Greece, Destinations & Attractions: Best in the world for 2025
Ελλάδα, Προορισμοί & Αξιοθέατα στην κορυφή του κόσμου!
Greece as Destination
During the 2024–2025 awards season, Greece earned a series of prestigious international distinctions, reaffirming its position as one of the world’s most beloved destinations – whether for travelers, future visitors, or those considering relocation.
1. We have already shared with our friends that Greek cuisine has claimed the top spot in the 2024-25 Taste Atlas “100 Best Cuisines in the World” Awards, scoring an impressive 4.6 out of 5, surpassing culinary giants like Italy, Mexico, and Spain, This recognition marks a major milestone for Greece, which now elevates even more its global reputation as a gastronomic destination. Greek cuisine stands out as the best in the world, thanks to its exceptional ingredients, and delicious Greek dishes with very high ratings in Taste Atlas.
2. When it comes to the overall quality of holidays, tourists are very satisfied with their holiday experience in Greece! According to INSETE study, Greece maintained in Q2 (April to June) a strong overall rating of 91/100, outperforming the European benchmark of 88. Overall, experience categories performed consistently well, with Food & Beverage leading (92), followed by Sea (91) and Culture (91). Positive gastronomy narratives on social media focused on olive oil tastings, vegetarian dishes and traditional desserts.
3. In the prestigious World Travel Awards 2024-25, Greece was voted as the Europe’s Best Destination – for 3rd time, after the victories in 2021 and 2006. In the same competition, Athens was voted as World’s Cultural City Destination and Europe’s City Break Destination (for the second time after its 2018 victory).
4. No wonder Greece shone as the most hospitable country in the world in the awards of Germany’s largest online travel magazine, TRAVELBOOK (with over 5.5 million monthly visitors)
5. Among other distinctions, Greece took the top spot as World’s Best Travel Destination for 2025 at Finland’s Grand Travel Awards and was also named as Europe’s Best Country for Holidays in the Telegraph Travel Awards 2025 (UK), winning Italy for the very first time. As the British newspaper puts it “Greece’s victory in this award ends Italy’s 25-year reign at the top. And it is well deserved, for there is little at which the country does not excel”. Greece was also voted as the Most Beautiful Country in the World in the latest Architectural Digest rankings.
6. The country is also ranked 10th in the list of places where wealthy Americans would prefer to live in the Independent reports, by migration agent Millionaire Migrant.
7. Last, but not least, Greece swept the top spots in several categories in the latest (2024-25) edition of the annual U.S. News & World Report :
– No.1 as Most Beautiful & Scenic Country (in the World)
– No.1 with the Most Pleasant Climate
– No.1 with the Richest Heritage – shaping world history
– No.2 in Richest History (behind only to Egypt),- No.3 in Adventure
– No.4 in Great Food
– No.4 in Good for Tourism
– No.6 in “Most Fun Countries” and in the “Sexiest Countries” category!
Islands, Beaches & Attractions
The Greek (Aegean) Archipelago is world-renowned for its endless beaches, crystal-clear waters, and island-hopping opportunities. It comes as no surprise that many of Greece’s magical destinations have once again been voted among the very best in the world, for either their natural or cultural resources.
1. Crete and its beaches lead global rankings : in the Tripadvisor 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards, Elafonissi Beach in Crete was voted the Best Beach in the World. “With pink (yes, pink) sands and turquoise waters, Elafonissi Beach is just one of those places you have to see to believe”. In the same category, Myrtos Beach in Kefalonia (Ionian Islands) also secured a place among the world’s top-10 beaches. At destination level, Crete itself ranked 9th among the Best of the Best Destinations in the World (8th Best Destination overall during Tripadvisor’s 25th-anniversary celebrations).
2. Paros crowned the World’s Best Island: another jewel of the Aegean Sea, the Cycladic island of Paros, was named the Best Island in the World in the prestigious Travel + Leisure’s 2025 World’s Best Awards. Readers highlighted Paros for its authentic cuisine, charming harbor town of Naoussa, and excellent shopping, calling it “picture-perfect.” Two other Greek islands also made the global top ten: Crete (No. 6) and Milos (No. 7), further confirming Greece’s dominance among the world’s most desirable island destinations.
