I spent every summer in Greece as a kid. Here are 7 places to visit that aren’t Santorini, Mykonos, or Athens.

• My parents are both Greek, and they took me back to Greece every summer to learn about my roots.
• Thessaloniki is a mainland city with incredible food, beautiful history, and plenty of nightlife. 
• Islands like Corfu and Rhodes will give you amazing beaches without as many tourists.

As a kid, I spent nearly every summer with my family in Greece.

My parents immigrated to California from Greece in the 1980s, but they made sure I grew up learning about our family’s roots. We spent almost every summer of my childhood in Greece, where beach days were filled with that perfect turquoise Aegean Sea and big fresh bowls of horiatiki.  

Friends now frequently ask me for advice on their Greece trips, but the only places they ever want to visit are Mykonos, Santorini, and Athens. My answer to them is always the same: You can experience so much of Greece’s incredible food, culture, and beaches without setting foot in its packed tourist destinations.