5 lesser known destinations in mainland Greece

Published 3 weeks ago• 5 minute read

One of the joys of moving to Athens has been exploring the boundless beauty of mainland Greece. While its beautiful islands – from Corfu to Kastellorizo – steal most of the tourist attention, its magnificent mainland flies somewhat under the radar.

Mountainous stone villages, family-run vineyards, ancient coastline and Greece’s second city – laid-back and foodie Thessaloniki – await the traveller who dares to discover. What is more, each one has something to offer in all seasons, whether it is hiking in the Peloponnese in spring, swimming on the Riviera in summer or skiing on Mount Parnassus in winter. Here are just five places to bookmark for your next visit.

For more travel inspiration, check out our guide to the best restaurants in Athens and our favourite Greek island getaways for food lovers.

After a city break in Athens, its Riviera is ideal for soaking up some sun and sea without hopping on a ferry to an island. Stretching from Piraeus to Cape Sounio, the Athens Riviera is dotted with low-key swimming spots and laid-back tavernas, as well as some ritzier options — such as the iconic Four Seasons Astir Palace and its much loved Taverna 37. Dive off the rocks into turquoise waters at locals’ spot Limanaki or swim in the shallows at Vouliagmeni beach. Head to Sounio to the simple fish taverna Akrogiali for calamari, octopus and grilled sardines right by the water. You will be sitting in the shadow of the ancient Temple of Poseidon, which you can easily visit afterwards. In the evenings, head to the Ace Hotel for cocktails and dinner at its restaurant, Sebastian.

doubles at Ace Hotel from £233 per night, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com.

Only two and a half hours from Athens, Arcadia in the central Peloponnese is a paradise landscape for those looking to switch off – or get active. The mythical stomping ground of the mischievous god Pan, it is criss-crossed with refreshing streams, dotted with honey stone hilltop villages and covered in elato (fir trees). The place to stay is Manna, an exceptional and design-forward hotel which opened in an abandoned old sanatorium in 2023. It is the kind of place you will not want to leave, in any season, but there are plenty of good reasons to do so: hiking to the nearby village of Magouliana for a lunch of lamb cutlets cooked over fire at Taverna O Iosif; truffle and mushroom hunting in spring and autumn along the Menalon Trail; and buying moreish vanilla fir tree honey from Vytina’s many bakalekos (grocery stores).

doubles at Manna from £202 per night, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com.

Greece’s second city, Thessaloniki is known for its relaxed living, youthful energy and gastronomic scene. An outpost of the Ottoman Empire until 1912, it is a meeting point of civilisations with its architecture, culture and cuisine bearing testament to this. Unlike Athens, it is set right on the water and its two-mile-long waterfront – Nea Paralia – hums with activity from walkers, cyclists and fishermen. There are far too many places to tick off in just one weekend, but Estet Cafe by Greek Palestinian chef Vasilis Chaman (also behind the wine bar Poster), Iliopetra, Ypsilon and Tiffany’s x 1905 should all be top of your list. As should a mooch around the city’s buzzing central market, Kapani, which is also home to the old-school café, Stou Mitsou. Stay at On Residence, in a grand 1930s building from Thessaloniki’s heyday, or The Modernist, a design-conscious beauty very close to the waterfront.

doubles at On Residence from £183 per night, check availability at booking.com, hilton.com or mrandmrssmith.com.

Doubles at The Modernist from £170, check availability at booking.com or mrandmrssmith.com.

Parnassus is the largest – and chicest – ski centre in Greece, where you can sometimes enjoy the slopes until the beginning of May. Whether you are skiing in winter or hiking in summer, the national park and its surrounding area make for a great excursion in central Greece and is only three hours from Athens. Stay in elegant Arachova at the Amalia Hotel, which teeters dramatically over the mountainside with beautiful valley views, before continuing to the grassy mountain plateau of Livadi, where you’ll find the family-run Agiannorema guesthouse. The latter is a pretty springboard for sporting activities and home to two brilliant tavernas, Steki and Kalyva, where you can refuel after a day on the mountain. Combine this with a visit to Delphi, which sits on the other side of Mount Parnassus. Here you can admire the 4th-century BC Temple of Apollo, once home to the legendary oracle and considered the navel of the earth by ancient Greeks.

doubles at Amalia Hotel from £116 per night, check availability at booking.com.

In northernmost Greece, the picturesque mountain village of Metsovo sits at 1,200 metres on the slopes of Epirus’s Mount Pindus. Caught between Ioannina in the west and Meteora, the staggering rock formation, to the east, it is a landscape covered in vineyards as well as fir, oak, chestnut and cypress trees. Oenophiles will be particularly happy here – it is the home of the Averoff winery, which is renowned for bringing the first cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc vines from France to Greece in 1959 — and where you can now stay the night in its hotel as well. As well as wine tastings, there is a cheese factory to visit (where the area’s smoky metsovone is matured), the Museum of Epirus Folk Art and the Averoff Gallery, which punches above its weight with mainly contemporary Greek painters, engravers and sculptors. In winter you can ski nearby, while in summer there are glorious hiking paths, accompanied by extremely pleasant temperatures.

doubles at Katogi Averoff Hotel & Winery from £85 per night, check availability at booking.com.