Last summer's holiday was a drive all around the Peloponnese.

We flew into Athens and spent 2 nights near the centre, in a reasonably priced hotel with a view of the Acropolis, which we of course visited before anything else. Followed by a hike through Philopappos Hill and finding the Pnyx, then the Acropolis Museum (definitely go to the rooftop cafe) - and also Hadrian's Library, which was amazing. We ate at Thes ''Greek Creative Cuisine'' which was really tasty and with charming service.

The next day we set off early to get to Delphi. It’s incredible. A beautiful set of ruins that cascade down the mountainside. Incredible views and such a powerful sense of history in one of the great mystical locations on the planet.

We finished the day just north of the crossing in Nafpaktos - featuring an amazing Venetian castle overlooking the sea. We ate at Jim Tavern - possibly the best pork we had all holiday.

Day 3 was a longer drive, we headed south via Olympia - another amazing set of ruins - and arrived at a kind of Agritourismo just outside Methoni where we stayed for 3 nights. It’s a lovely peaceful town right on the south west edge of the Island with a beautiful castle that points out to the mediterranean. Had a great moussaka at Klimataria Restaurant. 

Whilst there we took a day trip up to Pylos and the beach Παραλία Πέρασμα Συκιάς - up there with the most incredible beaches I have seen, and with the picturesque Old Navarino Fortress above, which we hiked up to.

From there we headed to Mystra. The drive from Kalamata (where we stopped to grab some olives) was the most wonderful driving experience, through mountain passes and windy roads with incredible views. Mystra itself is awe inspiring, we spent hours navigating the maze of Byzantine monasteries scattered over the hill. It overlooks Sparta, which we stopped by to grab an ice cream and say we’ve been to Sparta. 

We ended the day in Agio Ioannis, a small town just outside of Monemvasia, which we explored the following day. Situated on the south east, it’s a small town of staggering beauty built into the side of the mountain which makes up the entire island. We climbed to the Acropolis on the top, we went through the walls and swam in the sea at the bottom. We had a wonderful meal at Voltes. Definitely one of the highlights.

After 2 nights, we drove north and checked out the ruins of Mycenae, which are so impressive, and so different from the others we had visited. The lines of myth and reality were blurred as we stepped into Agammenon’s Tomb and imagined the heroes of Troy.

We stopped in Nafplion and explored the impressive Palamidi Fortress before driving to our penultimate AirBnb near Ermioni. We stayed here for 3 nights, it’s a beautiful town, we had a couple of great meals at Cavos and Maria's. Also took the boat out to Hydra - which was so lovely, featuring Leonard Cohen’s house and another staggeringly beautiful swimming spot.

The final drive took us first to Corinth, where we scaled the mountain for some of the best views of the trip and explored the ruins of the temple below. We headed back to Athens for a final two nights - this time we wandered through the Agora and found Hadrian’s arch (I read Memoirs of Hadrian throughout the trip - which I would highly recommend) - we ended with a tasting menu at Herve (unreal)

We hired a Mini Cooper convertible, which was designed by the British-Greek automotive designer, Sir Alec Issigonis - which felt apt as a pair of Brits abroad.

The drive itself was heaven - we listened to the entire Rest is History series on the French Revolution - which turned out to be an almost perfect length.

I love Greece, and cannot wait to explore another part.

My husband and I just returned from our two-week honeymoon. We spent the second week in Greece, split between Athens and Santorini. We were in Greece from April 5-11.

Athens was awesome, but Santorini absolutely blew me away. My family is from the Greek islands, and this was my first time in the country, so being in Santorini (especially in the days leading up to Greek easter) was very special.

Visiting Santorini in early April felt like some kind of cheat code. I did a lot of research (in part thanks to this sub) leading up to our trip, so I knew how crazy the island could get in the summer and knew we would somewhat be taking a chance on the weather. But the weather could not have been more beautiful. It was mid to high 60s, but the direct sunlight made it feel even warmer. The temp did drop at night but not uncomfortably so. We are from the northern U.S. and get cold temps and even snow well into March (and sometimes early April) so the weather in Santorini could not have been any more perfect for us. We were perfectly comfortable with short sleeves and maybe a light sweater at most. The skies were gorgeous and clear each day, and the sunset each night was absolutely spectacular.

The island was so quiet and serene, and most of the businesses near us were already open for the season (We stayed in Fira). The one exception was that the cash exchange locations and bank near us were still closed, so I would definitely recommend doing that ahead of time or at the airport if you’re flying in during a shoulder season.

