4 Popular Holiday Destinations in Greece

Greece is the perfect destination for tourists, no matter what their age is or what they want to do on holiday. With almost 6,000 islands there is something here for everybody – whether you want to hide yourself away from the crowds or dance until you drop – and then wake up and do it all over again! With its delirious night life, Greece is a real treat for young people seeking the freedom to ignore convention and party on to the frenetic beat of their favourite DJs! It’s easy to see why young visitors want to come back to Greece - again and again!


Encounter a fascinating world of mythical gods and curiously compelling antiquities, enjoy the breathtaking clarity of the Aegean Sea, bask in the Greek sun as its turquoise waters lap against white sandy beaches, stroll around picturesque spots by the sea or up in the mountains, admire the unique whitewashed island architecture, surf in crystal clear waters and go on some spectacular excursions during the day – but don’t forget to save some energy for the nightlife!
The four following destinations are the number one spots in Greece for those looking for somewhere hot (and we’re not talking about the weather!!).
Mykonos
Where: at the centre of the Cyclades island group

Why: Greece's most famous and cosmopolitan island, a whitewashed paradise in the heart of the Cyclades, is synonymous with entertainment and fun. Discover a fascinating world where glamour meets simplicity! On Mykonos celebrities, college students and families mingle together to celebrate the Greek summer. Whether you are an entertainment junkie out for a real good time or a culture vulture who wants to explore the island’s history and tradition, Mykonos will certainly live up to your expectations!

Must visit: the capital town (Hóra) of the island, one of the best examples of Cycladic architecture; the church of Panayia Paraportiani; “Little Venice”, an 18th century district, dominated by grand captains’ mansions with colourful balconies and stylish windows; the quaint windmills standing imposingly on a hillside; the traditional settlement of Áno Merá, and of course the sun-drenched cosmopolitan beaches spreading all around the island!
Where to stay: Mykonos has excellent tourist facilities; choose from luxurious hotels, rooms to let in Hóra or traditional guesthouses by the sea!
Join in with: Festivals and local celebrations are organized throughout the summer accompanied by plenty of local wine and delicious local specialities!
Hot tip for young people: The island is a paradise for water sports enthusiasts! It is only natural that the “Island of the Winds” should attract surfers and sailors from all over the world! There is a great choice of beaches for windsurfing; however, the most secluded ones are considered to be the best. Choose from Kórfos, Fteliá, Meyáli Ámmos and Kalafátis, where surfing lessons are also available. Play tennis or mini golf at Ayios Stéfanos, beach volleyball at Ayia Ánna or try sea parachuting or jet skiing at Eliá or Kalafátis. Diving fans can do a little exciting exploration of the underwater magic of Mykonos.
Páros
Where: In the Aegean Sea, part of the Cyclades island group
Why: Páros is one of the most popular holiday destinations for young people; unrivalled natural beauty, excellent tourist facilities, beaches with crystal clear waters, unrivalled Byzantine footpaths connecting traditional villages, breathtaking landscapes and pulsating nightlife make the island an unbeatable destination that guarantees a holiday to remember!

Must visit: Parikía (Parikiá), the capital of Páros, a beautiful Cycladic village with whitewashed cubic houses and impressive neoclassical mansions; Náoussa, a colourful village, where the ruins of a Venetian fortress stand at the entrance to its small harbour; Léfkes is located at the highest point of Páros and enjoys stunning views of the island. The village is set up in the mountains and is surrounded by a rich green landscape; Márpissa, a 15th century traditional village with a distinctive medieval character and the marble quarries at Maráthi, where the famous Parian marble used to be extracted.
Where to stay: depending on how much you want to spend, you can opt for a guesthouse in Hóra or in one of the traditional hamlets around the island or choose from a wide selection of major hotel complexes.
Join in with: Religious festivals are the perfect occasion for many types of festivities! If you find yourself in such an event, don’t forget to taste the sweet smelling wines produced in the island’s vineyards: Monemvassiá and Mantilariá! Join in the celebrations on August 15th when cultural events are organised around the church of Panayia Ekatontapyliani.

