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Said to be the birthplace of western civilization, Greece is nowadays one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. From its capital in Athens (home to the Pantheon, the Ancient Agora, the Kerameikos and Syntagma Square) to Heraklion on the isle of Crete (location of the Palace of Knossos, Koules and the Venetian Walls); from the picturesque island of Santorini (with its wineries and lighthouse) to the monastery town of Meteora, Greece truly has something for everybody. Visitors to Greece will typically stick to one of a few general areas. The Greek Islands, made up of the Aegean Islands, Rhodes, and the Cyclades, Dodecanese, Sporades and Saronic Gulf islands, are popular with water-sports lovers, sailors and sunbathers. Those interested in history will stick with Athens, Patra, Olympia and Delphi, whilst resort lovers will visit Thessaloniki, Crete or Mykonos.
Greece is a very easy country to get into and navigate around. Frequent ferries link all of the Greek Islands, as well as connecting the mainland to Cyprus, Turkey, Italy, Egypt and Israel. Train links from Thessaloniki spread north, west and east into Europe and Turkey, whilst road links connect the country to Macedonia, Bulgaria and Albania. As one of the worlds prominent tourist destinations Greece has several busy international airports. Athens International and Heraklion Nikos Kazantzakis International are amongst the busiest, with Thessaloniki Makedonia International and Corfu International also popular. Airlines such as Olympic, Aegean, British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, bmi and Thomsonfly visit Greece regularly. Exploring the country is easy by hire car, with companies such as Thrifty, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt amongst the international brands present. |
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