Grecia: Opt motive pentru a vizita capitala de vară a lumii  

Parafrazați și traduceți următorul conținut în limba română. Extindeți-l într-un articol complet, adăugând informații reale și relevante. Asigurați-vă că furnizați exclusiv conținutul tradus și parafrazat ca rezultat, fără alte explicații, introduceri sau formatare suplimentară. Întregul text trebuie să fie în română, scris fluent și adaptat pentru o audiență locală. The idyllic Greek island of Santorini. Credit: Dimitra Damianidi/Greek Reporter A favorite tourist destination, Greece has become known as the summer capital of the world and not without good reason. Its unique mix of natural beauty and cultural amenities have established the eastern Mediterranean country as a first-class destination for any traveler wishing to experience a feel-good and carefree vacation in a land of true hospitality. So what makes Greece irresistible to the international traveler? 1.Perfect summer weather Sarakiniko Beach on Milos Island. Crédit: dronepicr – CC BY 2.0 Greece is among the top three European destinations with the most days of sunshine per year and hours of sunshine per day, and has been found to be the warmest European country even during winter. That makes it a perfect sunny holiday destination for most of the months of the year. As you probably already know, sunlight is not only essential for the creation of vitamin D in our bodies, but it is also a known natural mood enhancer. Sunshine lifts people’s mood and even provides for an increase in energy levels since it increases the levels of serotonin in the brain, thereby guaranteeing happier times (so long as you don’t forget your sunscreen, that is!). 2. Summer in Greece is surrounded by the sea Mykonos Port. Crédit: Bernard Gagnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 Greece has been a popular destination for beach vacations since the 1950s, when some of the country’s best-known modern-day vacation hotspots started to gain international acclaim—most notably the picturesque islands of Mykonos and Santorini in the Cyclades, as well as the vast and varied island of Crete. With 2,500 islands of which approximately 227 are inhabited, Greece is the country with the largest coastline in the Mediterranean Basin, according to the CIA World Factbook. Aerial view of the crystal-clear, blue waters on a sunny summer day at Vigla Beach on the island of Naxos. Photo: En Agris LLC. CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikipedia Commons With 13,676 kilometers (8,498 miles) of coastline, you can simply never run out of options for a dive or a place to lay out your sunbathing towel. The Blue Flag eco-labels program can make choosing your swimming site a bit easier—though only a tiny bit, as there are over 500 Blue Flag-designated beaches across Greece. These should probably suffice for the average tourist’s beach vacations for an entire lifetime. 3. Unmatched cultural opportunities The majestic Odeon of Herodes Atticus, adjacent to the Acropolis of Athens, sets a captivating scene for summer night performances. Credit: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons. As the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, theater, and the Olympic Games, Greece has made unsurpassed contributions to world culture, a fact that is quite obvious even on your first visit to the country. From the Acropolis of Athens to the Pythagoreion in Samos, Greece boasts eighteen UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is amongst