Greece has been on everyone’s list and holiday albums lately, so it might feel a bit done to death. But economic downturn notwithstanding, the Balkan nation has plenty to offer beyond the usual ancient history, Ottoman influences and amazing beaches (though all those are great, too). And with an affordable new way to get there, there’s never been a better excuse to book your trip to Greece. Here are four reasons to do it now.

Singapore’s budget carrier Scoot announced last month that it was going to start flying direct to Europe in June 2017, with Athens as the first destination, the longest direct flight by a low-cost carrier. There will be our flights departing from Singapore weekly, on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, on the 787 Dreamliners. You can book the ticket in advance now at www.flyscoot.com/th starting from as cheap as SG$288 (B7,362).

 

Athens gets a bit of a bad rap, especially since the economic downturn. It’s understandable—many streets are lined with boarded up businesses and graffiti-festooned walls, and the homelessness, poverty and unemployment are hard to miss. And with a population of just three million (compared to, say, the 10.5 million of Paris), it can feel a bit provincial. But still, it’s easy to feel enchanted by one of the world’s oldest cities. There is a lot to see and do in the Greek capital, with its incredible light, hilly roads and charming lowrise apartment buildings.

 

You have to see the Acropolis, of course, which lives up to expectations. Turn a corner while walking around in central neighborhoods like Monastiraki and Syntagma, and there it is, all lit up and glorious in the twilight. It’s equally rewarding up close, despite the throngs of tourists and the baking heat in the afternoon. Entry is 20 euros per adult, and though opening hours keep changing depending on the season and the government funding situation, go either first thing in the morning to avoid the worst of the crowds, or an hour before closing, to enjoy the softer light.

 

 

Save some time, energy and another 5 euros for the Acropolis Museum (www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en), a gorgeous building housing artefacts from the Acropolis and Parthenon, and with some pretty dramatic views of the ruins, too. Surrounding the Acropolis hill is the trendy Plaka neighborhood, bursting with souvenir shops and sidewalk restaurants. The touristy-ness of it all can be a bit off-putting, except the streets and buildings are just so pretty, and there are some cute shops worth browsing, such as Forget Me Not (www.forgetmenotathens.gr), a multi-label boutique carrying a curated selection of accessories, stationery, affordable art and apparel by hip Greek designers.

 

Food options can feel a bit same-y in Athens, with sidewalk cafes selling souvlaki, Greek salads, dips and house wine everywhere you turn, but there are plenty of gems to discover if you do your research. We loved the cozy Kiki de Grece (www.fb.com/kikidegrece), a mostly alfresco wine bar tucked away in a narrow alley in Plaka, with a fascinating list of all-Greek bottles from all over the country and simple light bites.

 

 

 

 

For the most memorable aperitif of your trip, bear the crowds and the mediocre food and head up to the bar at A for Athens (aforathens.com), a non-descript boutique hotel just off busy Monastiraki square. The tight, crowded rooftop space (make a reservation) has a dramatic, panoramic view of the Acropolis, nothing less than magical with a cocktail in hand.

 

 

Obviously, you’re going to visit all the famous islands like Mykonos, Santorini and Crete. The Cyclades islands are synonymous with glorious beaches and those charming warrens of whitewashed buildings with blue shutters and dramatic sunsets. But there is a lot more to explore, too. Sign up for a day trip to the island of Delos, a UNESCO World Heritage site located an hour’s ferry ride from Mykonos. (Most island ports will have a couple companies offering the tour. We paid 55 euros round-trip from Paros, which included an afternoon on Mykonos.) The 5km-wide island is the mythical birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and was an ancient center for religion and commerce during the Hellenic era, pre-Roman Empire. There are no hotels or restaurants on the island, just a museum and a coffee shop. But you can walk for hours among the falling-down temples, amphitheaters and old residential villages, with the deep-blue Aegean Sea as backdrop.

 

 

Your Instagram following will eat their hearts out with jealousy when you skip the islands and head north to Epirus, home to the Zagori region and the Zagorohoria, a collection of some 48 old villages dotting the mountains of the region, largely unknown to non-European visitors.

 

 

Many of the villages now house cute guesthouses, which make excellent jumping off points to trailheads, rafting excursions, rock-climbing sessions with plenty of mountain views and relaxation in between. We stayed in Anemi (anemi-zagori.gr) a boutique, seven-room guesthouse in the village of Kato Pedina, run by an Athenian couple, with enormous traditional breakfasts, rustic, color-splashed rooms—and great water pressure.

 

 

 

Hikers shouldn’t miss the chance to hike Vikos Gorge, the second-biggest gorge in the world after the Grand Canyon. We signed up for a guided tour with the well-informed and mild-mannered Georgia Kanellopoulou of Geo Zagori (geozagori.gr), who is an expert on the geology of the gorge.

 

The hike takes six to eight hours, depending on your speed and length of rest stops, beginning with a long, tricky descent into the riverbed, followed by a few hours of beautiful trekking through the gorge, before finally climbing out at the other end (make sure you arrange to have your guest house or your tour operator pick you up). It’s somewhere between 130-150 euros for a group of up to four people, and in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that difficult. We didn’t train for it, and were only sore for a day after.

 

There are harder hikes, too—one up to Dragon Lake, which involves a sleepover—and easier ones—a half-day tour of the old bridges of the Zagorohoria.

 

To get to Zagori, fly up to the regional capital of Ioannina, a charming college town with an old fortress and plenty of Ottoman and WWII history, rent a car and make the 50-minute drive. You can also drive west from Greece’s second city, Thessaloniki. Bear in mind that Greeks drive on the right side of the road, and the winding, twolane mountain roads will make inexperienced drivers a bit nervous. It’s worth the freedom your own car affords you, though. The Acropolis

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Essentials

If you can’t wait for Scoot’s cut-price deals (see left), there are plenty of full-service airlines flying between Bangkok and Athens, albeit not directly. We checked rates for October and Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com) offers the best deal with a stop in Istanbul start ing from B30,066, while Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com) is B37,410 with a stop at Doha, and Etihad Airways (www.etihad.com) is B38,435 with a stop at Abu Dhabi.

Thais need a visa to visit Greece. Download an application form at goo.gl/h240U9. The visa is B2,160.

1 Euro = B38

If cocktails are more your thing, then don’t miss The Clumsies (www.theclumsies.gr) a pleasant 15-minute walk away from Kiki de Grece and #22 on the 2015 World’s Best Bars list. An old cavernous building with dim light, peeling plaster, lots of plants and strong cocktails, it’s highly Instagrammable.