No guide to Athens would be complete without a mention of the city’s grand dame, the Grande Bretagne, which sits on Syntagma Square like a tiered wedding cake. The building was constructed as a private home in 1842 and converted into a hotel in 1874. Since then, everyone from Queen Victoria to Elizabeth Taylor to Jackie Onassis has stopped in. Doric columns greet guests in the lobby, while the rest of the interior is adorned in sumptuous Renaissance style. Have a drink at Alexander’s Bar, where an 18th-century tapestry of Alexander the Great hangs majestically over the counter. It’s the perfect setting for a martini.
—Elena Clavarino

Elena Clavarino is a Senior Editor at AIR MAIL