Greece is more than Santorini — though the caldera is still where many trips aim. The best places to visit in Greece mix one capital of ruins with one or two islands, and at least one slow day that is not a ferry queue. Use this as a map for a first visit, not a checklist to finish in a week.
Quick Answer: Where to Go First
If you have 7 days, choose Athens plus Santorini. With 10 days, add Mykonos. With 14 days, you can link Athens, two Cyclades islands, and Crete or Meteora without treating ferries as the holiday.
1. Athens
The Acropolis and Parthenon still define a first Greece trip. The limestone plateau rises 156 metres above the city, crowned by a temple built between 447 and 432 BC that remains one of the finest examples of Classical architecture ever completed. Book timed tickets, then leave room to wander Plaka, the ancient Agora — the marketplace where Socrates taught — and the Acropolis Museum at the foot of the hill. Late light on the plateau is as much the point as the monuments.
Stay in Monastiraki, Plaka, or Koukaki so you can walk to the rock. Two or three nights is enough before an island ferry from Piraeus; five nights lets you add Delphi without rushing. Athens travel guide →
2. Santorini
The island is actually the rim of a massive volcanic caldera, its cliffs dropping 300 metres to the deep blue sea below. The village of Oia, at the island’s northern tip, is world-famous for sunsets that turn the caldera gold, orange, and crimson. Fira and Imerovigli offer similarly spectacular views with slightly fewer crowds. Beyond the views, Santorini produces excellent Assyrtiko white wines from ancient vines that twist close to the volcanic soil, and the island’s cuisine — fava bean puree, cherry tomato salads, fresh fish — is delicious.
Book cave hotels 6–12 months ahead for summer. Shoulder months (late May–June and September) keep the light and lose some of the queue. Santorini travel guide →
3. Mykonos
Mykonos is the cosmopolitan Cycladic island: whitewashed lanes, a famous row of windmills (Kato Mili) above the water, and Little Venice — houses with balconies over the sea, best in late light before the bars fill. Beaches run from family bays such as Ornos to peak-season clubs. Town (Chora) is the overnight base; the rest is a short bus or taxi.
The island’s party reputation is real in July and August, and irrelevant on a June morning in the lanes. Shoulder months are kinder on prices and sleep. Mykonos travel guide →
4. Meteora
Meteora is one of Greece’s most otherworldly sights — six surviving Eastern Orthodox monasteries perched on near-vertical sandstone pillars that rise up to 400 metres from the plain of Thessaly. The monasteries were built between the 14th and 16th centuries, originally accessible only by nets and rope ladders. Today, carved stone steps lead to most pillars, and the views from the terraces over the valley are extraordinary. Grand Meteoro (the largest) and Varlaam are the most visited.
Visiting at sunrise or sunset, when the rock pinnacles catch golden light, is the version that stays with you. Dress modestly — covered shoulders and knees. Pair with Athens on a 12–14 day trip rather than a rushed coach day from a cruise. More hidden gems of Greece →
5. Crete
Crete is large enough to feel like its own country: Minoan ruins at Knossos, Samaria Gorge, Balos and Elafonisi beaches, and a food culture many travellers rate as Greece’s finest — wild greens, Graviera, and olive oil from Kolymvari. Chania’s harbour is the gentler overnight base than Heraklion for many visitors; Heraklion is the airport-and-Knossos machine. A hire car unlocks the west coast and mountain villages that buses race past.
Four nights is the minimum for Knossos plus one beach and one town. A week lets you split east and west without rushing. Pair Crete with Athens on a 10–14 day Greece trip rather than squeezing it into two ferry nights. Crete travel guide →
6. Rhodes
The medieval Old Town is a UNESCO walled city of lanes, inns of the Knights, and a harbour that still feels like a crusader port. Beaches and the acropolis village of Lindos sit beyond the walls. Rhodes offers better value than Santorini in peak season, with summer charters into Rhodes (RHO) and enough size that a car or bus day to Lindos does not consume the whole trip.
It sits in the Dodecanese rather than the Cyclades, so combining it with Santorini usually means a flight or a long ferry. Treat Rhodes as its own island chapter, not a casual hop from Oia.
7. Delphi
The sanctuary of the oracle on Mount Parnassus is the classical Greece that island-only itineraries miss: a theatre, temple terrace, stadium, and a museum that makes the site readable. In antiquity, Delphi was considered the centre of the world. Today it is a full day from Athens — about 2.5 hours each way — or a kinder overnight if you dislike long return coaches.
Go early; coaches arrive mid-morning and fill the terrace. Combine with the mountain village of Arachova if you want a meal that is not a site cafeteria.
8. Olympia
The sanctuary where the Olympic Games began in 776 BC. The stadium, temples, and archaeological museum sit in the western Peloponnese, among pines rather than island cliffs. It is a slower add-on than Delphi, better as an overnight than a round trip from Athens in a single day. Pair it with Nafplio or the rest of the Peloponnese if you are already on the mainland.
9. Naxos, Milos and the wider Cyclades
Naxos is the largest Cycladic island and arguably the most diverse — ancient marble quarries, a medieval hilltop castle (Kastro), excellent local produce, and long sandy beaches. Milos has emerged as a favourite for travellers seeking volcanic rock formations, sea caves, and Sarakiniko — a lunar landscape of white pumice dropping into turquoise water. Paros, Folegandros, and smaller neighbours sit on the same ferry network as Santorini and Mykonos, with fewer postcard crowds.
If the celebrity islands feel finished, these are the next layer — still Cycladic, still whitewashed, and still reachable without a second international flight.
How to Combine These Places
- 7 days: Athens (2–3 nights) + Santorini (3–4 nights).
- 10 days: Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos — the classic Cyclades hop.
- 14 days: Athens, two islands, and Crete or Meteora, with ferries booked 4–8 weeks ahead in July and August.
See 7-, 10-, and 14-day Greece itineraries → · Best time to visit Greece →
Frequently Asked Questions
For a first trip: Athens, Santorini, and one more island such as Mykonos or Crete. Add Meteora if you have 12–14 days. Rhodes, Delphi, and Olympia are the next layer.
Athens is enough for a short city break of 2–3 days. If you have a week or more, add Santorini by ferry or flight so the trip is not only the capital.
Ten days comfortably covers Athens plus two Cyclades islands (typically Santorini and Mykonos). Adding Crete in the same window usually means too much travel and too little time on the ground.
No for Athens, Santorini caldera villages, and Mykonos town plus one beach by bus. A car is the most useful way to see Crete, Naxos, Rhodes, and mainland sites such as Meteora.
Santorini is the most photographed for caldera cliffs and blue domes. Crete is the most diverse. Naxos and Milos suit travellers who want Cycladic light without the Oia crush. There is no single “best” island — pick the landscape you actually want to sleep in.