Travel to Greece: when to go, budget and itineraries

The capital takes two to three days: the Acropolis and its museum the first morning, the ancient agora and Kerameikos next, the Plaka and Monastiraki districts in the evening. A combined ticket covers seven archaeological sites over five days. Seventy kilometres south, Cape Sounion and its Temple of Poseidon are a 90-minute bus ride away for a sunset over the Aegean. Athens is also the main transfer point to the islands, by plane or by ferry from Piraeus.

This peninsula south of Athens holds the great sites of ancient Greece: the theatre of Epidaurus, the citadel of Mycenae, the sanctuary of Olympia, plus the fortified town of Monemvasia and the stone tower houses of the Mani. It works as a four to five-day driving loop, crossing the Corinth Canal on the way out. Nafplio, the first capital of modern Greece, makes a pleasant base for the first two nights.

The Cyclades archipelago is the country's tourist heart: Santorini and its caldera, Mykonos and its nightlife, but also Naxos, Paros and Milos, which cost less. The islands are linked by ferry in one to three hours; allow at least two nights per island for the trip to make sense. From mid-July to late August the meltemi wind blows hard and sometimes disrupts the small fast catamarans.

The largest Greek island deserves a week on its own, with a car. The north strings together Heraklion and the Minoan palace of Knossos, Rethymno, and Chania with its Venetian harbour. The wilder south keeps the beaches of Preveli and the mountain villages. The Samaria Gorge hike, 16 kilometres in a day, is only open from May to October. Elafonissi and Balos, at the end of rough tracks, offer turquoise lagoons.

To the west, the Ionian Islands contrast with the Cyclades: dense greenery, Venetian architecture, calmer seas. Corfu with its listed old town, Kefalonia and its white pebble beaches, Zakynthos and Navagio beach where loggerhead turtles nest, Lefkada linked to the mainland by a bridge. Access is by ferry from Igoumenitsa or by direct summer flights. Two or three islands over a week is plenty.

Thessaloniki, the country's second city, is four hours from Athens by train and opens the way to Macedonia, the Halkidiki peninsula and Mount Pelion. Further west, the Meteora raise six working Orthodox monasteries on sandstone pillars; each closes on a different day of the week, so check before climbing. Two nights in Kalambaka cover everything without rushing and allow a dawn walk between the rocks.

This chain of islands runs along the Turkish coast, at the eastern edge of the Aegean. Rhodes is the gateway, with its fortified medieval town on the UNESCO list and the Street of the Knights. Kos blends beaches and ancient ruins, Symi lines up neoclassical houses around its harbour, Patmos keeps the monastery of Saint John. Seasonal direct flights serve Rhodes and Kos from several European cities, which lets you skip Athens.