With its family-friendly beaches, top-notch archaeological sites and sumptuous culinary treats, a holiday in Greece – only four hours’ flight time from the UK – is hard to beat. The main tourist season kicks off at Easter, when Corfu’s pot-flinging celebrations and philharmonic bands are a major draw.
In summer, follow the sun to one of the country’s 227 inhabited islands: Mykonos, renowned for its scintillating party scene; Santorini, with its spectacular caldera views; or Alonissos, where pristine wildlife is the main attraction. Athens’ heat is overpowering in July and August, so an out-of-season break is ideal, whilst the lively second city, Thessaloniki, has something to offer all year round.
Here’s where to go in Greece this year.
Find a holiday by type:
- Best for culture and festivals
- Best beach destinations
- Best for food
- Best to see and be seen
- Best quieter corners
- Best for nature
Best for culture and festivals
Athens
Birthplace of democracy, home of world-class museums and backdrop for a burgeoning culinary scene, Athens’ storied streets, radiating out from the Acropolis, are awash with thrilling activities. Choose the cooler days of spring or autumn to wander Plaka’s alleys, watch the changing of the guard on Syntagma Square or climb to the Parthenon. This year, the long-running conservation work on the famous site will finish, meaning the Parthenon will be scaffolding-free for the first time in decades.
How to do it: A week at the Hotel Grande Bretagne in the heart of Athens, including flights from London Heathrow in March with British Airways, from £601pp, room only.
Thessaloniki
Greece’s less-touristed second city is like a pint-sized dose of everything the country does best. Stretching from the 16th-century White Tower, the main seafront promenade buzzes with cocktail bars and upmarket restaurants, whilst student hangouts and budget-friendly tavernas abound in Ano Poli, the old district at the top of town. Thessaloniki’s excellent MOMus Museum has an extensive programme for 2026, including exhibitions of modern art, contemporary art and photography.
How to do it: A week at City Hotel near Thessaloniki’s buzzing waterfront in March, including flights from London Gatwick with Olympic Holidays, from £573pp, B&B.
Tinos
With its ornate dovecotes, remote beaches and maze-like Chora town and mountaintop villages, this lesser-visited Cyclades island retains an authentic spirit. Famed for its alabaster marble, used by sculptors since antiquity, Pyrgos village abounds in marble museums and sculptors’ workshops, whilst the medieval village of Ysternia offers the best vantage point for panoramic views.
How to do it: A week at Tinos Beach Hotel in May, including flights from London Gatwick via Athens, including transfers and ferry from Rafina port, with Olympic Holidays, from £801pp, B&B.
Syros
Just 30 minutes from glamorous neighbour Mykonos, this lesser-visited island has twin capital cities: Ano Syros, the 13th-century Catholic capital, and the more modern Hermoupolis, each sitting on its own hill. Surprising finds here include a magnificent marble-paved main square home to an opera house said to be modelled on La Scala, a smorgasbord of culinary specialities, and a museum that’s home to the world’s first electric car.
How to do it: A week at Dolphin Bay Hotel overlooking the island’s largest golden sand beach in July, including flights from London Gatwick via Mykonos and transfers with Olympic Holidays, from £983pp, B&B.
Corfu
With philharmonic bands marching through the streets and water-filled pots flung from balconies, this Ionian island (where the animal-loving Durrell family once lived) has one of Greece’s most spectacular Easter celebrations. June to September are the busiest months, when the Old Town’s palaces and fortresses, Spianada pedestrian arcade and kantounia alleys buzz with life. Elsewhere, you’ll find typical island life in myriad villages, where tavernas serve the spicy fish dish bourdeto and other local specialities.
How to do it: A week at Cooks Club Corfu, adults only, overlooking Gouvia’s lovely golden beach, including flights from London Stansted in April with On the Beach, from £580pp, all inclusive.
Best beach destinations
Milos
A peaceful substitute for sister island Santorini, the Cycladic atoll is best known for its colourful kymata boathouses and lunar landscapes (as well as the site where the Venus de Milo was unearthed in 1820). Follow hiking paths spreading out from the castle-topped capital of Plaka to reach the white volcanic coves of Sarakiniko Beach. You can also explore the island’s spooky network of 1st-century AD catacombs or enjoy brine-fresh fish served up in low-key tavernas surrounding Pollonia’s pretty port.
