Top Places to Travel In Greece: A Roundup Of Reader Suggestions

Guys. We’re going on an adventure!

If you follow along on Instagram, you may have seen that Doug and I are heading to Greece at the end of May. We are so excited, and immediately upon booking our trip, started to research all the top places to travel in Greece.

Before I dive into those suggestions, I little background on our adventure.

One of the things we both love most is traveling, and we swore that no matter what, we’d make it a priority in our lives and marriage. We said we’d do a big, ideally international, trip every year – just us two – because we wanted to have that time to connect and adventure. (Ohhh how young and naive we were about parenthood. Ha!) But then we blinked, and all of a sudden YEARS went by. Sure, we’ve been on weekend getaways here or there, or on family trips (all of which which we’re so grateful for), but nothing with just the two of us.

This year we’re celebrating our 5 year wedding anniversary, and we decided to put our foot down and commit.

We pulled out our list of places we want to visit (That gets added to weekly, ha!), and booked it. Just us two. A big adventure. Celebrating 5 years of being married. Feels right. Feels good. Mostly….it feels EXCITING!

Greece, Here We Come!

After buying our plane tickets in and out of Athens, we looked at each other and said, “Uh…Now what?!” Ha! After you pick a destination the real work begins. All of the questions, too! What Greek islands are the best ones to go to? How long should we stay at each island? How do we get to and from each island? Where should we stay on each island? What should we pack? The list goes on.

We were actually fairly overwhelmed with the options, because the more research we did, the more we found that basically EVERY place in Greece is a must see. Since we only have 10 days, we had to narrow it down somehow. But how?!

…Thank goodness for all of you! I asked for suggestions, and wow, you guys delivered. Huge thanks for all the comments, direct messages, and emails. So many amazing recommendations on the top places to travel in Greece that we appreciate! They all helped us to plan the best possible trip for us.

I thought I’d put together a post with all of the reader suggestions we received, rounded up in one place! If you’re looking for all the top places to travel in Greece as well as things to do while there, this post is for you. I always find word of mouth recommendations to be the most accurate and this is such a great way to compile them from all of you. If anyone else is curious about what the “best of the best” travel recommendations are for Greece, this is an amazing post to bookmark.

Be sure to scroll all the way down for the low down on where we’re landed on going while in Greece!

One note prior to you diving into the below, is that a resource we’ve found HUGELY helpful has been Santorini Dave, which is an award-winning travel site. (For good reason!) All his recos are separate from the below, but I did want to note this because that site has been an amazing resource for us, specifically to answer logistics questions.

I hope all this information is as helpful for you as it was for us!

A Round Up Of The Top Places To Travel In Greece

Athens

• Multiple people told us you only need a day or two in Athens.
• Likely where you’ll be flying in and out of if traveling to Greece.
• Visiting the Acropolis, Plaka, and Parthenon are a must.
  • It was recommended to do the The Akropolis Museum first, and watch the video on the third floor before you walk around that level. It explains all the different sculptures, and everything makes more sense after you see the video.
• It was noted that the Agora is very cool, especially for history buffs.
• Benaki Museum is a “must” and it was noted it also has the loveliest rooftop cafe.
• Besides Plaka, other great neighborhoods in Athens are Kolonaki and Monastiraki. Psirri was noted to be great for clubbing, if you’re into that. Monstiraki was noted as an area that’s a bit sketcky but worth visiting if you’re near the ruins as it’s essentially a flea market with all sorts of street vendors, bars and restaurants.
• Go to Taverna Klimataria and get the moussaka, watermelon and whatever wine they recommend.
• Climb up to the top of Mount Lycabettus – the views of Athens are amazing.
• The National Gardens is worth taking a stroll through.
• The Parliament building is in Syntagma Square, and the changing of the guard on Sunday mornings is supposed to be cool.
• The rooftop bars/restaurants at the King George and the Grand Bretagne (in Syntagma Square) have great views of the Acropolis at night. Go up for a sunset dinner. They’re both fancy and a cocktail will cost you ~17 euro, but the views are great.
• Recommended hotel: Melia Athens, which has a rooftop pool & bar with nice view of acropolis.
• Out of Athens, here are a few great trips:
  • Nafplio, which is a coastal town that’s on the Peloponnese. (More below)
  • Mycenae, which is one of the most important archaeological sites of Greece.
  • Sounion runes. Down the hill on backside of runes is a nudist beach, if you’re feeling adventurous. If not, bring suits with you and go to other side of cliff for a beautiful beach and restaurant.
• In Athens, watch out for pick-pocketers.

