Athens. Santorini. Mykonos. Rhodes. Crete.

These places make Greece a Mediterranean paradise.

Greece is known as much for its beautiful islands and coastline as it is for being the birthplace of democracy. While many of Greece’s ancient cities no longer exist, like Sparta, there are plenty others that are still fully intact. Athens has served as Greece’s capital for just about 200 years, but it has been the nation’s most prominent place for almost 3,000 years.

While traveling around Greece’s mainland offers visitors countless incredible cultural and historical experiences, many travelers opt to visit the nation’s islands instead. Using Athens as an arrival point, visitors often head into the Greek Isles by either cruising, ferrying, or flying. The islands differ vastly from one another, with Santorini being a relaxing, built-up paradise, Mykonos being known for its wild parties, and Crete, Corfu, and Delphi having some really incredible historical sights to explore. Greece has 227 inhabited islands under its control, and every single one of them has something unique to explore.