Greece: Recommendations

 

ABOUT

In July 2022 I spent 12 days traveling in Athens, Santorini, Mykonos and Milos. Some people recommend skipping Athens, but if you enjoy history don’t skip it.

The best time to visit Greece is late spring (May) and early fall (Sept-Oct) to avoid intense summer heat and crowds. If we had more time on this trip I would have added:

  • Zakynthos: For Shipwreck beach and the bridge to Cameo island.

  • Paros/Naxos: These highly recommended islands are right next to each other. Paros is smaller with slightly more nightlife. Naxos is larger with better beaches and hiking.

  • Less touristy islands: Sifnos, Antiparos, Patmos and Folegandros.

ATHENS

About: Athens is the largest/capital city of Greece. Some people recommend skipping Athens, but if you like history don’t skip it!

Accommodation: Stay near the Plaka Neighborhood. It’s the oldest area of Athens, many of the streets are closed to cars and you can reach the major sightseeing spots by foot. We stayed in the Electra Palace Hotel, with a pool and continental breakfast with amazing views.

Food

Activities

  • The Acropolis Museum: Visit the museum prior to going to the Acropolis in person. It’s air conditioned/less crowded so you can learn about ancient Greece, the Acropolis and the Parthenon before going IRL.

  • The Acropolis: The ancient citadel situated above Athens, with preserved ancient architecture including the Parthenon. Skip the guided tour (just teach yourself about it at the museum before going).

  • Royal Gardens: Giant gardens free to the public. They were designed in 1939, and are a great place to lounge in the shade.

  • Syntagma Square/Parliament Building: Also known as the Hellenic Parliament. Stop by and see the monument in front called “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier” guarded by the Greek Army. They hold a changing of the guards every hour.

  • The Panathenaic Stadium: The home of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, built entirely out of marble.

  • Walk through the neighborhoods surrounding the Acropolis: Filloppapou, Ano Petralona, Thiseio.

SAntorini

About: Santorini (Thira) is one of the most visited Greek Islands, known for white/blue architecture perched on steep cliff-sides. It was formed by a volcanic explosion 3,600 years ago. You can get to Santorini by ferry or plane from Athens, we flew to save time.

Accommodation: Oia (the most picturesque town) is extremely small and full of tourists so be prepared for crowds. We stayed in Oia at Alexander Suites for the views. For a more upscale option we looked into Katikies Chromata. The two other towns, Fira and Imerovigli, are both cute/similar and seemed slightly less busy.

Food

  • Ambrosia fancy but delicious (€60 min per person).

  • Pitogyro for fast casual gyros.

  • Sunset Taverna for seafood on the water in Amoudi Bay. You can walk down from Oia, ~278 steps to reach the bay in about 15 mins.

  • Other restaurants we didn't get to but wanted to included Lycabettus Restaurant (fancy) Red Bicycle (traditional and highly recommended) and1800-Floga.

Activities

  • Shared Catamaran Cruise to see the island/beaches. We did the Sunset Oia Diamond Cruise.

  • See the 3 blue domes GPS: 36.461245, 25.375832.

  • Oia Castle for sunset (also called Byzantine Castle Ruins) on the West end of Oia, cool but insane crowds.

  • Fira-Oia Hiking path. This was my favorite activity because it allowed us to see the whole island on foot. You can hike from Oia to Fira or Fira to Oia. There is a public bus that runs every 30-mins from one end to the other for about €2. We took the bus from Oia to Fira’s city center then hiked back. The path hugs the water/city edge so you have amazing views the whole way. It's easy to find and it's on AllTrails. It ended up being around 7 miles total.

Milos

About: Milos was my favorite stop in Greece. It has the most dramatic landscape, pristine beaches, traditional fishing villages, incredible food and is not yet full of tourists. Make reservations if you can, or be prepared to wait a long time. Renting a car is a must for driving to all the towns/beaches. You can easily ferry or fly to Milos, we ferried from Mykonos.

Accommodation: There are various towns to choose from in Milos.

  • Adamas Port: This is the biggest town, closest to the airport and where the ferry drops off.

  • Plaka: Cute with good food options and best for sunset.

  • Pollonia: On the water and considered the "food capital" of Milos with great seafood.

  • We stayed at a more budget friendly option, Asterias Boutique Hotel situated between Plaka and Pollonia with access to it’s own little beach. We also considered Hotel Milos Sea Resort for a more upscale option.

Food

  • O! Hammos! Tavern. Best meal, their meat dishes are amazing. We had the piglet and it was one of my fave meat dishes I've ever had.

  • Akrotiri Seafood Obsession: Fancier.

  • Yialos: Great seafood, less pricey than Akrotiri.

  • Enalion: Must get the sea bream tartar (maybe even multiple).

  • Kivotos ton Gefson for desserts. Greek classics are Baklava, Orange Pie and Watermelon Pie. 

  • In Plaka: To Diporto, Archontoula

  • Drinks: Kostantakis Winery & Residence is right outside Pollonia and great for wine tasting flights and small bites.

Activities

  • Again would highly suggest a catamaran cruise. We did this half day morning cruise, but would have liked even more time. It's a great way to see many of the beaches/caves that are only accessible by boat.

  • Hike to Plaka Castle (also called Venetian Castle of Milos) ruins for sunset in Plaka.

  • Visit traditional fishing villages: Klima, Firapotomos and Mandrakia. You can walk around the villages, swim in some spots and have lunch in Klima at Astakas or in Mandrakia at Medousa restaurant.

  • Beaches:

    • Sarankino beach is known for its white volcanic stone (looks like the moon) but it’s very crowded.

    • Fyriplaka Beach has amazing water and cool rocks (there is a beach club portion then an open portion then a nude portion).

    • Tsigrado beach is a red sand beach but requires a ladder to reach. Not easy to get to.

    • Kleftiko Caves best if accessed by boat but such fun snorkeling through all the caves.

  • If you have time take the local ferry from Pollonia across the bay to the island of Kimolos, it's a traditional Greek island that feels frozen in time.

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