Places Mike Walker Wants to Go

A Christian pilgrimage site that may have also been a temple for the Greek goddess of love.

Nestled in the hills of Crete, a local artist has created a wonderland of stone and terracotta sculptures.

A stunning little chapel built on a rock in the Mediterranean Sea on the Greek island of Leros.

This church was constructed on the site where St. Philip the Apostle preached to the ancient Athenians.

The top of the holy mountain for the ancient Spartans looks like a pyramid—is it man-made or a natural phenomenon?

An important example of architectural history slowly decays in the city center.

This sixth-century church housed an icon with eyes so beautiful legend has it they inspired the name of a Greek city.

This lesser-visited World Heritage site in Athens boasts an impressive ensemble of medieval gold mosaics.

This quaint farm in the Peloponnese countryside hides an astonishing cache of antique curiosities.

An islet filled with wooden houses where the open sea meets a lagoon.

A series of waterfalls create the illusion of perpetual rainfall in this hidden gorge.

An intricate network of underground tombs carved into volcanic rock.

This century-old, family-run bakery specializes in loukoumades, a Greek doughnut once served to ancient Olympians.

There are many Byzantine-era churches still standing in Athens, but this is the only one with a 2,500-year-old column rising through its roof.

Since 1969, this restaurant has served up dishes typical of Istanbul's Greek diaspora.

Tear apart fatty, gently charred lamb chops with your bare hands.

This "volcanic all-day restaurant" is right on the beach.

The Lobotesis family has been baking some of the best savory pies in Athens since 1910.

A dark, narrow tunnel that leads to a charming lake and waterfall.

This ancient statue of Dionysus lies unfinished and abandoned in one of Greece's oldest quarries.

The rocky remains of an ancient Greek forest.

Temple complex that once housed the famous statue of Nike.

This town named for the ancient God of War is home to fewer than a thousand people, but it's the birthplace of the Greek Revolution.

The ghost town where the villagers refuse to leave.