How to do it: A week at Arco Solium Suites close to Milos town, including flights from London Gatwick with Wizz Air in May with lastminute.com, from £841pp, B&B.
Zakynthos
Dubbed “Fiore di Levante” (”Flower of the East”) by Venetians, this lush Ionian island is best known for its lively Laganas nightlife strip, clear seas inhabited by rare loggerhead turtles, and Navagio – or “Shipwreck Beach” – a white-sand cove backed by limestone cliffs, home to the photogenic skeleton of a cargo ship that ran aground in the 1980s. Away from the beach, a string of picturesque mountain villages showcase the island’s more authentic side.
How to do it: A week at Canadian Hotel near the party strip of Laganas nightlife, including flights from London Luton in May with Hays Travel, from £325pp, B&B.
Alonissos
This Sporades island is a magnet for divers who come to explore the “Parthenon of Shipwrecks”, an underwater park littered with skeletons of vessels that sank here in the 5th century BC. A 30-minute boat ride from Mamma Mia! island Skopelos, Alonissos is laid back and charming, home to an extensive network of hiking trails leading to a string of near-deserted beaches and traditional villages where tavernas serve boat-to-table seafood.
How to do it: A week at Nereides Hotel near capital Patitiri in June, including flights from London Gatwick via Skiathos and ferry transfer with Tui, from £700pp, B&B.
Rhodes
One of Europe’s sunniest islands, Rhodes is a magnet for families who flock here to enjoy splashy waterparks and glorious silk-sand beaches, whilst Faliraki’s lively nightlife strip attracts the party crowd. Away from the seafront, this dreamy Dodecanese destination is littered with ancient sites, including the island capital’s Unesco World Heritage-listed old town, with its medieval cobbled streets and magnificent Grand Master’s Palace, and the bougainvillea-bright streets of whitewashed Lindos village, topped by its 4th-century BC acropolis.
How to do it: A week at Amus Hotel and Spa near Ixia, including flights from London Gatwick in June with Sovereign Holidays, from £1,308pp, B&B.
Best for food
Crete
Holding the title of European Region of Gastronomy 2026, Crete is a destination for the food lovers. Shop for knives engraved with mantinades (rhyming verses) and fresh herbs and spices in the streets behind Chania’s Venetian harbour, meet the Minoans at Arthur Evans’s controversially restored Knossos Palace, explore the island’s wine roads, or relax on stellar beaches such as Vai in the east or Balos in the west.
How to do it: A week at Europhia Resort near the Venetian harbour and cobbled alleys of Chania, including flights from London Stansted in June with Jet2 Holidays, from £1,337pp, all inclusive.
Sifnos
Foodies flock to this rugged Cyclades island between Serifos and Milos, birthplace of chef Nicholas Tselementes, who wrote Greece’s first cookbook in the early 20th century. Sifnos lives up to its culinary reputation, with dishes including marzipan-sweet amygdalota and hearty revithada chickpea stew made in skepastis (a kind of crockpot still crafted in ceramic around the island). Away from the tavernas, there is also a string of golden sand beaches that rarely get crowded even in the height of summer.
How to do it: A week at Sifnaika Konakia, close to Kamares, including flights from London Heathrow with Sunvil in June, costs from £1,279pp, B&B.
Best to see and be seen
Mykonos
Known as “the Greek Ibiza”, this Cycladic island’s golden-sand beaches, hip beach clubs and designer boutiques lining the cobbled streets of the compact capital, Chora, have attracted jetsetters ranging from Jackie O’ to Brigitte Bardot since the Sixties. Away from mega-clubs on Super Paradise and Psarou, pastel-coloured buildings along the wave-lapped Little Venice waterfront are packed with cosy cafés and chic tavernas. For lower prices and a more authentic atmosphere, visit in spring.
How to do it: A week at My Mykonos Hotel in the capital, Chora, including flights from London Luton in June with Love Holidays, from £819pp, B&B.
Santorini
Sunset seen from the rim of Santorini’s spectacular volcanic crater, topped by its snow-sprinkling of white villages, is a big ticket item on most travellers’ bucket lists – for a ringside seat without the crowds, travel in May or September. This sultry Cycladic island’s black and red sand beaches are also a major draw, as is the Minoan site of Akrotiri, dubbed Greece’s Pompeii because it was buried under ash after the island’s volcano blew its top in 1600 BC.
