You may have heard of Corinth. You may in fact remember it from your history books if your memory is good. But Corinth today is very different from its counterpart back in ancient times.

Ancient Corinth is sadly no longer there to be seen. An earthquake struck it and reduced it to rubble many years ago. This was the main reason why the new settlement as we know it today was created. The earthquake struck during the mid 1800s and while the city was rebuilt it was then known as New Corinth. The old one had disappeared forever.

In a sense then, visiting Corinth provides you with a wonderful opportunity to see both old and new. You will be able to see the ruins of certain major landmarks of the old city, before moving on to see the new settlement that was built close by. The ancient ruins contain what is left of the Temple of Apollo. Many of the pillars of the structure are actually still standing, some with the cross pieces sitting atop them. Sadly though, most of the structure is gone, as it was reduced to rubble which still lies beneath the sturdier columns today.

Most people would say it is worth seeing the modern Corinth too, but the ancient version definitely has more to offer in the way of dynamic surroundings. Perhaps the new version has not yet had enough time to really bed down and settle in, although a century and a half is a long time. However compared with the length of time that Ancient Corinth was standing, you can see how young the new settlement really is.

While you are in Corinth you should look out for the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth. There is plenty here to teach you more about the region and how it used to be. Everything you would hope to find from ancient times is in the museum, making it well worth a visit. It will help you to understand how different Ancient Corinth was from the place you would visit today.

Whenever you think about visiting Greece you have one main decision to make before you do anything else. Will you visit the mainland and explore all that it has to offer, or will you opt for one or more of the islands instead?

Typically many people head for the likes of Crete, Rhodes and other beauties sitting out in the Aegean Sea. But the mainland has its own character and slew of places that are worth visiting. If you have the luxury of a two week break to look forward to, you may want to consider spending a week of it on an island and the other week in mainland Greece. This would mean you can successfully enjoy the best of both worlds.

Of course there is Athens to look forward to; indeed if you are flying out to one of the smaller islands you may find you have to fly to Athens before catching another flight out again. This would give you the perfect opportunity to explore this most famous of cities. Thessaloniki is another city you may be familiar with on the mainland; Larissa is another location worth looking at.

Most people are familiar with the bigger islands in Greece, but wherever you go you have to consider whether the mainland or the islands would prove to give you a better holiday. Obviously if you are going to visit a city you are not going to see too much in the way of beaches or the sea. This could give you something to think about and it might persuade you to limit a mainland trip to just a couple of days, before heading out to an island to indulge in the best of the beaches.

The point is that you should give careful consideration to the idea of where you want to go and what kind of holiday you want to have – before you book anything. The idea of a two centre holiday in Greece and its islands may not have occurred to you before, but it could be just the ticket if you are looking for this summer.

When you decide to have a holiday in Greece, you have two main choices. You can either go for the mainland or choose one of the delightful islands that are dotted around it.

One of these is Lesvos, and it has plenty to recommend it – not least the city of Mytilini. This is one of the main locations on the island and anyone flying there for a holiday will land at Mytilini Airport. Also known as Mytilene, it is worth spending a day or so in the area before you head off to other parts of Lesvos to enjoy your holiday there.

For starters Mytilene is an ancient location, a city pre-dating modern times by some considerable margin. The city has been the main capital of the island ever since the seventh century, so you can see it has a depth of history that is quite prevalent in Greece. Methymna was the other location that fought in a head to head battle – metaphorically speaking – with Mytilene to become known as the main city on the island. But clearly the latter won, and is still an important location there today.

One thing that is very noticeable in Mytilene is the number of students there. It is a popular area today and it is hard sometimes to look back and see just how long Mytilene’s history actually is. Even Aristotle lived in the area for a short while around the year 337BC, so you can see that it has an association with famous names from history as well.

Other names including Sappho, the famous poet, are also associated with the city, but perhaps the most important and fascinating thing of all is how it has developed throughout time. Given enough time to explore the city in more detail, you can learn a lot about how Mytilene has changed over time. It still remains as the capital of Lesvos though, and it welcomes many tourists to the island throughout the year. With the airport very close to the main city itself, you can get a bird’s eye view of it as you come in to land in Lesvos.

Greece is composed of two parts – the mainland and the islands. One of these islands is probably unknown to you, but plenty of others have already discovered it, much to their delight.

We’re talking about Delos, an island that isn’t too far away from Mykonos – the island made famous by “Shirley Valentine”. As with much of Greece and its islands, Delos has been inhabited for a very long time. We can trace its history back to the 3rd Millennium BC, thanks to the discovery of stone huts on the island.

Delos itself is actually uninhabited but you can catch a boat to the island from Mykonos and it is well worth the trip. The island is known for its archaeological past. Not only are the stone huts on the island but you will also find temples and many other structures worth looking at. Some have called Delos a huge open air museum and there is really no better description of the island than this.

