What's New

If you've found Greek hotels a bit on the boring side on past visits, you'll probably be delighted with the increase in boutique hotels throughout Greece. Before the 2004 Athens Olympics, top-notch hotels were largely confined to Athens and the more fashionable islands such as Hydra, Santorini, and Mykonos. Often, each destination had only one or two really outstanding hotels -- and everyone knew what they were. Now, many places in Greece have what almost amounts to an embarrassment of riches as more and more hotels with serious creature comforts open. If you want a hotel with spa facilities, you're in luck. More and more Greek hotels are joining the international trend of providing spa facilities and services that include a wide range of massage therapies, facials, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, and thalassotherapy. Many of the hotels that have these facilities are near popular tourist destinations: the Santa Marina Arachova Resort and Spa is a few miles from Delphi, the Olympia Riviera Resort is near ancient Olympia, and the Divani Meteora, near the austere monasteries of the Meteora, now has spa facilities.

Throughout the guide, we single out the best of the new hotels, as well as noting the old standbys that have gone all out to remodel and refresh themselves. Something to keep in mind: These hotels are very popular with weekending Greeks and there is often a 50% weekend price supplement.

When you're planning your trip, remember that Athens and Thessaloniki are not just fair-weather destinations, but very appealing year-round city-break destinations. In fact, much of Greece's cultural life takes place off season -- which is just to say that "the season" can be year-round in Greece.

At press time, the Ministry of Culture information site (www.culture.gr) for archaeological sites, monuments, and museums, was being redone. It is to be hoped that it will be up and running again by the time that you read this. It is also to be hoped that the alphabetical system currently employed will be fine-tuned so that Epidaurus will appear under "E" and not under "S" for Sanctuary of Asclepius! Until then, if you cannot find what you are looking for under the first initial of the site, monument, or museum, have a look in broad categories such as "Ancient" and "Acropolis" and "Sanctuary."

Planning your Trip

There is no denying that the Olympics of 2004 left Greece with many improvements that benefit tourists. By the same token, the pricing structure of hotels was thrown into turmoil and the normal increases that accompany inflation have yet to take hold as the hotels try to regain their equilibrium. So, more than ever, you must be flexible about prices provided in this guidebook.

Getting There -- Those who follow the travel industry in the news may be aware that Olympic Airlines (www.olympic-airways.gr) continues to operate in bankruptcy and remains up for sale. As we go to press, a new owner has not been announced, but it seems definite that whoever does take over Olympic must maintain the same services.

Moreover, starting in the summer of 2007, two more American airlines joined Olympic and Delta in providing direct flights from the U.S. to Athens. US Air's (www.usairways.com) depart from JFK International in New York, while Continental's (www.continental.com) depart from Newark, New Jersey. All flights leave daily, at least in the high season.

Also as of 2007, a new airline is promising to provide service to a number of destinations within Greece and eventually Brindisi, Italy: Airsea Lines -- different from the other two in that it operates only hydroplanes. Its plans call for three principal bases: one at Gouvia, Corfu; one at Lavrion on the coast of Attika to the southeast of Athens; and one at Faliron, the coast just south of Athens. When this edition went to press, only the one service was in operation: Corfu's connections with Ithaka, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Paxoi, and Patras. The planned connections from Attika are to be with Aegean islands: Ioa, Kalymnos, Kos, Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, and Tinos. As this is a new service and much is still being worked out, you are advised to consult their website, www.airsealines.com.

It has been called to our attention that at least at some Greek entry points the authorities might stop visitors from bringing in any medications that contain codeine -- even the kind of pill that is sold over-the-counter in some countries -- unless you are carrying a doctor's prescription. The worst that can happen is that it might be confiscated. In any case it is something to keep in mind.