Nafplio

• A coastal town that’s on the Peloponnese and just a two hour road trip from Athens.
• Described as “Stunning. Full of old world architecture and amazing food.” It also separately has been described as one of the most romantic cities in Greece.
• An easy day trip from Athens.
• Surrounded by great beaches.
• Visit the Palamidi Castle, which offers up an amazing view of the city, and Syntagma Square, which is surrounded by historic buildings and sites.
• At sunset take a stroll around the “Arvanitia Promenade”, the most popular walk in town.

Corfu

• Beautiful beaches and clear blue water. The biggest recommendation for Corfu was to find a beach and lounge! It was recommended to rent a boat and cruise.
• Spend time in Corfu Town.
• Pink Palace is a hostel that was recommended if you’re traveling on a budget.
• MarBella Corfu was a hotel recommended if you want to splurge.

Crete

• A beautiful island and you can fly into one end (Rethimno) and rent a car to drive west towards Chania. Lots of gorgeous mountain towns, beaches, and great food/activities in the cities.
• Chania was the most mentioned of all the Crete suggestions. It’s where many people recommended to stay and spend a lot of time.
  • Old Town Chania has some great spots for dinner and is great to walk around and explore, night or day.
  • The Venetian Harbor is nice – but the restaurants right along the harbor are very touristy and should be avoided.
  • Oinoa Café was arguably the best meal a reader had in Greece. Their grilled mushrooms were delicious and didn’t even taste like the mushrooms we’re used to. Eat Greek salad with every meal.
  • To Maridaki is good too, more of an Italian influence and more of a local spot a little bit out of the heart of the old town area
• Go see Elafonisi Beach, known for pink sands, and go early in the day.
  • One reader got there around 9:30am and it was perfect timing. Tour buses with literally thousands of people descend on the beach around 11am.
  • It’s a huge beach, walk around and decide where you want to post up.
• Balos Beach is stunning.
  • It’s a 7km drive on a very narrow dirt road along a cliff, so not for the faint of heart. You then have to hike .2km through a dirt path and down a mountainside to get to the beach. The views on the walk down are incredible.
  • There are also regular boat tours that go here and eliminate the scary drive – but if you do a boat, you should still climb up the mountainside (it’s all stairs) to see the views looking down. Reader wore flip flops and was fine. Make sure you have water to drink for the climb up the stairs.
• It’s highly recommended to rent a car while in Crete! The island is massive and logistically hard to get around if you’re relying on busses and organized tours. Be prepared for windy mountain roads.
• Hike the Samaria Gorge. It’s a long hike, but it’s downhill and it ends at the most gorgeous beach (you have to take a boat out of it).
• Imbros Gorge was a ~2 hour hike and not physically challenging. This reader didn’t see Samaria Gorge which is longer and more challenging, but heard that Imbros is just as pretty and much easier/more accessible.
  • Reader parked car at a taverna in Imbros (called Kalinorisma) and there are taxis at the end of the hike to bring you back up into town for 10 euro per couple. Ate lunch at the taverna where they parked and the food was decent. Bring snacks and water for the hike.
• Palace of Knossos is definitely worth seeing.
• Explore the wine region near Heraklion

