James Allison
Few places in the world have such a strong and individual identity as Greece. It has its own culture, its own language, even its own alphabet. It's also the birthplace of democracy and the starting point for Western world. Some of the great-est philosophers and writers ever to exist came from Ancient Greece, as well as the world's most enduring mythology and legend.
A distinguished past
An open-air museum of sights
Golden beaches and secluded coves
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Why Go?
Holidays to Greece are truly unique – one of the world's old-est empires began here, and it is flooded with golden sun for most of the year. As an added bonus, the mainland of Greece is like an open-air museum, filled with awe-inspiring relics from the past, and the sprinkling of islands set in the Aegean Sea aren’t short of architectural must-sees either, but, essentially, these are blissful locations for beach holi-days of every shade - lazy, vibrant, sporty or stylish.
Family holidays in Greece can be fun-filled with trips to monuments steeped in Greek mythology, or trips to one of the numerous huge waterparks in Limnoupolis, Kos, Corfu or Faliraki.
For those that enjoy fine wines and top-notch cuisine, the wonderful tastes to experience on your Greece holidays are as much as a lure as the scorching sunshine. The feta cheese, olives, dolmades and of course – the red grape wine – can be found in the most high-end of restaurants in the capital of Athens, to the tiny tavernas in Rhodes or Crete.
The islands in Greece have everything from party resorts to places where you can just relax and forget all your troubles - check out our range of Greece hotels to explore where you want to visit. For thrilling shopping holidays to Greece, the capital of Athens will bring you up-market boutiques and branded clothes at great prices, whereas the resorts and lit-tle craft stalls dotted around the country sell traditional Greek pottery and trinkets.
The weather you'll experience on your Greece holiday is categorised into the three main territories: the Mediterra-nean, the Alpine and the Temperate. In the Alpine resorts where you can go on activity holidays to Greece – such as the Thessaly region and the Pindus mountain range, can be colder with thunderstorms. Areas such as Crete and the Do-decanese areas have mild, wet winters and hot, dry sum-mers, and Athens uniquely has a mix of both Mediterranean and Temperate.
Corfu is a well-established holiday destination, with over one million tourists visiting every year. The most northerly of the Ionians, Corfu lies between 2 and 10km off mainland Greece. Corfu is one of the most beautiful of the Greek is-lands, with great nightlife and gorgeous sandy beaches among the best in the Mediterranean.
Corfu
Kavos, is pulsing with life appealing to party people. To the north of the island are the resorts of Roda and Sidari with a beautiful backdrop of mountains, wonderful beaches and warm shallow waters - real family favourites! Arillas and Aghios Gordios attract honeymooners, and for all round ro-mantics, Kassiopi's picturesque harbour offers a traditional village atmosphere and the resorts of Paleocastritsa and Glyfada are simply beautiful. Just north of Corfu town are the popular resorts of Dassia and Gouvia. Ipsos and nearby village Pyrgi offers peace and tranquillity. The bustling capi-tal, Corfu Town, guarded by two fortresses, features Ve-netian architecture in the old quarter's narrow streets. Legacies of a period of British rule include ginger beer, and the cricket pitch in the 'Spianada' esplanade. Springtime of-fers brightly coloured wild flowers and countless inland walks. Explore the inland hamlets, undisturbed and un-changed by time, or take time to tackle the 18-hole golf course. This green and luscious island has something to of-fer everyone. Greek countryside is diverse and varies dramatically throughout the country. From lush greenery, to rocky moun-tains, to sun baked rocks. However, it is consistently beauti-ful and which ever island you choose you can guarantee it will provide a stunning backdrop to your holiday. But Greece's crowning glory are its beaches. With more coast-line that any other country in Europe it is a true beach lovers paradise. From Zante holidays with secluded coves or end-less swaths of sugar white sand, the choice is yours. Most of the major sights are around the capital, Athens. The majestic Parthenon, the theatres of Dionyssos and Herod Atticus; the ancient Agora and a host of other monuments, ancient, Byzantine and modern await exploration. Discover narrow winding streets lined with pavement cafes or the quayside tavernas of the harbours of Zea ad Mikrolimano, where you will find delicious fish dished and cool Greek wines. Although the Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun - their partiality to partying dates back to Dionysos. Nightlife is plentiful and lively with plenty of bars, although you may find ancient dramas or shows at the Acropolis for a more cul-tured evening. Reminders of its past are strewn throughout the country; crumbling columns or ancient structures can be found in the middle of the sleepiest countryside and the centre of the busiest city. But it's not just the country's past that is fa-mous. Despite clinging adamantly to its traditions Greece also manages to be contemporary and forward looking - as embracive of the future as it is of its distinguished past. The countries towns and cities bustle with achingly cool bars and the funkiest of boutiques. Greece does style as well as it does antiquity. However, if it's the traditional picture post-card Greece you are looking for then holidays here won't disappoint. White washed churches and pretty villages smothered in flowers are the rule, not the exception.
