Santorini

The crescent-resembling island of Santorini (also known as Thera), with its unique beaches with black sand and red cliffs, is all that remains of the old island which was blown apart thousands of years ago by a volcano that is still active today. The volcanic explosion wiped out the early settlements and created the spectacular landscape of the geological caldera that formed in its centre. A theory is that the devastating explosion, that presumably ended the Minoan civilization of Crete, sparked the popular myth of the Lost Atlantis. The archaeological site at Akrotiri is of particular interest, where Minoan-influenced frescoes of the Bronze Age are remarkably well preserved.

Santorini's remarkable physical beauty, marvelous relics along with its elegant restaurants and shops give it a more sophisticated image. Being one of the most popular of the Greek Islands, Santorini draws vast amounts of visitors and the island is packed with tourists each summer, being also a popular one-day stop for Meditteranean cruise ships. The graphic sunsets during August, owing their color to the volcanic dust, are a spectacular daily event. is a Santorini is also famous for its favoured strong white wine, coming from the vines that grow sparsely on its sulfurous volcanic ground to which it owes its unique flavour.

Mykonos

Overshadowed in antiquity by its close neighbor, the important religious sanctuary island of Delos, the poor island of Mykonos gradually became a major tourist destination with its popularity steadily increasing since the 1950s; today, Mykonos with its 15,000 residents attracts over 800,000 visitors each summer. The Hora, as the city of Mykonos is often called, retains in its small, cubic white houses the traditional character of Aegean Cycladic architecture. Once popular with the jet-setters and artists of the seventies, Mykonos today draws all types of visitors and is also well-known for its gay-friendly attitude.

In the streets of Mykonos boutiques, jewelry stores and art galleries offer a chance for some sophisticated shopping, along with a remarkable variety of restaurants to fit all tastes. Myconos's lively nightlife, with a wide choice of bars and clubs that will stay up all night, is not far from the likes of Ibiza or Agia Napa. The island is active round the year, with many cultural events and even a small film festival, and a lot of people seeking to avoid the crowds of the tourist season choose to visit Mykonos in September or October.

City of Athens

An important cultural and historic center both in antiquity and nowadays, Athens is a lively city with an appeal to all types of visitors. Its archaeological sites and its museums alone need a couple of days of exploration. Acropolis is a unique experience in itself and visitors get a chance to walk on the footsteps of the ancient Athenians, entering through the Propylaea and climbing the "Sacred rock" to reach the top of the site. The National Archaeological Museum is home to some of the most marvelous artifacts found in the region.

Aside from its past glory, modern Athens is noted for the vibrant life of the city itself. Although the city center can be exhausting during the day, after dark and as the city cools, the old streets of the Plaka offer a chance to stroll and shop, then end your evening by having dinner with an Acropolis view at a local restaurant. There are plenty of options to fill the evenings in Athens. Cafés are packed day and night, and the streets stay lively until 3 to 4am, with some of the best bars and clubs in the country. Eating out is great, with choices ranging from lively tavernas to some of the finest gourmet restaurants.