Diagram by Greece Trips. Free to reuse with credit - CC BY 4.0.
The show caves
Diros, in the Mani, is the one to see if you see one. The Vlychada cave is toured by boat: you sit in a small punt and a guide poles you through flooded galleries hung with stalactites, for well over a kilometre, with the rock a few feet above your head. It is unlike any other cave visit in Europe.
Melissani, on Kefalonia, is the opposite trick. Its roof collapsed, so at midday the sun falls straight down onto an underground lake and turns the water an improbable blue. Also visited by rowing boat, and best around noon.
Drogarati, next door on Kefalonia, is a dry chamber with excellent formations and acoustics good enough that concerts are held in it.
Perama, just outside Ioannina, is one of the largest cave systems in the country open to visitors, with a long walking route through decorated chambers.
Petralona in Halkidiki near Thessaloniki is both a formation cave and a significant palaeoanthropological site, where an archaic human skull was found.
The sacred caves
Caves were temples in Greece long before buildings were.
- The Dikteon cave on the Lasithi plateau in Crete, where Zeus was said to have been born and hidden from his father. A steep walk up, then a descent into a chamber that was in use as a sanctuary from the Bronze Age.
- The Idaean cave on Mount Ida, the rival claimant to the same story, and a major Minoan and later sanctuary.
- The cave of the Apocalypse on Patmos, where John is held to have received the Revelation. It is a small chapel-cave, a UNESCO listing, and a working place of worship rather than a sight.
- Cave churches all over the country, built into overhangs, of which the Lousios gorge monasteries in Arcadia are the most dramatic.
Practical notes
- They are cold. Greek caves sit around 15 to 18C all year regardless of the August heat outside. Take a layer, which almost nobody does.
- The floors are wet. Trainers with grip, not sandals.
- Boat caves have queues. Diros and Melissani both run small boats, and midday in August is a long wait. Go early, except at Melissani where the light wants noon.
- Photography rules vary, and flash is banned in most.
- Sacred caves are places of worship. Modest dress, quiet, and no photography where it is asked for.
Last checked August 2026. Cave opening hours and boat operations are seasonal - see our editorial policy.
Common questions
What is the best cave in Greece?
Diros in the Mani, toured by boat through more than a kilometre of flooded galleries, is the most remarkable. Melissani on Kefalonia is the most photographed.
Can you go in a boat inside a Greek cave?
Yes, at Diros in the Peloponnese and at Melissani on Kefalonia, both in small guided boats.
When is the best time to visit Melissani cave?
Around midday, when the sun falls through the collapsed roof directly onto the lake and turns the water a vivid blue.
Where was Zeus born?
Greek tradition gives two Cretan caves: the Dikteon cave on the Lasithi plateau and the Idaean cave on Mount Ida. Both were major sanctuaries for millennia.
How cold are caves in Greece?
Around 15 to 18C all year, whatever the temperature outside, so take a layer even in August.
Next
Read the Mani, Kefalonia, or hiking in Greece.