Hot tips for young people:
• Discover the island on horseback! There are two horse riding centres, one by the sea, at Ambelás, and one at Ystérni. Ride around the coast, along sandy beaches or take a detour inland – a great way to see for yourself some of the most beautiful spots on the island!
• Sun-drenched beaches, like Chrissí Aktí, Santa Maria and Poúnda, welcome sun-loving visitors who want to enjoy not only the crystal clear waters of the sea but also their favourite water sports, especially windsurfing!
• The beach of Kalóyeros, surrounded by red and green clay rocks, offers a really effective natural spa for free! Cover your body with the clay and let it dry in the sun; after a while rinse yourself in the sea and your body will feel softer than ever!
Skiáthos
Where: part of the Sporades island group
Why: Skiáthos is the most cosmopolitan island of the Northern Sporades. Despite the rapid growth in tourism here in recent decades, it is still picturesque and unspoilt. Over 60 beaches with crystal clear waters adorn the island, the most famous of which is Koukounariés, which has been declared as the third most beautiful beach in the Mediterranean. When you add in its bustling nightlife, it is only natural that the island attracts thousands of young visitors every year!

Must visit: the capital town of Skiathos with its stone paved streets and white houses; the picturesque harbour surrounded by four small islets; beautiful Boúrtzi, a small islet with lush vegetation where the ruins of a Venetian fortress stand; the house and now museum of the famous author Alexandros Papadiamantis and the Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary with its four museums. Follow a breathtaking route to explore the beauties of the island starting from Asélinos, past Kounistra Monastery, Small Asélinos Beach and Alygariés Beach ending at Kehriá Beach.
Where to stay: A plethora of hotels and rooms to let are available; if you are looking for something more alternative however, try the campsite at Koukounariés.

Join in with: The many colourful cultural events, concerts and art exhibitions held throughout the summer add a special touch to holidays on the island!

Hot tip for young people: The pedestrianised street by the Old Harbour is the ultimate hotspot for entertainment! Buzzing bars and clubs keep youngsters rocking through the night and until the early morning! The party continues in the area of Ammoudiá (on the road to the airport) where entertainment addicts celebrate in big open air clubs!
Íos
Where: In the Aegean Sea, part of the Cyclades island group
Why: an alternative youth destination infused with a cosmopolitan flair that competes as an equal with well established destinations like Mykonos and Santorini. Walk through the picture-perfect Hóra, the epitome of elegance and sophistication, swim in the crystal clear water at internationally famous beaches like Mylopótamos and Maganári, and taste mouth watering local specialities!

Must visit: Hóra, nestling comfortably on a hill, with its white-washed cubic houses and roofed alleys; the twelve wind mills; Panayia Gremiótissa (Madonna of the Cliffs), at the highest point of Hòra, with an amazing view of the bay and neighbouring Sikinos; Paleókastro Byzantine castle, built at the top of a hill; “Odysseas Elytis” Open-Air Theatre, built in one of the poet’s favourite locations and the well-preserved 2800 BC Protocycladic Settlement of Skarkos.
Where to stay: there are plenty of charming hotels and rooms to let in Chóra, while family-run beachfront guesthouses and guesthouses in the island’s mountain villages will also offer you a pleasant environment to stay in while visiting the island! If you are looking for something more alternative, then choose to stay on one of the island’s official campsites. Note that the island lacks the luxurious amenities you may have come to expect on an island holiday, but what it lacks in luxury it makes up for in adventure!

Join in with: One of the most impressive celebrations is that of Panagia Gremiotissa, on August 15, when there is a procession of a famous icon depicting the Virgin Mary around Hóra followed by a feast with performances of traditional instruments and dances!
Hot tips for young people:
• Follow ancient paths (Ayia Theodóti-Hóra, Ayia Iríni-Valmá Beach, Hóra-Pýrgos-Psáthi, Hóra-Áyios Spyridonas-Perivolia-Áyios Prókopas-Pelekaniá) that are still used by the local shepherds to explore the interior of the island and to discover its hidden beauties!
• The mountains of Ios are ideal for climbing, mountaineering or biking, while from its peaks you can enjoy a panorama of the island and the never ending blue of the Aegean!
• On the beaches of Mylopótamos and Manganári there are special facilities for water sports, ranging from wind surfing, water skiing, scuba diving and sailing lessons to kite surfing and canoeing.
• The intoxicating night life of the island will certainly impress you! Every night cafés and bars along the narrow paved streets of Hóra and the beach bars all around the island are packed with crowds of young visitors enjoying colourful cocktails, dancing their hearts out all night long and spilling uproariously out into the streets and onto the sand!

