Expert travel guides and holiday advice
Greece is packed with elements that add up to a near-perfect holiday: a warm Mediterranean climate, ancient sites and architecture spanning millennia, scintillating nightlife, and idyllic islands blessed with sugar-cube houses, olive groves and soft-sand beaches lapped by glass-clear water. Holidays abound, whether you fancy do-it-yourself island hopping around the Cyclades, Dodecanese or Ionians, going all-inclusive on Santorini and Mykonos, or need accommodation inspiration on Corfu, Kefalonia, Rhodes and Kos. The Independent’s travel experts have reviewed affordable, boutique and luxury hotels across Greece, as well as curating guides to Athens if a city break is more your vibe.
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FAQs about Greece travel
Best hotels in Greece
You'll be spoiled for choice when searching for stylish stays across Greece and its thousands of islands. The Independent's impartial experts have reviewed and rounded up the best hotels in Greece, from adult-only all-inclusive resorts with private beaches to family-friendly villas that have their own pools. Whether you’re planning an island-hopping trip taking in popular Santorini and Mykonos or need a budget city break-base in Athens, check out our top recommendations.
Greece for foodies
Aside from its culture, history and top beach holiday credentials, Greece has another huge draw for adventurous travellers: its food scene. Greek food manages to get the knack of balancing simple ingredients with huge flavours. Think generous Greek salads brimming with feta, olives and cucumbers; thick, creamy Greek yoghurt swirled with honey; gyros stuffed with roasted meat, tomatoes and tzatziki; or dolmades, sumptuous vine leaves packed with rice. Read some of our mouth-watering foodie guides below and start getting inspired.
Gizzi Erskine eats her way around Crete
The celebrity chef and food writer follows the sunshine - and her stomach - to Crete's north-east coast
A road trip to the centre of Crete’s rebellious heart
Forget fly and flop: central Crete’s highlands have long been a stronghold of resistance against invaders throughout the island’s history. Len Williams takes a drive through this fascinatingly rebellious region
Top 3 Greek foods
Gyros and souvlaki
Whichever of these two dishes you order, you’ll be served a generous portion of grilled or barbecued meat on a pitta, along with tomato, onion and sauces such as tzatziki – topped off with a side of fried potatoes, if you’re lucky.
Spanakopita
You’ll find Greek cheese pies all over Greece in various guises, but the classic spanakopita involves phyllo (filo) pastry layered with feta cheese and spinach, all flavoured with dill.
Moussaka
Possibly the nation’s best-known dish, this is Greek comfort food at its finest: layers of fried aubergine, minced meat and potatoes, crowned with creamy béchamel sauce and oven-baked.
Island-hopping in Greece
The very best way to experience the magic of Greece? Get island hopping. With more than 6,000 isles to choose from, it can seem a little overwhelming – but you can’t really go wrong. Insta-darlings Santorini and Mykonos may be up your street, or you might prefer Corfu with its Venetian fortresses, Crete with its wealth of historical sites, Naxos with its marble streets and whitewashed cube houses. And then there’s Rhodes, Zakynthos, Naxos, Paros, Skiathos, Kos… The list goes on. Check out our guides to help find your perfect island match.
The best Greek island hopping routes
With 227 inhabited islands in total and six main island regions, Greece offers almost too much choice. Lucy Thackray lays out some of the best routes to help you plan your next island-hopping adventure
Top 3 Greek islands
Milos
The go-to island for those in-the-know, a guarded secret for Greek island aficionados. It may have the most diverse coastline of all the isles, from a rugged volcanic edge to more than 70 beaches that belie how tiny Milos is. Now’s the time to go, before it becomes the Aegean’s hot new thing.
Naxos
Greener and more mountainous than its Cyclades neighbours, Naxos is packed with miles and miles of fine-powder sand. The waters that lap them range from shallow stretches for paddling to wilder kitesurfing spots. Naxos Town, towered over by its fortified castle, buzzes throughout arched alleyways, a glorious waterfront and its taverna-dotted main square.
Crete
The largest of Greece’s islands excels as an all-rounder. Expect mountains and valleys alongside plentiful sandy beaches. Ancient history abounds – the island’s the birthplace of Zeus, after all – and the Minoan palace of Knossos is particularly impressive. The western edge is filled with villages surrounded by olive groves.
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Top 3 Athens hotels
Hotel Grande Bretagne
Set in a neoclassical building overlooking the Houses of Parliament – and the pom-pom-wearing Presidential guards on Syntagma square – this ultra-luxurious hotel is loved by rockstar royalty and foreign dignitaries alike.
Brown Acropol
Austin Powers would blend seamlessly into the décor of this 1960s-themed hotel, with its geometric brown and honey-coloured beehive print carpets, retro furnishings and spa lit by a revolving disco glitter ball.
Athens Flair
Housed in a stunning neoclassical building built in 1906, this boutique beauty boasts original elements such as a Scarlet O’Hara-worthy marble staircase and intricately detailed plasterwork.
