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Home , Church of Panagia Kera, Corfu, Koroni, Kythira, Vonitsa

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1 The Best of

Greece is, of course, the land of ancient sites and architectural treasures—the Acropo- lis in , the amphitheater of , and the reconstructed palace at Knossos among the best known. But Greece is much more: It offers age-old spectacular natu- ral sights, for instance—from ’s caldera to the gray pinnacles of rock of the Meteora—and modern diversions ranging from elegant museums to luxury resorts. It can be bewildering to plan your trip with so many options vying for your attention. Take us along and we’ll do the work for you. We’ve traveled the country extensively and chosen the very best that Greece has to offer. We’ve explored the archaeological sites, visited the museums, inspected the hotels, reviewed the tavernas and ouzeries, and scoped out the beaches. Here’s what we consider the best of the best.

1 The Best Travel Experiences • Making Haste Slowly: Give yourself island boat schedules! See chapter 10, time to sit in a seaside taverna and “The .” watch the fishing boats come and go. • Leaving the Beaten Path: Persist If you visit Greece in the spring, take against your body’s and mind’s signals the time to smell the flowers; the that “this may be pushing too far,” fields are covered with poppies, leave the main routes and major daisies, and other blooms. Even in attractions behind, and make your Athens, you’ll see hardy species grow- own discoveries of landscape, villages, ing through the cracks in concrete or activities. For instance, seek out a sidewalks—or better yet, visit Athens’s or monastery such as Moni Ancient , which will be carpeted Ayios Nikolaos outside — with a dazzling variety of wildflowers. you may be rewarded by a moving See chapter 6, “Exploring Athens.” encounter with the church and its • Island-Hopping in the Cyclades: caretaker. When you visit the Cycladic Though the Cyclades are bound by , consider a base on or unmistakable family resemblance, . Both are very popular with each island has a unique personality. but attract hardly any foreign- DistancesCOPYRIGHTED between islands are small, ers. MATERIAL See chapter 10, “The Cyclades.” making travel by pleasant and • Exploring the Naturalists’ Greece: logistically straightforward (at least in There is a Greece beyond the columns principle). If you are traveling in the and cafes—a land of rugged terrain off season, when you do not need and wildflowers and birds and other hotel reservations, don’t plan too natural phenomena. Sign up for a much in advance and allow yourself special tour (see chapter 2, “Planning to go with the flow—a tactful way of Your Trip to Greece”), or go it alone preparing you for the unexpected in with one of the several beautifully 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 8

8 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF GREECE Greece

0 25 mi Tirana MACEDONIA 0 25 km Adriatic MACEDONIA Sea Giannitsa Edessa Thessaloniki Kastoria Vergina Stratoni Mt. Olympus Dion ZAGORI Kalpaki Metsovo Meteora (Kalambaka) Igoumenitsou Trikkala LLakeake Pelion PPamvotisamvotis Karditsa Peninsula GREECE Paxos Arta

Praveza Karpenissi Lamia Ionian Loutra Sea Edipsou CENTRAL Mt. GREECE Parnassus Astakos Messolongi Livadia Kefalonia Ithaka Thebes

IONIAN ISLANDS Kyllini Athens Zakinthos  Mycenae SARONIC Pirgos Olympia GULF Argos ISLANDS Tripoli Nafplion Andritsena Epidaurus AAegeanegean Megalopolis AAthensthens SSeaea Mistra Mediterranean Pilos Sea CCRETERETE Githio

CRETE Areopolis Monemvassia Sea of

Rethymnon Ayios Iraklion Nikolaos

Ayia Galini 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 9

THE BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 9

BULGARIA

Drama Xanthi THRACE

Alexandroupolis Sea of Marmara

Thasos

Samothraki

Mt. Athos

Limnos

AEGEAN SEA Lake Pamvotis

GGREECEREECE Alonissos Lesvos (Mitilini) TURKEY NORTHEASTERN

Kimi

EVVIA Izmir

Hios Karystos Sounion Tinos

Mykonos Siros Aegean Sea Athens Donoussa Kalimnos Antiparos CRETE CYCLADES

Milos Simi Santorini To Crete (approx. 60 miles

from mainland)  05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 10

10 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF GREECE illustrated handbooks available, such (preferably from the Aegean, illumi- as Oleg Polunin’s Flowers of Greece nating the islands). Then watch it and the (Oxford Univ. Press); sink over the mountains (anywhere in or Birds of Europe (McGraw-Hill), by Greece, but try not to miss the sun- Bertel Bruun and Arthur Singer. And sets that change the from don’t forget your binoculars! the deepest blue to a fiery red). • Sunrise, Sunset: Get up a little ear- lier than usual to see the sun rise

