10 -Day Greece Itinerary

Plaka

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What to eat today

Moussaka

Greece's greatest layered dish: sliced aubergine and potato base, a layer of spiced minced lamb with cinnamon, allspice and tomato, then a thick blanket of béchamel baked until the top bronzes and the layers set into a sliceable terrine; every Greek family believes its version is the correct one; the cinnamon in the meat is non-negotiable.

Day 2

⭐ Top Attractions

4 places

Meteora Monasteries

Six Eastern Orthodox monasteries balanced precariously on 400-metre high conglomerate rock pillars formed 60 million years ago; the 14th-century Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron features post-Byzantine frescoes and a moss-slicked windlass tower; arrive at the Roussanou viewpoint at dusk when the mist settles into the Peneios Valley; the silhouettes of the stone structures appear to detach from the earth entirely.

Also nearby

Sanctuary of Apollo

Palace of Knossos

Monastery of Saint John the Theologian

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What to eat today

Souvlaki

Greece's perfect street food: marinated pork or chicken threaded on a skewer and grilled over charcoal, served in a grilled pita wrap with tzatziki, sliced tomato, red onion and a shower of paprika; the Athens souvlatzidiko (souvlaki shop) is the city's social hub; consumed at every hour from noon to 3 a.m.

Day 3

⭐ Top Attractions

4 places

historic

Archaeological Site of Olympia

The 776 BC birthplace of the Olympic Games; where the colossal Doric Temple of Zeus once housed one of the Seven Wonders; the original limestone stadium track remains accessible via a vaulted stone tunnel; run the 192-metre dromos at dawn when the dew is still heavy on the grass; the scent of wild pine and centuries of laurel wreaths seems to linger in the stagnant air.

Also nearby

Oia

Autonomous Monastic State

Lower Town

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What to eat today

Spanakopita

Greece's great pie: layers of hand-rolled phyllo dough brushed with olive oil, filled with spinach and crumbled feta, fresh dill and egg; baked until the phyllo crackles into dozens of translucent golden layers; sold in every bakery as a triangle; the phyllo must be homemade in the villages of Epirus where the tradition originates.

Day 4

🏛️ History & Heritage

1 place

historic

Medieval City of Rhodes

A perfectly preserved 14th-century Gothic stronghold built by the Knights Hospitaller; enclosed by four kilometres of sun-bleached sandstone walls and a massive dry moat; the Street of the Knights preserves the exact heraldic shields of the various tongues; walk the cobblestones after a midnight rain when the yellow lamps reflect off the wet basalt; the sound of heavy iron latches closing echoes through the vaulted alleyways.

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What to eat today

Dakos

Crete's ancient peasant salad: a barley rusk (paximadi) soaked briefly in water to soften its iron-hard crust, topped with grated ripe tomato, crumbled mizithra or feta, capers, olives and a generous pour of Cretan extra-virgin olive oil; the oil must be from Crete's Koroneiki olives; eaten for breakfast or as a meze with raki.

Day 5

⭐ Top Attractions

1 place

Samaria Gorge

A 16-kilometre limestone fissure cutting through the White Mountains of Crete; narrowing to just three metres wide at the 'Iron Gates' where the walls rise 300 metres vertically; the path follows a seasonal riverbed of white marble boulders; begin the descent at Xyloskalo at 6 am to catch the pre-dawn chill; the scent of Cretan cypress and wild oregano is most pungent before the heat becomes trapped.

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What to eat today

Dessert

Baklava

Greece's most celebrated sweet, dozens of paper-thin phyllo layers alternating with crushed walnuts and pistachios perfumed with cinnamon and clove, baked golden then flooded with a honey-lemon syrup that soaks into every layer; the Thessaloniki and Athens debate over which city makes the superior version is ongoing and unresolved.

Day 6

⭐ Top Attractions

1 place

Monastery of Saint John the Theologian

A fortress-like monastery founded in 1088; housing the cave where the Book of Revelation was purportedly transcribed; its grey stone ramparts and dark; frescoed interior contain priceless Byzantine icons and 6th-century manuscripts; attend the morning liturgy when the incense smoke rises into the wood-carved iconostasis; the pre-dawn call to prayer is struck on a wooden semantron; echoing off the heavy volcanic walls.

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What to eat today

Seafood

Grilled Octopus

The defining image of Greek island dining: a whole octopus tenderised by being beaten on rocks, sun-dried on a line and then grilled over charcoal until the tentacles char and crisp; dressed only with olive oil, oregano and lemon; eaten at a terrace table overlooking the Aegean with a glass of Assyrtiko; sublime simplicity.

Day 7

🎨 Arts & Culture

1 place

museum

Royal Tombs of Aigai

The 4th-century BC burial site of Philip II of Macedon; preserved under a modern protective mound that maintains the original subterranean atmosphere; the gold larnax and oak leaf crown are displayed in near-total darkness; stand before the Great Tumulus at midday; the transition from the scorching Macedonian heat to the dry; cold air of the royal vault is a visceral leap across two thousand years.

Day 8

⭐ Top Attractions

2 places

Pindus National Park

Verified as the world's deepest gorge in proportion to its width; the limestone walls drop 490 metres to the Voidomatis River; the 18th-century stone bridges of Zagori span the turquoise water in single; high-arched spans; stand at the Beloi viewpoint at 10 am when the thermals lift golden eagles above the Voidomatis; the air is sharp with the scent of mountain pine and cold limestone.

Also nearby

Sarakiniko

Day 9

🏛️ History & Heritage

1 place

historic

Delos

The mythical birthplace of Apollo; this uninhabited 3rd-century BC sacred island features the Terrace of the Lions and the House of the Masks; the mosaic floors are still vibrant despite two millennia of Aegean salt air; take the first boat from Mykonos at 9 am; the light is flat and harsh; bleaching the marble ruins until they disappear into the scrubland; the silence of the abandoned port is absolute.

Day 10

⭐ Top Attractions

1 place

White Tower

A 15th-century Ottoman defensive tower that has served as a fort; a prison; and now a symbol of the Byzantine capital; the circular stone masonry reaches 34 metres and dominates the Thermaic Gulf waterfront; climb the internal spiral ramp at sunset; the 360-degree view captures the modern grid meeting the old city walls; the sound of the city's frantic traffic is muffled by the thick; cold limestone.