3 Unusual and Unique Destinations in Greece

Zakynthos, Greece

Greece is full of history, beautiful landscapes, beaches and cities. However, this European country also has a stranger side, as we can see in the following unique places to visit in Greece.

1. Tourlitis Lighthouse, Andros, Greece

Looking at images of this fascinating lighthouse, it makes you wonder how they managed to build it! The lighthouse is perched on a narrow spire of rock and looks like something a wizard would choose as his home.

Tourlitis Lighthouse in Andros, Greece

The Tourlitis Lighthouse stands off the coast of Andros and was first built in 1897. It turns out the stone column they chose to construct the lighthouse has been shaped by years of natural erosion. However, the original lighthouse didn’t last too long and saw its end in World War II. For a while, no one bothered to rebuild the lighthouse, but finally in the 1990s, an oil tycoon replaced the iconic building, dedicating it to his daughter.

As the lighthouse isn’t easy to reach, it eventually became the first automated lighthouse in Greece and while you can’t actually visit, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area and is definitely photogenic!

2. The Monasteries of Meteora

Staying with mind-boggling construction works, we now head to Meteora near to Thessaly in Greece. Here the Orthodox Church built a series of awe-inspiring monasteries, perched on top of several gigantic sandstone pillars. The word “Meteora” translates to “suspended rocks” or “suspended in the air,” an appropriate description of these marvels, built on top of the weather eroded sandstone rock towers.
Roussanou Monastery, Meteora, Greece
It turns out that during the Ottoman conquest in the area in 1453, Orthodox monks had to head to remote locations for safety. This made Meteora the perfect place for a little seclusion, with only a series of rope ladders to climb up. Nowadays the monasteries can be accessed via a series of steps, carved into the stone. The most popular is Great Meteora, but Roussanou, pictured above, is in an excellent position for taking great photos of the Metamorfosis Church and the Varlaam Monastery, pictured below.

Varlaam Monastery, Meteora, Greece

Climbing up to these remarkable monasteries makes for the ideal selfies from your holiday in Greece to post on social media. Your friends will think you have headed somewhere truly magical, which is, of course, true!

3. The Prehistoric Village of Akrotiri, Santorini

Akrotiri is a little older than the previous two sites, as it was built by the Minoans on the island of Santorini. What used to be a bustlng Minoan town is very well-preserved, likely due to the eruption of the volcano on which the town stood in the second millennium BC. Like Pompeii in Italy, the town was covered by volcanic matter from Thera, burying the buildings and all their contents.
Akrotiri Minoan ruins in Greece
Unlike Pompeii, however, no bodies were found, so the residents must have had enough notice to flee to safety. The only valuable item found on the site was a small gold statue, so they must have had time to collect their valuables before leaving.

The Minoan civilization lived in Crete and the surrounding islands from around 3600-1400 BC. Experts believe the town was highly sophisticated for its time, with multi-storey buildings, elaborate draining systems and even indoor toilets. This has led historians and scholars to believe Akrotiri could have served as inspiration for Plato to write of the city of Atlantis. He had written of a “great and wonderful empire” that was destroyed in one day by violent earthquakes and floods. This is easy to believe, when looking at this remarkable fresco found in Akrotiri.
Minoan fresco in Akrotiri Greece
Enjoy visiting some of the fascinating and unique sites of Greece this year. Keep watching this space for other unusual destinations in the world.

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Latest update: August 27, 2019