2 The Best of • The (Athens): No matter levels, stairways and corridors, in how many photographs you’ve seen, addition to frescoed walls—this is the nothing can prepare you for watching Minoan Palace of Knossos. It can be the light change the marble of the packed at peak hours, but it still buildings, still standing after thou- exerts its power if you enter in the sands of years, from to rose to spirit of the labyrinth. King Minos deep red to stark white. If the crowds ruled over the richest and most pow- get you down, think about how erful of Minoan cities and, according crowded the Acropolis was during reli- to legend, his daughter Ariadne gious festivals in antiquity. See p. 194. helped Theseus kill the Minotaur in • Nemea (Peloponnese): This gem of a the labyrinth and escape. See p. 332. site has it all: a beautifully restored • Delos (Cyclades): This tiny isle, just stadium, a handsome museum, even 3.2km (2 miles) offshore of , picnic tables with a view of the was considered by the ancient Greeks romantic Doric temple. Look for the to be both the geographical and spir- three long-standing columns—and itual center of the Cyclades; many several newly restored and reerected considered this the holiest ones. If you’re lucky, you may see in all of Greece. The extensive remains Nemea’s archaeologists at work lov- here testify to the island’s former splen- ingly reconstructing and reerecting dor. From Mount Kinthos (really just more columns from the temple’s a hill, but the island’s highest point), north facade in their ambitious you can see many of the Cyclades restoration project. See p. 289. most days; on a very clear day, you • Olympia (Peloponnese) & Delphi can see the entire archipelago. The 3 (): Try to visit both hours allotted by excursion boats Olympia, where the Olympic Games from Mykonos or Tinos are hardly began, and Delphi, home of the Del- sufficient to explore this vast archaeo- phic Oracle. That’s the only way logical treasure. See chapter 10. you’ll be able to decide whether • Vergina (Northern Greece): In the Olympia, with its massive temples brilliantly designed museum here, you and shady groves of trees, or Delphi, can peek into what may have been the perched on mountain slopes over- tomb of ’s father, looking olive trees and the sea, is the Philip of Macedon. Nearby, more most beautiful ancient site in Greece. than 300 burial mounds stretch for See chapters 8 and 12. miles across the Macedonian plain. • Palace of Knossos (Crete): A seem- See p. 635. ingly unending maze of rooms and 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 11

