In Europe, Greece is a leading destination for Spring and Summer but we often forget that going there in Autumn is also a great alternative, the temperatures are very mild. In Athens, its capital, the temperature fluctuates between 16° and 24°C for October and from 12° to 19°C in November, with an average sea temperature of 21°C. Visiting and taking a walk becomes much more enjoyable during this period.
The must-sees to visit in the city of Athens :
- Acropole and Parthénon, symbol of the city of Athens including the famous Caryatids, the temple of Athena and the theater of Dionysus
- Acropolis Museum to visit preferably before the visit of the rock
- Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Gate of Hadrian, colossal columns close to the Acropolis
- District of Plaka and Anafiotika with neoclassical alleys and the Cycladic village down the Acropolis
- Ancient Agora, former political and social heart of the city, the temple of Hephaestus is one of the best preserved in Greece
- Roman agora and wind tower with its hydraulic clock
- Keramikos, ancient cemetery with remarkable funerary steles and its small museum
- Kallimarmaro, the stadium, entirely made of marble, where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896
- National archaeological museum with the largest collection of Greek antiquities in the world
- Byzantine and Christian museum with icons, mosaics and Byzantine art
- Syntagma Square with its Parliament and its changing of the guard of the Evzones every hour with a more solemn ceremony on Sunday morning as well as the tomb of the unknown soldier and his national garden just behind the parliament
Close to Athens from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours by car :
- Cape Sounion with the temple of Poseidon, the most famous Doric temple of the 5th century BC at the end of the peninsula with a spectacular view of the Aegean Sea (very popular sunset)
- Eleusis, the sanctuary of the Mysteries of Eleusis, one of the most important religious centers of antiquity
- Brauron, sanctuary of Artemis with its temple and museum in a green setting near the sea
- Marathon and the burial mound of the Athenians who fell in 490 BC with its archaeological museum and the site of the battle
- Aegina island, 40 minutes by ferry from the port of Piraeus where you can visit the temple of Aphaia, one of the best preserved in Greece with its museum and its village
- Piraeus with its archaeological museum presenting exceptional bronzes, its maritime museum, its districts of Kastella and Mikroliman
In Crete, in the southernmost part of Greece, during this period of autumn, the temperatures are more than pleasant too, you can finally breathe after very hot summers. In October, the temperature fluctuates between 18° and 24°, and in November between 14° and 20°C. The sea temperature remains mild, with an average of 21°C. The island of Crete, stretching geographically lengthwise allows for 2 air accesses via Paris (3H45 flight time), the city of Heraklion more in the East-Center and the city of Chania for the western part of the island.
The must-sees to visit on the island of Crete :
Héraklion – East Center
- Knossos Palace, the most famous of the Minoan palaces (around 1900-1350 BC), associated with the myth of the Minotaur and its labyrinth, ideally to be combined with the museum
- Heraklion Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in Greece, it brings together Minoan masterpieces featuring frescoes, Prince of Lilies, Dolphins, Parisienne, Snake Goddesses, Phaistos Disc, jewelry
Chania – West
- Old town and its Venetian port, the most beautiful urban area on the island with its lighthouse, its Venetian and Ottoman houses, its streets in the Jewish quarter and Kastelli
- Modern Archaeological Museum of Chania opened in 2022 with a very nice collection from the west of the island
- The two monasteries of Akrotiri, Agia Triada and Gouverneto, beautiful Orthodox complexes in a wild setting
Rethymnon – West Center
- Fortezza and its old town, one of the best preserved Venetian-Ottoman centers with its narrow streets, minarets, carved gates. The Fortezza is a huge 16th-century citadel dominating the city
- Arkadi Monastery, a symbol of Cretan resistance, was besieged by the Ottomans in 1866 and the monks and civilians blew up the powder magazine rather than surrender. The Baroque Venetian church is remarkable, with a place full of emotional impact
Lassithi – East
- Zakros Palace, the easternmost of the four great Minoan palaces located at the bottom of a gorge
- Gournia, rare example of a working-class Minoan town with streets and houses visible
- Spinalonga which is a Venetian fortress that became a leper colony in the 20th century with a strong historical and human dimension
- Kritsa and its church of Panagia Kera with its Byzantine frescoes among the most beautiful in Crete