Places you have to see before you die are definitely a list on every person’s bucket list. All the travelers I know are major history buffs. But it doesn’t take an archaeology professor to appreciate the beauty and the grandeur of the ancients. From the giant structures built with the crudest forms of technology to the amazing stories behind every corner and within every crevice. And no place on earth has amassed such fame for its history as Greece.

Thousands of stories were told of its greatness and hundreds of games and movies tried to emulate the epic-ness of its history and mystery of its tales. Who on earth has not heard of the all mighty Zeus, or the 12 labors of Hercules?  Greece should be on every bucket list there is, and here are some of the best places to visit when you are there.

Mycenae is an archaeological site near Mikines in Greece, located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) southwest of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese.

In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centers of Greek civilization, a military stronghold which dominated much of southern Greece. The period of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean in reference to Mycenae. At its peak in 1350 BC, the citadel and lower town had a population of 30,000 and an area of 32 hectares. Walking through Mycenae will take you back to a time when things were much simpler and much more complicated at the same time. The place has a breath of magical mystery when you walk through, it is as if the old gods of  Greece still wander the halls lamenting a time that once was.

The Acropolis of Athens is one of the places you have to see before you die. it’s an ancient citadel located on an extremely rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historic significance, the most famous being the Parthenon. The word acropolis comes from the Greek words Akron – “highest point extremity” and polis – “city”.Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as “The Acropolis” without qualification.

While there is evidence that the hill was inhabited as far back as the fourth millennium BC, it was Pericles (c. 495 – 429 BC) in the fifth century BC who coordinated the construction of the site’s most important buildings including the Parthenon, the Propylaia, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.

When you think of ancient Greece this is the place you think off. Houses all over the world have pictures of this ancient city and souvenirs in the shape of its most famous building, the Parthenon.

The most dramatic of all the Greek islands, Santorini is best known for the cliff-top towns of Fira and Oia, which lie on the west coast, overlooking the deep, blue sea-filled caldera. Made up of typical Cycladic whitewashed cubic buildings, many of which have been converted into boutique hotels with infinity pools, both Fira and Oia are considered romantic destinations, popular for weddings and honeymoons. Things to do include sunbathing and swimming at the black volcanic sand beaches on the south and east coasts and visiting the archaeological site of Akrotiri, an Ancient Minoan settlement buried below lava following the volcanic eruption that created the caldera, some 3,600 years ago. The island has an airport and is served by ferries and catamarans from Athens’ port, Piraeus.