Greece (Greek: Ελλάδα, romanized: Elláda, [eˈlaða]), officially the Hellenic Republic,[b] is a country located in Southeast Europe. Its population is approximately 10.7 million. Athens is its largest and capital city, followed by Thessaloniki. Situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, Greece is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. It shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world, featuring many islands, of which 227 are inhabited. Eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres (9,573 ft).
Language: While in touristy areas, some may speak English, The vast majority of the 10.7m population of Greece speak Greek, which is the country's official language. The other languages spoken there are Macedonian (called "Slav-Macedonian" in Greece), Albanian, spoken in the centre and the south, Turkish, spoken by Muslim communities around the Aegean, Arumanian and Bulgarian.
Currency: The Euro is the official currency of Greece. Greece joined the European Union in 1981, and adopted the euro in 2001
Pros
Affordable in comparison to most Western countries and therefore can budget an affordable trip (e.g. US, UK)
Easy to get around (subway, taxis, flights, Sea ferries)
Friendly locals who speak English in tourist areas
Many historical places to visit.
Great Food
If you live a pretty active lifestyle then you will enjoy that there is a lot to do within walking distance of touristy areas.
Safe to walk around during the day and explore
Cons
Lots of smokers everywhere
You need to be in shape because the terrain is very mountainous which means you are walking up and down a lot of hills and a ton of stairs.
Not ADA friendly. Sidewalks can be rugged with many stairs, so its not ideal for those in a wheelchair or the elderly.
Water is not safe to drink
This Greece Travel Guide will provide itineraries for 3 locations in Greece:
Athens
Santorini
Mykonos
Each itinerary will prioritize the top things to do in order of days, with the 1st day being the most important sites to see and the 3rd+ day being other options and alternative things to do if you are enjoying a longer stay.
View their Photo Gallery for more pictures: https://www.cocomatathens.com/gallery
Learn more about The Duke Boutique: https://www.thedukeboutiquesuites.com/about-us/
Hint the airport stop is on the right at the bottom
If you like to walk around and explore, I really suggest getting tickets for one of the Hop On Hop Off Buses. For 29 euro/$35 you can explore many sites for 2 days.
Ticket price: 29 euro / $35 (cheaper than taking the metro or taxi to each of these different sites)
Time: 8:30am to 7pm
Audio historical tour in 13 languages.
Hop on and hop off at any of their different stops.
Tickets last for 48 hours.
Here is the bus company that we used: City Sightseeing aka the Red Bus.
Click here to book your tickets.
Otherwise, here are some other excursions you might be interested in.
Full Day Tour of Athens Highlights
$240 - 8-9 hours - Hotel pickup and private chauffer
Full Day Cruise to the Greek Islands of Poros, Hydra, and Aegina from Athens
$125 - 11 hours
Athens Full Day Tour with Lunch
$100 - 10 hours
$105 - 10 hours
Off Road ATV Tour at Marathon Lake
$130 - 4-5 hours. - Hotel pickup and drop-off
All Day Cruise to 3 Islands: Agistri, Moni, Aegina
$150 - 10 hours plus taxi to and from the pier
Meteora Monasteries Day Trip by Train from Athens
$82 - 14 hours
Day 1 - Acropolis Day + Hop on Hop Off
Book a Ticket with the City-Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus for: 29 euro
You can book this on your phone since you can show the voucher on your birthday.
Book the red line which is the Athens line to explore the beautiful historic city of Athens
The Acropolis is one of the stops on the bus (Stop #4). So ride the bus to that stop, and then spend a couple of hours exploring the Acropolis.
Acropolis Entrance Tickets: 20 euro
Closest metro: Acropoli
Sights to see:
Parthenon
Hop back on the red City-Sightseeing bus. Ride the entire line so that you get a feel for the different sites to see. If you see something you like, hop off and explore, and then return to the bus stop to hop back on. You will receive earphones to plug into the back of the seat so that you can listen to an audio guide that gives you a historical background of each stop. Sit at the top of the double decker for the best views. You will have more time to explore the different stops tomorrow, since the tickets last 48 hours
Hop off at Kotzia square - Stop 15
Things to do around Kotzia Square: antique stores + Little Cafes + waterfall feature
Ellyz Cafe - the most beautiful pink cafe
Little Kook - a beautifully decorated restaurant
Waterfall
There are so many places to eat. But make sure you are done eating and exploring by 5:30/5:45 because there will be only 1 more bus that will do the full route again, so that you can get dropped off at a location closest to your hotel. Otherwise, you will need to take a taxi or the metro home.
Day 2: Explore more sites for Day 2 on the Hop on- Hop Off Bus - Red Line/Athens Line
Plaka Village -- old Athens. Many cafes, and old sops. Take a stroll, and grab a bite to eat. Take pictures of the cobble stone pedestrian streets. Buy Souvenirs.
