Greece
Sugar-cube houses cascade to a bay below an acropolis older in worship than the Parthenon.
Sugar-cube houses cascade down the headland to the bay, and above them the acropolis crowns the summit — columns and propylon framed against blue sky on a sanctuary ground older than the Parthenon. Donkeys carry visitors up the stone path, past a trireme carved into the rock at the citadel's foot.
The climb rewards an early start or late visit, when heat and crowds are easier to manage. Below, roof terraces, shaded courtyards and the lanes of Lindos create a substantial village experience. St Paul’s Bay and the main beach extend the visit, but animals should never be treated as the default answer to the steep ascent.
Couple
An early acropolis climb, a shaded lunch and late-afternoon water below the village.
Family
Older children who can manage heat and steps will find archaeology, lanes and beach time in one place.
Rooftop dining beneath the acropolis, grilled octopus and cold Rhodian wine as the bay darkens.
Local orange-blossom honey drizzled over thick yoghurt in a courtyard shaded by bougainvillea.

Broome
Australia
130-million-year-old dinosaur footprints revealed at low tide on a beach where camels walk at sunset.

Kızkalesi
Turkey
Twin medieval castles face each other across a turquoise strait, one on land, one on water.

Saadiyat Island
United Arab Emirates
Hawksbill turtles nest on protected dunes a boardwalk away from the Louvre's rain of light.

Mackinac Island
United States
No cars since 1898, only horses, bicycles and the smell of fresh fudge.

Pelion
Greece
The centaurs' mythic homeland — chestnut forests and stone villages sliding from peak to shore.

Chania Old Town
Greece
A Venetian harbour glowing at dusk where lighthouse and minaret share the skyline in tangerine light.

Corfu Old Town
Greece
Venetian alleyways hung with laundry open onto a cricket pitch — Greece's most Italian island.

Milia
Greece
An abandoned Cretan hamlet rebuilt from stone into an off-grid eco-settlement deep in chestnut forest.