Travel in city Santorini

Athens Tours Greece is a Greek tour operator specialized in private sightseeing tours in Athens and other popular destinations in Greece.

Modus & Amplio’s differentiation lies in its philosophy, as it is expressed by its name: modus & amplio – method & development.

The airline plans to increase its capacity at the airport by 23% compared to 2023 and 142% compared to its base opening in 2018, reaching over 835,000 available seats.

“2024 is the year to embrace the allure of the island of Milos and the majesty of the Olympus Riviera – two new gems that will be added to the Olympic Holidays portfolio” comments Michael Vinales, MD Olympic Holidays. “ Being able to expand our offering in Greece and to continually bring new, exciting, and often ‘off the beaten track’ destinations on board is what makes Olympic Holidays the go-to operator for Greece and her islands” he continues. “Milos offers an unforgettable experience with its captivating blend of pristine beaches, rugged landscapes, and rich history whilst the Olympus Riviera is another spot just waiting to be explored. Olympic Holidays will also be expanding its Island-Hopping portfolio, with some new itineraries twinning Santorini & Milos, Athens & Poros and a multi-island hop combining Mykonos, Paros & Santorini. Cruise product, which was brand new this year is also set to expand in 2024 – more information on this to follow shortly.”

The Cycladic island of Ios is a rocky, mountainous environment of winding roads sometimes blocked by herds of bleating goats and sleepy villages hugging cerulean coastlines. In the 1960s, backpackers discovered the nearly untouched island and it became known as a hippie haven, hosting all-night beach parties, with a handful of cheap bars operating in the Chora (main town). A few decades later, nearby Santorini and Mykonos began to outshine their neighbor, attracting hordes of tourists each summer and investing in new developments. Meanwhile, Ios only got electricity across the entire island in the 1970s and most residents here are goat herders or farmers. Today, Mykonos has taken the nightlife crown and both it and Santorini have become severely over-touristed. Ios on the other hand, remains a quiet, mostly undeveloped paradise.

We all know Greece is a good idea, and Marriott is making it an even better one by announcing a new Luxury Collection property in the Dodecanese islands.

As the year nears its end, the tourism industry is setting its sights on the buzzwords for travel in 2024. Will we still be doing revenge travel, set-jetting and workcations?

My husband and I got married this summer and we put most of our wedding expenses on reward credit cards, earning enough points to cover fights and hotels for our Greek honeymoon. 

Costa Navarino, a luxury resort destination in Greece’s Messinia region, may not have the cultural cachet of Mykonos or Santorini, but that could soon change with the opening on Mandarin Oriental’s first Greek property. Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino features 99 suites and villas with views of the Ionian Sea. The hotel also features five restaurants, a spa and an 82-foot swimming pool. Should you actually want to leave the property, it’s a short drive to the 18-hole Bay Course, which also has views of the coast.

My first experience sleeping in a cave hotel was many years ago in Santorini, in one of those typical whitewashed hotels dug into the volcanic rock. Once used as inexpensive dwellings, the island's volcanic terrain allowed the inhabitants to carve rooms into the earth without foundations, with vaulted ceilings and narrow entries enforced with limestone. They were also warm in the winter and cool in the summer and provided high resistance to earthquakes.

Joe Ranzenbach and Jennifer Choi were one of those couples who had their destination wedding vision set within hours of Joe’s April 2022 proposal, which took place on a catamaran in the Adriatic Sea. “We had no idea we wanted a destination wedding until we got engaged in Santorini. We just fell in love with the place,” says Jen, who also spent childhood trips going to Greece. Basking in the glow of their betrothal—and those postcard-famous sunsets—the couple wanted their friends to experience the island, too, and had decided before the trip was over that they’d return there for their nuptials. Jen and her family have a special connection to the Mediterranean nation: The bride’s late grandfather had once been the South Korean ambassador to Greece, so her mother had spent years there.

We decided to ask three residents to share their top picks for holidaying within their own country.

As a traveler who prefers the off-season for its more affordable prices and fewer visitors, I try not to fly in July and August, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. I wait until fall when rates for flights and hotels normally plunge and crowds shrink.

It was near midnight, in a storm, on a dirt road in the middle of Mongolia. Still, the river seemed manageable.

When planning a 2020 sailing trip in Greece, Bettina Trittmann knew she wanted a cruise that offered less of a carbon footprint than other cruise ships did.

It only took three installments over two decades, but the Portokalos family of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding film series is finally headed to the motherland. In the third movie, they head to Greece for a family reunion in the hometown of their beloved, recently passed patriarch. It’s a delightful development for the franchise, but it only came about via mundane logistics. “Something miraculous happened,” says the film’s writer, director, executive producer, and star Nia Vardalos. “Greece got a tax credit, and that is magic. That is music to any financier's ears.”

Greece is home to over 6,000 islands, of which more than 200 are inhabited. Formed into six main island clusters, the Cyclades, Ionian, Saronic Gulf, Sporades, Northeast Aegean, and Dodecanese Islands, each has its own distinctive character and culture. There’s also one significant stand-alone: Crete. Traveling within each island group is generally more accessible than inter-archipelago trips, but that is possible if you have time and money to spend. The beauty of the country — its white-walled cliffside villages, ancient ruins, and stunning blue water — is no secret. Come summer the beaches of Mykonos and the sunset bars at Santorini are jam-packed. However, there are ways around jostling for a spot on the sand. Traveling to one of the lesser knowns islands, visiting during a shoulder season, or booking one of the epic stays suggested here, will greatly enhance your experience. From whitewashed villas adorned with vibrant bougainvillea, suites with private pools looking over Santorini, to cave Airbnbs with breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea, here’s some of the best places to stay in Greece.

Santorini is breathtakingly beautiful. The picturesque Greek island is built on the remains of a volcanic caldera in the Aegean Sea. It’s known for its stunning white-washed towns, breathtaking views, and amazing sunsets that light up the caldera. The crimson evening sky is so well-known it’s one of the most photographed places in the world.

Recently, I went on a week-long Eastern Mediterranean cruise for $1,500 and visited four countries in seven days. 

Although the legend of Dionysus—a Greek deity responsible for wine and other pleasurable pursuits—is centuries old, the mythological figure is still influencing modern-day Greece. The nation’s indigenous grapes and unique terroir create one of the world’s most exciting wine-producing countries, but given Greece’s vast and mountainous geography it would take as much time to visit all the different regions as it did to build the Parthenon.

This past may in Malta, under a domed tent beside the Valletta harbor, I watched as Harry Connick Jr., bathed in the soft glow of chandeliers, crooned “It Had to Be You.” I'd come, alongside hundreds of other guests, to witness the christening of Oceania Cruises' Vista cruise ship, the company's first new offering in more than a decade, which became official when TV personality Giada de Laurentiis, the godmother, pulled a lever that initiated the requisite whack of a bottle of Champagne against Vista's hull. Like most baptisms, this was a multigenerational affair. “Family is the bedrock of this organization,” declared Frank A. Del Rio, Oceania's new president. Standing beside him was his father, Frank Del Rio Sr., the outgoing Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO, who founded Oceania with two small ships more than 20 years ago. “And it will continue to be how we define ourselves.”