GREECE, THE LAND OF MEN AND GODS.
A single trip is not enough to visit the entire country. One has to choose: The Greek islands or the Greek mainland; the Greek beaches or the Greek monuments; Ancient Greece or Byzantine Greece; calm Greece or cosmopolitan Greece; And then one has to choose once more, amongst the islands… .
On the west coast of Greece and near Italy, there are seven main islands Corfu, Paxi, Ithaca, Kephalonia, Zakynthos, Leukada, and Kythera.
Under British Rule until 1864 and under Venetian rule before that, these were the only part of Greece that was never seized by the Turks (including Mt. Athos). The blue waters of the Ionian Sea give these islands an idyllic quality which was appreciated from the Europeans since the 18th C.
Easily accessible islands also known as the Argo-Saronic islands because of their proximity to Argolis. Hydra and Spetsae are close to Peloponnesian coast and no cars are allowed in these two islands.
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These islands are close to the Turkish coast. Their have fertile earth and extremely green landscapes. The population is prospering from cultivating the land and from the tourist industry. The transport is made by air and by sea from various mainland ports.
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These four islands lie close to the mainland and are very popular to tourists especially for their beaches, the Byzantine monasteries ,their little fishing villages and the calm way of life.
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Cyclades
Andros, Kythnos, Kea, Syros, Tinos, Mykonos, Santorin, Delos, Amorgos, Paros, Antiparos, Naxos, Sifnos, Ios, Folegandros, Kimolos, Milos, Serifos.
They were called Cyclades by the Ancient Greeks because all the islands form a circle around the wholly island of Delos. The island’s terrain is barren and this adds a certain beauty to them.
Some islands are volcanic in origin (Milos, Folegandros, and Santorini) and this characteristic offers astonishing landscapes.
The sun bathes these islands generously and they are fringed by beaches some of which are fantastic.
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Dodecanese
Rhodes, Patmos, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kos, Leros, Nissiros, Tilos, Kassos, Kastellorizo, Astipalea, Simi.
Close to the Turkish coast lies a complex of 12 islands called the Dodecanese (name given in 1908). These mountainous and picturesque islands played an important role during the middle ages when they were the front line of the western world facing the Turkish threat.
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Crete is the largest Greek island and lies south of Peloponese.
The northern part of the island is relatively flat. The south is dominated by three mountain ranges. The island has many remains of the Minoan civilisation. The summer in Crete lasts 9 -10 months.
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