Greece Attractions

Knossos, also known as Labyrinth, or Knossos Palace, is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete believed to be the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace appears as a maze of workrooms, living areas, and store rooms close to a central square. Detailed images of Cretan life in the late Bronze Age are provided by images on the walls of this palace. It is a popular tourist destination due to its close proximity to the main city of Heraklion and has been substantially restored by archaeologists. The city of Knossos remained important through the Classical and Roman periods, but its population shifted to the new town of Handaq (modern Heraklion) during the 9th century AD.

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is home to some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greece worldwide. The museum's collections are grouped in sections: Prehistoric collection (Neolithic, Cycladic, Mycenaean) Sculptures collection Vase and Minor Objects Collection Santorini findings Metallurgy Collection Stathatos Collection Vlastos Collection Egyptian Art collection Near Eastern Antiquities Collection

The Epidaurus Theatre is the most famous of all the ancient theatres in Greece and comes alive every summer with theatrical performances. The theatre was designed by Polykleitos the Younger in the 4th century BC and seats up to 15,000 people.There is also a small excavation museum near Epidaurus, which was built between 1902 and 1909, and contains many remains from the sanctuary. The theatre is marveled for its exceptional acoustics, which permit almost perfect intelligibility of unamplified spoken word from the proscenium or skênê to all 15,000 spectators, regardless of their seating. Famously, tour guides have their groups scattered in the stands and show them how they can easily hear the sound of a match struck at center-stage. The rows of limestone seats filter out low-frequency sounds, such as the murmur of the crowd, and amplify/reflect high-frequency sou...

The Acropolis of Athens (or Citadel of Athens) is a flat-topped rock that rises 150 m (490 ft) above sea level in the city of Athens, with a surface area of about 3 hectares. It is the best known acropolis in the world and is the site of 3 different temples dedicated to the patron goddess of Athens. The most famous of the temples is the internationally-renowned Parthenon which was completed in 438 BC. Built entirely of marble, the Parthenon once housed a statue of Athena. Visitors can also see the Propylaea (built 437-432 BC), the Temple of Athena Nike (the Goddess of Victory), the Erechtheion Temple, and the Acropolis Museum, which houses many treasures from the Acropolis.

Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the SW spur of Mount Parnassus. In Greek mythology, Delphi was the site of the Delphic oracle, the most important oracle in the classical Greek world. Legend tells of two eagles that were released to the E and W by the god Zeus to which the eagles met at this location, symbolising it as the centre of the world. Nowadays, the ancient site lies in ruins, although the site is a very popular tourist attraction who come to see the remains. The Delphi Museum, built in 1903, exhibits various statues and artifacts from the archaeological site.

The Samaria Gorge is a National Park, located in the prefecture of Chania in SW Crete. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains and Mt. Volakias. The gorge is 16 km long, starting at an altitude of 1,250 m at the N entrance, and ending at the shores of the Libyan Sea in Agia Roumeli. The walk through Samaria National Park is 13 km long, but another 3 km is required to get to Agia Roumeli from the park exit, making the hike 16 km. The most famous part of the gorge is the stretch known as the Iron Gates, where the sides of the gorge close in to a width of only four meters and soar up to a height of 500 m.

Olympia, a sanctuary of ancient Greece in Elis, is known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in ancient times. The site contains a number of ancient buildings, including the Heraeum, the Stadium and the Hippodrome where ancient horse races were held. The Olympic Games and the Pythian Games held in Delphi, were of comparible importance. Both games were held every Olympiad (every four years), with the Olympic Games believed to go back to around 776 BC. In 394 AD, the emperor Theodosius I abolished them as they were then considered reminiscent of paganism. The first olympic games were staged in honor of Zeus. Nowadays, visitors come to Olympia to see the Temple of Zeus, which once contained a gold and ivory statue of Zeus (listed as one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world), and the nearby Archaelogical Museum, which contains many artefacts from Olympia, including bronze...

The Etz Hayyim Synagogue is the only surviving remnant of the once Jewish community on the Greek isle of Crete. After being restored, the synagogue has become tourist destination and has attracted visits from foreign dignitaries like Queen Sofía of Spain, the sister of the former King Constantine II of Greece, who made a sudden and unannounced visit to the site on March 6, 2006.

The Archaeological Museum of Chania is a museum located in the former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis at 25 Chalidon Street, Chania, Crete, Greece. It was established in 1962. The museum contains a substantial collection of Minoan and Roman artifacts excavated from around the city of Chania and the surrounding prefecture, including pieces from the ancient cities of Kydonia, Idramia, Aptera, Polyrinia, Kissamos, Elyros, Irtakina, Syia and Lissos, and also from Axos and Lappas in Rethymno Prefecture. The museum contains a wide range of coins, jewellery, vases, sculpture, clay tablets with inscriptions, stelae and mosaics. The collection includes a clay sealing from Kasteli, with a representation of a Minoan city and its patron deity dated to the second half of the 15th century BC. There is a clay pyxis with a representation of a kithara player excavated from a chamber tomb i...

The Archaeological Museum of Chania is a museum located in the former Venetian Monastery of Saint Francis at 25 Chalidon Street, Chania, Crete, Greece. It was established in 1962. The museum contains a substantial collection of Minoan and Roman artifacts excavated from around the city of Chania and the surrounding prefecture, including pieces from the ancient cities of Kydonia, Idramia, Aptera, Polyrinia, Kissamos, Elyros, Irtakina, Syia and Lissos, and also from Axos and Lappas in Rethymno Prefecture. The museum contains a wide range of coins, jewellery, vases, sculpture, clay tablets with inscriptions, stelae and mosaics. The collection includes a clay sealing from Kasteli, with a representation of a Minoan city and its patron deity dated to the second half of the 15th century BC. There is a clay pyxis with a representation of a kithara player excavated from a chamber tomb in ...

The Heraklion Archaeological Museum is a museum located in Heraklion on Crete. It is one the great museums of Greece and the best in the world for Minoan art, as it contains the most notable and complete collection of artifacts of the Minoan civilization of Crete.  Besides the Minoan collection, the museum covers other periods of Cretan history, with artifacts from the Neolithic to the Greco-Roman period. The museum is currently under renovation, but a temporary exhibition is open in the main building. According to tradition, Knossos was the seat of the legendary Cretan king Minos. The Palace is also connected with further legends, such as the myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur, as well as the story of Daidalos and Ikaros. Excavation has revealed that the site was continuously inhabited from the Neolithic period (7000-3000 B.C.) until Roman times.

Ialysos is one of the most important archaeological sites on the island. Located on the hill of Filerimos, this site would probably be the most important reason for visiting this area. The remains of the temple of Zeus and Athena Poliada and the remnants of the Byzantine fortifications can be seen.