Great weather, beautiful waters and awash with antiquity, it’s no wonder Greece is the destination of choice for a multitude of holidaymakers every year. And with so much to see it’s hard to know where to begin – which is exactly why we thought we’d lend an overly-charitable helping hand with our sparkling list of the Top 10 tourist attractions in Greece.

1. Great Weather
Great weather, beautiful waters and awash with antiquity, it’s no wonder Greece is the destination ofchoice for a
multitude ofholidaymakers every year. And with so much to see it’s hard to know where to begin – which is exactly
why we thought we’d lend an overly-charitable helping hand with our sparkling listofthe Top 10 touristattractions in
Greece.
Kalamata
If the name ‘Kalamata’ sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone — it’s a city in southern Greece from which Greek
olives get their name.It is both the capitol of the region of Messinia and the second-largestcity in the Peloponnese.
With its preserved Old Town and a number ofmuseums and galleries,the city maintains its rich cultural history.The
ancientGreek author Homer described a city called Pharai,which is believed to have been where the Kalamata
Castle stands today.
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The name Kalamata is derived from an icon of the Virgin Mary known as the ‘good eye’ (kalo mata.) The icon was
believed to be miracle-working,and today can be found in the inside the city’s cathedral,the Church of Ypapantis.
Throughoutthe ages,Kalamata has suffered wars atthe hands ofthe Ottoman Empire and earthquakes in as recent
as 1986,though today it flourishes as an importantportcity.
Academy of Athens
The lovely Neoclassical Academyof Athens was builtin the mid 19th century during the post-independence re-
flowering of Greek culture and is home to the national institutes for sciences,philosophy,fine arts and humanities,
following in a tradition firstestablished byPlato in around 387 BC. It is part of a triumvirate of neighboring buildings
known as the ‘Neoclassical Trilogy’ designed byDanish architects Theophil and Christian Hansen and encompassing
the National Libraryand the University of Athens. With a marble façade,the main entrance is through an ornamental
colonnaded portico topped with sculptures on the carved pedimentrepresenting the birth of Athena and flanked by
statues ofAthena and Apollo standing on slender columns – all are the work of sculptor Leonidas Drossis in the
1870s and are guarded by two philosophical-looking sculptures ofPlato and Socrates.
Church of Panagia Paraportiani
Surrounded by the boutiques and bars thathave made Mykonos the Aegean’s moststylish and sophisticated Greek
island,the flower-bedecked Church ofPanagia Paraportiani is a highlightofa wander through the town’s picture-
perfect Little Venice. The island’s mostfamous and mostphotographed church is made up of four whitewashed
chapels,topped by a further bright white chapel on the upper storey, reached by an external staircase.Builtbetween
the 14th and 17th centuries,the church once guarded the entrance to the town’s castle,long since destroyed.
The multi-layered nature of the church gives it a unique shape,rising from the squared-offwhite chapels on the
ground level to the domed church of the Virgin Mary on the top. Don’tmiss the chance snap a photo of the church,
standing outin brilliantwhite againstthe deep blue sky of the Aegean.