 Greece conjures up exotic images of white-washed houses, shimmering blue sea, ancient palaces, and mythical creatures. Its many contributions in philosophy, science and art have spread all over the world as the genesis of Western culture. Days can be spent lazing along tranquil shores, exploring the countryside and museums, marvelling at ancient sites, and dining on delicious cuisine. Evenings are enjoyed under magical moonlight or partying until dawn. Whatever you are seeking, Greece is likely to supply.
Hotels in Greece range from the luxurious and upscale to small seasonal chalets. In the summer tourist season it is highly advised to book your hotel well in advance.
Visitors are spoilt for choice when it comes to seeing ancient Greek ruins and artefacts. However there is plenty more to do. Many visitors enjoy the gorgeous beaches, the Aegean Sea, Greek cuisine, and all night parties.
The capital of Athens offers some of the most varied and bustling restaurants and nightlife in the country. The best thing to do in Athens is spend a few days checking out the sights, such as the Acropolis Parthenon during the day and living it up at night, then head out for some fresher air in other parts of Greece. The traffic and smog can be quite thick in Athens but it is worth enduring for a short while.
A quick ferry ride from Athens can take you across to spectacular Santorini Island, the picturesque party island of Mykonos, and further south to Crete with its ancient and interesting cities of Hania and Knossos.
The area surrounding Athens, known as Attica, is characterized by calm beaches, and the pinewoods and thyme-covered slopes of Mount Parnes, Hymettus and Pentelico. As one travels northwest, towards the interior, the landscape combines fertile plains planted with tobacco and cotton, and rugged mountains with unspoilt villages and winter ski resorts.
Elsewhere in Greece there are plenty of other attractions to see, one of the most popular is Delphi. This ancient city symbolised the centre of the Greek world and is located high on Mount Parnassus.
Many guests of Greece enjoy a visit to the birthplace of the Olympic games, Olympia. This remarkable site is situated in the Peloponnesus Valley, about 200km west of Athens. There are a multitude of famous buildings to see here including the hippodrome and the magnificent temple of Zeus.
With Greece becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination you can expect the comfort and conveniences of modern Europe combined with glorious relics of ancient empires.
Climate
 Spring (April-June) and autumn (September-October) are the best times to visit Greece. Summers (June-August) are hot and dry, while the winter months (November-March) bring cool rain and cause most of the tourist infrastructure to shut down. Many hotels are closed from the end of November to the beginning of April.
Spring and autumn conditions are ideal as the weather is pleasant (16-28°C), accommodation in Greece is easy to find and less expensive, and many sites and beaches are relatively quiet.
 High season is from mid-June until the end of August. It can be very hot and crowded, especially in Athens, so visitors should allow time to acclimatize. Temperatures can soar up to 40°C during July and August, although the north and coastal areas are often relieved by strong breezes, while summer nights are quite cool throughout the country. Be sure to book your hotel well in advance if planning to visit during the summer!
Winters are mild in the south (6-16°C) but much colder in the north (0-6°C) where it often snows on the mainland and mountains of Crete and Evia. It will occasionally snow in Athens. November to March is the rainy season, although there are plenty of days of sunshine and some visitors prefer the tranquillity of that time.
History
 Greece's history can be divided into three historical periods: Ancient Greece, Byzantium and Modern Greece. During the Bronze Age (3000-1200 BC) of ancient Greece, powerful maritime civilisations flourished. According to Homer, this was a time of violence and wars based on trade rivalries. By the 11th century BC certain cultures collapsed and a 'dark age' ensued.
 By 800 BC Greece was undergoing a cultural and military revival, with the evolution of Athens and Sparta. This period was followed by an era of great prosperity known as the Classical (or Golden) Age. During this time, Pericles commissioned the Parthenon, Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King, Socrates taught young Athenians the rigours of logic, and the tradition of democracy was born. The Classical Age came to an end during the Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 AD) in which the Spartans won victory over the Athenians.
 The Spartans were distracted by the Peloponnesian Wars and failed to notice the expansion of Philip of Macedon's kingdom. Philip's son, Alexander the Great, marched into Asia Minor, Persia, and Egypt where he was proclaimed pharaoh and founded the city of Alexandria. After Alexander's death, the multi-cultural Hellenistic period came into reign, creating a new cosmopolitan tradition.
The Romans led a series of invasions into Greece from 205 BC to 146 BC causing Greece and Macedonia to become Roman provinces. Greece became part of the Byzantine Empire by the 12th century, after the Roman Empire was subdivided into Eastern and Western empires in 395 AD. The Crusades were in full flight and Byzantine power was greatly reduced by invasions from Venetians, Catalans, Genoese, Franks and Normans.
 In 1453 the Turks captured the Byzantine capital of Constantinople, and by 1500 almost all of Greece had also fallen under Turkish control. A cultural revival in the late 18th century brought on the War of Independence (1821-32), during which young, foreign aristocrats supported the Greeks in their battle against the Turks. However, the independence movement lacked unity, and in 1827 Russia, France and Britain decided to intervene, establishing Greece as a Monarchy.
Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighbouring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations.
 In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and later was occupied by Germany (1941-44). During a civil war in 1949, communist rebels were defeated by supporters of the king and Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Greece joined the European Community (EC) in 1981 (which became the European Union (EU) in 1992) and became the 12th member of the Euro zone in 2001.
Greece has left a legacy on worldwide history that far outweighs its modern importance. From Greece sprang the foundation of modern philosophy, maths and science as well as significant contributions to art and engineering. The ancient Greeks are responsible for large amounts of what is now Western culture such as the spread of democracy and western values.
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