Settling into Athens

Where to Stay -- A newcomer in this newly trendy and diverse central neighborhood (right off Omonia Sq. on Patission Ave. right by the National Archaeological Museum) is Residence Georgio,, an excellent new five-star hotel with a great spa/pool on its roof deck and spacious and very smartly decorated rooms. Nearby is the newly redesigned Baby Grand, which has two claims to fame. The first being its "theme rooms" (10 international artists from the fields of urban art, graffiti design, and illustration were handpicked to decorate the 57 "graffiti" rooms with themes ranging from Japanese and Byzantine art to comic book art -- check out the Spider-Man, Batman, and Smurfs rooms). Its second claim to fame is its insanely popular Meat Me restaurant with its excellent and reasonably priced meat dishes and its glass floor that looks down to the pool. In nearby Psirri, small boutique hotel Ochre & Brown, with only 10 rooms and one suite has become the talk of town. That it's home to one of the most popular lounges in the city doesn't hurt its urban-cool reputation, either. Neighboring Plaka finally has a boutique hotel worthy of its charms: the wonderful Magna Grecia, housed in an elegant neoclassical mansion built in 1898. In posh Kolonaki, new design hotel Periscope, has been stealing the show this year with its smart minimal design and the periscope on its roof deck controlled by loungers in the lobby bar and broadcast over large flatscreen TVs.

Where to Dine -- Besides the explosion of restaurants in newly hip neighborhoods such as Gazi and Psirri, Archaion Gefsis (Ancient Flavors), has set itself apart from anything in the city with its menu based on ancient Greek recipes. This brilliant concept (to wine and dine like the ancients did, based on recipes recorded by the poet Archestratos) is a hit with locals, tourists, and foodies alike.

What to See & Do -- Exploring Athens is easier than ever thanks to the new Metro system -- and pleasanter than ever thanks to newly created pedestrian walks linking the major archaeological sites. You can get a map of the system at the main Metro station in Syntagma Square. The Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT) at 26 Amalias sometimes has maps of the "Archaeological Park," which stretches from Hadrian's Gate past the Acropolis and Ancient Agora to Kerameikos. As you explore Athens on foot and by Metro, be sure to take in the two new museums at the Acropolis and Syntagma Metro stations, which display antiquities excavated from the Metro sites.

And save time to take in Athens's astonishing variety of small museums: If you have time for only one, go to Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, Agio Asomaton and Dipylou, Psirri (tel. 210/367-1000; www.benaki.gr.), Greece's first museum of Islamic art. Just a block away, The Museum of Traditional Pottery, 4-6 Melidoni, Kerameikos (tel. 210/331-8491), has a permanent collection as well as special exhibits of traditional and contemporary Greek pottery.

In nearby Plaka, Frissiras Museum, 3-7 Moni Asteriou (tel. 210/323-4678), is Athens's first museum to concentrate on 20th-century European art. The new Pierides Museum of Ancient Cypriot Art, 34-35 Kastorias, Votanikos (tel. 210/348-0000; www.athinais.com.gr), records the art and politics of Cyprus.

By the time you read this guide, Piraeus and the Venizelos International Airport will be linked by the Metro (www.ametro.gr). Trains will run each way once an hour from 5am to 1am, take 50 minutes, and cost 6€ ($7.80).

The well-preserved statue of a kouros, found in the Kerameikos in 2000, is now on display in the Kerameikos Museum, along with photographs showing its discovery.

Syntagma and certain other areas of central Athens now have free Wi-Fi for Internet users.

Athens's National Gardens, which had been spruced up and re-planted with thousands of new trees and shrubs before the 2004 Olympics, had a thousand more trees planted.

The Athens Sightseeing Public Bus, line 400, is a great way to explore the city's landmarks. Running from June to September, this hop-on/hop-off bus, begins and ends its 90-minute ride in front of the National Archaeological Museum. Tickets are 5€ ($6.50) and valid for 24 hours.

The New Acropolis Museum is set to open gradually, starting in early 2008. The Parthenon Gallery will also feature strikingly empty spots -- an eloquent plea to the British Museum for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.