Destinations - Τοp 5 Hidden Gems in Greece

 

1. Patmos island. Here St. John wrote the Apocalypse.
Worldwide known as a sacred island for it is the place where Saint John wrote the Book of Revelation, Patmos is an ideal destination for nature lovers thanks to its lace-like coastline, sheer cliffs and volcanic soil. Designated as “Holy Island” by the Greek Parliament in 1981 as well as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, Patmos had been used as a place of exile by the Romans on account of its steep morphology.


That’s how St. John found safe refuge here in the 1st century A.D., exiled by the Emperor Domitian. Around the Holy Monastery of the Apocalypse (built as a castle in 1088) revolve the spiritual celebrations of Holy Week and Easter Sunday, while in the Cave where Christ’s most beloved disciple spent his last days of his life we can still trace the spots where St. John rested his head and touched the rocky surface. Apart from the religious sites, the island also hosts many sun-loving tourists who are in search of unspoiled beaches.

2. Discover a centuries-old naval tradition in Oinoússes.

Oinoússes is a complex of nine islands and skerries located between Chios and the Erythraia peninsula in Asia Minor, out of which only one is inhabited (the one bearing the same name). Oinousses has been known since ancient times. Due to its strategic position it was conquered over the centuries by the Genoese, the Venetians, and the Turks. The islands’ striking natural beauty explains why they form part of the European network "NATURA 2000". Set out on a trip to Oinoússes in summer and enjoy precious moments of peace and isolation in sandy sun-drenched beaches. Participate in local religious festivities which are organised throughout the summer, and enjoy authentic local cuisine in tavernas by the sea.

3. Paxi. A sanctuary of love for gods

Cultural village of Europe for the year 2004, Paxi is the ideal island for a peaceful holiday. Fjord-shaped beaches, underwater caves, small bays and green hills welcome the lucky visitors. According to the legend, the island would be the southernmost tip of Corfu, if the god of the Sea, Poseidon, had not broken it off with his trident when he needed a god-deserving place to live his love with the Nereid Amphitrite. Its capital and main port, Gaios (Gáios), is separated from its natural breakwater, the tiny island of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas), by a narrow channel, displaying one of the most beautiful port sceneries in Greece. At the beginning and at the end of summer the island hosts internationally famous Greek and foreigner soloists, whereas in July the traditional festival of “Water and Oil” is held dedicated to folk music. To fully enjoy the celebration, visitors will sample here bread soaked in water, olives, onions, boiled potatoes and local wine.
Although a small island, it is endowed with outstanding beauty. The island of Antipaxi (literally meaning “opposite Paxi”) lies at just 3 nautical miles from the port of Gaios. Antipaxi is famous for its renowned beaches, among which Voutoúmi, with its exotic turquoise waters, is supposed to be one of the most beautiful in the world. But travellers will cherish the place as much as the wine. Apart from the traditional methods of producing wine of fine quality and other Greek varietals (the worldwide famous “mavrodáfni” is one of them), enhanced, biological cultivations transform the local wine into a product of high nutritional value.

4. Villages made from mastic?

In the south and most fertile part of Chios island in the only place in the world where mastic grows, there are the 24 Mastic Villages. Built in the Middle Ages, these villages display exquisite architecture and unique decorative elements, such as the ksistá, “scratched surfaces”, on the facades of the houses in Pyrgi, the biggest of the villages. Ksista are geometric designs scratched on plaster with a technique that is unparalleled in the world. If you are lucky enough, you might catch the plaster workers at work!
South of Pyrgi, there is Mestá, another medieval village, whose stone houses form an impregnable fortress. The village has only one gateway for people to enter and the houses are built so close to one another that locals say the only way to walk around is by climbing over the roofs. Let the locals treat you with “mestoútsiko”, a local wine, and with a drink made of distilled figs and grapes, “soúma”.