THE BEST BEACHES 11

3 The Best of Byzantine & Medieval Greece • Mistra (Peloponnese): This Byzantine cathedral dome are works of extraor- ghost town has streets lined with the dinary power and beauty; even in the remains of homes both humble and half-obscurity of the nave, they radi- palatial, as well as some of the most ate a brilliant gold. Check out the beautiful churches in all of Greece. If small museum, and take some time you have the energy, climb to the top to explore the extensive monastery of the defense walls for the superb grounds. See p. 657. view over the plain of Sparta. Try to • Monemvassia (Peloponnese): Long visit in spring, when Mistra is car- called “The Gibraltar of Greece,” this peted with wildflowers. See p. 298. rocky promontory crowned by a • Church of Kera (, medieval citadel and church has only Crete): Even if seems a one real street (just wide enough for bit stilted and remote, this striking two donkeys to pass each other), chapel in the foothills of eastern no cars, cobbled lanes, beautifully Crete will reward you with its unex- restored stone houses (some of which pected intimacy. The 14th- and 15th- are now hotels), and views that stretch century frescoes are not only stunning seemingly forever over the sea. See but depict all the familiar biblical sto- p. 301. ries. See p. 367. • A Clutch of : , • The Churches of Thessaloniki Argos, Methoni, , Mistra & (Northern Greece): Thessaloniki’s Nafplion (Peloponnese): Some of Byzantine churches are the finest not these castles have ancient founda- just in Greece but in the entire world. tions; all were added onto by the From tiny Osios to towering Franks, Venetians, Byzantines, and Ayios Dimitrios, these churches boast Turks. Several were used as fortresses mosaics and frescoes that give you as recently as World War II; one, astonishing glimpses of the artistic Koroni, has a convent and settlement grandeur of the mighty Byzantine within its walls. See chapter 8. Empire. See p. 613. • A Profusion of Byzantine Churches • Nea Moni (Hios, Northeastern in the Cyclades: The fertile country- Aegean): Once home to 1,000 side of the island of Naxos is dotted monks, this 12th-century monastery by well-preserved Byzantine chapels. high in the interior mountains of Parikia, the capital of Paros, has the Hios is now quietly inhabited by one Byzantine-era cathedral of Panagia elderly but sprightly nun and two Ekatondapiliani. Santorini boasts the friendly monks. Try to catch one of 11th- to 12th-century church of the the excellent tours sometimes offered Panagia in the hamlet of Gonias by the monks. The mosaics in the Episkopi. See chapter 10.

4 The Best Beaches • Arvanitia (Nafplion, Peloponnese): place for a quick break between After a vigorous and tiring day of exploring the ruins at Mycenae and sightseeing, this convenient little taking in a play at Epidaurus. See municipal beach can seem like the p. 276. best in Greece. Handy changing • Plaka (Naxos, Cyclades): Naxos has rooms and showers make this a great the longest stretches of sea and sand 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 12

12 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF GREECE in the Cyclades, and 4.8km (3-mile) nor as accessible as Skiathos’s famous Plaka is the most beautiful and pris- Koukounaries, which is one of the tine beach on the island. If you need reasons it’s still gorgeous and pristine. abundant amenities and a more See p. 536. active social scene, you can always • Myrtos (Kefalonia, ): head north to Ayia Anna or Ayios Although remote enough to require Prokopios. See chapter 10. you come with your own wheels, this • Paradise (Mykonos, Cyclades): Para- isolated sand-pebble beach has long dise is the quintessential party charmed countless visitors. It does beach, known for wild revelry that lack shade and it offers limited continues through the night. An refreshments—perhaps bring a pic- extensive complex built on the beach nic—but the setting makes up for includes a bar, taverna, changing these deficiencies. See p. 595. rooms, and souvenir shops. This is a • Vroulidia (Hios, Northeastern place to see and be seen, a place to Aegean): White sand, a cliff-rimmed show off muscles laboriously acquired cove, and a remote location at the during the long winter months. See southern tip of the island of Hios p. 426. combine to make this one of the most • Lalaria Beach (Skiathos, Sporades): exquisite small beaches in the north- This gleaming, white-pebble beach eastern Aegean. The rocky con- boasts vivid aquamarine water and ceals many cove beaches similar to white limestone cliffs with natural this one, and they rarely become arches cut into them by the elements. crowded. See p. 659. Lalaria is neither nearly as popular

5 The Best Islands • (Saronic Gulf Islands): Old- Greek island—it is a world unto timers keep waiting for Hydra, with itself. See chapter 9. its handsome stone mansions over- • Santorini (Cyclades): This is undoubt- looking a picture-postcard harbor, to edly one of the most spectacular islands be spoiled. After all, even before in the world. The streets of Fira and Ia Mykonos and Santorini, Hydra was are carved into the face of a high cliff, one of the first Greek islands to be overlooking the circular caldera left by “discovered.” So far, so good: Don- an ancient volcanic eruption and now keys still outnumber motorcycles, filled with the deep-blue waters of the and the day-trippers who blitz Aegean. The site of Akrotiri offers a through the appealing harborside unique glimpse into life in a Minoan shops leave at twilight. That means city, frozen in time by the eruption you can almost always find the table 3,600 years ago. Be sure to find out if you want at one of Hydra’s pleasant this spectacular site, which was partly small restaurants. See p. 255. closed to the public at press time, has • Crete: Whether for its rugged moun- completely reopened when you visit. tains or its countless beaches, its Add to this the Fira nightlife scene, ancient remains or its ultramodern and you’ll see why this is one of the hotels, its layered history or its most popular (and overcrowded) intense people, Crete cannot be summer vacation spots in the Aegean. denied. It is not just a distinctive See p. 371. 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 13

