If you want to feel the sense that you’ve stepped into a world of time-honoured tradition and rustic allure and yet retain a dash of the urbane and sophisticated, there’s no better island to visit than Andros. Close your eyes and picture yourself hand in hand swept along by the warming breeze through the stately mansions of sea captains and ship owners; romance with an indisputable streak of elegance.
Then it’s down to one of a galaxy of beaches to suit all tastes or off on a family expedition through mountainous paths to admire wildlife and luscious forests adorned with old towers and waterwheels. You’ll soon come to realize that Andros defies any attempt to put a label on it and celebrate its contradictions.
Glorious peaks give way to sumptuous coastlines, the nautical and agrarian past intermingle and even the art world is amply served by a modern art museum of global renown, where you can view the works of such luminaries as Picasso, Chagall and Matisse at exhibitions regularly hosted there.
They’ll always be megastars that court the attention and woe their very own set of devoted followers. The Aegean has more than its fair share of island showstoppers and the number is on the rise as sparkling new stars stride boldly from the footlights into the full glow of recognition.
1. Super Paradise Beach, Mykonos: The beaches of Mykonos have won fame as the best in the Aegean, thanks to their crystalline waters and golden sand, not to mention multi-starred service and flawless organisation. One of the most impressive lives up to its name, Super Paradise, a vast sandy bay with translucent turquoise water. Dive in, open your eyes before you surface and you’ll know at once why it ranks as one of Greece’s most beautiful.
2. Lalaria Beach, Skiathos: What words could capture the magic of Lalaria? The island’s trademark, it has often won the title of most stunning beach and its fame has spread around the world. Its emerald water and smooth white pebbles under towering sheer rocks attract dozens of boats daily, loaded with eager visitors who can’t wait to see it up close.
3. Sarakiniko Beach, Milos: Milky white volcanic rocks as soft as chalk, sculpted into intriguing shapes by the wind and waves. A deep gulf with green water that turns every shade of blue as you get further from shore. Psychedelic.
4. Kolymbithres Beach, Paros: This famous beach tucked into the bay of Naoussa has gorgeous blue-green water and smooth greyish rocks chiselled into phantamasgorical shapes interspersed with delicious golden coves of varying sizes.
5. Shipwreck Bay (Navagio) Beach, Zakynthos: Who could have imagined that an old boat called Panayiotis would be the star of thousands of snapshots and videos that have pushed Zakynthos to fame the world over? The beach where it ran aground forms a magical setting with its sheer white cliffs, turquoise water and white sand. You’ll be definitely tempted to dive right into its unbelievable clear water.
6. Myrtos Beach, Kefalonia: This amazing beach between Assos and Argostoli is literally breathtaking. Unquestionably the most famous on the island, it must be included in any top beach list for Greece. White sand, fine pebbles, azure waters at the foot of impossibly high cliffs – once seen, it’s unforgettable.
7. Canal D' Amour Beach, Corfu: Between Sidari and Peroulades this surreal setting has to be seen to be believed: white sculpted rocks, grottoes, little beaches, blue-green water. Among the unusual formations, Canal d’Amour stands out. They say that whoever swims the narrow opening in the rock will find the love of their life on the other side.
8. Porto Katsiki Beach, Lefkas: This beach, at the foot of an enormous white cliff that turns orange with the sunset has been voted one of the six best in the entire Mediterranean.
9. Balos Beach, Crete: Another of the most exotic beaches in Greece that’s considered one of the finest in the Med, Balos lies in western Crete near Kissamo. Here the sand glistens pink and white, the water combines the most dazzling shades of blue and green, while the islet of Gramvousa with its Venetian castle adds a fairy-tale note to the scene.
10. Voidokoilia Beach, Peloponnese: Photos of this beach in Messinia have gone viral. The white sand that surrounds the delicious blue-green water is such a perfect semicircle one suspects a draughtsman’s hand. The unspoilt environment behind it, is yet another reason why this ranks among Greece’s top ten beaches.
Get to know the most exotic island in the Aegean. The island where Aphrodite of Milos was discovered, and one of the most impressive islands in the Cyclades.
Volcanic rocks paint the beaches red, pink and orange. Sarakiniko and Kleftiko, with their white rock formations, emerald green waters and caves eroded by the sea, are steeped in stories of pirates. The catacombs, the exotic beaches, the multicoloured Klima, Emborios and Mandrakia with their quaint buildings, carved directly into niches which house boats. Plaka’s sunsets... All of these yell in unison: Milos is unique.
