The Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Greece and Inspire
Greece is not only about golden beaches and ancient monuments. Let’s look at the most beautiful places in Greece worth visiting and seeing for everyone.
Greece is the cradle of European civilization, on the territory of which there are many historical attractions. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world dream of visiting it. To explore all the architectural and natural wonders of the best country, one trip is definitely not enough.
Greece is home from ancient things. Greece is associated with seaside resorts, hearty cuisine, rich mythology, and monuments like the Acropolis. But this country is much more diverse: there are landscapes reminiscent of the Swiss Alps, villages similar to Italian Borges, and ominous abandoned hospitals.
Here are the top 15 most beautiful places in Greece with the best things to do, travel, see, and enjoy.
The Top of the Most Beautiful Places Visit in Greece To Be Impressed
1. Grevena
The town of Grevena in the mountains of Greek Macedonia is surrounded by dense oak forests, in which more than 1300 species of mushrooms grow. Grevena can be safely called the mushroom capital of Greece. There is a mushroom museum, several establishments serving pies and soups with wild mushrooms, sculptures of mushrooms on the streets, and, of course, souvenir shops selling T-shirts with mushroom prints, mushroom liqueurs, and sweets.
The peak of mushroom madness falls at the end of August when a four-day themed festival is organized in the city. Stay in Greece this time to have fun.
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2. Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa
The Monastery of Panagia Hozoviotissa was founded in the XI century by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos. Several monks still live in the monastery’s walls, carved into the rocks of the island of Amorgos at an altitude of 260 meters above sea level. The fantastic architecture is here.
The monastery is open to the public. Inside, you can try “rakomelo”, a local liqueur based on honey and almonds, the production of which this place is famous. Donations for admission are welcome.
3. Cave of Apocalypse
Just a five-minute drive from the main port of Patmos Island is the Cave of Apocalypse, a place where you can go back 19 centuries. This is the best thing to do in Greece. It is believed that it was here that John the Theologian received a Revelation about the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ.
It is believed that the cave has been preserved unchanged since the second century, and you can even look at the depression where the apostle is believed to have put his head, and the furrows from the “great earthquake” that accompanied the vision that appeared to him. In the XVII century, a temple was built over the cave. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece. Visit Greece for this experience.
4. Pyrgos
On the island of Tinos in the Aegean Sea, there is one of the most beautiful villages in Greece — Pyrgos. Everything here is made of marble: temples, residential buildings, streets, fountains. There is even a marble bus stop.
The fact is that the island of Tinos in general and specifically Pyrgos is the birthplace of the art of marble carving, which in 2015 was included in the UNESCO representative list of the intangible heritage of mankind.
There are three museums dedicated to this art in the village: the first exhibits the works of modern sculptors, and the second is dedicated to Yannoulis Halepas, a native of Pyrgos and one of the most famous sculptors of modern Greece.
5. Parnitha
A dilapidated, dirty, and very creepy abandoned tuberculosis clinic at the top of Mount Parnitha looks like the perfect place to shoot horror. They say that ghosts live here but are terrifying. This place was made by the sculptor Spyridon Dassiotis, located opposite the hospital “Park of Souls”. He carved figures from the trunks of dead trees, symbolizing the pain of the patients of the hospital. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece.
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6. Old Bridge in Konitsa
The bridge near the town of Konitsa, located near the border of Greece and Albania, was built in 1870 according to the project of engineer Ziogas Frontsos. Perhaps this is the most beautiful old bridge in the region, and there are many of them here.
Certainly, the bridge in Konitsa is the most exciting: its length is 35 meters, and its height is 20 meters, while it is very narrow, and only low sides enclose it. Therefore, a bell still hangs on the bridge, warning of a strong wind that can literally blow a person into the Viosa River.
7. Drakolimni
Drakolimni is the name of several lakes in the Epirus region. One of them is located on the slope of Mount Timfi, the other is on the slope of the neighboring peak Zmolikas. They are separated by only a few kilometers. According to local legends, two dragons lived in these mountains, who were at war with each other. When the monsters fought, they hurled rocks and trees at each other and left depressions in the ground, in short, they formed the current wonderful landscape — beauty of Greece.
Now no dragons are hiding in the lakes but Alpine newts live. These amphibians slightly resemble the legendary lizards, so the legend of the lakes is likely associated with them. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece.
8. Tourlitis Lighthouse
The Tourlitis Lighthouse off the coast of the port city of Andros can be called one of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world. Located on a lonely rock, pitted by the sea and wind, it looks like an illustration for a fantasy novel.
The lighthouse was built in 1897 near Andros Castle. During World War II, the tower was blown up by German troops, but it was restored in the 1950s, and in the 1990s it was restored to its original appearance. The renovated structure became the first automatic lighthouse in Greece, which means that in fact, this magnificent tower does not have a caretaker. The best time to come is now!
9. Pyrgi
The village of Pyrgi is one of two dozen settlements of Mastikhochoria, where mastic trees are cultivated. Medicines, food, alcohol and chewing gum are made from their resin. This traditional craft still remains important in Pyrgi but tourists to the village are attracted by something else: bright facades painted with geometric patterns. These ornaments are called “xista”. They were brought to these places by the Genoese Italians. The painting technique is as follows: several layers of plaster are applied to the walls, and then patterns are scratched into them. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece.
