10 historic Greek wonders away from the islands
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Greece is home to some of the world's most extraordinary heritage sites. These range from ancient buildings — such as the extraordinary monasteries of Meteora, perched high on sandstone pinnacles, and the Parthenon temple in Athens — to the pretty, pastel-hued villages that line the coast. There are marvels of engineering, too, including the Corinth Canal, which connects the Ionian and Aegean Seas, and the fortified island town of Monemvasia, which seems to tumble down the cliffs straight to the sea.
Nothing bellows 'Ancient Greece' like the Parthenon, the crowning glory of the hilltop Acropolis citadel and visible all over Athens. The temple was built by hand from white marble in 447 BCE to give thanks to Athena, goddess of wisdom and military victory, who locals believed saved the city during the Persian Wars. Its treasures take centre stage in the Acropolis Museum. A glass chamber displays the temple's near 200ft-long frieze, with carvings so intricate and vivid, you can almost hear the thunder of hooves. acropolis-tickets.com
'Suspended in the air' is the rough translation of Meteora, and it's a fitting description of its most famous assets: six still-functioning monasteries, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, perched on soaring sandstone pinnacles. Each is unique and, if you've got the puff, accessible – but don't neglect the less obvious architectural treasures, visible (if not reachable) from the thickly wooded trails threaded between these natural pedestals. These include cave churches, ascetics' lofty hollows, and a six-storey hermitage built into the cavity of a sheer rock face, which is so intricate and implausible it could be a fairy house.
Jutting out into the turquoise Aegean Sea, Northern Greece's 'Blue City' spells out its history in architecture. It was under Byzantine rule until the Ottomans rocked up in 1387, razing the acropolis and building a hulking 15th-century fortress in its place. The Turkish influence can still be felt in the cobbled alleys of the medina-like old town, Panagia, with its tangle of pastel-painted houses and hidden courtyards. Seek out the late-Ottoman Mohammed Ali's House, where the former ruler of Egypt was born in 1769, and the blush-hued Halil Bey Mosque, before tackling the climb to the castle for soul-soaring views.
Pressing up against Turkey, the town of Soufli in Greece's Evros region gained fame across Europe for its silk production in the 19th and early 20th centuries, a wealthy legacy mapped out in mansions and bitziklikia, or 'cocoon houses', built specifically for it. A major stop on Greece's Silk Road, the river valley was once cloaked in mulberry trees that fed the silkworms. This heritage is woven into its one-of-a-kind industrial architecture. Narrow, cobbled streets lead to stone-and-timber buildings unravelling the history of production. For insights into the town's rich past, visit the Art of Silk Museum, lodged in a beautifully restored neoclassical house, and the chimney-topped Tzivre Silk Factory, founded by the Ceriano Fratelli company from Milan in 1910.
Pushing through solid limestone and creating a short-cut between the Ionian and Aegean seas, the four-mile-long, 80ft-wide Corinth Canal is an engineering marvel. The tyrant Periander dreamt up the canal in the sixth century BCE, but was afraid building it would provoke the wrath of the gods. Roman emperor Nero had no such qualms and struck the first blow himself with a golden pickaxe in 67 BCE. The canal was finally completed by the French in the 19th century. With sheer walls towering 300ft above the water, it's an impressive sight. You can travel along it, on cruises lasting around 90 minutes.
In the southern Peloponnese, Ancient Messini delivers a shot of history without the madding crowds, with ruins as vast and impressively intact as those in much busier Olympia. The city-state was founded in 371 BCE after the Thebans defeated the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra. And if you believe local legend, Zeus was born here and raised by nymphs Neda and Ithomi. History and myth intertwine as you explore its theatre, bathhouse, Doric temple and vast agora (marketplace), once the ancient city's beating heart, framed by stoas (columned porticoes). Just as compelling are the Sanctuary of Asclepius, an ancient healing temple, and one of the largest and best-preserved stadiums in Greece, where once Roman gladiators did bloody battle.
