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Travel Guide — Greece
Athens & the Dodecanese islands
11 places · 7-stop walk
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Greece panorama
My Greece trip split between Athens and the Dodecanese — the southeastern island chain near Turkey. My saved spots were Rhodes (Archangelos on the east coast), Leros, and Kalymnos, which is one of the world’s great rock-climbing islands.
Ferries are the transport between islands — Kos is the Dodecanese hub with airport and ferry connections to Kalymnos, Leros and Rhodes.
For the islands, flying to Kos and ferrying onward is faster than taking the long ferry from Piraeus.
Kalymnos is 45 minutes from Kos’ Mastichari port; Rhodes is a longer catamaran from Kos town. Ferryhopper lists every schedule.
The small islands have sparse buses — a rented scooter or small car is how everyone reaches the beaches and crags.
The ancient Athens loop — Acropolis early, down through the Acropolis Museum and into the Plaka lanes for the afternoon.
Everything I visited and would send a friend to. Starred entries are the ones I'd put at the top of the list.
Athens
The 5th-century BC citadel crowned by the Parthenon — the defining monument of classical Greece, visible from almost everywhere in the city.
First entry of the day avoids both the heat and the cruise crowds.
Athens
The glass-floored museum at the foot of the hill — the top-floor Parthenon Gallery faces the real temple with the surviving marbles aligned to it.
Athens
The old neighborhood under the Acropolis — neoclassical lanes, tavernas and the tiny Anafiotika quarter built like a Cycladic village.
Rhodes Old Town
The 14th-century Knights Hospitaller fortress-palace anchoring Rhodes’ UNESCO-listed medieval old town — a whole walled city intact.
Rhodes
The white village beneath an ancient acropolis — Doric temple remains and a medieval castle above St Paul’s Bay.
Rhodes
The traditional east-coast village — whitewashed houses, a hilltop castle ruin and tavernas that feel nothing like the resort coast.
My pinned spot on Rhodes — quieter and more local than Lindos.
Kalymnos
The former sponge-diving island turned world climbing destination — hundreds of bolted limestone routes over the sea, plus quiet Telendos island offshore.
Pinned on my map — even without climbing, the seaside villages (Masouri, Myrties) and ferries are the draw.
Dodecanese
The quiet harbor island — Pandeli castle above Agia Marina, artillery tunnels at Lakki and almost no tourism infrastructure.
Pinned on my map — the most low-key of the Dodecanese chain.
Dodecanese
The tiny sandy island between Kalymnos and Kos — essentially one beach taverna strip and boat-day-trip crowds that clear by evening.
Athens
The street-food staple — pork or chicken gyro wrapped in pita with tzatziki for a few euros, best from the standing counters in Monastiraki.
Athens
The flea-market square below the Acropolis and the bar district behind it — rooftop terraces face the lit-up Parthenon at night.