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A Wildfire Near Athens Forced Evacuations This Week. Here’s What to Know About Staying Safe in Greece
Travelers in Athens on Monday, August 12, watched as a cloud of smoke and ash billowed above the Acropolis as a result of a massive wildfire that burned 24 miles northeast of the Greek capital.
Brought under control by Wednesday morning, Greece’s worst wildfire this year claimed the life of one woman, injured dozens including firefighters, razed around 124,710 acres of land, and destroyed or damaged about 100 homes and businesses.
How to Get off the Tourist Trail in Greece
A dreamy vacation in Greece is, without a doubt, more sought-after than ever. The Mediterranean destination has already surpassed prepandemic visitor numbers. In 2023, the country of 11 million received over 32.7 million international arrivals compared to 31.3 million in 2019. Credit ratings agency Fitch expects this figure to reach 34.5 million in 2024, prompting concerns about overtourism.
While most visitors tend to make a beeline for antiquity-rich Athens, the whitewashed cave houses of Santorini, and glitzy party isle Mykonos, there’s much more to explore in Greece.
This Greek Island Is One of the Most-visited in the World — With Instagram-worthy Views, Romantic Villages, and Relaxed Tavernas
Lovers and honeymooners gravitate to Santorini to meander amid cliffside cave houses that hover almost imperceptibly above a lustrous, inky Aegean Sea.
A catastrophic volcanic eruption some 3,600 years ago, which saw half the island swallowed by the sea, is responsible for the dizzying visuals. Famed for its sunsets, photogenic blue-domed whitewashed churches, and intensely mineral white wine, Greek tourism’s poster child has long epitomized romance.
This Underrated Greek Island Has an Adorable Town, Incredible Food, and a Famous Shipwreck Beach — How to Visit
Instantly recognizable by its astounding luminous turquoise seas enclosed within soaring craggy bluffs, Greece’s Insta-famous Shipwreck Beach is Zakynthos’ claim to global fame. An unwavering favorite among Travel + Leisure readers, the beach, known in Greece as Navagio, frequently tops best beach lists.
The best places in Europe to escape the crowds
Dodge Meteora’s heaving queues in favor of a road trip through rugged, out-of-the-way Agrafa, which means “unwritten.” Rent a four-wheel drive to explore this little-known corner of Central Greece. Internet signal is unreliable in these parts – as is Google Maps – so be sure to consult the advice of locals and follow road signs. Base yourself at Montanema, self-sustained stonebuilt lodgings embedded high up in northeastern Agrafa’s fir-forested Anthohori gorge. Hike to the Anthohori waterfalls or head out on a mushroom foraging expedition.
Want to See Monkeys and Sloths in Central America? Get on a Boat
“Shhhhh! Quick!” exclaims veteran Costa Rican naturalist Conrad Weston as he lowers his binoculars and slinks into the damp rainforest with the reflexes and vigor of someone half his age. Silent-mode camera in hand, the tall, lanky birder captures an image of the white-throated shrike tanager. He is breathless with excitement over spotting this curious yellow-chested bird, which sports black wings and a fan-like tail, in Costa Rica’s Corcovado National Park.
This Might Be the Most Photogenic Island in Greece — With a Moon-like Landscape, Gorgeous Sea Caves, and Some of the Bluest Water You've Ever Seen
With its winning trifecta of sandy beaches, boutique hotels, and unpretentious tavernas, the Greek island of Milos seduces couples, water lovers, and gastronomes alike. There's no denying the Cycladic isle, where the famed Venus de Milo marble statue was unearthed by a farmer in 1820, is breathlessly romantic. Otherworldly landscapes sculpted by wind and sea shot to fame via Instagram in recent years, transforming the once low-profile island into a sought-after hot spot.
The Best New International Resorts of 2023
Travel + Leisure’s 2024 It List. These new resorts are all about international flair. Escape to a new luxury lodge in Bhutan, an all-inclusive redefining ski vacations in Japan, a rarified resort on Greece’s Ionian Sea, and an Icelandic retreat that’s purposely in the middle of nowhere.
The 100 Best New Hotels of the Year
The best new hotels of the year, all visited and reviewed by Travel + Leisure's expert editors and contributors. Our annual guide to the most game-changing hotel openings (and reopenings) has taken Travel + Leisure editors and contributors to 39 countries on six continents. We started with a list of more than 200 soon-to-open hotels, and T+L editors and reporters visited nearly 130 of them over the last 12 months.
These Are the Best New Hotels of 2024
A great hotel can define an entire trip. So each year, AFAR’s team of experts selects the world’s best new and renovated arrivals, whether it’s an Edwardian landmark in central London, a high-design hideaway in Marrakech, or a canvas-walled luxury camp set against the Utah desert’s sweeping rock formations.
The 31 hotels we chose all opened in 2023 and were personally visited by our global network of seasoned editors, writers, and travel advisors. We vetted each of the properties for their noteworthy locations, standout design, exemplary service, and remarkable guest experiences.
One&Only Resorts Makes Its Greek Debut on the Athens Riviera
On this site, in the 1950s and ’60s, shipping magnates, celebrities, and everyday sunseekers gathered at the aptly named Asteria (“stars” in Greek), a mini Monte Carlo–styled, movie-set beach club. Those with the deepest pockets lounged at one of the 100 cabanas offering more privacy.
In the footprint of these cabanas, architectural firms Audo, A6Architects, and K-Studio teamed up with interior design studio Muza Lab to reimagine the legendary seaside location as a five-star resort from the One&Only brand.
Which Greek island is best for you?
Greece’s islands are spell-binding. In his travelogue, The Colossus of Maroussi, Henry Miller said this Mediterranean country made him feel “free and whole.” I only understood his words when I first visited my family’s homeland, over three decades ago. Not long after, I moved to Athens so that I could spend every possible minute exploring and island hopping. I’ve never looked back. Because why would I?
But with more than 227 Greek islands to choose from—and that’s only the inhabited ones—how do you know which spot is for you?
‘Quiet luxury’ was once all about fashion — but now it describes how the top 1% travel too
Heli-skiing on virgin snow in Antarctica for a cool $2.2 million. A polar bear safari in an “off-limits” area of Norway’s Svalbard for $300,000. How about tracking snow leopards in the Himalayas with renowned explorers for $100,000?
Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the “quiet luxury” trend which began in the world of fashion, with timeless lines trumping brand-blaring outfits.
Now, stealth wealth is spilling into the travel industry, as one-percenters are increasingly forgoing glitzy see-and-be-seen destinations, such as Capri, for more discreet getaways.
Corfu beaches with a wow factor
With their lush hillsides and calm seas, Greece’s Ionian Islands are one of my favorite destinations. I always find myself returning to Corfu to track down a new-to-me beach. Varying from broad swathes of wind-whipped sand dunes to far-flung, pebble-strewn coves, the hardest decision I have to make is where to lay my towel.
Where to get medieval in Rhodes
Exploring the old city of Rhodes feels like traveling back to medieval times when the streets were ruled by crusaders known as the Knights of Saint John. In an effort to revive the island’s glory days, many of its stone buildings have been completely reconstructed—and I recommend checking them out even if ancient ruins aren’t your thing. Here’s my guide to getting into a medieval mood.