Greece's physical beauty is so stunning that it traps almost everyone into spouting clichés. Kostis Palamas, the poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn, was reduced to saying of his homeland, "Here, sky is everywhere."
Of course, Palamas was right: The Greek sky, the Greek light, the Greek sea are all justly famous, but none more so than its beaches.
Photo Caption: Lindos Beach in Rhodes, Greece
Crete
A string of little inlets at the southwestern tip of Crete is lined with tamarisk-shaded sands and washed by shallow turquoise waters.
Photo Caption: Inlets of Elafonisi on Crete
Peloponnese
A trek down the Laconian Peninsula is rewarded with a short ferry crossing to a quiet isle where fragrant pine groves are ringed by miles of soft sand.
Photo Caption: The beach on Elafonisis near the Peloponnese in Greece
Naxos
These seemingly endless sands, backed by dunes, are nestled along a white sand-rimmed coast that extends for 10km (6 miles) from Naxos Town to Pyrgaki, an isolated sand spit at the southern tip of the island.
Photo Caption: Much of the coast south of Naxos Town is one long stretch of sand.
Cyclades
Turquoise coves etched from white volcanic rock are eerily beautiful and enticing.
Photo Caption: Swimming in a natural cove made by white volcanic rock in Sarakiniko, Milos, Greece
Patmos
The longest stretch of sand on the island captures the laid-back allure of Patmian life.
White sand and clean, shallow waters are as much a part of the allure as tree-shaded tavernas where a lazy lunch can last all afternoon.
Photo Caption: Kambos and other beaches are backed by pines in Patmos, Greece.
Rhodes
The island certainly has quieter beaches, but the harbor and coves at Lindos can't be beat for location.
A choice of sands, with tavernas and other amenities, are set against a backdrop of the white-washed village and hilltop acropolis.
Photo Caption: At Lindos, a beach chair comes with a view of the acropolis in Rhodes, Greece.
Skiathos
The island has sandier beaches, but none can top the sheer beauty of Lalaria, where natural arches frame the pebbly strand and the marble seabed renders the turquoise waters supernaturally translucent.
Photo Caption: Lalaria Beach on Skiathos, Greece
Lesbos
The ancient poet and teacher Sappho lived on a hillside above this golden beach that stretches for miles and may have composed her poetry while feeling these sands beneath her feet.
Photo Caption: Sunset on the beach at Skala Eressou in Lesbos, Greece
Kefalonia
Red and golden sands backed by cliffs seem to stretch for miles, interspersed here and there with spectacular rock formations.
Photo Caption: The cliffs on Xi Beach on Kefalonia, Greece