3. Greece tops Europe’s most beautiful beaches list: in the European Best Destinations (EBD) 2025 ranking of “The 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in Europe”, Greece once again led the way, securing two places in the top-10: the No. 1 spot went to Port Glarokavos Lagoon Beach in Halkidiki, Northern Greece, one of the most stunning and tranquil escapes in the Mediterranean. Also featured was Assos Beach in Kefalonia (Ionian Islands), ranking 8th, a destination equally praised for its scenic beauty and excellent local cuisine.
4. Global recognition for cultural and natural treasures: Greece also shone in TIME Magazine’s “World’s Greatest Places of 2025”, which highlights destinations offering “fresh and exciting experiences.” Among the top-11 equal European winners was the Royal Palace of Aigai (Vergina, Northern Greece), the first royal capital of the Macedonians, an UNESCO World Heritage site that continues to fascinate visitors with its historical significance and museum experience.
5. Looking ahead to the forthcoming 2025 World Travel Awards, two Greek destinations are already shortlisted among the 8 European nominees for Europe’s Leading Beach Destination:
Corfu Island (a previous winner in 2018), and Costa Navarino, in Messinia, Peloponnese, both representing Greece’s blend of natural beauty and sustainable luxury.
European Organic Gastronomy
No review of Greece’s achievements would be complete without mentioning Peskesi, the celebrated restaurant in Heraklion, Crete, which won the European Commission’s 4th Organic Awards as Best Organic Restaurant/Food Caterer in Europe (2025).
Peskesi operates its own organic farm and collaborates with 98% local producers, embracing a “Farm to Table” and “Table to Farm” philosophy since 2014 – a true model of sustainable, regenerative gastronomy. Celebrated internationally, the restaurant revives Cretan gastronomy through sustainable farming, zero-waste practices, and cultural initiatives that preserve traditional recipes, native varieties, and local identity.
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ | GREEK SUMMARY
Κατά τη διάρκεια της περιόδου 2024–2025, η Ελλάδα κατέκτησε πλήθος διεθνών βραβείων και διακρίσεων, επιβεβαιώνοντας τη θέση της ως ένας από τους πιο αγαπητούς και ποιοτικούς προορισμούς παγκοσμίως.
Οπως έχουμε ήδη γράψει σε σχετικό παλιότερο αφιέρωμα, η Eλληνική Κουζίνα αναδείχθηκε Νο1 στον κόσμο στα βραβεία Taste Atlas 2024–25, ξεπερνώντας χώρες όπως η Ιταλία και η Ισπανία, ενώ η ικανοποίηση των επισκεπτών από τις διακοπές τους στην Ελλάδα έφτασε το 91/100, αρκετά πάνω από τον ευρωπαϊκό μέσο όρο (88).
Στα World Travel Awards 2024–25, η Ελλάδα βραβεύτηκε ως Καλύτερος Προορισμός στην Ευρώπη(για τρίτη φορά) και η Αθήνα ως Καλύτερη Πολιτιστική Πόλη στον Κοσμο και Ευρωπαϊκός City Break Προορισμός.
Με περισσότερες από 30 συνολικές διακρίσεις σε παγκόσμιο και ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο (προορισμοί και επιχειρήσεις), η Ελλάδα αναδεικνύεται σε ηγέτιδα δύναμη παγκόσμιας φιλοξενίας.
Τα ελληνικά νησιά και οι παραλίες βρέθηκαν επίσης στην κορυφή:
– Το Ελαφονήσι στην Κρήτη αναδείχθηκε Καλύτερη Παραλία στον Κόσμο (Tripadvisor 2025), με τον Μύρτο (Κεφαλλονιά) στην 10η θέση.
– Η Πάρος ψηφίστηκε Καλύτερο Νησί στον Κόσμο (Travel + Leisure 2025).
– Η Ελλάδα κατέκτησε την 1η θέση στην Ευρώπη για τις πιο όμορφες παραλίες (EBD 2025), με τον Γλαρόκαβο (στην Χαλκιδική) και τον Άσσο (Κεφαλλονιά) στην 8η θέση.
– Το Ανάκτορο των Αιγών (Βεργίνα) επιλέχθηκε από το TIME Magazine στα World’s Greatest Places 2025.
Τέλος, στην βιολογική γαστρονομία, το εστιατόριο Peskesi στο Ηράκλειο Κρήτης απέσπασε το Βραβείο Καλύτερου Οργανικού Εστιατορίου στην Ευρώπη (2025) από την Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή, αποτελώντας πρότυπο βιώσιμης και αναγεννητικής γαστρονομίας.