THE BEST ISLANDS 13 • Siros (Cyclades): This tiny island has • Corfu (Ionian Islands): With lush it all: a vivacious, cosmopolitan capi- vegetation, some still-undeveloped tal town; thriving beach resorts; and a interior and unspoiled coast, ancient starkly beautiful region of farming sites and a 19th-century presence, a communities, archaeological remains, dash of and a dose of the cosmo- and remote beaches to the north. politan, Corfu is a Greek island like Siros is also one of the centers of rem- no other. Tourism may be rampant, betika, a form of Greek traditional but Corfu’s attractions have survived music with roots in Asia Minor. The worse. See chapter 15. Fragosiriani, a classic known through- • Hios (Northeastern Aegean): You’d out Greece, was composed by the think that an island with such gor- Siriot Markos Vamvakaris, and you’re geous beaches, exquisite medieval sure to hear its simple and infectious towns, and remarkable scenery rhythms many times during your stay wouldn’t remain a secret for long. here. See p. 453. Despite the qualities that attract a • Tinos (Cyclades): The island often small group of devotees year after called the “Lourdes of Greece,” year, Hios remains surprisingly quiet. because of the church, Panagia Evan- If you like the idea of getting away gelistria (Our Lady of Good Tidings) from the tour buses, being alone on a with its healing icon, also has Vene- beach to rival any in the Cyclades, tian dovecotes; farm fields set off with and exploring towns that preserve the handsome stone boundary walls; and contours of medieval life, Hios is for Pirgos, the village of marble. See you. Another benefit: The local hos- chapter 10. pitality hasn’t worn thin here, as it has • Rhodes (Dodecanese): The island of on many of the more heavily toured Rhodes has everything a visitor could islands. See chapter 17. want—dazzling ancient and medieval • Sifnos (Cyclades): Sifnos is a green ruins, great food, spectacular beaches, island of ravines, mountaintops, and and some of the hottest nightlife out- pristine beaches. Despite its small size side of Athens—the one drawback (a hardy walker can explore the entire being that everyone knows it. See island on foot), Sifnos has numerous chapter 11. attractive small towns which can be • Skyros (Sporades): Winding roads used as bases for your explorations. and remote beaches, one main town , in the central hills, offers and a few minor villages, some ancient elegant small-town civility, with the legends and 20th-century tales: Sky- added benefit of being the hub of an ros’s charms remain perhaps the most excellent public transportation sys- elusive of the four Northern Spo- tem. The kastro (), on its seaside rades. But though the island remains rock, is the medieval locus of the a bit difficult to access and not over- island, whereas Platis Yialos is a stocked with touristy amenities, Sky- bustling beach resort. Don’t visit in ros also offers both a living local August, when the island is mobbed culture and some natural wildness. with vacationing Athenians. See See chapter 13. chapter 10. 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 14