The island Monemvasia off the Peloponnese's east coast, linked to the mainland by a short causeway, was founded by the Byzantines in the sixth century, making it one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited fortified towns. Once a strategic port on Eastern Mediterranean shipping routes, its past glory is etched out in its rock-top medieval citadel, Kastro. A wander through the cobbled lanes of the lower town brings you to the main square and church of Christos Elkomenos, filled with Byzantine icons. A steep path clambers up to the medieval castle ruins for arresting views out to sea.
The Olympic flame still burns brightly in Ancient Olympia in the Peloponnese, where the modern-day games have their Greek origins. From 776 BCE to 393 CE, the Olympics were held here quadrennially. Myth has it that Zeus, king of gods, victoriously wrestled his father Kronos for the throne at the first games. As you wander the sunlit ruins, scattered among plane and olive trees, you can almost envisage the athletes and the cheering spectators. Follow the trail past the gymnasium, palaestra (wrestling school) and Workshop of Pheidias – where the now-lost ivory-and-gold Statue of Zeus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was sculpted – to reach the sacred sanctuary of Altis, and finish at the nearby archaeological museum.
In Homeric lore, the most powerful Greek ruler at Troy was Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, immortalised in the 8th-century BCE epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey as a citadel 'rich in gold'. Indeed, this was the greatest of Mycenaean cities in the late Bronze Age, its influence extending from the Argolis region of the eastern Peloponnese to the world beyond. You can still feel the rumble of history and myth as you pass through the mighty Lion Gate and the Cyclopean Walls – lore has it the namesake one-eyed giant built them from huge, rough-hewn limestone boulders. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the expansive, captivating ruins, encompassing royal tombs, apartments, artisans' workshops and Agamemnon's Palace reflect the dazzling scope of human genius.
Greece isn't short of attractive coastal towns, but Nafplio blows most straight out of the water. And it has plenty of history to back up those good looks. A major port since the Bronze Age, when it was crowned by Akronafplia Fortress, the bijou city in the Argolis region of the eastern Peloponnese briefly served as capital of the newly independent Greek state until Athens took over in 1834. Its old town is one of Greece's loveliest, with streets lined with pastel-hued Venetian mansions and bougainvillea-draped neoclassical houses leading to cafe-rimmed Syntagma Square. And that's before you reach its biggest showstopper: Palamidi Fortress, a top-of-the-rock, early 18th-century Venetian citadel that is a masterpiece of engineering. Puff up 999 steps to the top for front-row views over city and sea.
Published in the April 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here.(Available in select countries only).
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How Santiago became the holy grail of pilgrimages
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Some cheer, some clap, some clasp each other's shoulders in quiet ecstasy. One lets his walking stick fall to the ground, one kicks her walking boots off, another stretches his sore back and sighs. But most sit on the cobbled square and lean back, resting on backpacks stuffed like pillows. In front of them, the cathedral's western towers reach heavenwards, and seem even taller from this low angle. With no farther left to walk, the pilgrims lie and stare. 'Lying in the Praza do Obradoiro at the end of the Camino de Santiago is a tradition,' says guide Maria Guerra Gomez of 1 2 Tours, her halo of black curls bouncing with her nods as we watch pilgrims take in their first sight of the square's imposing cathedral. We're exploring Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Spain's northwestern Galicia region and one of the major centres of Christianity alongside Rome and Jerusalem. 'I did it, too — and thought the facade would topple over.' I see what Maria means. Made of light granite and dotted with the carved shapes of scallop shells — an ancient symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) pilgrimage — the cathedral looks like a giant, ornate sandcastle that could be blown away by a strong gust of wind from the Atlantic. Yet, a church has stood on this site since the ninth century, when — according to tradition — the remains of Santiago El Mayor (St James the Great) were discovered here. So the legend goes: the saint was one of the Twelve Apostles and part of Jesus' three-man inner circle. Following his martyrdom in Jerusalem in the first century, he was buried in the Iberian Peninsula, where he'd