Among European nations, Greece and Italy are the ones most famed for ruins of ancient civilizations, but it is Greece that is regarded as more historically significant. Greek ruins are far older in many cases and reflect the very beginnings of Western thought and culture. They also reflect myths and stories still studied until this day, such as the Iliad and Odyssey of Homer.
Greece can divided into two rough zones consisting of the mainland and islands in the Aegean Sea. More than 16 million tourists make their way to Greece every year, with holiday homes in Greece a popular option because they let visitors become more fully acquainted with the country than would an impersonal hotel room.
Athens, located on the mainland, is one of the most important tourist destinations in Greece. Sites such as the Parthenon, an ancient temple located on the Acropolis, draw visitors interested in history and artwork alike. Though parts of the Parthenon sculptures can be seen in the British Museum in London, the scope of the whole building can only be appreciated by visiting Greece in person. Tourists who climb up to the Parthenon site join a host of famous personages who have done the same thing since antiquity, for Athens has been a tourist destination for not just decades but for centuries.
The Greek islands number in the thousands with the most popular ones for tourists including Corfu, Rhodes, and Crete.