Things to Do in Greece

Late spring (May–June) and early autumn (September) are the sweet spots — warm enough to swim, cool enough to walk around ruins comfortably, and far less crowded than the July–August peak. Spring brings wildflowers and green hillsides but a cold sea; September and early October give you the warmest water of the year. Winter is mild at sea level and good for Athens and Crete, but many island hotels and ferry routes shut down.

A week is enough for Athens plus either one island group or the mainland classics — but not both. Ten days to two weeks is the comfortable length for a first trip, letting you give Athens two or three days and still island hop properly or drive the Peloponnese. Ferries eat half-days, so resist the urge to add a fourth or fifth island; two or three islands in a fortnight is a better trip than five.

It depends entirely where you go. You do not want one in Athens, where parking is difficult and the metro is quick and cheap. You very much want one in the Peloponnese, in Epirus and on the larger islands — Crete, Rhodes, Naxos — where public transport is thin and the best beaches and hill villages are otherwise hard to reach. On small islands a scooter or the local bus is usually enough, and many visitors hire a car per island rather than taking one on a ferry.

Classical antiquity above all — the Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae and the birth of democracy, theatre and Western philosophy — alongside a coastline of roughly six thousand islands and islets, of which a couple of hundred are inhabited. It is also known for Orthodox monasteries in improbable places, for olive oil, feta and a long, generous approach to eating, and for some of the clearest water in the Mediterranean.

Yes, very widely in anywhere touristed — Athens, the islands, the major archaeological sites, hotels and restaurants — and among younger Greeks generally. Menus and signs in tourist areas are usually bilingual, and road signs are given in both Greek and Latin script. In remote mainland villages you will meet less English, but learning a few words (kalimera, efcharistó) is warmly received everywhere.

Greece uses the euro (€) and has done since 2002. It is a member of the European Union and part of the Schengen Area, so travel from other Schengen countries involves no border checks. Cards are accepted almost everywhere in cities and tourist areas, but carry some cash for small tavernas, village shops, island buses and the occasional ferry kiosk.

Start with the everyday things done well: souvlaki and gyros, a proper village salad with a slab of feta, grilled octopus and small fried fish by the water. Look for mezedes — many small shared plates — at a mezedopoleio or ouzeri, and try regional specialities where you are, such as Cretan dakos, Thessaloniki's bougatsa, or moussaka and pastitsio anywhere. Greek yoghurt with honey and walnuts, loukoumades and a strong Greek coffee or a freddo espresso round it off.

Island hopping, archaeology and summer sailing.