Travel

A land where sacred monasteries are mountainside fixtures, three-hour sea-side siestas are standard issue, and dancing on tables until daybreak is a summer rite: Greece 's treasures are impossibly varied. Renaissance men long before their time, the ancient Greeks sprung to prominence with their philosophical, literary, artistic, and athletic mastery. Millennia later, school kids still dream of Hercules and the Medusa; when those kids grow up, they hanker after Greece 's island beaches, free-flowing booze, and the gorgeous natural landscape, which was once the playground of a pantheon of gods. The all-encompassing Greek lifestyle is a frustrating and delicious mix of high speed and sun-inspired lounging, as old men hold lively debates in town square, young kids zoom on mopeds around the clock, and unpredictable schedules force a go-with-the-flow take on life.

June through August is high tourist season in Greece. Bar-studded beaches set the scene for revelry and Dionysian indulgence, as the hundred-degree sun blazes over ancient cities and modem-day sun-worshipers alike. Hotels, domatia, clubs, and sights are, like the nightlife, in full swing. If the crowds or the frantic pace of summer travel grate on you, consider visiting during May, early June, or September, when gorgeous weather smiles on thinner crowds. Avid hikers can take advantage of the mellower weather to traverse the unsullied expanses of Northern and Central Greece. In ski areas, winter brings another high season: you can hit the slopes at Mountain Parnassos, Mountain Pelion, or Metsovo.

The low season, from October through May, generally has cheaper airfares, lodging, and food prices, but many sights and accommodations have shorter hours or close altogether. At this time of year Greece hibernates, resting from summertime farming, fishing, and tourism. Ferries, buses, and trains run considerably less frequently, and life is quieter.

Mountain chains, bougainvillea-speckled islands, silver-green olive groves, and the stark contrast of other land against the azure Aegean comprise the Greek landscape, the refuge of mythological beasts. This varied land of isolated villages, jasmine-scented islands, and majestic ruins satisfies even the pickiest visitor with its infinite diversions. Don't be afraid to plot out your own route: the famous Greek hospitality will make you feel welcome wherever you go.

As the birthplace of drama, democracy, and western philosophy, Greece's long history has left a wealth of sites in its impressive wake. The mother of all ruins, the Acropolis, still presides over modem Athens. The gigantic, perfectly proportioned colunms of the Parthenon, combined with the sun's beating rays and the brilliant gleam of white marble, conjures up the same awe inspired in a millennia of worshipers and pilgrims. A voyage through the Peloponnese will transport you back to the era of nymphs, satyrs, and gods in disguise. Take a lap around the well-preserved stadium on the way to the original Olympic fields at Ancient Olympia, peer into Agamemnon's tomb at Mycenae. or experience catharsis after watching the performance of an ancient tragedy in the magnificent theater at Epidavros. Byzantine times stand still at the extensive city-site of Mystras, the former locus of Constantinople's rule in the Peloponnese .

On the mainland, get to know thyself at the ancient Oracle of Delphi. Chase after the floating island of Delos. birthplace of Apollo and Artemis, for a peek at the Temple of Apollo and an island wide archaeological site. More archaeological sites include: Heinrich Schliemman's reconstruction of the Minoan palace at Knossos ; an untarnished Minoan site at Phaistos; Santorini's Akrotiri, a city frozen in time by a volcanic eruption; onetime cult capital Paleopolis on Samothraki; and the dual ruins of Pella and Vergina in Northern Greece. frequented by Philip II and his son Alexander the Great. From Rhodes. you can reach the renmants of three of the seven wonders of the ancient world by daytrip. The Colossus of Rhodes leaves no trace today, though you can contemplate what its giant leg span must have been.