14 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF GREECE

6 The Best Places to Get Away from It All • National and Zappeion Gardens • Milia (Crete): Here is a true retreat (Athens): It’s all too easy to overlook from not only the hustle and bustle of this oasis of calm and cool in the heart mass tourism but of most modern of Athens. In 2006, more than a thou- distractions: a once-abandoned vil- sand new trees and hundreds of roses lage off in the mountains of western were planted in the National Garden Crete where you live in a renovated in its first major makeover since 1854. stone house and spend your days hik- You’ll discover shady benches, a small ing, enjoying the wildlife, eating sim- cafe, the excellent Aegli restaurant in ple meals, and just plain relaxing. See the adjacent Zappeion Gardens, and p. 344. lots of opportunities to enjoy watch- • Zagori & Vikos Gorge (Western ing Greek families out for a stroll. Greece): If the 40-some tiny villages Keep an eye out for the balloon sellers linked by roads lined with spectacular on weekends. See p. 210. terrain are not enough, you can ven- • Mount Likavitos, aka Mount Lyca- ture into at least a section of one of bettus (Athens): Walk up Likavitos at the most spectacular gorges in Europe. dawn and enjoy the sunrise over the Greeks and some Europeans have hills that surround Athens. Come long appreciated this undeveloped back for sunset, and you may corner of northwestern Greece known encounter others strolling here, but as the Zagoria. See p. 570. the sounds (and smells!) of Athens’s • The Road Not Taken (Greece): ferocious traffic will be pleasantly dis- Don’t fret if you take a wrong turn in tant. See p. 214. Greece, whether it is on a street in • Folegandros (Cyclades): Most visi- Athens or a road somewhere in the tors to Greece once sailed past the for- country. Go with it! This may be the midable Folegandros cliffs en route highlight of your trip—the Athenian from the mainland to Santorini and shop-owner who shows you pictures other islands; they’d catch a glimpse of of his aunt’s family in Chicago when the whitewashed kastro walls perched you stop to ask for directions; the 300m (984 ft.) above the sea. The yiayia (granny) next to you on that beauty of Hora, the fine beaches, and boat that you caught after the boat the great walking trails are no longer you wanted to catch had left; the secrets, but if you arrive during the off schoolchild who quizzes you about season, Folegandros still offers a rest- why you came to Greece when you ful retreat. Largely free of the com- bump into him at an ancient site; the mercialism that has engulfed so many little village you chance upon because Aegean isles, Folegandros is now you stumbled onto the road you did appearing on insider lists as the new not mean to take. place to visit. See p. 388.

7 The Best Museums • National Archaeological Museum statues, Mycenaean gold, marble (Athens): This stunning collection, reliefs of gods and goddesses, and the which reopened after a major renova- hauntingly beautiful frescoes from tion in 2004, has it all: superb Akrotiri, the Minoan site on the red- and black-figured vases, bronze island of Santorini. See p. 203. 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 15

THE BEST RESORTS & HOTELS 15 • Museum of Popular Greek Musical Greek, and Roman finds from Instruments (Athens): Life-size pho- throughout Crete. See p. 331. tos of musicians beside their actual • Archaeological Museum of Chania instruments and recordings of tradi- (Crete): Let’s hear it for a truly engag- tional Greek music make this one of ing provincial museum, not one full the country’s most charming muse- of masterworks but rather of repre- ums. On our last visit, an elderly sentative works from thousands of Greek gentleman listened to some years, a collection that lets us see how music, transcribed it, stepped into many people experienced their differ- the courtyard, and played it on his ent worlds. All this, in a former Ital- own violin! See p. 202. ian Renaissance church that feels like • Archaeological Museum of Iraklion a special place. See p. 345. (Crete): Few museums in the world • Archaeological Museum of Thessa- can boast of holding virtually all the loniki & Museum of Byzantine important remains of a major culture. Culture (Northern Greece): These This museum can do just that with side-by-side museums showcase the its Minoan collection, including art and of Thessaloniki superb frescoes from Knossos, elegant and Northern Greece from the earli- bronze and stone figurines, and est days to the Byzantine era and its exquisite gold jewelry. The museum legacy. See p. 609 and 610. also contains Neolithic, Archaic

