After spending a month in Turkey, we bought one way flights from Istanbul to Athens. We planned to spend around 2 weeks in Greece, but ended up staying a whole MONTH…whoooops! Needless to say, we LOVED Greece, and came up with lots of helpful travel tips for this Greece travel blog! There’s something about strolling through the white and gray stone paths of the Cycladic island towns while searching for the best gyros that just sucks you in.

In general, Greece is a very touristy destination. But – if you make an effort to get out of the crowded areas of Santorini and Mykonos, you can still find a more authentic side of Greek life!

General Info Before Going to Greece

Language – Greek. While you likely won’t need to know any Greek before you go. But, I always recommend learning a few phrases because it really does mean a lot when you just show that you tried. At this point I can say “thank you” in over a dozen languages, and Greek is easily the HARDEST. Here’s a few I’d recommend learning, at the very least practice saying thank you!

• Thank You: efharisto
  • A trick is to think about saying “ef-Harry’s-toe”
• Hello: yeia sou (yah soo)
• Good Morning: kalimera (kah-lee-meh-rah)
• Please/You’re Weclome: parakalo (para-kah-loh)
• Yes: nai (neh)
• No: oxi (oh-khee)

Currency – Greece is a member of the European Union, so they’re on the Euro. At the time of writing this post, 1 USD was was equal to 1.01 euro, but you can check the current conversion rates here.

Things to Pack: you should absolutely bring a snorkel & mask, travel fins, waterproof phone case, sunglasses, travel towels, but check out my Amazon Storefront for some of my must-haves for a trip to Greece!

Greece Travel Blog: PRO-TIP

When you’re reading a getting recommendations, reading a Greece travel blog, or just googling things, don’t be surprised when things are spelled differently. Since Greek isn’t in the Latin alphabet, there’s not really a “right” or “wrong” way to translate it to a Latin alphabet, aka there’s multiple ways to spell the same word. For example, the town Chalki in Naxos can also be spelled Chalkio, Halki, Xalki. A pro Greece travel tip is if you look up something and it’s not exactly what you expected, you’re probably just seeing a difference spelling!

Get Connected

Because a Greece travel blog wouldn’t be complete without letting ya know how to stay connected back home: I always recommend getting a local SIM card when going to any international destination. It’s the best way to get connected to the local cell networks, for the lowest price. For example, if we were to use our US network to connect internationally, it would be $10 PER DAY each! Based on my research for which SIM cards to get to travel Greece, we decided to go with Vodafone. We paid 35 euros for 30 days of data in Greece.

PS: if you travel to Greece as a couple, family, or with friends, unless you really need to all be connected, I’d recommend just getting one SIM card to save money. For us, I get one and then Austin just uses his phone on wifi since we’re quite literally ALWAYS together.

Getting Around

Getting Around Athens

In Athens, the easiest way to get from the airport to the city is via the train. You can buy tickets directly in the airport at the metro kiosk desk, then head straight down to the train. The metro to the city is 10 euros a person and the train takes around 45 minutes. To spend a few days in Athens you’ll want to take the Blue Line (Metro 3) from Athens International Airport to Syntagma Square. If you’re heading to the port (Piraeus) to take a ferry to the islands, you’ll take the Blue Line to Monastiraki, then switch to the Green Line to Piraeus.

You can also take a taxi from the airport in Athens, just plan to spend around 50-60 euros depending on the time of day. Once you’re in Athens, Uber is affordable and readily available. We took lots of Ubers and had no issues!

Walk! Most of Athens is really safe, but if you turn down a street and feel uncomfortable, turn around and call an Uber. Treat Athens like any other big city. Be aware of your surroundings, don’t walk alone at night, and keep your belongings close. We walked a LOT (like 22,000 steps a day a lot) in Athens, and never felt unsafe.

Getting from Island to Island

The easiest and most fun way to get from island to island in the Cycladic islands is to take the ferry! The app is SUPER easy to use, it’s called FerryHopper. You can pick the dates you’re traveling, which island you’re going from/to and buy your tickets all on the app. Most of the time you can just use the app for your ticket, but just be careful because there was ONE time we had to pick up the paper tickets in person at the ticket office on the island.

For the ferries, there’s usually a high speed option and then a “slow” option. We’ve done both, and if you’re willing to pay the extra money for the high speed ferry I highly recommend. The slower ferries aren’t bad, they’re just not as comfortable and they can take foreverrrrrr. Either way, I’d recommending bringing a few snacks with you since the ones on board are pretty expensive, and Dramamine in case it’s an especially windy day on the water.

