Historical Places to Visit in Greece

Greece

Greece is a beautiful country with a rich history – possibly the richest history of all countries, being the birth of modern civilization as we know it: the home of philosophy, theatre and so much more. Its history tells tales of empire and art, of leaders and despots and of love; ts monuments represent portals back through history

 If you are passionate about history and visiting historical monuments, a European tour of Greece will enable you to see history at its finest; just make sure to incorporate the following destinations in your travel plans:

The Acropolis of Athens

The Acropolis of Athens is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when Greece is mentioned; a collection of monuments that exemplify the country and its illustrious past. The Acropolis is an ancient citadel perched on a hill above Athens – a hill which had been inhabited for millennia even before the construction of the Acropolis as it stands today. The Persian Empire razed the buildings that stood there in 480BC, and Pericles ordered the Acropolis’ reconstruction in the form of temples rather than settlements. Standing proud amongst these hallmarks of Greece’s classical period is the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to Athens’ patron goddess, goddess of wisdom Athena.

Ancient Delphi

Ancient Delphi has mythological roots as the ‘navel of the world’, the story being that Zeus sent two eagles east and west, with their meeting spot being the navel – the sacred land of Mother Earth. According to Greek legend, Apollo killed Mother Earth’s child in Delphi in order to install his oracle the Pythia. What lies there to be discovered today is the remains of a sprawling sanctuary, from gymnasia to temples for Apollo and Athena.

Meteora

Meteora is a must-visit location in Greece, owing to its unique rock formations, and the breath-taking 12th-14th century monasteries built into their peaks. Meteora is a home to a series of localised sedimentary rock pillars, a pre-historic sea floor unusually weathered into columnal peaks. The monasteries were built over 200 years by an Eastern Christian monastic state, representing feats of engineering and will – and thanks to stone steps carved in the 20th century, they are easily accessible on foot!

Ancient Olympia

Ancient Olympia is the original home of the world-famous Olympic Games, re-started in the late 19th century after over two millennia. Olympia was a town, comprising ‘sanctuaries’ built by Heracles and Pelops respectively, the Altis – a collection of temples to Hera and Zeus – and, of course, a stadium. The stadium in Ancient Olympia was the stadium from which Classical Greeks derived their unit of measurement, the stadion – used by Archimedes in his estimation of the Earth’s circumference.

Mcyenae

Mycenae is an archaeological marvel, an ancient city that predates Greece’s Classical period – and indeed the Acropolis – by over 1000 years. The city was a military stronghold in Hellenistic Greece, significant portions of which still stand today. Painstakingly unearthed by archaeologists over the last 200 years, Mycenae is a wonder;  visit the famous Lion’s Gate, and peer into the beehive tombs that stipple the city’s outskirts.