introduced the Gospel. The location was lost to time, until mysterious lights led a local hermit deep into a forest to the sepulchre. A shrine was built to mark the site, and the cult of Santiago was born. The faithful from across Europe began trekking to see the holy relics — and never stopped, forever changing the fortunes of the area. In response to their influx, the shrine grew into a cathedral, and a city developed around it. The network of trails leading to Santiago de Compostela became the Camino de Santiago, one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world by any measure. In 2024, a record half a million travellers 'completed' it, walking or cycling 100 or 200 miles to the city, respectively. The appeal of the Camino now goes far beyond its religious foundations, with a new generation of pilgrims coming for quiet contemplation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature. In the square, I meet a Polish graduate who likens the path to a Catholic prayer, and a Dutch writer who trekked it to set resolutions for personal growth. I hear stories of a French girl who came on foot from her front door, and a Swiss man who kept walking long past the finish line. 'I did it to prove I could do it,' says Maria. Born in Spain's Canary Islands to a Galician mother, she first saw Santiago de Compostela at the end of her pilgrimage, and she's now lived in the city for more than 20 years. 'It welcomed me with open arms, and it expressed to me the entire Camino. I felt like I was back in medieval times, and maybe the pilgrims of old felt the same things I was feeling.' Some of the traditions set by those early pilgrims are still observed today. Maria leads me inside the cathedral, down the simple, Romanesque nave to the gold-plated, baroque Main Chapel. We join a queue for the customary circuit of the altar: down into a crypt to see the relics, a silver casket in Santiago's ancient tomb, then up via a passageway to hug his statue, which dominates the structure. A man before me places his hands and forehead on the bust, closes his eyes and pauses, a moment so intimate I shift my gaze. Walk around the Old Town, and you'll find this deep sense of spirituality is built into the city itself. We pass the monastic complex of San Martín Pinario, which offers guest rooms reminiscent of monk's quarters, empty but for wrought-iron beds and writing desks. Then there's the monastery of San Paio, where cloistered Benedictine nuns sell tarta de Santiago, almond pies bearing the Santiago Cross, another symbol of the pilgrimage. Visitors ring a bell, and receive their order through a revolving window. We reach Mercado de Abastos, the city's food market and second main attraction. It's made up of eight granite halls, each with an entrance reminiscent of a Romanesque chapel, with long aisles like naves. On display are crates of cachelos (Galician potatoes) and grelos (turnip greens), Iberian hams and chorizos. 'The architect wanted to create a cathedral of products,' says Maria, handing me a slice of mild tetilla cheese to sample, which is made from cow's milk. Producers have been coming here to sell their wares since the 19th century. 'Some 80% of Galicians still live in the countryside, and our coast is so rich in seafood,' says Maria, as we pass thick piles of ice topped with velvet crabs, octopus and percebes (goose barnacles). Scallops, the shells of which we saw earlier, carved into the stone of Santiago Cathedral, are on offer as well, of course. 'The cult of food, too, forms a strong part of our culture.' Santiago himself used to be a fisherman. According to the Bible, Jesus nicknamed him 'Son of Thunder' due to his temper. The moniker seems fitting given that in Galicia, his supposed place of rest, it rains for around 150 days a year on average. The resulting landscape is so green, it could pass for Wales; Santiago de Compostela is actually one of the cities with the highest square footage of park space per inhabitant in the whole of Spain. After leaving Maria, I head to Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval, the former estate of a Dominican convent that sits on a hill on the outskirts of the Old Town. I stroll to the oak grove at its top; looking down, I take in the view of the city's rooftops and cathedral towers, which gradually fades into a haze in the far distance. All this was built for the pilgrims, who arrived step after step, century after century; the cult of Santiago is shrouded in lore, but this much can't be denied, a fact as miraculous as anything here. So, I take my cue and sit on the grass, lie back and stare. Published in the June 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
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How this Spanish city became the holy grail of pilgrimages
