To list all of the places to visit in Greece would be impossible. From rugged snow-capped mountains and ancient ruins to turquoise waters and white sandy beaches, Greece can satisfy every traveler’s needs.

Greece is the birthplace of democracy and also the cradle of Western civilization. With its mix of awe-inspiring beauty and history, tasty cuisine, and welcoming people, Greece is most definitely one of the top destinations to visit.

1. Athens

In higgledy-piggledy Athens – where ancient and modern, nature and civilisation, tradition and trends mingle – there really are surprises hidden around every corner. Traffic-filled roads mask cobbled alleys with bougainvillaea-drenched cafés and restaurants. Inside neoclassical buildings, cutting-edge galleries are thriving. The plainest of entranceways can lead to an outdoor cinema serving ouzo under the starry night sky. And then you turn one way, and chances are the twinkling Parthenon’s staring right back at you. Athens is the cosmopolitan heart of Greece and indeed all of Western culture – you must go at least once in your life.

2. Thessaloniki

Once the second city of the Byzantine Empire – and later a thriving Ottoman port city connecting east and west – Thessaloniki has only been part of Greece since 1912. And that really shows. This place doesn’t feel like Greece you see in tourist brochures: its central market, Kapani, has all the colour and chaos of an Istanbul bazaar, and much Ottoman architecture remains throughout the city centre – you can even visit the house where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey, was born. The harbourside Ladadika area hums with some of the wildest, most fun nightlife in the whole Balkan peninsula.

3. Santorini

The scenery in Santorini, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea, seems crafted by the Greek gods: whitewashed villages crown the island with views over its majestic coastlines, rural vineyards span huge stretches inland and the beaches are black, red and out of this world. There’s a ridiculous amount for explorers, foodies and culture vultures to discover, from archaeological sites to swimming spots and, of course, brilliant food.

4. Zakynthos

Better known as Zante, Zakynthos draws a party-ready crowd to its notorious Laganas nightlife strip, but this sunstruck Ionian isle – known by the Venetians as ‘the flower of the East’ – is also blessed with some of the Med’s most beautiful scenery. This includes the spectacular Shipwreck Beach, whose bright-blue waters hemmed in by sheer white cliffs can only be reached by boat, and Zakynthos Marine Park, home to slippery seals and savvy turtles. It’s truly wild – in multiple senses of the word.

5. Rhodes

Way back when – and we’re talking way, way back – Rhodes was home to the Colossus, one of the world’s Seven Wonders. An earthquake may have destroyed that ol’ thing in 226BBC, but the island’s Unesco world heritage-classed old town is still steeped in charm and history – thanks largely to a series of dazzling topsy-turvy medieval inns and fourteenth-century knight’s houses that stand to this day. Head outside the city, and the mountain villages and cliff-top towns you’ll come across are just as magical as any fairytale location. And with plenty of chic shops, and decent restaurants, you’re guaranteed some modern magic, too.