Kleftiko, Papafragas, Sarakiniko, Katergo… The formidable pirates of the Middle Ages had their hideouts in Milos. Traces of their existence can be found in Kleftiko, where the pirates’ bollards for their ships can be found sculpted on the spectacular rocks, beside blue-green water and near the caves.
In Sarakiniko, the landscape is from another world: all-white rocks in mesmerising shapes enclose the cove. Get lost in the deep blue of the Aegean and feel nature embrace you.
Popular destinations for romantic holidays in Greece
You’re on Santorini, sitting opposite the love of your life, with the setting sun transforming the Caldera and the volcano and a diamond ring sparkling in the candlelight. You follow up with a massage in view of the wine-dark sea, jacuzzi on your veranda and a boat-ride for two under the full moon. Your only worry, will she say ‘yes’…
You’re in Halkidiki, the emerald Eden of Macedonia. A basket of ripe fruit, gourmet snacks and expensive wine at your side, the two of you bask in the delicious cove your own boat has brought you to. In the evening, hand in hand on your hotel’s private beach, you won’t be able to hold back your declaration of love, as around you a magical scene unfolds: soft music fills the night and a dozen twinkling candles light up a table set just for you at the water’s edge.
In sophisticated Mykonos, the captain, the crew and the chef of the yacht you’ve chartered will make sure you enjoy the sail around the island, Rhenia and Delos, in a style fit for a royal couple. In the evening, by the pool in your lovely villa, you’ll renew your vows and wish that this holiday in the Aegean would last forever.
Popular beaches, traditional villages, hospitable locals and flavours with the fragrance of Greece welcome you to the most beautiful summer holidays of your life.
When you think of sun and sea, you think of Greece. A country synonymous with sunlight, crystalline Aegean and Ionian Seas, award-winning beaches and marinas, countless islands, yachting and sailing, sea sports and more. In Greece, summer holidays begin in May and last until October. And you still haven’t booked your ticket?
Greece: A miracle of nature and culture
14,800 kilometres of coastline. 408 beaches and 10 marinas awarded the Blue Flag. Among everything else that makes Greece unique, is the fact that, in such a small country you can find so many beaches, so many diverse landscapes, cultures and civilizations.
Take a journey back in time to the glory years of the Olympic Games
A day’s visit to the birthplace of the Olympic Games will not suffice, so much is there to absorb. The greatness of the ancient Greek history never ceases to astound us. In this corner of the Peloponnese, the father of gods and men was worshiped; this is the site of Zeus’ most magnificent sanctuary.
The centrepiece of the shrine, his gold and ivory statue, crafted by Pheidias, stood 13.5m tall and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It no longer exists but you will be able to admire firsthand the famous Hermes by Praxiteles. Both the site and the museum offer a luminous picture of the splendor, the glory and the breadth of a civilization that gave so much to the world. You’re on the fast track for a time-travel adventure through history, through the glory of Ancient Greece. On your mark. Get set. Go!
The Hermes of Praxiteles, a peerless masterpiece
In Olympia’s archaeological museum you’ll come face to face with one of the greatest marble sculptures of all time, Praxiteles’ Hermes, one of the most important exhibits in the museum. The god is leaning against the trunk of a tree. In his left arm, he’s cradling the infant Dionysos.
It is the epitome of Greek beauty, balance and craftsmanship. Apart from the Hermes, the museum contains dozens of other finds from the site, dating from prehistoric times to the early Christian era, when the Games were outlawed. Look out for the Nike of Paionios and the monumental friezes from the Temple of Zeus, which depict the chariot race between Pelops and Oinomaos and the fight between Lapiths and Centaurs.
The Olympic Games, all for the pleasure of Zeus
London, Beijing, Athens… Retracing the history of the Olympic Games back to 776 BC, you arrive at the starting line, where it all began in this gentle, wooded valley of the Alpheios River in the Peloponnese, where Zeus’ most important sanctuary was located. In his honour, every four years, this was the scene of an event in which the whole of the Greek-speaking world took part.
Exuberant nature, awe-inspiring culture, mysticism, adventure, the warmth of the people, fun and relaxation. Discover your own point of equilibrium in Central Greece.
