Greece is also about lovely, sun drenched islands set like jewels in the Aegean and Ionian Seas, a warm climate, a care-free lifestyle, good food and wine. It is idyllic for vacations. The only problem when you consider Greece as a destination for incredible holidays is not which place to visit but the rather select one from the bewildering array of choices.

You can have Greece holidays in the North; holidays in the islands by the seashore; explore the ancient sites or troll through the lanes and marketplaces, living life like a Greek.

The Greek Islands

If you wish for a complete getaway, a peaceful sojourn in a tranquil, unspoilt place, head for the Greek Islands. The islands are perfect for a romantic holiday or for a quiet break from a busy schedule. There are hundreds of islands but the most popular are Mykonos, Paros, Corfu, Zakynthos, Alonissos, Skiathos, Crete, Rhodes and others. You can choose Ionian Islands or Saronic islands in the Aegean sea or the Dodecanese group of isles.

The Ionian Islands are made up of Zakynthos, Ithaca, Corfu, Lefkada, Paxi and Kefalonia as the largest with many smaller islands dotting the sea. The deep blue seas, verdant landscape and the rich heritage will keep you enchanted for the duration of your stay. You can go deep sea diving, windsurfing, climb perilous mountains, laze on the beach, have your fill of Greek delicacies, attend cultural events or explore monuments in the region. Greeks are hospitable and cheerful and it will not be surprising if you make friends with the locals—one of the best ways to have incredible Greece holidays.

The gorgeous Cyclades in the Aegean are just as attractive as the Ionian Islands. Made up of a group of 39 islands, the well known isles are Naxos, Mykonos, Santorini, Tinos, to name only a few. If nightlife is what you seek, the -Cyclades give you more than your fill. Legend has it that Poseidon, infuriated at the Cyclades nymphs, turned them into islands. Apart from the nightlife you have all the opportunities to explore the deep blue waters, the charming olive groves, gurgling streams and picture postcard scenery. According to legends, the pearl of Cyclades, the Anafi Island, rose from the sea to shelter the Argonauts. If legends interest you Delos will; it is said to be the birthplace of Artemis and Apollo.

Some might prefer the Dodecanese in the South-Eastern Aegean Sea, made up of Rhodes, Kos, Leros and Pserimos islands. Rhodes, undoubtedly, should be on your list for its medieval walls and gates, a legacy of the Knights. Kos has the usual Greek attractions in addition to being home to the plane tree under which Hippocrates used to teach. If you love nature, Karpathos has everything by way of caves, forests, streams and lush landscapes to keep you entranced.

Why not pick a particular group of islands and visit a few for your Grecian holiday? It will be hard to tear yourself away when it is time to go home.

Travelling in Greece

If you have made the islands the choice destination for your holidays, travelling inside the country does not present any problems. You can land in Greece at any of its 15 international airports. You can travel by trains or buses to the nearest ports that will get you a ferry to the islands. If you like you can travel by domestic airlines and have a view of the breathtaking scenery as you arrive at the island of your choice. Motoring does have its charms; you can travel across the longest cable suspension bridge in Europe. Just take care to book in advance if you plan your Greece holidays in summer.

If you belong to the EU, all you need to travel to Greece is your police ID or passport. Visitors from other countries, except those on the notified list, need to follow visa procedures.

Accommodation and Eating in Greece

Greece has a well developed infrastructure in place or tourism. This means you have access to accommodating ranging from budget to the priciest in most islands. There are hotels, bungalows to rent, campsites, apartments and rooms.

Gastronomes, however, will focus on the variety of Greek cuisines. Greek cuisine makes use of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, wine, fish, wheat, barley and a whole lot of fresh herbs. Move from one island to the other and enjoy typical dishes. The Ios offers cuisine based on wheat, pulses, vegetables and dairy products. On Mykonos you sample dishes based on pork, herbs, cheese, fish and sausages. In Naxos it is vegetables, red meat and red wine. Over to Syros and you have roasted fish, tomatoes and octopus waiting for you.