Paros

• Paros was noted to be one reader’s favorite island, even above Santorini! It’s not as well known, and I’ve seen it described as “The place to go for authentic Greek culture. What Mykonos used to be 30 years ago.”
• Only a few hours by ferry from Athens.
• Voted “Best Island In Europe To Visit” in 2018. Also noted as Greece’s best kept secret.
• Highly recommend to do water-based activities here. Sea Kayaking was recommended — specifically a day trip like through this service.
• Rent a moped or 4-wheeler and explore the island. Lots of off-the-beaten-path trails with fantastic views.
• Spend a day at Kolombithres beach.
• Recommended Hotel: Hotel Senia, which was noted for its excellent location, two pools, amazing views, and private balconies.
• Spend time in Naousa, which is a traditional fishing village that’s considered to have one of the most beautiful ports in Greece, and Parikia, which is the capital.
• Hike along Byzantine Road, which is an ancient footpath that connects the villages of Lefkes (a small medieval town which also is highly recommended to see) and Prodromos.
• This post by “Goats On The Road” was very helpful for us as we looked further into Paros!

Santorini

• Continually recommended as THE “must see” island. It was noted to go here last on your trip to really savor the views and because it feels like a literal piece of heaven.
• Stunning views, famous all-white towns with blue roofing, great for experiencing authentic Greek culture.
• Walk around the cliffs but be careful! It was noted that you don’t truly know a fear of heights until you walk the cliffs of Santorini.
• There are many villages that are charming and great to visit. Here are some notes about each:
  • Oia is the most popular spot on the island for the sunset because it has an unobstructed view of the horizon. Everywhere you turn looks like a postcard. If you’re not staying in Oia, start there and work your way down. Oia will allegedly get very very crowded after 3pm as everyone tries to hunker down and find a great spot to watch the sunset.
    • Vitrin Café Creperie in Oia has great views and is nice for breakfast. It’s small but you can sit outside and look down at the caldera
  • Imerovigli is in the middle of the island, so not super touristy. Rumor has it that this is where the stars stay.
    • Posidonia in Imerovigli – we stopped here for lunch based on TripAdvisor reviews. Good food, nothing out of the ordinary but it’s a solid place to go.
  • Firostefani is another village that is cute to see and walk around, but it’s not necessary to spend a lot of time here.
    • Remvi in Firostefani has an amazing porcini mushroom pasta dish.
  • Santo is another great spot to watch sunsets.
  • Fira is where all the cruise ships drop off, and because of this, it’s the most touristy. Go there if you want to do some souvenir shopping, but otherwise it’s just super crowded with people and business owners heckling you to come inside. Fira has the most nightlife on the island.
    • Koukoumavlos is a great restaurant in Fira, just south of the main touristy strip. It’s got a nice balcony and great food. Make a reservation if you want to eat outside.
• Things To Do:
  • Rent a car or a four-wheeler for at least one full day and drive the island to explore the villages.
  • Pick any of the unique beaches. Black, red and white beaches made by volcanic eruptions. Kamari is one of the black beaches that was recommended and was noted for being very cool. (Bring water shoes.)
  • Multiple people recommended doing a catamaran tour. It’s a fun way to see the island from a different perspective. Spiridakos was noted for booking this – super relaxing and they make you a yummy lunch onboard. Day and night cruises available. This catamaran tour was also highly recommended!
  • This wine tasting tour was recommended! Described as, “Light on the wine, big on the island exploration (5%/95%).” Best part is watching the sunset at a winery on the southern tip of the island.
• Restaurant Recommendations:
  • For all Santorini restaurants, if you want an outside table for sunset, make a reservation. Same day is usually fine.
  • Venetsanos is a nice winery with good wines and great views of the caldera.
  • Santo Winery has absolutely incredible views of the sunset. It’s not right on the water, but it’s quite high on the island so you can actually see the sun dip into the water versus the horizon being blocked by the other islands. The wine there is okay. You go there for the views more so than the wine.  Make a reservation in advance for an outdoor table at sunset.
• Where To Stay
  • Georgi’s Apartments were recommended to stay if you’re on a budget! A cute Air B&B. A little white village 5 minute walk to Oia. It was noted that the owner came out and met this reader with his donkey to carry luggage. He and his wife also left a basket with homemade food outside their door each morning. Straight out of a “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” dream!
  • Santorini Camping and Youth Hostel – A great hostel. Bunk bed rooms, pool and pool sidebar. Nothing fancy but the ppl who ran it were amazing and i met so many cool people staying there.
  • Alma Libre Suites – It was noted not to let the photos on this listing fool you. It’s lovely.
  • Theodora Suites came highly recommended! Stunning views. Fair warning, it’s pricy.
  • It was also noted to check out Air B&B. There are some cool cave houses worth checking out.

