Family Holidays in Greece

One of the busiest, noisiest cities in Europe, Athens is not recommended for a relaxing family holiday. But it’s home to the Acropolis and pretty thrilling for older kids. Have the best of both worlds and do as the locals do: enjoy the bustle of Athens before escaping to the nearby Peloponnese Peninsula. This is the land of Helen of Troy and Hercules, home to ancient Olympia and the place to find big, sunny bays and blue seas to go with the classical myths.

• For beautiful beaches, Venetian and Byzantine influences, sea fortresses, stunning mountains and Olympia itself, head to the Messenia region in the south.
• The seaside city of Kalamata is good for four- and five-star family resort hotels and just under two hours’ drive from Athens.

Rhodes is an almost perfect Greek island for a family holiday. The medieval old town at the heart of the waterfront city charms everyone, but if kids are more interested in beaches than history, Rhodes has all that, too. And it’s almost as far south as Crete, so warm and sunny well into October.

• The island’s east coast is famous for golden sands, shallow seas and a wide range of all-inclusive hotels with everything from watersports to kids’ clubs and spas.

The largest of the Greek islands, Crete has the oldest archaeological sites, the longest and sunniest summers and some of the best rock-climbing, walking and hiking in Europe. It’s also the island for waterparks, lively cities, mysterious caves to explore, ruins to ramble around and wild, wonderful countryside packed with everything from ravines to magnificent forests – plenty of beaches, too.

• A good island for family resorts – more like small villages than hotels – pretty guesthouses in smaller mountain towns and characterful self-catering by the sea.

The greenest of all islands, Corfu is called the Garden of Greece, and lives up to its name by producing some of the finest olives in the world – the wildflowers are fairly spectacular, too. And there’s even more colour in World Heritage Corfu old town, famous for its painted buildings and elegant mish-mash of Italian, French and Colonial architecture.

• Choose five-star beach hotels with activity programmes for kids, or go a little more authentic and rent a traditional farmhouse in the lush countryside – you’re never far from the sea in Corfu.

For Blue Flag beaches and a strong resemblance to the Algarve, try the Halkidiki Peninsula. It lies just south of enormous Thessaloniki city, and makes up for not being an island by being so easy to reach – direct flights from the UK and no ferries.

• Kassandra, to the west, is a popular family area, with a wide selection of all-inclusive hotels, great watersports and kids’ entertainment.