10. Volcanic Rocks of Lemnos
According to the Iliad, the island of Lemnos was home to the forge of Hephaestus, the god of fire and blacksmithing. It is difficult to imagine a more suitable place: the volcanoes that formed the landscape of the island millions of years ago have long gone out, but there are amazing, unearthly-looking rocks. Locals call these cliffs “faraclo” or “faraclokephala” (“bald” or “bald heads”). The frozen lava has formed amazing shapes — from ripples on the surface of rocks to entire spirals. Most of these rocks can be found at the northern end of the island, near the ruins of Poliochnia, the oldest Neolithic city in Europe.
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11. Lemnos Sand Dunes
The dunes of Lemnos, or the Lemnos desert, are a kind of antithesis of the green island. The area of the desert is only 6.8 hectares, but, like its larger “relatives” like the Sahara or Namibia, it constantly changes shape and size due to the winds. Sand from nearby beaches is blown by the wind into a depression between two extinct volcanoes that form the landscape of the island. If the wind is strong enough, you can even see waves moving through the desert, as if in a sandy sea.
It seems that this is a lifeless place but in fact, the fauna of the desert is quite diverse. For example, wild rabbits live here, which are most often seen at sunset. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece.
12. Mystras
In the ancient city of Mystras, in the Taygetus Mountains, the last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI, was once crowned. The most famous resident of the city, George Gemistus Pliphon, a scientist and philosopher, had a huge impact on the cultural life of late Byzantium.
In 1460, Mystras was captured by the Ottoman Empire. The city remained inhabited until the 19th century when it was abandoned after the Greek Revolution.
Mystras remains abandoned but the ruins are perfectly preserved. A 13th-century fortress towers over the city, surrounded by seven abandoned medieval churches. The only place still inhabited in Mystras is the Pantanassa Monastery. Several dozen nuns take care of the gardens and feed a colony of wild cats.
13. Fairytale Castle, Agrilos
The Fairytale Castle of Agrilos was built in the 1960s by an American of Greek origin, Harry Fournier, who earned a fortune by practicing surgery in Chicago. After completing his career, he went to the homeland of his ancestors, the city of Filiatra, to perpetuate the memory of them.
All the details of the castle, from the gates with a drawbridge to the bright red conical towers, are made of concrete and gypsum. Inside, the building is decorated to resemble the Middle Ages: everywhere there are coats of arms (some depict just the letter F or Harry’s name), halberds, swords, paintings, and frescoes with scenes from “Tristan and Isolde”, “Ivanhoe” and “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table”. In the courtyard, Fournier put up three giant statues: Athena, Poseidon, and a huge sitting horse. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece for vacation.
14. Colossus of the Naxians
Tinos is not the only Greek island that has become famous for its marble. This durable and cold-resistant material is still being mined on the island of Naxians. The colossus of Dionysus, a huge statue of a man carved into the rock in the VII—VI century BC, has been preserved in the quarry near the village of Apollonas.
It is still unknown exactly why it was abandoned. According to one version, a road could not be paved from the quarry because the colossus of Dionysus turned out to be too big. In addition, the statue could not be completed due to the fact that it was damaged during the work, or because the customer refused to pay for it.
15. Gialova Lagoon
The only place in Europe where you can see African chameleons in their natural habitat is the Gialova Lagoon in the south-west of the Peloponnese Peninsula, a nature reserve protected by the European Union. It is believed that reptiles were brought here as pets during the Roman Empire.
Most often, lizards can be found in the southern part of the reserve on cold spring nights, when they behave rather sluggishly. Chameleons live in the crowns of trees. Sometimes they are seen at the Zoe resort south of the lagoon. This is one of the most beautiful places in Greece.
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FAQ
How to stay connected with the world during your trip to Greece?
The easiest and most inexpensive way to stay connected while traveling in Greece is to pre-register an eSIM — a virtual SIM card, and use the internet everywhere.
At what time of the year is it better to go to Greece?
The best time to visit for swimming and sunbathing — from May to the end of September, you can even go to Crete and Rhodes in October. At the beginning of summer, there are not as many tourists as in July and August. These months in Greece are very hot: the sun burns mercilessly during the day, and the thermometer columns often reach extreme adventure values.
It’s already easier in September, so it’s time to come with young children without the risk of overheating them on the beach. It is not very comfortable to go on excursions around the city — it is better to plan long walks around the sights in the middle of spring or autumn. The ski slopes open in December and finish their work in the last days of March.
Is it true that public transport is not punctual in Greece?
It’s true. In Greece, you’ll need to wait for buses and trains longer than planned. If according to the schedule, there is half an hour left before the arrival of the train, this means that you need to count on about one and a half. Yes, half an hour means an hour and thirty minutes, an hour means three hours, and so on.
Make Your Trip Better and Safer using eSIM Plus
Few people know that when going on a trip, you can not arrange expensive roaming and not look for a mobile operator in the destination country. Now everything is much simpler. To stay connected in any country, you just need to issue a virtual phone number before your trip and stay in touch around the clock.
eSIM is a SIM card built into the device. To connect, you need to log in to eSIM Plus, select a tariff, pay, and use the mobile Internet in any part of the world.