Mykonos

• A “Party” island. Many people noted is a “Must do”, but others noted that it has evolved into more of a club scene/full of tourists, and they wouldn’t choose Mykonos over other islands.
• If you’re into clubbing, go Thursday – Saturday nights. If you’re into more of a laid back vibe, visit Sunday – Thursday.
• Known for its stunning beaches. Paradise and Super Paradise are THE party beaches.
• Esperides Apartments in Plati Yalos. Reader had a decent size studio apartment with comfy king bed, a big balcony and walking distance to beach and beach restaurant. Owner even picked her up from the ferry to help.
• Downtown is a fun place to get a little dressed up and have an amazing dinner. So many options. Also, lots of gay bars if you are feelin it.
• Cavo Paradiso is a wild club/venue. Take the bus from downtown and GO! It’s literally set inside a cave on the cliff of the ocean, with a pool inside, and DJs play until sunrise.

Honorable Mentions (Recommended but not with a ton of specifics. Worth looking into for sure!)

• Milos
  • Famous for its beaches. Recommendations included Sarakiniko beach (Full of white rocks), Firiplaka, and Provatas beaches.
  • Be sure to visit Klima, which is a village with colored houses carved with the rock.
• Naxos
  • Described as low key and laid back
• The Dodecanese Islands
  • Rhodes and Kos are the most popular islands of the group, while Karpathos and Patmos are also gradually developing.

Big thanks to EVERYONE who helped to compile this round up of top places to travel in Greece! We received lots of amazing recommendations, but a special shout out to readers Mo, Tyler/Andrea, and Taylor for their emails that were amazingly helpful, and Haley On The Daily + Hot Pink Style for their long list of suggestions.

Our “Loose” Itinerary For Greece

Alright guys. After lots and lots of research on the top places to travel in Greece, both on our own and diving into all the suggestions sent along, we have a loose itinerary for our trip.

One of the best pieces of advice I received about traveling to Greece was to pick two islands and really enjoy them, as opposed to trying to do too much. With that in mind, here’s our plan for our 10 day trip at the end of May! We’re still finalizing everything we’re doing at each location, but you can bet we’re going to lean heavily into the suggestions above.

• DAY 1: Travel day
• DAY 2: Land early morning in Athens. Spend the day sight seeing. Stay the night in Athens.
• DAYS 3 – 6: Ferry from Athens to Paros. Spend time in Paros.
• DAYS 6 – 9: Ferry from Paros to Santorini. Spend time in Santorini.
• DAY 10: Early morning flight from Santorini to Athens. Rent car. Road trip to Nafplio to spend the day there. Drive back. Stay the night in Athens.
• DAY 11: Depart early morning from Athens. Travel day to get back home.

You can count on us to do a full trip recap after our trip! As always, be sure to follow along on Instagram for real time updates.

Of course, I’d love to hear any additional suggestions below! What are your recommendations for the top places to travel in Greece? Any favorite islands and things to do? Leave your suggestions in the comments below so that myself and all other readers can take note!

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