When to Go?

June and September offer the benefits of summer without the July and August crowds.

Athens's nightlife shifts to the southern coast July through August.

Après-ski town Arachova is the place to be in winter (if expensive), but it's only a stepping stone to Delphi in summer.

The Saronic islands and Attica's northeastern coast are beautiful anytime, though in the winter, things can feel dead.

Be it the islands or Delphi, be prepared to go head-to-head with the crowds and the heat in summer.

The beaches, of course, are most enjoyable in full summer, but even chic and pricey Astir beach gets engulfed by a rising tide of tourists.

A much better time to visit is April to June, when wildflowers carpet the arid hillsides of Attica and the Marathon plain.

September and October are another beautiful stretch.

For nice year-round retreats, head to inland sites, from Eleusis to Marathon.