When thinking of spending holidays in Greece, particularly Greek islands holidays, you’re flooded with images of pearly white beaches with a light blue sea and perhaps a few historical sites overlooking the beach, perhaps sitting on top of a cliff. And that’s exactly what it can be, if you set your mind to it.

Travelling to Greece is an experience on its own, and it’s one of the few places in the World where I’d say you can go without a definite plan and still enjoy yourself thoroughly. And unlike what many people’s perception of Greece is, there is really nothing you can’t do in the country. People tend to look at Greece as a country turned exclusively on its coastline and beaches and its ancient history, thus making all tourism be related to either spending time at the beach or visiting historical sites. And although this is true to an extent, but only and mostly because Greece has some of the most beautiful beaches and one of the most interesting cultural heritages in the World, it is not exclusively what Greece can offer. Just to give you a couple of examples, I have a friend visiting Greece to do volunteer work at a horse farm. Of course this isn’t everyone’s idea of a holiday, but it does go far in telling you how you can spend different holidays in Greece.

In a more holiday friendly suggestion, you can take advantage of Greece’s amazing wine and tasty cuisine and spend holidays in the country tasting the wine and trying out the local food. There are some all inclusive holidays packages for Greece that include a little bit of everything: from visits to major cultural and historical sites, like the Acropolis and the Temple of Zeus, also including visits to some of the most beautiful beaches and also including wine tasting and food sampling.

Another great suggestion for holidays in Greece is to enjoy a cruise around their beautiful islands. You may find that a cruise in a holiday or travel agent will be a little overpriced considering what is offered, either that or incredibly cheap. Be wary of both of these, as the very cheap ones are usually in big ships that can’t go near the better ports and the expensive ones can often be found in Athens at almost half price. Best thing to do is to book a hotel in Athens and book the cruise from there.

Although built in the late 13th century, the Hofburg Imperial Palace is still standing today. The President of Austria’s offices can be found there, as well as the countries international convention center. There is also the famous Spanish riding school, with it’s Lipizzan stallions. Museums are also there, open to the public for a small fee.

Next, there is the Grossglockner Alpine Road, which is one of the most visited roads on the continent. The largest glacier on the highest mountain in Austria is located at the end of this road. Over 50 million people have visited this destination since the 1930s.

The Carnutinum Archaeological Museum is a popular attraction for tourists. The city was founded during the 6th century AD and was once the most important Roman town in the Alps. Today it holds the largest collection of Roman artifacts, from arms and coins to jewelry.

Last but not least is the Eisriesenwelt Caves; with their amazing ice and rock formations, and an underground glacier and waterfall. It was discovered in the late 1870’s and attracts thousands of tourist from all over the world every year.