8 The Best Resorts & Hotels • Andromeda Hotel (Athens; & 210/ friends who have enormously good 643-7302): The city’s first serious taste—and who just happen to be boutique hotel, located on a wonder- away and have left the staff behind to fully quiet side street, the classy tend to your needs. See p. 303. Andromeda offers charm, comfort, • Atlantis Hotel (Iraklion, Crete; and a reassuringly helpful staff. See & 2810/229-103): There are many p. 168. more luxurious hotels in Greece, but • Grande Bretagne (Athens; & 210/ few can beat the Atlantis’s urban 333-0000): Back for a return engage- attractions: a central location, mod- ment and better than ever, Athens’s ern facilities, and views over a busy premiere hotel still overlooks the best harbor. You can swim in the pool, view in town if you have the right work out in the fitness center, send room: Syntagma Square, the Houses e-mail via your laptop, and then of Parliament and, in case you won- within minutes enjoy a fine meal or dered, the Acropolis. See p. 165. visit a museum. See p. 335. • Malvasia (Monemvassia, Pelopon- • Doma (Chania, Crete; & 28210/ nese; & 27320/61-113): The Malva- 51-772): A former neoclassical man- sia brought the concept of the sion east of downtown, the Doma has boutique hotel to the Peloponnese. been converted into a comfortable Each room in the Malvasia is differ- and charming hotel, furnished with ent, with some of the best overlook- the proprietor’s family heirlooms. ing the sea; all are tastefully furnished Although it’s not for those seeking the with hand-loomed rugs and antiques. most luxurious amenities, its atmos- A visit here gives you the illusion of phere appeals to many. See p. 348. staying in the home of wealthy Greek 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 16

16 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF GREECE • Astra Apartments (Santorini, Cycla- decor and furnishings maintain the des; & 22860/23-641): This small sense that you are indeed in a special hotel with handsomely appointed place and the proprietors’ warm hos- apartments looks like a miniature pitality enhances this feeling. See whitewashed village—and has spec- p. 471. tacular views over Santorini’s famous • Hotel Nireus (Simi, Dodecanese; caldera. The sunsets here are not to & 22410/72-400): Perfect island, be believed, the staff is incredibly perfect location, unpretentious, and helpful, and the village of Imerovigli tasteful. The views from the sea-fac- itself offers an escape from the tourist ing rooms, framed by the fluid swirls madness that overwhelms the island of the wrought-iron balcony, define each summer. This is a spot to get the spell of this little gem of an married at—or celebrate any special island. You’ll never regret one more occasion. See p. 383. night on Simi, and here’s the place to • Anemomilos Apartments (Folegan- spend it. See p. 486. dros, Cyclades; & 22860/41-309) • White Rocks Hotel & Bungalows and Castro Hotel (Folegandros, (Kefalonia, Ionian Islands; & 26710/ Cyclades; & 22860/41-230): The 28-332): For those who appreciate small island of Folegandros has two understated elegance, a shady retreat of the nicest hotels in the Cyclades, from all that sunshine, a private both with terrific cliff-top locations. beach, and quiet but attentive service, The Anemomilos has all the creature this hotel, a couple of miles outside comforts, traditional decor, and a Argostoli, can be paradise. See p. 592. good location (it’s just out of town), • Mediterranean Palace Hotel (Thes- with a pool and sea views that seem saloniki; & 2310/552-554). This to stretch forever. The Castro, built hotel has it all: location (overlooking into the walls of the 12th-century the harbor, in the trendy Ladadika Venetian castle that encircles the vil- district) and luxury. The lobby is, as lage, has lots of character and the nec- you might expect, seriously glitzy— essary modern comforts. See p. 390. but the really pleasant surprise is the • S. Nikolis Hotel (Rhodes, Dodeca- comfort and elegance of the guest nese; & 22410/34-561) This small rooms. The service is usually excel- hotel in the Old Town of Rhodes lent. The two restaurants are good combines such modern amenities as enough to tempt you to dine here at Internet access and Jacuzzis with the least 1 night rather than explore the experience of living in a renovated hot spots of Ladadika. See p. 624. centuries-old Venetian mansion. The

9 The Best Restaurants • Varoulko (Athens; & 210/522- seafood in Athens, but some of the 8400): In its new Athens location, best food in all of Greece. See p. 181. with a menu that adds tasty meat • Vlassis (Athens; & 210/646-3060): dishes to its signature seafood, This small restaurant with a loyal fol- Varoulko continues to win plaudits. lowing (ranging from prominent Everything here is so good that many ambassadors to struggling artists) Athenians believe chef/owner Lefteris serves traditional (paradisiako) Greek Lazarou serves not only the finest cooking at its very best. A tempting 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 17

