Greece Things to Do

The smart money typically seeks the sandy shores of the storied Greek isles, but there are also numerous lovely beaches in and around Athens. The following are few of my favorite destinations along the Apollo Coast.

1. Astir. For travelers willing to drop a little coin, the beach at Astir has everything a sun-worshiper could hope for, including cabanas, umbrellas, beach-chairs, showers, restaurants and cafes, and even an ancient Temple to Apollo.

There is a wide array of explored and unexplored caves and cave systems throughout the Greek Islands and Greece’s mainland.

Frequent travelers to Greece and the Mediterranean are fond of lamenting the neglect the Grecian mainland receives due to the popular fascination with the better-known islands and archeological sites in and around Athens and elsewhere. This may be a bit of a false dichotomy, as it’s perfectly feasible to sample a bit of all of the above with some careful planning (we’re not talking about mainland China here, Greece is relatively small and easily traversed), but it is true that the beauty of many coastal and interior destinations are unfairly overlooked by incurious tourists hustling off to Piraeus. This can work to your advantage, however, if you forgo the ferries for, say, a rental car or tour package.