The CNN showcased Greece as a top holiday destination for alternative tourism with everything from bagpipes, snail hunting to quirky graffiti tours available for travelers searching for something different to the run-of-the-mill activities.

CNN’s list includes something for everyone…

The Alternative

Alternative Athens (+30 6948 405 242; tours from $60 per person) was started by Tina Kyriakis after she was laid off from a multinational corporation in 2010 as a result of the economic crisis. She now looks back and says that this was the best thing that happened to her as it led her to start a tour company that offers more than the “standard, very stereotypical, all ‘ancient Athens'” type of tours. Her quirky walking tours include a trek through graffiti Athens or a guided walk through “enchanted forests” and even pairs visitors with Athenian gourmets that host four-course supper clubs in their apartments.

The Geology

Fed up with the big city, Antonis Mallis left a lucrative job in insurance and returned to his roots on the isle of Milos, an island that has been largely overlooked by tour operators, low-cost airlines and visitors alike. He turned this disadvantage to an advantage by creating a boutique travel agency known as Travel Me to Milos (+30 22870 41008; packages from $40 per person per day) in 2011. Mallis recognized that Milos had a lot to offer travelers: ancient thermal baths, underwater caves, an old pirate lair, third-century catacombs decorated with Christian murals. He also realized that nobody was making these assets accessible to tourists. His specialty is archaeology and geological tours that highlight some of the island’s incredible scenery. Recently, he introduced cooking lessons.

The Farming

Frangiksos Karelas converted his family farm into an agro-tourism venture, known as Eumelia (Laconia; +30 21303 69814; see website for tours and prices), that includes a range of holistic activities, including yoga retreats, mountain biking, olive picking and wine making.

The Organic

An organic farm on the southwest coat of Corfu, Bioporos lies between the only cedar forest in the Mediterranean and a Blue Flag beach. It offers visitors food from an organic restaurant on the site and also allows visitors to participate in farming activities and learn traditional methods of cooking (the premises doesn’t use electricity) or detox with the help of magnetic therapy.

The Manor

Kinsterna Hotel (Elafonisos: +30 27320 66300; rooms from $241) is housed in a 13th-century manor that’s surrounded by 18 acres of olive groves, vinehards and citrus trees. This slice of paradise opened its doors in 2010 and allows guests to harvest the estate’s olives and grapes (with their feet), try their hand at soap making, basket weaving or fishing, or can simply tour some of the nearby scenery, including the Jurassic era Kastania Cave.

The Snails

Crete isn’t famous for its dancing and hospitality alone. It’s also known for it’s snales. Avli Hotel (Crete; +30 28310 58250/26213; from $241 for two nights, two people) allows guests to romp thorugh mountains and gather slugs to eat for their lunch or dinner.

The Wine

The locals at Ikaria are known for their longevity. Ask them their secret and they’ll say its in the wine. The Ikarian Winery (Ikaria; +30 22750 31151; six day courses from $400 per person) is willing to share the secret with guests from around the world with six-day food and wine seminars.

The Mountains

Guests pay to play beekeeper at a local honeybee farm and take part in gastronomy workshops at Milia Mountain Retreat (Crete; +30 28210 46774; cooking workshops from $127), an eco-lodge on the isle of Crete.

The Medieval

From the historic tours presented by guides dressed as knights of Saint John at the Old Town in Rhodes taking visitors around UNESCO’s World Heritage site. The tour dredges some of the island’s more sinister history, including how Sultan Suleiman the Great used fallen bodies from his own army to cross the moat during the 1522 Siege of Rhodes.

The Experience

The exclusive resort Lindian Village (Rhodes; +30 22440 35900; rooms from $213; Medieval Mystery Tour $203 per person) provides a number of tours that indoctrinate travelers to what it means to live as a Greek. Mariza Sviriadis, the hotel’s managing director, says the idea for the “Experience Greece” tours came to her during the six-year economic crisis when the hotel decided to offer extra activities to tourists. The concept is to show guests that there is “more to Greece than feta cheese.” Excursions including fishing expeditions on a traditional wooden caique boat, beauty treatments with traditional Greek products and wine tastings from small local vineyards.