THE BEST NIGHTLIFE 17 choice if you have only 1 night in wine to match its decor. Admittedly, Athens—but be sure to make a reser- a restaurant for special treats or occa- vation. See p. 190. sions, but it’s worth inventing one for • Fish Taverna Takis To Limeni (Lime- yourself at least once. See p. 337. ni, Mani, Peloponnese; & 27330/ • Mavrikos (Lindos, Rhodes); & 22440/ 51-327): Visitors to Greece dream of 31-232): Don’t be fooled by its loca- finding the perfect open-air fish tav- tion at the crossroads of tourists and erna perched by the sea serving fish its moderate prices—this 70-year-old that were swimming in the sea earlier family restaurant serves some of the the same day. Here it is—with some most elegant and innovative dishes in of the fish still swimming in the all of Greece. See p. 480. underwater storage cages they’re • Petrino (Kos, Dodecanese; & 22420/ plopped into from the fishing boats. 27-251): When royalty come to Kos, Everything here is fresh and delicious. this is where they dine. Housed in an See p. 308. exquisitely restored, two-story, cen- • (Santorini, Cyclades; & 22860/ tury-old stone (petrino) private resi- 22-249): The best restaurant on an dence, this is hands-down the most island with lots of good places to eat, elegant taverna in Kos, with cuisine Selene is one of the finest restaurants to match. This is what Greek home in all Greece. The reason: Owner cooking would be if your mother George Haziyannakis constantly were part divine. See p. 495. experiments with local produce to • Venetian Well (Corfu, Ionian Islands; turn out innovative versions of tradi- & 26610/44-761): A bit severe in its tional dishes. Inside, the dining room setting at the edge of a small enclosed is elegant, while the terrace has a square in Corfu town, with no wonderful view over the caldera. See attempt at the picturesque, this p. 386. restaurant gets by on its more eso- • Brillant Gourmet (Iraklion, Crete; teric, international, and delicate & 2810/334-959): Only opened in menu. It’s for those seeking a break 2007, this restaurant immediately from the standard Greek scene. See positioned itself as the most stylish p. 584. restaurant on Crete, with food and

10 The Best Nightlife • Theater under the Stars (Athens and scene in the Aegean. Year-round, the Epidaurus, Peloponnese): If you can, town’s narrow, labyrinthine streets take in a performance of whatever is play host to a remarkably diverse on at Odeion of Herodes Atticus thea- crowd—Mykonos’s unlimited ability ter in Athens or the theater at Epi- to reinvent itself has assured it of con- daurus. You’ll be sitting where people tinued popularity. Spring and fall have sat for thousands of years to tend to be more sober and sophisti- enjoy a play beneath Greece’s night cated, whereas the 3 months of sum- sky. See chapters 6 and 8. mer are reserved for unrestrained • Mykonos (Cyclades): Mykonos isn’t revelry. See chapter 10. the only island town in Greece with • Rhodes (Dodecanese): From cafes to nightlife that continues through the casinos, Rhodes has not only the repu- morning, but it was the first and still tation but also the stuff to back it up. offers the most abundant, varied A good nightlife scene is ultimately a 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 18

18 CHAPTER 1 . THE BEST OF GREECE matter of who shows up—and this, largest concentration in Greece. Most too, is where Rhodes stands out. It’s of these are beach resorts frequented the place to be seen, and if nobody by young foreigners. More sedate seems to be looking, you can always locales can be found in Corfu town. watch. See chapter 11. Put simply, Corfu hosts a variety of • Skiathos (Sporades): With as many as music, dancing, and “socializing” 50,000 foreigners packing this tiny opportunities. See chapter 15. island during the high season, the • Thessaloniki (Macedonia, Northern many nightspots in Skiathos town are Greece). You knew something was up often jammed with the mostly in 2007 when younger set. If you don’t like the music dubbed Greece’s “Second City” the at one club, cross the street. See chap- “Seattle of the Balkans” and praised ter 13. its vibrant cafe life that goes round- • Corfu (Ionian Islands): If raucous the-clock, but is especially lively after nightspots are what you look for on a dark. See chapter 16. holiday, Corfu offers probably the

