People are going places!

The world’s most famous travel spots are seeing record-breaking tourism—and finding it hard to keep up. Paris, London, Rome, Prague, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Cancun, South Africa, Australia, and Mexico are seeing more and more travelers. And they want instagram-ready experiences!

Speaking of instagram, we recently sojourned in one of the most instagrammable spots on the globe: Greece. White churches with blue tiled roofs, sparkling aquamarine waters, tanned locals descended from legendary seafarers, ancient ruins, phenomenally fresh food, and pretty venues make Greece an intoxicating destination.

Athens sparkles as the busy, noisy hub of Greece. Greece is home to more than 10 million people sprinkled throughout its mountainous peninsula and thousands of islands like Crete, Rhodes, and Santorini. I was astounded at the beauty of this country, which is also known as the Cradle of Western Civilization.

The citadel called the Acropolis sits like a marble crown atop Athens. Here lies the majestic ruins of ancient buildings from the fifth century B.C. The Parthenon and the Temple of Erechtheion are the main attractions, plus a stellar, hyper-modern museum. Though the climb up the ancient stones to the ruins (despite the paved tourist byways) is a bit arduous, it is an adventure not be missed. (Tip: Hire an Acropolis guide for the best info AND shortcuts through the lines and tour groups.)

Depiction of original statuary (colored) housed in the adjacent acropolis museum

But what about food? No trip to Athens would be complete without a food and wine and coffee tour with a colorful local expert. Meandering through the bustling Athens streets and the famous Plaka, we ate (and sipped) our way through the best of Greek cuisine and drink!

And don’t miss the nightlife in Athens. There’s always music and laughter and of course dancing! Most every venue has folks gyrating to irresistible Greek music played all across the city. You will soon be humming along and shouting “Yamas” with every toast.

Naturally, there is shopping galore, museums, churches, temples, musical venues, and gardens to explore, plus short day tours to places like Delphi and Meteora. From Athens you can fly, ferry, or cruise to nearby Greek islands. The hard part is deciding which of the 6000 charming island destinations you want to explore! In the next posts we will detail two of the finest: Santorini and Naxos.