The National Archaeological Museum of Athens, regarded by many as one of the 10 finest museums in the world now has two more additions on display: two ancient treasures that have been returned to Greece by the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles -- a 4th-century-B.C. gold wreath and a 6th-century-B.C. marble statue of a young woman's torso.

The new National Museum of Contemporary Art is scheduled to open in winter 2008. It will be housed in yet another brilliantly transformed industrial-to-arts space at the Syngrou-Fix area (at the outskirts of Koukaki) and promises to be exceptional.

French designer Pierre Bideau has radically and brilliantly altered the lighting of the Acropolis and many other key monuments across the city. The Acropolis is now also wheelchair accessible -- an elevator for travelers with disabilities (also used by the very lazy) has been installed on the north side of the hill. Ask at the ticket desk entrance to be directed to the elevator.

An increasingly popular motive for visiting Greece is to visit the many places associated with the journeys of St. Paul as he moved about organizing the early Christian communities. We have provided an itinerary for those desirous of doing this on their own -- what might be called an independent/nondenominational tour. Those who want to go with an organized tour can find many listed on the Internet (simply do an online search for "footsteps of St. Paul tour") but note that many of these are operated out of Turkey and spend a fair amount of time there (fair enough, as Paul came from Turkey). Note, too, that many of these are explicitly organized for Christians -- again, understandably.

The Peloponnese

In 2007, the Rio-AntiRio bridge, which opened in 2004, was formally named the Harilaos Trikoupis Bridge after a prominent 19th-century Greek statesman. Most Greeks continue to call the bridge just that: "e gefyra." You can learn more about the bridge at www.gefyra.gr.

Where to Stay -- Two new boutique hotels are making it much more pleasant to stay in Mistra and in Andritsaina. The seven-unit Xenonas Pyrgos Mystra, 3 Manousaki (tel. 27310/20-970), in Mistra, may be the only place in Greece where you can stay in a handsomely restored traditional mid-19th-century tower house with a view of mountains and medieval ruins -- and enjoy flatscreen television, DVD, and Internet in your room. The nine-unit Avgerinou Syrrakou Inn in Andritsaina occupies two restored 19th-century stone town houses and has splendid views over the village.

What to See & Do -- A branch of Athens's National Museum, the Alexander Soutzos Museum, has opened in Nafplion, with a permanent exhibit of paintings and artifacts of the Greek War of Independence and frequently changing special exhibits. The Peloponnesian Folklore Foundation in Nafplion has a new permanent exhibition that looks not at rural but at urban Greece in the 19th and 20th centuries. Both these museums are good places to pick up the new brochure Artspotting Nafplion, an excellent introduction to the city's galleries and art shops. In Sparta, the Museum of the Olive and Greek Olive Oil, in a restored olive warehouse, focuses on the history and cultivation of the olive through the ages in Greece. This is one of several museums responding to recent interest in Greek agriculture and industrial history. Others include the Museum of Hydroelectric Power in Dimitsana, and Arcadia and the Silk Museum, in Serres, Greece.

If you'd like to learn how to cook some of the food you've eaten in Greece, of if you'd like to paint what you see or to write about your experiences, check out the cooking, painting, and writing courses offered by the Hotel Pelops in Olympia (www.hotelpelops.gr). In your spare time, you can visit the countryside, see ancient Olympia, and eat the delicious food prepared at the Pelops.

Crete

In recognition of the growing interest of travelers in more natural destinations, we have added two new major excursions on Crete -- one to the Lasithi Plain and another to the Amari Valley. In addition to these, we are recommending two places that offer what are becoming known as "eco-holidays" -- Milia and Footscapes.

Where to Stay -- Several new hotels have been added, all relatively upscale in recognition of the many who now travel to Greece and are looking for such accommodations. One of these is the Megaron in Iraklion, a grand hotel in a totally renovated early-20th-century building high above the harbor. Two others are of a different type -- renovated centuries-old Venetian mansions in the old quarter of Rethymnon -- the Palazzino di Corina and the AVLI Lounge Apartments.

