of a bull dedicated by the city of Corfu (Kerkyra).

In ancient times the Sacred Way was lined with treasuries and statues given by grateful city-states - Thebes, Siphnos, Sikyon, Athens and Knidos - in thanks to Apollo for helping them win battles.

Above the temple is the well-preserved 4th-century-BC theatre, restored by the Romans, yielding magnificent views from the top row. From the theatre the path continues to the stadium, the best-preserved in all of Greece.

Opposite the Castalian Spring is the Sanctuary of Athena, the site of the 4th-century-BC tholos (dome), the most striking of Delphi's monuments. This graceful circular structure comprises 20 columns on a three-stepped podium - three of its columns have been re-erected.

Ancient Delphi managed to amass a considerable treasure-trove, and this is reflected in its magnificent Archaeological Museum. Amongst its highlights is the celebrated life-size 'Bronze Charioteer'.

The Acropolis

Athens exists because of the Acropolis, the Western world's most important ancient monument. Crowned by the Parthenon, it's visible from almost everywhere within the city, with monuments of Pentelic marble gleaming white at midday and taking on a honey hue as the sun sinks. An unexpected glimpse of this magnificent sight can't fail to lift your spirits.

Inspiring as these monuments are, they are but faded remnants of Pericles' city, and it takes a great leap of the imagination to begin to comprehend the splendour of his creations.

There is only one entrance to the archaeological site, but there are several approaches to this entrance. The main approach from the north is along the path that is a continuation of Dioskouron in the southwest corner of Plaka.

The crowds that swarm over the Acropolis need to be seen to be believed. It's best to get there as early in the day as possible. You need to wear shoes with good soles because the paths around the site are uneven and very slippery.

Santorini (Thira)

Santorini is regarded by many as the most spectacular of the Greek islands. Thousands come to marvel at its sea-filled caldera, a vestige of what was probably the world's largest volcanic eruption. Its landscapes of blue-domed roofs, dazzling white walls and black-sand beaches contrast the charming with the unearthly.

The eruption that caused the caldera is believed by some myth-makers to have caused the disappearance of Atlantis. The island's violent volcanic history is visible everywhere you look - in its black beaches, earthquake-damaged dwellings and raw cliffs of lava plunging into the sea. Volcanic activity has been low-key for the past few decades, but minor tremors occur pretty frequently and experts reckon the caldera could bubble up once again at any moment. For lovers of impermanence and drama, no other place even comes close.

To get some background into this island's extraordinary history, head to the Megaron Gyzi Museum of local memorabilia in Fira, with fascinating photos of the town before and after the disastrous 1956 quake. The Museum of Prehistoric Thira houses impressive finds from the ancient site of Akrotiri, destroyed in the 1650 BC eruption. Look out for the gold ibex figurine, found in mint condition in 1999 and dating from the 17th century BC.

Knossos

Knossos (k-nos-os) was the capital of Minoan Crete and is now Crete's major tourist attraction. The ruins, home of King Minos' mythical Minotaur, were uncovered in 1900 by British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. Evans was so enthralled by his discovery that he spent 35 years and 250,000.00 of his own money excavating and reconstructing sections of the palace.

Some archaeologists have disparaged Evans' reconstruction, believing he sacrificed accuracy to his overly vivid imagination. However, most nonspecialists agree that Sir Arthur did a good job and that Knossos is a knockout. Without these reconstructions it would be impossible to visualise what a Minoan palace looked like.

You'll need to spend about four hours to thoroughly explore the site. There's absolutely no signage, so unless you have a travel guidebook or hire a guide, you'll have no idea what you are looking at. The onsite cafe is expensive - bring a picnic along.

Meteora

The monasteries of Meteora are one of the most extraordinary sights in mainland Greece. Built into and on top of huge pinnacles of smooth rock, the earliest monasteries were reached by climbing articulated removable ladders. Later, windlasses were used so monks could be hauled up in nets, a method used until the 1920s.

The monasteries provided monks with peaceful havens from increasing bloodshed as the Byzantine Empire waned at the end of the 14th century.

Apprehensive visitors enquiring how often the ropes were replaced were told 'When the Lord lets them break'. These days access to the monasteries is by steps hewn into the rocks and the windlasses are used only for hauling up provisions.

Australian Embassy

Greek Youth Hostel Organisation

Aliens Bureau

UK Embassy

The Panhellenic Camping Association

The Panhellenic Camping Association publishes an annual booklet listing all the camping grounds, their facilities and months of operation.