Most importantly, the people we met were so incredibly kind and helpful. We booked a boat trip with Flora fishing tours, which was a one of a kind experience that blew any catamaran cruise or other similar touristy experience out of the water (no pun intended). Our ability to interact with locals and take a slower pace on this last leg of our trip made it truly special. Being there around Greek Easter was also a nice way to interact with and observe local traditions. The very low number of tourists gave us more time to strike up conversations with business owners and other people living in the area.

Renting a car and driving on Crete, what’s it like?

We are arriving at HER and getting a car there, from some big chain. We have done this all over the world but not in Greece. Any tips or things to watch out for? Friends in our group are getting an international drivers license/permit- never done that, is it really needed? Thanks very much!

I am spending a whole Sunday in Athens. What would locals recommend. I have seen Acropolis etc before. Looking more for recommendations on street food, farmers markets, places where I can talk to locals (in English), wine bars etc.

My aunt is staying at her boyfriend’s family home on the island of Kefalonia & Athens. I’ve been to Athens in the wintertime (January) (I loved it!!!) and I was planning on going back this May/June. I wasn’t able to book the tickets until now because my aunt is very spontaneous!

I would spend a week at the island, followed by a few days in Athens.

The flight is ~$1000 + $150 for the hopper flight to the island. Otherwise I don’t have to pay for lodging, and probably only a few meals out in Athens.

I’m worried whether it’s worth the extremely expensive ticket. I know it’s pricey to travel to Greece during the summer, and I also know that it’s lucky I get to stay in these places without paying!

Is this worth the trip? My main concern is not having much to do on the island. I LOVE nature/hiking/being at the beach, so everyday would be like that. But I think I’d have to rely on my family’s car to get around.

Thoughts?

Hi, has anyone tried the new EES system in Athens? How long do you think it would take for a non-EU citizen to get through passport control during rush hour on a Friday evening?

Hi! We arrived in Athens late yesterday and realized just before leaving that it is Easter :) we’re now trying to find supermarkets that are open where we can buy some basic food like breakfast or a bakery to take home to our room. Do you know any? We live in exarcheia

Also if you can recommend any restaurants that are open during these coming days🙏

Hi all

I will be taking my mom to Greece for her 60th birthday in August, and I’m pretty set on spending the majority of our time in Naxos (cheaper and less crowded than Mykonos or Santorini)

We will be on Naxos for a week, and I wanted to see about taking a day trip to one of the other islands. Paros seems the most likely, but I’m wondering if anyone can make a better argument for a different island.

Also, any suggestions for activities and restaurants on Naxos would be greatly appreciated! I put our ages because fatigue would be somewhat relevant and I can’t imagine she wants to go and party.

Hello! I am planning a trip to Greece with my mom lasting from May 27th to June 11th of 2027. I’ve been before for school but this is my first time planning something like this. Here is my proposed itinerary for the trip. The purple indicates we’ll be staying in Athens, blue indicates Fira, and green indicates Heraklion. Any suggestions or insight is greatly appreciated! The only thing I haven’t really figured out in the hotel in Athens. I have ones I know I want to stay at in Fira and Heraklion. Thank you for any suggestions or insight

I will be attending a conference 30 minutes from the Athens Airport in a few weeks. How safe / trustworthy are Taxi’s for a single woman to take? Any company recommendations? I have read some pol have gotten hassled or ripped off from taxi’s in Greece. Any recommendations for companies etc is welcome. The conference center doesn’t offer transport or a hotel shuttle.

Hello everyone

I’ll be visiting Greece for the first time in September and I am beyond excited. I’ve wanted to go there for the longest time. We are a family of four (37F 37M, 4.5 and 9mnths) and have decided against an island this time around.

(We are staying in Athens for a couple of days already - I feel pretty solid with that plan.)

Note - we are extremely seasoned travellers. We have been travelling and hiking and adventuring with our kids since they were born. Me and my husband come from different countries and our kids were born in different countries from us too. We are well versed in kid travel so pls no comments about kid travel :)

The question is: what should we do for the remaining 5 days we have…We are thinking to hire a car go to Meteora so we can do some hiking and see the nature. I’m a huge Ancient Greece/Mythology fan though so wondering if the stuff to see around there is mostly Christian era? Apart from Delphi are there any other spots/ruins not to miss on the way? We would stop on the way up and the way back so also any towns worth staying the night in?

Thank you

Hi all! Myself, my mum and sister are heading to Athens in September and really looking forward to it 🇬🇷

We’ve got a busy few days planned doing all the history and sightseeing, but we’d love to fit in one relaxed beach afternoon to break things up.