How to do it: A week at Amaria Beach Resort near the low-key town of Kamari, an easy drive from capital Fira, including flights from London Gatwick in May with Thomas Cook, from £691pp, B&B.
Best quieter corners
Lesvos
Birthplace of aniseed tipple ouzo, this under-the-radar northern Aegean island, where Sappho leapt to her death in the 6th century BC, has countless surprising attractions. Here you’ll find one of the world’s largest petrified forests and a museum packed with works by artists ranging from Chagall and Giacometti to Picasso and Matisse. Capital Mytilene has a charming Ladadika district, where traditional tavernas serve dishes cooked in ladi (olive oil).
How to do it: A week at Aeolian Village Beach Resort near Eressos’ spectacular 3km-long sandy beach, including flights from London Gatwick in May with Mark Warner, from £916pp, half board.
Kimolos
Among the smallest of the Cyclades islands, Kimolos is like a time warp. The island’s one dusty, potholed main road leads from capital Chorio to near-deserted beaches like Dekka and Ellenika and traditional villages of Goupa, Karra or Psathi, where tavernas serve kakavia fish soup and other local specialities.
How to do it: A week at Kimolis Hotel close to the island’s best beaches, including flights from London Heathrow via Athens and Milos with Sunvil, from £1,364pp, B&B.
Aegina
Although popular with Greeks, this Saronic atoll within easy reach of Athens, is rarely on tourist radar, despite lush countryside, lovely beaches, and a main town lined with lofty neoclassical mansions where Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis once lived. Aegina is also famed for its Doric Temple of Aphaia, dating back to 500 BC, which is a scaled-down version of the Acropolis. Be sure to sample local pistachios, used to make everything from marmalade to liqueur.
How to do it: A week at Danae Hotel close to the island’s taverna-lined port, including flights from Manchester in July via Athens and ferry from Piraeus with Jet2 Holidays, from £787pp, B&B.
Best for nature
Kalymnos
This Dodecanese island is considered one of the world’s best destinations for climbing. The bustling harbour of capital Pothia has elegant neoclassical buildings repurposed as fish tavernas and a museum dedicated to the dangerous job of sponge fishing, for which the island is famed. Rarely crowded even in the height of summer, Kalymnos’ scenic settlements, golden-sand beaches and budget-friendly tavernas offer a perfect peaceful Greek retreat.
How to do it: A week at Andromeda Studios near the low-key resort of Kantouni in July, including flights from Bristol and transfers with Jet2 Holidays, from £586pp, self catering.
Amorgos
Location for the filming of Luc Besson’s cult classic The Big Blue, this Cyclades island is famed for its dramatic views. Mountain peaks are topped by ancient monasteries and rare monk seals are often spotted along the shore. Scenic – and sometimes scary – mountain roads and hiking trails link capital Chora with far-flung villages where traditional kafeneia serve ouzo and meze snacks.
How to do it: A week at Lakki Village near Aegialis’ sandy beach in June, including flights from London Heathrow in and transfers with Sunvil, from £1,416pp, B&B.
Evia
Less than two hours’ drive from Athens, Greece’s second-largest island, separated from the mainland by the storied Euripus Strait, is rarely visited by British travellers despite having some of the country’s best beaches, along with pine forests, mountain hiking trails dotted with mysterious drakospita (“dragon houses”), and a host of culinary specialities including katsikaki goulbaso (goat stew). Edipsos, on Evia’s northern tip, abounds in mineral-rich therapeutic waters that have been valued for their healing properties since the 4th-century BC.
How to do it: A week at Evia Riviera Resort close to Amarynthos beach in September, including flights from London Gatwick to Athens and transfer to Evia with Thomas Cook, from £457pp, B&B.
Skyros
This under-the-radar Cyclades island is split into two halves – most of the villages are in the pine-forested northern half and thrilling hiking and biking trails are scattered over the far more rugged southern part. It’s also where First World War poet and philhellene Rupert Brooke is buried, and is renowned for its pint-sized wild horses dating back to the Palaeolithic era. From main town Chora’s car-free alleys clustered beneath its Byzantine castle to pristine pine-tree-shaded beaches, this is one of the Sporades’ most authentic atolls.
How to do it: A week at Yiasemi Studios near Molos’ sandy beach in June, including flights from London Heathrow and transfers with Sunvil, from £1,070pp, self catering.