Greece Mainland Complete Guide 2026: Athens Acropolis, Delphi, Meteora, Olympia and the Peloponnese
Browse more guides: Greece travel | Europe destinations Greece Mainland Complete Guide 2026: Athens Acropolis, Delphi, Meteora, Olympia and the Peloponnese The first time I climbed the western slope of the Acropolis, the marble underfoot was so polished from twenty-five centuries of foot traffic that I had to slow down twice to keep my balance. The Parthenon came into view in pieces, a flank of Doric columns first, then the pediment, then the full 30.9 metre length of the temple Pericles commissioned in 447 BCE. I had seen the photographs my whole life. They did not prepare me for the scale, or for the way Athens itself folds around the rock for 360 degrees, white concrete suburbs running to the foot of Mount Hymettus and the Saronic Gulf glittering southwest. Greece on the mainland is not the islands. It is the foundation of almost everything modern Europe inherited, and in 2026 it is more accessible to ordinary travellers than it has ever been. This guide is a 5,500 plus word wo...