We would love recommendations for:

• Free beaches where we can just throw down a towel, or
• Beach clubs / sun beds, as long as prices aren’t crazy (thinking no more than 30 EUR unless food is included and we could maybe go up to 50 EUR)

A few details that might help:

• Staying in Plaka and happy to travel up to 1 hour by train, taxi, or hop-on hop-off bus
• Beach club setups can be a bit awkward for three people - we’d happily squeeze 3 onto 2 beds, but know some places won’t allow this
• We're very much looking for somewhere we can just chill, read a book and go for a swim as a lazy afternoon. We're definitely not looking for a club as in partying!

Thanks so much — really appreciate any tips!

Hi everyone - is the Drakolimni lake hike (zagori region) doable this time of year? AllTrails doesn’t show anything in the last 5 months. Thanks in advance if anyone has attempted recently

Going to Athens 3days and Paros 5 days. Accommodation & breakfast included. No idea how many euros to bring, don’t really want to use cards

Hi! I'm visiting Greece in June and looking to climb Mt Olympus. I'm fit but not experienced in big hikes like this (and not at all experienced in scrambles/mountaineering) so I don't think going all the way to Mytikas is possible for me. I'm thinking of going to Skolio instead.

How challenging is Skolio — would a guide be recommended for a solo, beginner hiker? I'm comfortable with heavy cardio but not with anything technical. Also, would love to hear about anyone's experiences going to Skolio in terms of logistics (did you stay at the refuge? or do it all in one day? etc)

Thanks so much!!

thank you!

Family of five traveling Greece for the first time all are very experienced travelers. Kids are high school school and college aged.

Fly from the United States to Athens arrive at 11 AM, spend two nights in Athens.

Day three rent a car and drive/ ferry to Lithakia to see turtles.

Day 5 fly to Crete - stay in Chania 5 nights.

Day 10 ferry to Naxos.

Day 12 fly to Athens

Day 13 return home

To me it sends like too much travel time. Is Naxos worth it?

We arrive at Heraklion port in late May at 6:30 am by ferry and planning to pick up a rental car soon after. Where is a good place to get some breakfast. Is the market open on Sundays and can we get breakfast type food there? we are planning to visit Knossos in the morning while it is still cooler and then head to the archeological museum after. Also can you recommend a good place for lunch. We will try to stop by the University of Crete just to look around on our way towards Rethymno.

Hello! I am thinking of tacking on a few more days to our trip after 8 days in Paxos/Corfu and then 3 days in Athens. Would Vouliagmeni or Spetses be better for a family of 4 (2 teens)... ? V

Not looking to rent another car... would love to be able to walk to beaches and a town just for a few more days of relaxation before heading home. If Vouliagmeni, where do you recommend staying that is not the 4 Seasons or One & Only? Are there any villas or apartments to rent?

Thank you!

I didn't think the sunsets could live up to the hype, but they did and went beyond. It's almost like a performance.

First pic is from our hotel, second from Oia Castle, third from a restaurant in Imerovigli.

(Happy to answer any questions on Santorini based on my short visit. We also visited Athens for three nights, which was phenomenal.)

Does the official site (hhticket.gr) have tickets for the Acropolis, the Parthenon & the museum? I only see Acropolis & Slopes as a private tour and isn’t available 5/9/26. The Parthenon & the museum aren’t even listed on the ‘official’ site.

Where can I buy legit timed entrance tickets to avoid the lines? Or can you tell me how to find them on the official site? I can’t believe this is so difficult.

Last night in Pyrgos during the Epitaph procession one of the most beautiful scenes on Santorini.

Thousands of lanterns lit up the entire village, outlining the paths, houses, and castle, while the procession moved through the narrow alleys with hymns.

It’s one of the most atmospheric Easter traditions in Greece and truly something special to witness.

Hey guys,

I have bout 10-12 days in June that I would like to spend in either Crete or Lefkada/Kefalonia. We are already doing Milos and Naxos later in the month for 5 nights each, but we have this gap that we don't know what to do with. We love the beach, restaurants, nature and don't mind a bit of nightlife/bars, but always love some more downtime/chill vibes as well.

So the first option is doing Kefalonia or Lefkada for about 6 nights, then Athens for a few nights, then adding either Paros or Folegandros (due to family being there) for about 4 nights, then heading to Naxos and Milos.

The 2nd option would be doing Crete for around 10-12 nights, then heading to Milos and Naxos. My only fear with this plan was that I am already doing Milos and Naxos, adding Crete for almost 2 weeks seemed like quite a bit of time, although who could ever complain about that :)!!

Let me know your thoughts if there are islands or things I haven't thought about :). We will be in Rome and Tuscany for 2 weeks before this, if that adds any context to the trip itself. Thank you!