Thanks to its history, architecture, beaches and food, Greece has long been a mainstay of travelers' bucket lists. The Acropolis alone draws roughly 3 million visitors each year.
The Mediterranean nation has fallen on tough times of late, but that doesn't mean it's not still a prime destination for budget and lavish travelers alike. In fact, Greece is so confident in its abilities to draw travelers that it launched a crowd-funded tourism campaign, Up Greek Tourism, in an effort to entice American travelers.
Still, this nation of nearly 11 million people isn't just defined by the Acropolis's iconic Parthenon. The country of Homer (the poet is reportedly buried on Ios) and mythic heroes lays claim to innumerable stunning islands that boast beaches for all types. The Greek isles serve as the perfect backdrop for sampling local wines, hiking volcanic craters, dancing on the beach or throwing back ouzo in a local taverna.
Corfu, the second largest Ionian island, is famous in literature. The more unchartered Skopelos served as the backdrop for the movie "Mammi Mia" and, back on shore, Meteora is the famed home to numerous mountain monasteries. The famous Minoan palace of Knossos is the main draw on Crete, and Mykonos is where the young and hip head to party.
As Greece's history is truly the shared history of much of the Western world, Patmos is known as where St. John wrote the Apocalypse. Millenia later it is a "sophisticated island away from it all, and has a certain aura that people can't quite define but love," TrueGreece founder Christos Stergiou told The Huffington Post.
Have you been to Greece? What's your favorite spot? Leave it in comments or share your photos in the slideshow below!
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