Greece EscapeCorfu → Athens.

Paleokastritsa is the most scenically dramatic location on Corfu — a series of turquoise coves enclosed by wooded headlands, with the 13th-century Monastery of the Theotokos perched on the highest promontory above. The monastery was founded in 1228; the monks maintain a small icon museum and a garden of extraordinary views over the Ionian. The Angelokastro Byzantine fortress on the next headland north gives the finest panoramic view on Corfu: the entire northwest coast, the Albanian mountains, and on clear days the heel of Italy. The Ionian water clarity here is exceptional for snorkelling.

Multiple daily ferries connect Corfu to Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland — the crossing takes 90 minutes. From Igoumenitsa drive or take the KTEL bus north via Ioannina to Kalambaka (2.5 hours) at the base of the Meteora rock pillars. Arrive in Kalambaka for a late dinner. Sleep early — the rocks at dawn before the tour buses, which begin arriving from 09:30, is the Meteora that most visitors never see. Aim to be on the road to the first monastery by 07:30.

Meteora (meaning "suspended in air") is a complex of 60-million-year-old sandstone rock pillars rising 300–400 metres above the Thessalian plain — an erosional landscape unique in Europe. On 24 of these pillars, Christian monks built monasteries between the 14th and 16th centuries, accessible only by rope basket or retractable ladder until the 1920s. Six monasteries remain active today. Steps cut into the rock now provide access. The UNESCO inscription covers both the natural landscape and the religious heritage. The monasteries do not all open on the same day — check the schedule at meteora-greece.com. Arrive before 09:00; the tour buses begin arriving from Kalambaka around 09:30 and the character of the site changes completely.

Delphi was the most important religious sanctuary in ancient Greece — the home of the Oracle of Apollo (the Pythia), whom every city-state, king and general consulted before any major decision for over 1,000 years (800 BC–390 AD). The ancient Greeks believed Delphi was the navel of the world (omphalos) — the point equidistant from the two eagles released by Zeus from opposite ends of the earth. The Sacred Way, the Temple of Apollo, the Theatre, the Stadium with intact starting blocks, and the Delphi Museum (containing the Charioteer of Delphi, one of the greatest surviving bronzes from antiquity) together make this the most complete archaeological experience in Greece outside Athens. Arrive at 08:00 before the tour buses from Athens.

Drop the rental car at Syntagma or Monastiraki immediately on arrival and walk from that moment on — Athens is a pedestrian city for anyone staying in the Plaka or Monastiraki neighbourhoods, with every major site within 20 minutes on foot of the Acropolis. The National Archaeological Museum (the finest collection of ancient Greek art in the world — Minoan frescoes, Mycenaean gold death masks, the Antikythera Mechanism) can absorb an entire afternoon. The Monastiraki flea market is the correct evening destination for street food and atmosphere.

The Acropolis of Athens is the most important archaeological site in Western civilisation — the sacred rock on which the Athenians built the Parthenon (447–432 BC) as the supreme expression of the democratic city-state at the height of its power. The Parthenon is a temple to Athena built from Pentelic marble with a precision that prevents optical illusions: the columns taper and lean inward; the base curves upward at the centre; every apparent straight line is actually a gentle curve. All of this so that it looks perfect. Buy the unified ticket (€20, includes 6 sites) online at etickets.tap.gr. Go at 08:00. The light on the marble at dawn, before the crowds arrive at 10:00, is when the building reveals itself.

Athens is one of the great street food cities of Europe — souvlaki (pork on a skewer with pita, tomato, onion and tzatziki, eaten standing for under €3), gyros (meat shaved from a vertical rotisserie into a pita), and spanakopita (spinach and feta in filo pastry) are everywhere and uniformly excellent. The Varvakeios Central Market (Athinas Street) is one of the great urban food markets of the Mediterranean: the fish hall (one of the finest in Europe), the meat hall, and the surrounding spice, olive and cheese shops. The Monastiraki flea market on Sunday mornings is the largest and most chaotic antique market in Greece — fascinating and slightly overwhelming.