#7 best destination in the world

 

Parthenon

• Former temple dedicated to the goddess Athena, the patron of the people of Athens
• Completed in 432 BC when the Athenian Empire was at its peak of power
• Symbol of Ancient Greece and Athenian democracy and western civilization
• One of the oldest buildings in the world

 

Acropolis

• Citadel built on a hill chosen for purposes of defense
• #16 of the top 25 landmarks in the world
• Was the center of large cities of classical antiquity such as ancient and modern Rome
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Acropolis Museum

• Archaeological museum focused on the findings of the Acropolis of Athens
• Dedicated to house every artifact rediscovered on the rock and surrounding slopes of the Acropolis
• The museum is built over the ruins of part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens
• #6 of the top 25 museums in the world

 

Kerameikos

• #2 of the oldest cemeteries in the world
• Was the potters’ quarter of the city, from which the English word “ceramic” is derived, and was also the site of an important cemetery and numerous funerary sculptures erected along the road out of the city
• The oldest burials happened around 3000 BC

 

Tourlitis Lighthouse

• First built in 1897 just off shore from a castle in Andros
• The stone column on which it was built had been shaped by millennia of natural erosion into the perfect pedestal for a coastal beacon
• The original lighthouse was destroyed during World War II
• The lighthouse was eventually rebuilt in the early 1990s by an oil tycoon who dedicated the structure to his daughter
• The replica became Greece’s first automated lighthouse, eliminating the need for an onsite keeper to operate the light

 

Fira to Oia Trail, Thera

• Highly rated 6 mile hiking trail on Santorini

 

Tsambika Beach

• Highly rated beach on the island of Rhodes

 

Kleftiko Beach

• #10 of the top 25 beaches in the world
• Beach only accessible by boat, known for its cliffs, coves, and caves

 

Knossos

• The largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete and has been called Europe’s oldest city
• Settled as early as the Neolithic period, the name Knossos survives from ancient Greek references to the major city of Crete
• The palace of Knossos eventually became the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture
• In its peak, the palace and surrounding city boasted a population of 100,000 people shortly after 1,700 BC
• The palace was abandoned at some unknown time at the end of the Late Bronze Age, 1,380–1,100 BC
• One of the oldest buildings in the world

 

Imbros Gorge

• 6.8 mile long canyon that runs parallel to Samariá Gorge, and ends at the village of Kommitádes
• A legend tells that two brothers were banished from Imbros, Turkey and lived in the Imbros village, Crete
• The gorge witnessed an evacuation of several thousands of British soldiers during World War II before heading to Egypt

 

Balos Beach

• #24 of the top 25 beaches in the world
• Turquoise water and white sand draw visitors to this famed lagoon accessible by boat or hike

 

Elafonissi Beach

• #21 of the top 25 beaches in the world

 

Treasury of Atreus

• Large tomb constructed in 1250 BC
• One of the oldest buildings in the world
• Known for its scale and unusual shape
• 1 of 9 graves like it around the citadel of Mycenae

 

Olympia

• Sanctuary of ancient Greece know for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times
• The Olympic games were held every 4 years from the 8th BC to the 4th century AD
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Navagio

• Exposed cove, sometimes referred to as “Smugglers Cove”
• In 1980, a freightliner, the MV Panagiotis, ran aground in the waters around Zakynthos Island on Navagio Beach during stormy weather and bad visibility
• The ship was abandoned and still rests buried in the limestone gravel of the beach that now bears the nickname Shipwreck

 

Melissani Cave

• In Greek mythology, Melissani was the Cave of the Nymphs
• It features a lake surrounded with trees and forest, and is located east of the mountains of Evmorfia and Agia Dynati
• The cave was rediscovered in 1951

Paleokastritsa Monastery

• Monastery in Palaiokastritsa which dates from 1225\
• Corfu has been suggested to be the mythical island of the Phaeacians, and the bay of Palaiokastritsa to be the place where Odysseus disembarked and met Nausicaa for the first time

 

Meteora

• Rock formation hosting one of the largest Eastern Orthodox monasteries in the world
• Built on giant natural pillars and rounded boulders
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

Theopetra Cave

• Limestone cave which has become increasingly important as human presence is attributed to all periods of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic, the Mesolithic, Neolithic and beyond, bridging the Pleistocene with the Holocene
• Radiocarbon evidence shows for human presence at least 50,000 years ago
• In 2016, researchers successfully extracted the DNA from the tibia of two individuals buried in Theopetra Cave
• Both individuals were found in a Mesolithic burial context and separately dated to 7288–6771 BC and 7605–7529 BC
• One of the oldest buildings in the world

Delphi

• Famous ancient sanctuary that seated the oracle consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world
• Considered in ancient Greece to be the center of the world
• UNESCO World Heritage Site

 

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Costs

Number of Days: 31 days

Best Time To Fly: mid-April to mid-June, Sept to mid-Oct

Airline ticket: $1,908

Seattle -> Athens (round trip) = $1,338
Athens -> Santorini (one way) = $57
Santorini -> Rhodes (one way) = $99
Rhodes -> Plaka (one way) = $192
Plaka -> Heraklion (one way) = $173
Chania -> Athens (one way) = $49

Food: $34/day x 31 days = $1,054

Rental Car: $42/day x 25 days = $1,050

Gas: $145

Entertainment: $125

Airbnb: $106 x 29 days = $3,074

TOTAL: $7,356