Places to Eat in Plaka Village:
Cafe Melina, named after the Greek politician Melina Mercouri -- afternoon tea
Panathenaic Stadium
hosted the 1896 Olympic Games
Temple of Zeus - Stop 8
completed in the 5th century
National Gardens - Stop 9
National Archaeological Museum - Stop 11
National Library - Stop 10
Syntagma Square - Stop 1
Day 3 - Summertime only option: Beach Riviera
Everyone things that you need to go to the Greek islands to touch the water. Well, that's not fully true. Athens has some great beaches nearby.
You can either take a taxi to the locations below or you can hop in the Purple Line for the Hop on Hop Off Bus.
For a Boat Day
C Mikrolimano Harbour
Port Piraeus
For a Beach Day
Votsalakia Beach
Another Option it to find your way to one of these beautiful beaches near Athens
Beach Resorts
Varkiza Resort Yabanaki Beach
Grand Resort Lagonissi beach
Go for a day
BArs
Bolivar Beach Bar
designed liked an exotic island; coffee, eat, cocktail at sunset, romantic moonlight; lively musical entermaintment
Beaches
Eden Beach Resort in Anavyssos - crystal clear waters and sandy beaches
Guest of the resort enjoy - swimming, sunbathing, watersports, fly fshing, kayaks, watter ski, beah volleyball; baby beahc for the kids, live music in the evenings, cokctail par, food, beach huts
Schinias Beach = blue waters, water sports
Karavi - vibrant atmosphere
Galazia Akti on the coast of Schnias
beautiful beach
Moraitis Beach Cultur - sports center and beach club - in the Marathon Gulf - ater-skiing, wake-boarding, windsurfing lessons, catamaran, tubes
Day excursion to Euboea or Petalious
Astir Breach at Vouliagmeni
exclusive destination for celebrities
Sounio
beautiful, temple of Poseidon overlooks the Aegean Sea
Day 4 - Daytrip to Delphi
Delphi is the site of the oracle and hear of the classical Greek world. There you will be able to explore hilltop ruins, the amphitheater, and the Temple of Apollo.
Other Things to do if you have more time in Athens:
ATV tour of Marathon Lake
Cave of Lakes
Wine Tour
Sunset Cruise
Watersports
Shopping, Eating, Exploring
Santorini Sample Itinerary
Day 1 - Relax and Explore, Sunset Dinner - either in Oia or Fira
Day 2 (Summer only option): Rent a Catamaran to visit the Volcano + Hot springs, Red Beach, Black Beach, and White Beach
Day 3 - Relax and Explore, Sunset Dinner - either in Oia or Fira (go to whichever you didn't explore on the first day)
Day 4 - Hop around to different Wineries
Wine Cave Museum
Domaine Sigalas
Gaia Winery
Santo Winery
Venetsanos Winery
Estate Argyros
Vassaltis Vineyards
Anhydrous Winery
Extra Days: Things to do
Hike 4 hours from Fira to Oia
Akrotiri Archaelogical Site - similar to Pompei the entire city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Many parts of the city are preserved under ash of the volcanic eruption from 3500 years ago.
Amoudi Bay
Beaches
Kamari Beach - hotels, bars, restaurants, shops
Perissa Black Sand Beach
Perivolos Beach
Red Beach
White Beach
Vlychada Beach
Armeni Bay
Caldera Beach
Ancient Thera ruins
Ride the Santorini Cable Car
Lighthouse
The Castle of St. Nicholas
Skaros Rock Geoligic Formation
Zoodochos Pigi Cave
Karavolades Stairs
Blue domed churches are all over, but I thought Oia had more rooftop views of the Blue Domed churches, like you see in the postcards. (But Fira/Thera had the best caldera views.)
Three Bells of Fira Church
Castelli of Pyrgos
Panagia Theoskepasti Chapel
Church of Tlmios Stavros
Agios Georgios Church
Flights
SeaFerry
Cruise Port
Tours
Flight to ATH: $300+
Cheapest to travel in the off season: End of October to beginning of April (bring fall and winter clothes if you choose this route)
Hostels
Students and Travellers Inn - $18per night
Athens Backpackers - $19 per night
Hotels:
CocoMat Athens - ~115 euro per night
Flight ATH: $1,000+
Flights are more expensive during peak travel season (April - September). Also, since you are doing Lux travel, you will want to upgrade to business class or even first class (more comfortable experience for a long distance flight).
Hotels
Grande Bretagne
King George
Hotel
Travel Planning and Budgeting
Find a flight deal. Hopefully your dates are flexible, because that's the best way to find cheaper flight deals. My flight was around $700 but my friend found a flight deal for $300 just by changing the dates around. I use Skyscanner to search for flight deals by month and typically look for the cheapest dates in that month or the cheapest months. Then I cross reference these dates with my flight deals. Look for flights in ATH (aka Athens International Airport aka Eleftherios Venizelos). This is the largest international airport in Greece. Remeber this is the flight that will get you into