Just pack your bags and set out and explore Greece on your own. You might come across the Pleiades.

Lifecruiser Love Greece

Other Greece travel related posts at Lifecruiser:

5 Top Beaches of Greek Islands
Mediterranean Dream Cruises
Travel Sales Trend: Increased in Sweden
Driving in the mountains – scary experiences
Luxury Dream Cruises
5 Tip Top Beaches of Lifecruiser
Monday Memories Honeymoon
When hubby was rally Harry
Love Trips Snips
 

The very classic romantic thing to do at a beach when you’re there with your beloved one, right? So go out there making hearts popping up everywhere people!

©Lifecruiser Love Hearts
 

The sandy beach that is like snow is one of the best, but if we’re talking about the Sea bottom when taking a dip or the temperature, we simply can’t beat Greece’s many gorgeous beaches…

If you take a look at the shadow on the photo, you’ll notice that the angle of the shadow and the real feet look like they’re attached, very funny looking!

©Lifecruiser Love Beaches
 

This is in the rauk (Gotlandic word for sea stack) area. There is a lot of sea stack formation on the island, as we have told you many times before. It’s famous for it and many tourist buses takes tours out there.

©Lifecruiser Love Sunset Photos
 

Yes, you read right: the midnight sun. The sun don’t really set at this time of the year in Sweden. It never get really dark. That is: if it’s not raining, which it use to do. The weather almost always is very shifting at Midsummer, making the outdoors activities more exciting – you never know if you’re going to be soaking wet or not!

It’s also a very romantic evening, when you’re supposed to find your love, so if you want to catch a Swedish girl: come to Sweden at Midsummer…

You can read more about the Swedish Midsummer celebrations in old posts listed below. Happy Midsummer holidays everyone!

©Lifecruiser Love Swedish Midsummer

Earlier posts about Swedish Midsummer:

Typical Swedish: Midsummer Strawberries
Swedish Midsummer 2011
Midsummer night light sight
Swedish Midsummer festivities Bromma Church Stockholm
Happy Midsummer Stockholm
Our Midsummer celebration trip 13 facts list
Thursday Thirteen Midsummer
Midsummer flower power love
 

Now, the reasons may be that I’m not young enough to hear about any nightlife, therefor I have done some research for the next time we will go there, that I thought I should share with you. I’ll start with a few other evening/night pleasures we have picked out for ourselves.

If you’re a golfer, ask for the twilight round at Vilamoura Old Course Twilight Rounds, really good value for a round for a discounted price on a great course and the lights are making it a very unique experience. (Reminds of the time I played winter golf in the dark with a self-luminous ball…)

Take the night walk in the impressive Arabic castle with defensive walls in Silves. The red walls, white houses and street lamps gives a true medieval touch. There is also a Laser show, Aquavision at Fabrica do Ingles (Cork Museum), with images projected to the walls of the castle, music, dance, Fado, Flamenco dancers and more. Also hosts the Silves beer festival in July.

If you’re a party person, preferring a really crazy nightlife, bars and clubs, stay in the Areias de Sao Joao area, the strip Avenida Dr Francisco Sa Carneiro. Or maybe Montechoro, about 2kms from Albufeira old town. (We will stay closer to the Old Town to get more peace and quiet, we can’t manage to party every night any longer).

Some popular places to remember: Kiss in Albufeira, Kadoc in Vilamoura (gigantic: takes 7.000 visitors!) with open-air terrace. Rock: Round Up Saloon in Carvoeiro. Discoteca Ubi and Bar Bubi in Tavira has foam parties… Monte Gordo: Bar42 with DJ, Karaoke & live music.

For a more romantic choice go to Breeze Algarve, Praca Vale de Lobo, to sit on the terrace in the sunset kissing… Or take Champagne and something to eat, some blankets and your beloved one with you to some beautiful place to watch the sunset… and perhaps the sunrise.