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). Some cheer, some clap, some clasp each other's shoulders in quiet ecstasy. One lets his walking stick fall to the ground, one kicks her walking boots off, another stretches his sore back and sighs. But most sit on the cobbled square and lean back, resting on backpacks stuffed like pillows. In front of them, the cathedral's western towers reach heavenwards, and seem even taller from this low angle. With no farther left to walk, the pilgrims lie and stare. 'Lying in the Praza do Obradoiro at the end of the Camino de Santiago is a tradition,' says guide Maria Guerra Gomez of 1 2 Tours, her halo of black curls bouncing with her nods as we watch pilgrims take in their first sight of the square's imposing cathedral. We're exploring Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Spain's northwestern Galicia region and one of the major centres of Christianity alongside Rome and Jerusalem. 'I did it, too — and thought the facade would topple over.' I see what Maria means. Made of light granite and dotted with the carved shapes of scallop shells — an ancient symbol of the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) pilgrimage — the cathedral looks like a giant, ornate sandcastle that could be blown away by a strong gust of wind from the Atlantic. Yet, a church has stood on this site since the ninth century, when — according to tradition — the remains of Santiago El Mayor (St James the Great) were discovered here. The appeal of the Camino now goes far beyond its religious foundations, with a new generation of pilgrims coming for quiet contemplation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature. Photograph by Alamy, Hemis So the legend goes: the saint was one of the Twelve Apostles and part of Jesus' three-man inner circle. Following his martyrdom in Jerusalem in the first century, he was buried in the Iberian Peninsula, where he'd introduced the Gospel. The location was lost to time, until mysterious lights led a local hermit deep into a forest to the sepulchre. A shrine was built to mark the site, and the cult of Santiago was born. The faithful from across Europe began trekking to see the holy relics — and never stopped, forever changing the fortunes of the area. In response to their influx, the shrine grew into a cathedral, and a city developed around it. The network of trails leading to Santiago de Compostela became the Camino de Santiago, one of the biggest pilgrimages in the world by any measure. In 2024, a record half a million travellers 'completed' it, walking or cycling 100 or 200 miles to the city, respectively. The appeal of the Camino now goes far beyond its religious foundations, with a new generation of pilgrims coming for quiet contemplation and the chance to immerse themselves in nature. In the square, I meet a Polish graduate who likens the path to a Catholic prayer, and a Dutch writer who trekked it to set resolutions for personal growth. I hear stories of a French girl who came on foot from her front door, and a Swiss man who kept walking long past the finish line. 'I did it to prove I could do it,' says Maria. Born in Spain's Canary Islands to a Galician mother, she first saw Santiago de Compostela at the end of her pilgrimage, and she's now lived in the city for more than 20 years. 'It welcomed me with open arms, and it expressed to me the entire Camino. I felt like I was back in medieval times, and maybe the pilgrims of old felt the same things I was feeling.' In 2024, a record half a million travellers 'completed' the pilgrimage through the Camino de Santiago, walking or cycling 100 or 200 miles to the city, respectively. Photograph by AWL Images, Hemis Santiago himself used to be a fisherman. According to the Bible, Jesus nicknamed him 'Son of Thunder' due to his temper. Photograph by 4Corners Images Some of the traditions set by those early pilgrims are still observed today. Maria leads me inside the cathedral, down the simple, Romanesque nave to the gold-plated, baroque Main Chapel. We join a queue for the customary circuit of the altar: down into a crypt to see the relics, a silver casket in Santiago's ancient tomb, then up via a passageway to hug his statue, which dominates the structure. A man before me places his hands and forehead on the bust, closes his eyes and pauses, a moment so intimate I shift my gaze. Walk around the Old Town, and you'll find this deep sense of spirituality is built into the city itself. We pass the monastic complex of San Martín Pinario, which offers guest rooms reminiscent of monk's quarters, empty but for wrought-iron beds and writing desks. Then there's the monastery of San Paio, where cloistered Benedictine nuns sell tarta de Santiago, almond pies bearing the Santiago Cross, another symbol of the pilgrimage. Visitors ring a bell, and receive their order through a revolving window. We reach Mercado de Abastos, the city's food market and second main attraction. It's made up of eight granite halls, each with an entrance reminiscent of a Romanesque chapel, with long aisles like naves. On display are crates of cachelos (Galician potatoes) and grelos (turnip greens), Iberian hams and chorizos. 