I spent all my summers in Greece as a child. Listed below are 7 locations you need to go to that aren't Santorini or Athens.

As a child, I spent practically each summer season with my household in Greece.

My dad and mom immigrated to California from Greece within the Nineteen Eighties, however they made positive I grew up studying about our household’s roots. We spent virtually each summer season of my childhood in Greece, the place seashore days had been full of that good turquoise Aegean Sea and massive recent bowls of horiatiki.  

Pals now incessantly ask me for recommendation on their Greece journeys, however the one locations they ever need to go to are Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens. My reply to them is at all times the identical: You’ll be able to expertise a lot of Greece’s unbelievable meals, tradition, and seashores with out setting foot in its packed vacationer locations.

So, with the assistance of my pretty dad and mom, I’ve introduced you a listing of seven unbelievable spots in Greece that maintain a few of our favourite recollections.

Thessaloniki is a ravishing metropolis full of nice meals and unbelievable historical past.

Most of my summers in Greece had been spent in Thessaloniki, the place each of my dad and mom grew up. It is the second greatest metropolis within the nation after Athens and dates all the way in which again to 316 BC. 

Historical ruins may be seen within the metropolis’s downtown space, together with the majestic Byzantine church buildings. However a very powerful landmark is the White Tower, which was constructed within the fifteenth century after Thessaloniki fell to the Ottomans. The White Tower now has an exhibition on town’s historical past, and you’ll go as much as the highest for spectacular views from its balcony. 

Thessaloniki can also be full of so many scrumptious tavernas and eating places that town landed on Time Journal’s record of “The World’s Biggest Locations of 2022.” My mother recommends visiting the Ladadika neighborhood on the metropolis’s heart for dinner, or going to Aretsou for views of the water. Strive the bougasta — a Greek dessert of custard wrapped in phyllo — or koulouri, Greek sesame bread rings that had been my mother’s childhood favourite. 

“Stroll within the Thessaloniki promenade to take pleasure in a sundown and, if the sky is obvious, an ideal view of Mount Olympus,” she added.

I am going to allow you to in on a secret: The most effective seashores in Greece are literally in Halkidiki.

Positive, Santorini’s received these beautiful white buildings, and Mykonos has the wild nightlife. However in case you’re on the lookout for an unbelievable seashore trip, you is perhaps higher off on the mainland. 

At the same time as a child, I bear in mind being surprised by the seashores in Halkidiki. The sand is tender and white, the water is heat, and the colours of the ocean are the brightest blues you may ever see. One summer season my mother and uncle took me to a distinct seashore day by day, and she or he nonetheless loves to inform the story of how I gave all of the Halkidiki seashores an “A++” as a result of I beloved them a lot. 

Halkidiki is close to Thessaloniki, so it is also an amazing place to go to if you wish to mix a metropolis escape with a seashore vacation spot. Plus, with so many native tavernas by the ocean, you are positive to have an amazing meal of octopus, ouzo on the rocks, and a few calamari. 

“If all you need in your trip is to lie on a seashore and take heed to the waves, Halkidiki is your vacation spot,” my mother stated. 

A visit to Meteora gives you an unforgettable hike.

Meteora is one other childhood journey I am going to at all times bear in mind. Positioned in central Greece, the Meteora monasteries — now a UNESCO World Heritage Web site — are perched on enormous cliffs that may take your breath away. 

Orthodox Christian hermit monks first started coming to the cliffs of Meteora across the ninth century, on the lookout for peace and isolation. Within the 14th century, the primary Meteora monastery was constructed, spearheading the start of the location’s monastic neighborhood, in keeping with Go to Meteora. Six of the 24 monasteries stay energetic in the present day with greater than 60 nuns and monks. 

“It is completely wonderful to comprehend that monks constructed these monasteries and lived there for hundreds of years,” my mother stated. “The distinctive rock formations and good sunsets provide many picture alternatives. It is a actually particular place that makes me really feel near heaven.” 

Delphi is a dream vacation spot for historical past lovers.

Historical Greeks believed that Delphi was the “navel of the world.” The parable goes that Zeus launched one eagle from the east and one from the west and the birds met within the center at Delphi, the place the well-known oracle was constructed. 

Along with being an unbelievable archaeological website, Delphi additionally has a shocking pure backdrop. My mom stated she nonetheless remembers the sweeping views of the valleys and the beautiful olive timber along with the unbelievable historic ruins. 

“I beloved visiting Delphi due to its historical past, but in addition due to the attractive pure environment,” she added. 

And the way may you not be wowed by the birthplace of the Olympics?

For so long as I can bear in mind, the Olympics have been an enormous level of pleasure in our family. My dad and mom at all times beloved reminding me why Greece walks first within the Parade of Nations, and why the Greek flag is at all times flown through the closing ceremony. 

In order a child, it was extremely particular to go to Olympia, the place the Olympics first started. The video games had been held in Olympia each 4 years from 776 BC to 393 AD, and ruins from the sporting occasions nonetheless stand there in the present day. 

“Olympia has at all times had an emotional affect on me,” my mother stated. “To have the ability to stroll in the identical area the place the Olympics began moved me very a lot once I visited for the primary time.” 

“I believe this might be a particular place for somebody who loves sports activities or historical past,” she added. 

Corfu is one in every of my household’s favourite islands in Greece.

I’ve this distinct reminiscence of seeing stunning candy-colored homes alongside the water in Corfu. The gorgeous metropolis is a superb choice if you wish to go to a ravishing Greek island with out preventing a whole bunch of different vacationers for an image of the sundown. 

As soon as beneath Venetian rule, the Italian affect continues to be obvious in a lot of Corfu’s stunning structure and scrumptious meals. Together with gorgeous seashores, the island is understood for its lush wildlife. My dad and mom took my sister and me to Corfu after we had been youngsters and stated it was an amazing spot for household holidays. 

My dad additionally recommends including a visit to Ioannina on the way in which to Corfu to go to the gorgeous Perama Cave. 

Rhodes is a shocking Greek island that feels straight out of the Center Ages.

Dominated by the Knights of St. John from the 14th to sixteenth century, Rhodes nonetheless feels steeped in medieval historical past. I bear in mind being wowed as a child whereas strolling previous the majestic castles, beneath the stone arches, and thru the tiny cobblestone alleys on the island’s Outdated City. 

Rhodes additionally has loads of stunning seashores, in addition to Butterfly Valley — my mother’s favourite a part of the island.