Greece Islands In The Sun

The islands have long been a sun-worshipper’s paradise, drawing those who follow Helios and Apollo and those who follow tanning oil. Beachside days melt through spectacular sunsets into starry, disco-filled nights and back again, in a continuum of hedonistic delight. In addition to the heavenly sands and turquoise waters, the islands offer ancient sites, intriguing museums, and peaceful small-town life. A favorite of international vacationers, Skiathos, in the Sporades, harbors the piney Biotrope of Koukounaries beach and lovely Lalaria. In the Aegean Sea, the black-sand beaches on Santorini soak up the sun’s hot rays, while the hills of Kia are the perfect place to watch the sun set. The wide variety of beaches and multi-colored rocks on Milos are a rainbow-splashed paradise. Sea caves once ransacked by pirates on the coast of Skyros now welcome swimmers. After basking on the shores of Lesvos, visitors can stop to pay homage to Sappho at the eclectic and hospitable village of Skala Eressou. Stumble out of all those pesky clothes at wild Paradise Beach on Mykonos, and take back a shot of ouzo on Ios and Kos. Snorkeling, water-skiing, or just loafing in the sun fill the days on Naxos, and the undisturbed beauty of Therma on Samothrace is the perfect way to relax after hiking the mountains of Northern Greece. Vai and Ierapetra in Crete and castle-crowned Haraki Beach on Rhodes beg travelers to drop their packs in the languid sun.

Best Place To Dine With The Gods: Reaching the peak of Mount Olympus is an other worldly 2-day adventure, best broken up by a meal and a night’s rest at the Zolotas Refuge.
Best Place To Read Karl Marx: Explore the history of Greece’s Communist Party on Ikaria. 15,000 of its members were exiled to the island after World War II, and some are still alive to talk about the most recent Civil War.
Best Place To Stir Up Rebellion: The neighborhood of Exarhia in Athens is home to thousands of students, many of whom led protests in 1973 against the military junta. More recently, in 2008, country-wide protests against unemployment began in this Mediterranean-meets-New York neighborhood.
Best Place To Be A Kid Again: Ride the kiddie train through the Old Town in Kavala and hunt for sweets at Athens’s unbeatabale Matsoukas.
Best Battlegrounds: Each October, a 1571 naval battle is recreated at the Old Port of Nafpaktos, complete with pyrotechnics.
Best Baths: You can bathe nude in the springs at Therma, a daytrip from Kamariotissa, or relax in the naturally radioactive waters at Agios Kirykos, renowned for their healing powers.
Best Objects M.I.A.: Greeks have been longing for their Colossus of Rhodes since it tumbled into the Aegean in 226 BC. The celebrated Winged Victory of Samothrace resides in the Louvre in Paris. Ever since Lord Elgin shipped its marble reliefs to the British Museum in London, the Acropolis in Athens has been missing some key parts.
Best Place To Be A Locavore: Eat locally-made cheese, locally-grown meat, and locally-fermented wine on the locally proud island of Naxos.
Best-Preserved Bodies: Mary Mag-dalene’s hand is kept in Simonos Petra monastery on Mount Athos. Osios Loukas monastery keeps its namesake saint’s body in a Snow White-esque glass coffin. If you peek through the reliquary at Agio Andreas cathedral in Petra, you may see the top of Saint Andrew’s head.
Best Place To Pretend You’Re An Olympic Athlete: At Ancient Olympia, you can take a lap around the stadium where Greek athletes competed 2300 years ago.
Best Place To Think Deep Thoughts: Take your most profound questions to the Philopappos Hill in Athens, where Socrates was imprisoned. In Vikos Gorge, any thought can be considered deep.