11 The Best Shopping • Traditional Arts & Crafts: So many • Jewelry: It now seems that half of places in Greece pride themselves on Greece’s retail stores sell jewelry, so their needlework that it is hard to sin- shop around. Much of it is really no gle out even a few, but among those different than what can be found in few would be Crete, Rhodes, and cities all over the world, but Athens Skyros. Two places in Athens deserve does have major, internationally mention: The Center of Hellenic known jewelers such as LALAoUNIS Tradition (59 Mitropoleos and 36 and Zolotas. Try Chania, Crete, for Pandrossou) and the National Wel- sophisticated local artisans’ work. fare Organization (6 Ipatias and Islands such as Hydra, Mykonos, Apollonos). The Center offers ceram- Santorini, Skiathos, and Rhodes have ics, woodcarvings, prints—and one scores of stores appealing to the of the finest views of the Acropolis in tourist trade. Athens. The National Welfare Orga- • Ceramics: As with needlework, pots nization contains hand-loomed rugs and ceramics of all kinds are to be and silk embroidery done by village found throughout Greece. Some of women, as well as excellent copper- the more traditional may be found on work and ceramics. , Crete, Mitilini, Sifnos, and • Leatherwork: Both Rhodes and Skopelos. Crete feature local leatherwork, from • Rugs/Weavings: Crete probably offers sandals to handbags, from belts to the largest variety of rugs and weav- jackets. Pay attention to quality. ings. Metsovo has some distinctive tex- • Furs: Kastoria, in northwestern tiles. If you like rag rugs, keep an eye Greece, is the center of the fur trade, out for kourouloudes on sale at small and fur products are everywhere. shops as you travel the Peloponnese. Athens, of course, sells expensive fur • Wood: Corfu seems to be the center coats. Rhodes also features fur coats. of olive-wood products—carving Wherever furs are sold, be sure you boards, bowls, and utensils. Rethym- know what you are buying. non, Crete, also has a selection. In the 05_165386 ch01.qxp 1/3/08 10:57 AM Page 19

THE BEST SHOPPING 19 Peloponnese, woodcarvings and uten- • Books: Whether you’re looking for sils are often found in the villages of books about Greece or books for . Chios and Mitilini also vacation reading, in Athens the places boast wood-carving traditions. to go are Eleftheroudakis, Com- • Icons and Ecclesiastical Books & pendium, Reymondos, and Folia Items: On the streets around the tou Bibliou. In Thessaloniki, head Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Metro- for the excellent Molho. politan) in Athens, you’ll find many • Natural Products: In the last few shops selling votive offerings, candles, years, Greece has begun to produce and reproductions of icons. In Thes- superb organic and natural products, saloniki, Apostolic Diakonta Book- including olive oil, honey, jams, and store (& 2310/275-126) has a wide cosmetics. Keep an eye out for food selection of religious items. Many of products with the Peloponnese, Gaea, the most important religious shrines, Milelia, Nefeli, Yiam, and Stater such as Panagia Evangelistria on Tinos, labels in groceries and delis. Good and many convents and monasteries, places to look in Athens include most including most of the Meteora mona- specialty food shops in Kolonaki, and steries, sell reproductions of icons and the Mesogaia delicatessen in the other religious items. On Crete, the Plaka section of Athens. Green Farm Petrakis couple in Elounda paint in Kolonaki sells only organic pro- internationally sought traditional duce. Korres Natural Products (www. icons. korres.com), including a wide range • Museum Reproductions: Officially of herbal shampoos and lotions, and approved, fine replicas of many famous Apivita’s Aromatherapy Essential museum pieces may be purchased at Oils (www.apivita.gr), are now car- the Archaeological, Byzantine, Benaki, ried in many pharmacies and cosmet- Goulandris, and LALAoUNIS muse- ics stores (such as the widespread ums in Athens; at the Archaeological Hondos Centers) throughout Greece. and Byzantine museums in Thessa- And, more than 10 Mastihashops in loniki; and at official archaeological Greece sell natural mastic products service stores in Rhodes Old Town and from liqueur and gum to toothpaste in Chania and Rethymnon, Crete. and soaps.