'The architect wanted to create a cathedral of products,' says Maria, handing me a slice of mild tetilla cheese to sample, which is made from cow's milk. Within Santiago de Compostea's Old Town, there's the monastery of San Paio, where Benedictine nuns sell tarta de Santiago, almond pies bearing the Santiago Cross. Visitors ring a bell, and receive their order through a revolving window. Photograph by AWL Images, Hemis Producers have been coming here to sell their wares since the 19th century. 'Some 80% of Galicians still live in the countryside, and our coast is so rich in seafood,' says Maria, as we pass thick piles of ice topped with velvet crabs, octopus and percebes (goose barnacles). Scallops, the shells of which we saw earlier, carved into the stone of Santiago Cathedral, are on offer as well, of course. 'The cult of food, too, forms a strong part of our culture.' Santiago himself used to be a fisherman. According to the Bible, Jesus nicknamed him 'Son of Thunder' due to his temper. The moniker seems fitting given that in Galicia, his supposed place of rest, it rains for around 150 days a year on average. The resulting landscape is so green, it could pass for Wales; Santiago de Compostela is actually one of the cities with the highest square footage of park space per inhabitant in the whole of Spain. After leaving Maria, I head to Parque de San Domingos de Bonaval, the former estate of a Dominican convent that sits on a hill on the outskirts of the Old Town. I stroll to the oak grove at its top; looking down, I take in the view of the city's rooftops and cathedral towers, which gradually fades into a haze in the far distance. All this was built for the pilgrims, who arrived step after step, century after century; the cult of Santiago is shrouded in lore, but this much can't be denied, a fact as miraculous as anything here. So, I take my cue and sit on the grass, lie back and stare. 1 2 Tours offers private, customisable tours of the city. Stay at Hospedería San Martín Pinario, a guesthouse in the namesake monastic complex. Doubles from €149 (£125). From Santiago de Compostela airport, it's a 20-minute taxi ride to the city; booking transfers in advance is recommended, especially in high season (July to September). This story was created with the support of the Spanish Tourist Office. Published in the June 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
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Is it safe to travel to Egypt? Your rights as Middle East conflict escalates between Israel and Iran
An escalation in conflict between Iran and Israel took place overnight, causing mass flight diversions over Middle East airspace and dozens of cancellations as air strikes surged. Iran launched more than 100 drones towards Israel after pre-dawn strikes by the IDF hit Tehran's nuclear sites and killed top military commanders. Israel said 200 fighter jets took part in strikes on more than 100 targets in Iran overnight in an escalation that threatens to trigger a wider conflict in the Middle East. Egypt has many popular tourist destinations, and while the UK's Foreign Office has warned against travel to some areas of the country, many of the popular holiday hotspots are still considered safe to travel to, with holiday companies and airlines continuing to operate in the country. Israel launched strikes against targets in Iran at around 3am local time (1am UK time), and warned citizens in the country to prepare for a missile attack in retaliation. Iran has fired around 100 drones in response. An Israeli military official said it has intercepted many of these but that some are still Israel-bound. The situation is reported to be under control, the official said. There have so far been no reports of civilian casualties in the strikes, but reports are still emerging from on the ground. Though Israel directly borders Egypt, most of the country's major cities and tourist destinations are a substantial distance away, and so Egypt has avoided much of the Israel-Gaza conflict. Sharm el-Sheikh is the closest destination, though it is still over two-and-a-half hours' drive away from the nearest border town and over five hours away by road from the area around the Gaza border. Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada and Luxor are even further away. Thousands of passengers from the UK landed in unexpected places due to the sudden closure of airspace in the Middle East. Airlines, including Air India, Emirates and Qatar Airways, diverted their flights last minute after the conflict between Israel and Iran escalated. FlightRadar captured the moment civilian airspace cleared after the strikes began, showing flights rapidly exiting Iranian skies. Some flights cancelled their onward journey mid-flight, while others continued after diversions, creating delays to international flight schedules and causing many passengers flying from the UK to miss connections. Qatar Airways diverted two flights from the UK to Cairo: the overnight departures from Manchester and London Heathrow were also over Turkish airspace when they turned and flew south to the Egyptian capital. They have now refuelled and are continuing their journeys. Cairo Airport has seen a handful of cancellations, while some of its arrivals and many of its departures have been severely delayed, data from FlightRadar shows. Sharm el-Sheikh airport appeared to be less affected, although many of its departures Friday morning were delayed. Under air passengers' rights rules, passengers who begin their journeys in the UK or the European Union are entitled to be flown to their destination as soon as possible. If your cancelled flight is covered by UK law, passengers can choose between getting an alternative flight or receiving a refund if their flight is cancelled. If you received less than 14 days' notice of a cancellation, you may also be able to claim compensation. However, this is unlikely if the cancellation was not the airline's fault. Package holidays are operating as usual. If you have an upcoming trip booked and want to postpone, get in touch with your tour operator or holiday provider; they may offer some flexibility. However, if not, there are currently no grounds for travellers to expect a refund if they cancel, nor to claim the money back through travel insurance, as the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has not issued a blanket 'avoid all non-essential travel' advisory for Egypt. If FCDO advice changes to advising against all travel, you can cancel a package holiday without penalty for a full refund. Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the FCDO. The FCDO has updated its travel advice for Egypt on Friday, 13 June, concerning the conflict between Iran and Israel. 'Ongoing hostilities in the region and between Israel and Iran could escalate quickly and pose security risks for the wider region. There are reports of military debris falling in various locations. Travel disruptions, including flight cancellations and airspace closures may occur. Demonstrations and protest activity may take place,' the advice stated. It added that travellers should monitor local and international media for the latest information and be vigilant and follow the instructions of local authorities. The FCDO also said that the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority has directed all airlines and travel companies to ensure that any passengers arriving in Egypt between 12 and 16 June have a confirmed return ticket. 'Travellers who are unable to demonstrate this are liable to be refused entry into the country,' it added. The FCDO advises against travel in certain areas of Egypt. It advises against all travel to within 20km of the Egypt-Libya border and all travel to the North Sinai Governorate. The FCDO also advises against all but essential travel to: The town of El Salloum The northern part of the South Sinai Governorate, beyond the St Catherine-Nuweibaa road, except for the coastal areas along the west and east of the peninsula. The Ismailiyah Governorate east of the Suez Canal. The area west of the Nile Valley and Nile Delta regions, except for a list of areas that can be found here. The Hala'ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid. It does not warn against travel to any of the main tourist destinations in Egypt, including Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria and the two Red Sea resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada. The FCDO also warns that 'international borders in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) could close at short notice, including the Taba border crossing between Israel and Egypt'. It advises checking with local authorities and reading Israel's and OPTs' travel advice before crossing or leaving Gaza. 'The Rafah border crossing is currently closed. When re-opened, Israel, Egypt and the authorities in Gaza may determine procedures for who is permitted to cross and when,' it adds. 'Humanitarian aid workers cannot enter or exit Gaza through Egypt at this time.' The Egyptian authorities have said all aid to Gaza must go through the Egyptian Red Crescent. Standard operating procedures can be found on the Logistics Cluster website. The authorities are unlikely to consider requests for humanitarian access made in Egypt at short notice. If you are concerned about friends or family, or need support from the UK government, call the British Embassy in Cairo. Telephone: + 20 (0)2 2791 6000. If you have technical difficulties using this number, call +44 1767 667 600 (UK number).
