Greece boasts more than 160 populated islands, an astonishingly varied landscape, thousands of kilometers of coastline, key historical sites of Western civilization and an Eastern-influenced exoticism rarely experienced elsewhere in Europe. A necessary stop for any educated person, Greece offers an inventory of cultural assets that formed much of the West’s basis of learning, philosophy and democracy. And there’s nothing like walking in the actual footsteps of Homer, Sophocles, Sappho and Plato to juice the imagination. Greece is simple:  the Acropolis at dusk, the essence of pinetrees, the warm sun and the Aegean’s gentle turquoise waves. These life-reaffirming pleasures are compelling enough reasons for all travelers to put Greece on their must-visit list.

The breathtaking Acropolis and the Parthenon attract millions of tourists every year. Most of the famous philosophers, scholars, scientists and artists of Antiquity were Greeks. Greece is the land of bright sun, gorgeous light, fascinating art, beautiful nature. The Trojan war, the sacred oracles, the Roman basilicas, King Alexander the Great, the Byzantine Empire, Mt Olympus and its Twelve Gods, the Olympic Games and countless other features have one thing in common: Greece.

Greece is a country with superb museums, luxurious hotels, vibrant nightlife, hospitable people - and most of all - it’s the safest country in Europe. 

Greece is blessed with a wealth and variety of wetland and terrestrial ecosystems, habitats and wild fauna and flora. It is the only country in the Mediterranean and indeed in all Europe where one meets such a wide variety of ecosystems, ranging from the semi-desert ecosystem of the Cretan palm groves to the alpine ecosystems of Mt. Olympus. No other European country has preserved so much biological diversity in such a natural state. Greece is endowed with a spectacular richness of flora - over 6,000 species, some of which occur nowhere else, including more than 100 varieties of orchid. In spring, the whole country explode with Europe’s best show of wildflowers, including crocuses, anemones, irises, poppies, lilies, rock roses and cyclamens. Herbs, too, grow wild all over the Greek countryside - follow your nose and youll find yourself standing knee-deep in wild oregano, basil and thyme.

Greece’s rich fauna includes wolves, bears and an abundant bird life. Watching dolphins and porpoises as they follow the boats is one of the pleasures of island hopping, and the west coast of the country is home to the last large colony of sea turtles in Europe. The Mediterranean monk seal is the rarest of all the seal species and one of the six most endangered mammals in the world. The World present population is 400, about half of which live in Greece.

Greece has mild wet winters and hot dry summers. Winter temperatures can be severe in the mountains, but it’s a lot warmer on the coast. Maximum temperatures on the islands hover around 30°C (87°F) in summer, but the heat is often tempered by the northerly cool winds.