What to See & Do -- Of interest to many should be the full-scale replica of a Minoan ship that was constructed in one of the old Venetian "arsenali" on the harbor of Chania. A crew of young oarsmen rowed it to the mainland in time for 2004 Olympics, after which it returned to Chania; it is launched into the harbor on only a few special occasions but everyone can appreciate it and its accompanying display in the arsenal.

The Cyclades

Where to Stay -- The Mykonos Grace won Odyssey magazine's "Best New Entry" award for 2007 and was singled out by the London Sunday Times as one of the hippest new hotels of 2007 after its complete face-lift that year. Guests can swim in the sea off Ayios Stephanos beach, or in one of several hotel pools, or soak in the spa Jacuzzis or their suite's hot tub. Decor, food, and privacy all get high marks -- as do the prices, which are less extravagant than at some of Mykonos's other boutique hotels.

What to See & Do -- Over the last few years, the Apollon Theater, a replica of Milan's La Scala, in Ermoupolis, the capital of Syros, has been completely restored. The summer music festival, which started modestly with a few performances in 2004, is now a going concern and a real plus for opera lovers visiting the Cyclades (www.festivaloftheaegean.com).

Central Greece

Where To Stay -- In 2007, Odyssey magazine promoted the 165-unit Divani motel to its prestigious list of the best hotels of the year, because of the Divani's new indoor pool -- the Divani already had an outdoor pool -- and spa facilities (www.divanis.gr).

Where To Dine -- Litochoro, where most who climb Olympos spend a night, now has an excellent restaurant: you can check out the offerings at the Gastrodromio En Olympo at their website, www.gastrodromio.gr.

What to See & Do -- On summer evenings, a new miniature tram service takes passengers on free 30-minute jaunts around the village of Delphi.

Western Greece

Ioannina -- An old favorite of ours, the Xenia Hotel has been demolished and is to be replaced by a grand luxury hotel. Meanwhile, a new find for accommodations in Ioannina is the Hotel Kastro -- distinguished both by its location (within the old city walls) and its quiet ambience.

The Ionian Islands

Corfu -- Although it has been mentioned as a possibility for some years now, a day excursion to Albania from Corfu has become increasingly attractive. As Albania's economy has begun to improve, so too have its tourist facilities, and its citizens are extremely pro-American and pro-European. Of particular interest for some can be a visit Butrint, an ancient Greco-Roman city now recognized as a major archaeological site.

A new find for accommodations on Corfu is the Fundana Villas in the countryside at the center of the island. Lovely bungalows and swimming pools in a completely natural setting make it unique on Corfu.

Kefalonia -- One of the oldest motifs -- and motives -- of travel in the Mediterranean has been trying to trace the places associated with Odysseus as described in Homer's epic, in particular, to identify his homeland, Ithaka. We, as do most texts as well as the official Greek version, have gone along with the claim that it is the modern island of Ithaka. It has never been a matter of taking it all that literally -- just that this seemed as reasonable a site as anyplace, and after all, what really mattered was paying one's respects to Homer. But in 2005, a team of Englishmen came forward with a strong case for claiming that Odysseus's Ithaka was in fact the Paliki peninsula of present-day Kefalonia. As for the first most obvious objection -- that Ithaka was an island and this is a peninsula -- they have pretty much established that it has only become joined to the rest of Kefalonia in the centuries since Homer's time. Having made this claim, they have continued their search for actual remains of Odysseus's residence -- or at least his culture. Meanwhile, those who remain intrigued by this topic might want to take at least a side trip on Kefalonia to visit the peninsula. But for most people, the present-day island of Ithaka will probably continue to satisfy their imaginations.

Northern Greece

What to See & Do -- More and more waterfront warehouses are being restored in Thessaloniki. The Photography and Contemporary Art museums occupy two such restored warehouses and have changing exhibits.