5. Inland: Traditional stone-built settlements in Mani, Peloponnese

Váthia is located in the southern part of Laconian Máni; it belongs to the group of settlements called "Inner Villages" (Mésa Horiá). On the top of a 200m high hill, Váthia is a dense, stone-built settlement consisting of 144 buildings grouped into four distinct neighbourhoods. The architectural style of the buildings and the village's spatial organisation reflect the struggle between Máni families competing to settle on the hilltop, Váthia’s dominant strategic point during the medieval times. As you walk through the village’s cobbled paths, you realize that each neighbourhood is organised as a self-governing unit, encompassing a war tower, a church, fortified dwellings, private streets, and “dark” meeting points, called “roúyes”. Short sightseeing excursions will take you to Areópolis, the capital of Máni, where stone buildings are also renovated; to the Diros caves, a spectacular –and still unexplored– natural site, one of the earliest inhabited places in Greece; or to Yeroliménas, the tourist port of Máni. Further to the southernmost point of mainland Greece, Cape Taínaron is located. Your spiritual quest will lead you here, to the cave of Hades, the god of the dead, and the ancient temple of sea god Poseidon. This memorable trip concludes with a visit to Gýtheion, and the isle of Kranái.

Destinations - Europe's Best Vacation Cities

Italy Pisa - Leaning Tower

Tower of Pisa is more accurately referred to simply as the bell tower, or campanile. The Pisa tower is one of the four buildings that make up the cathedral complex in Pisa, Italy, called Campo dei Miracoli or Piazza dei Miracoli, which means Field of Miracles.

Fira Santorini, Greece

Roussanou Monastery Meteora, Greece

Meteora means suspended in air. Hermit Byzantine monks in the ninth century first inhbited these mountains, living on fissures and caves along the rocks to spend time with God. In the 14th century, these hermit monks built 20 different monastaries to get away from Turkish occupation.

The tall cliffs were the perfect escape for these monks. At first only ladders and ropes were the only way to reach these monestaries. During the 1920s steps were carved out making it more accessible.

Florence, Italy

Rome, Italy

Rome, capital of the world, the Eternal City, the city of the seven hills or simply the City: enough reasons to visit and get impressed by the many, many, many historical sights... Smell ancient Rome in the middle of this cosmopolitan-crazy Italian capital.

Florence, Italy

Harbor Town of Yialos Island of Symi, Greece

Venice, Italy

Germany, Bavaria

Prague, Czech Republic

Charles Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world and the oldest bridge in Prague. It is almost 10m wide, 516m long and rests on 16 arches.Towers guard both ends of the bridge – the Old Town Bridge Tower and two Malá Strana Bridge Towers.

Monaco

Arc De Triomphe - Paris, France

The Arc de Triomphe is the world's largest triumphal arch and one of the most famous monuments in Paris.  Conceived by Napoleon to commemorate victories of the French armies, it was completed during the reign of Louis Philippe.

Paris Evening, France

Copenhagen Harbor, Denmark

Manarola, Italy

Lamanche, Spain

Bavaria, Germany

Prague, Czech Republic

Paris, France

Vienna, Austria

Elbe - Dresden, Germany

Marseilles, France

Prague, Czech Republic

Tower Bridge, London, England

Budapest, Hungary

Chateau de Chambord Castle Loire Valley, France

Lombardy, Italy

Tallinn, Estonia

London, United Kingdom, Maida Vale

The Plitvice Lakes - Croatia

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia. The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The important north-south road connection, which passes through the national park area, connects the Croatian inland with the Mediterranean coastal region.

Destinations - Amazing Black Forest of Germany

Here I am going to show you beautiful and most natural place photos which name is black forest. The Black Forest in Germany is so dense with pine trees that it blocks out most of the light in the woods and that’s how “Black Forest” got its name. 

The German name for the Black Forest wooded mountain range is Schwarzwald. Like the Halong Bay, gorgeous jewels in an emerald sea, and Volcanic JeJu, Island of the Gods, the Black Forest is one of the elite 28 finalists in the competition to name the new 7 Wonders of Nature. 

The beautiful Black Forest is a gigantic nature park, calling to nature lovers and adventurers . . . and for those with an active imagination, it’s said that Germany’s Black Forest possesses a “rich mythological landscape. 

It is said to be haunted by werewolves, sorcerers, witches who haunt the darkness, and the devil in differing guises, so watch out. Fortunately, there are dwarves that live within the woods who like to help people and try to balance the scales.