If you’re uncertain where to go to eat, the best way is to ask the locals where to go and eat their traditional dishes and you’ll get plenty of alternatives! That way you might get more unbiased answers, because if asking at the hotel as an example, they often favorite just a few restaurants – and sometimes very touristy.

Even if you’re not much for the nightlife, the Algarve region has a lot of picturesque fishing villages or small towns rich of culture and history along the long coastline, which is filled with long, sandy and always gorgeous beaches. A perfect holiday destination if you don’t mind some waves and a bit cooler water than in the Mediterranean, because this is the Atlantic Ocean.

We will for sure visit both Lisbon – and maybe even the north area – as well as Algarve next time…

©Lifecruiser Love Algarve

Other Algarve travel related posts by Lifecruiser:

Portugal Algarve Dream Stay
Portugal Trip Monte Gordo
Portugal Trip Tavira
Portugal Trip Ayamonte Spain
World Dogs: Portuguese Water Dog
 

Other than that, don’t you think it’s very romantic with the streetlight from these old ones? Especially if the street is a narrow cobbled one too, surrounded by old architectural houses.

©Lifecruiser Love Travel Photography

Another street lamp view post by Lifecruiser:

Travel Photo: Dry Up View
 

This was a fabric I found in some store a while ago and couldn’t resist taking a photo of such a love message from around the world!

©Lifecruiser Love Valentine

 
Some earlier Valentine posts by Lifecruiser:

Happy Valentine Life Kissers
Affordable Romantic Valentine Trips Tips
Tenereffic Romantic Sunset
With Love on Valentine Day

I just love this islands fine sand quality and this beach especially since it’s our engagement beach. It look different for every year and I wonder how it will look this year after all the stormy weather. Maybe the beaches has gone washed out into the sea.

Yeah, longing for summer quite badly now!

©Lifecruiser Love Island Beaches

Photo by Tambako

Feeling the freedom in the picture above? Me too – and the salty sea breeze that always make me feel more alive. The Mediterranean Sea might be my favorite sea so far. So wonderfully bright and clear.

There are so many interesting and beautiful countries around Europe to be explored. Sure, we have been to many of them, but you have to stay for a long time to really get to explore a place so that you feel done with it.

There are Med cruises to many countries, as Croatia, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Israel, Italy, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey.

What would be your choices of them?

My choices would be:

• Greek islands (unbeatable beauty!)
• Croatia (never been there and it look fab!)
• French Riviera (have been there but not on a cruise)

Greek islands Crete, Mykonos, Kos, Santorini (yes, me too want to experience the whitewashed houses on the cliffs!) and many more. Croatia with Split and Dubrovnik (world heritage site by UNESCO). The Adriatic coast look gorgeous if you look up images on the internet. Say no more.

The French Riviera is really not my option for a cruise in the high season because it so crowded, but in low season I highly recommend it. There is so much to explore that one could go on for ages. So many French medieval villages and Provence markets to enjoy.

Why not the other cruise destinations? Because some of them we’ve already explored enough and the other ones we want to explore more by ourselves and take our time doing it. That is not always possible when on a cruise.

I sometimes feel like cruises not fit us explorer to the fullest. On the other hand, as a very nice change, some days out at the sea could be so very relaxing and re-charging the travel batteries. Yes, it can be pretty exhausting to travel – I’m talking about getting to airports and new hotels on schedule.

Photo by Kevin

Or the opposite to relaxing: getting aboard to party and have a really great time socializing with all the other cruisers with the convenience of not having to use any transportation’s to get home after the party is over.

Be sure to choose a cruise ship with yummy menu’s, since you don’t have the opportunity to choose another restaurant when out at the Med Sea. (Remember our problems to find restaurants abroad?)

Last but not less important: Is it safe to cruise? In my opinion it’s as safe as anything else nowadays, you never know when the accident will happen – and it could as well be when you’re crossing the street. Pay attention to all safety precautions. Be alert. As always.

Yes, we have to be careful, but not overdo it and stop to live!

©Lifecruiser Love Med Cruises