Why take cheap flights to Greece? A plate of meze, a glass of wine and a view of the Aegean Sea is reason enough for some. For culture vultures, there's the idea of the Parthenon in Athens, Delphi (on the slopes of Mount Parnassus) or Olympia with its temples of Zeus and Hera. The beaches will be the No. 1 drawcard for sun worshippers and the under-discovered ski resorts are heaven for savvy skiers during the Greek winter.
Greece lies at the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. The 2,000-plus islands that make up the country are dotted around the shimmering waters of the Aegean, Ionian and Mediterranean seas and the Sea of Crete.
There are several chains including the Argo Saronic Gulf Islands (close to Athens), the Cyclades, the Dodecanese (includes Kos and Patmos), Ionian Islands (Corfu, Zante, Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaka, Kefalonia and Kythira) and the Sporades (which includes Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Peristera and Skyros). The Cyclades are the most famous. There are 39 in total, 24 inhabited, and the most famous are Santorini and Mykonos.
Athens is capital, a modern city, bustling and frenetic, but you'll spy ancient columns between the streets and when you look up from the New Acropolis Museum you'll see the Parthenon, standing sentry above the city where it has for thousands of years.