It is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as such you cannot stay here overnight. A night spent on the island would no doubt make you feel as if you were living in ancient times, but in fact this is impossible to do. The island is cleared of those visiting it at the end of the day, encouraging you to explore the lively possibilities of the Mykonos nightlife scene instead.

The Sanctuary of Apollo is one of the biggest sights on the island of Delos. Apollo, the Greek God, was apparently born here according to the myth, so it is reasonable that you would see links to the god on the island. But there is more to see as well so make sure you go with decent walking shoes and plenty of provisions. You will want to make the most of the day you spend there before catching a boat back to Mykonos again.

Delos may not receive the attention it deserves purely because you cannot stay on this uninhabited island. But as you can see it is well worth a closer look.

If you think of a site in Greece that has lots to show you, Athens is probably going to be one of the first places that come to mind. However it isn’t just about ancient ruins and so on; there are other places to see here as well.

Take the Parnitha National Park for example. You will find this in Athens although at present it is a shadow of its former self. This is due to the fact that a fire raged through the park in 2007, and consequently the area is still trying to recover.

The area itself is actually situated on a mountain, and the area is also protected to try and assist various forms of wildlife to flourish in the area. The park will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2011, and although it will not be back to how it looked before the fire, it will still be better than it was in 2007.

One of the best reasons for visiting the park is to take advantage of the hiking trails there. If you want a different kind of Greek holiday this is the very kind you might appreciate. Strap on your walking boots and see for yourself how the landscape is fighting back after the fire. It may not be as lush as it was beforehand, but it still looks quite amazing and also gives you the same spectacular views as it always has.

Be respectful of the Parnitha National Park as well; there are countless different animals and birds here and you can never tell when you might come across them. Remember that you are venturing into their territory and even though the fire may have reduced the dynamic scenery somewhat, you are still getting the chance to walk through an amazing park.

Parnitha may not be the first place you will hear about when you talk to people about Athens and what there is to go and see there. But don’t be fooled – it is well worth a visit, especially if you want to see a different side to Athens.

When a world location is named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site you know there will be plenty there to explore. This can be said of Delphi because it has earned that status quite easily indeed.

Most people have heard of Delphi but many tourists make a beeline for the Acropolis instead. This is definitely worth seeing of course but Delphi should not be ignored by anyone visiting mainland Greece. You will see ruins here that date back to ancient Greek times and this is the main attraction worth seeing.

One of the main sights is the theatre and amazingly enough this dates back to the 4th century. It is quite an experience to stand and appreciate the ruins at Delphi; you can imagine what happened here all those centuries ago and marvel at what still remains from those times. Even though these are largely ruins and not complete structures, there is still a lot to see and explore here. This is why so many people make the effort to visit Delphi to see into Greece’s past.

Unusually the site was eventually taken over by a village called Kastri. It was not until an earthquake damaged the village beyond repair that it was moved elsewhere and excavations began on the ancient site of Delphi. Although it must have been difficult for villagers at the time, we can thank them for relocating because it led to the ancient site being rediscovered.

While you are in Delphi to explore the major sights and remains, make sure you don’t miss out on a visit to the Archaeological Museum as well. Here you can learn more about Delphi and see some of the discoveries that were unearthed when ancient Delphi was found once more. It is the perfect companion to a day at the site, and it will reveal more about the site and its history.

But simply any visit to mainland Greece would be incomplete if you didn’t make the effort to explore Delphi for yourself. You will discover another side of Greece that not all holidaymakers get to see.

Suspended in the air – this is the literal translation of the location of Meteora in Greece, which is perhaps one of the most stunning locations you could ever hope to visit in the country.

And let’s be honest, Greece is certainly packed out with various different delights and sights to see while you are there. The area is home to a number of monasteries and when you consider the Meteora can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, you’ll see just how important it is.

But how can we describe this amazing area? Well, perhaps the easiest way to do so would be to describe each monastery as standing atop a rock peak. These peaks were created over the centuries as the natural process of erosion took place. They almost look like a series of fingers pointing up into the air, with several of them playing host to a monastery as well.

Needless to say the area is something of a Mecca for those who love to hike and to walk. The views from atop the peaks are sensational, and it provides more than just something to do on a day out. Reaching the monasteries at the top is an experience in itself. Make sure you are prepared for this journey.

Hermits used to live in the area, choosing it because of the difficulty that anyone else had in reaching the peaks themselves. No doubt they also enjoyed the views and the air of contemplation that can overtake the most hardened of people.

The peaks have outlived many people too – in fact they are some sixty million years old all told. And who is to say they will not still be there in another sixty million years?

As you might expect from an area that has such stunning views, Meteora tends to be on the busy side the further into the day you go. It’s well worth planning ahead and getting up early while you are on holiday so you can get there nice and early. This is especially true if you want to see the monasteries themselves.