Getting Around in the Islands

The most fun of all my Greece travel blog tips is that when you’re visiting the Greek islands – rent mopeds! It’s easily the best way to bop around and experience everything the islands have to offer. Not to mention, it’s just really freaking fun. Here’s a things you need to know before renting scooters in Greece:

• You will likely need an International Drivers License. In the US you can get one from AAA for $20 (or free if you have a AAA membership). When you go for your appointment, bring 2 copies of a printed passport photo (you can get these at most CVS or Walgreens locations), cash to pay the $20, and your valid drivers license. There’s no down time waiting for your International Drivers License to come in, you’ll walk out with it in hand! (If you read a Greece travel blog that says you can do it online, I’m pretty sure the online ones are technically illegal, so I’d definitely recommend doing it in person.)
• To rent anything over 50cc you will need a valid motorcycle license from your home country.
• If you’re not comfortable renting a moped, I’d recommend ATVs. They’re just as fun as mopeds, but a little more expensive.
• Most scooter rentals should cost you around 30 euros a day, give or take a little depending on the time of year/which island you’re on etc. ATVs can be around 50 euros a day

• I try to always pay for them in cash if possible just to avoid any unexpected charges on my card after dropping off the moped. I’ve never had any charges like this on my card, I’m just overly cautious.
• If possible, try to pick places that don’t require you to leave your physical passport. I always keep a few printed color copies of our passports in my suitcase and I try to use these when possible since I REALLY don’t like being separated from my passport. We’ve had to leave it once or twice when we didn’t have a lot of options and it was fine, I just don’t prefer it.
• Parking is MUCH easier with a moped or ATV than with a car. The roads are narrow in the islands and the parking can be sparse. It’s must easier to find a small spot for your scooter than trying to safely park your car somewhere.
• We always share a moped and I just ride on the back, it’s cheaper and easier that way for us.
• ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET

Foods You Have to Try in Greece

Just because this is a Greece travel blog, I won’t lie. Before we went to Greece I didn’t really think I actually liked Greek food. And oh my, how wrong I was. I just hadn’t had the right type of Greek food, or I’d just had the Americanized version of it (i.e. – did you know Greek salad doesn’t actually have any lettuce in it?!?!?!). Hands down one of the best things to do in Greece is EAT:

• Gyros – did you even go to Greece if you didn’t eat your body weight in gryos?? I’m vegetarian so I ate lotssss of veggie gyros, the BEST ones have grilled halloumi in them (brb drooling just thinking about them). Also I had no clue that true Greek gyros have French fries in them! This was a very welcome surprise for me.
• Greek salads – but like, a REAL Greek salad. It should be large chunks of tomatoes, red onions, peppers, cucumbers, olives (I pick them out because I actually hate olives), and an ungodly large chunk of feta cheese. That’s it! The dressing is a simple oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar splash on top. We became so addicted to these we still make at least 1 Greek salad at home every week.
• Loukoumades – basically Greek donuts, these fried dough balls with drizzled honey on top are heavenly
• Spanakopita – these flakey spinach cheese pies were approximately 50% of my diet in Greece. I had one every morning, always in search of one that tasted as good at the first one I had while visiting Meteora on our first day in Greece (spoiler alert, none lived up, but you best believe I tried them all in the name of research)
• Bougatsa – to me, it’s like spanakopita but swap out the spinach and cheese for sweet custard and powdered sugar. These became my “treat” to myself on the mornings I needed a little pick-me-up. I didn’t see these mentioned on any Greece travel blog posts I read, what a shame!! People are missing out

• Freddo Espresso/Freddo Cappuccino – the only place I’ve ever had a true cold espresso is Greece and they do it SO WELL. I order mine as a double with light sugar and enjoy every sip of the frothy goodness
• Traditional Greek coffee – this will be very controversial to any Greeks reading this: but this is just Turkish coffee. Typically served in an espresso cup with the ultra fine grounds left at the bottom of the cup. In the rest of the world it’s called Turkish coffee, in greece it’s called Greek coffee. This largely is because Turkey and Greece shared a LOT of the same food culture because at one point they were all ruled by the Ottomans. There’s a deep and complicated history between Turkey and Greece. Basically don’t call Turkish coffee “Turkish coffee” in Greece, and don’t call Greek yogurt “Greek yogurt” in Turkey unless you want a lecture.
• Souvlaki – if you’re a meat lover, there’s no doubt you’ll be devouring lots of souvlaki during your time in Greece. It’s essentially just a skewer of grilled meat but people love them!
• Ouzo – the famous local liquor of Greece, ouzo, is an anise-flavored aperitif that I can’t say I enjoy but it’s worth a try! Very similar to raki if you’ve ever tried that in Turkey or the Balkans.

PS: One of my other favorite food destinations is Oaxaca, Mexico. If it isn’t already on your bucket list, add it now!

Ultimate Itinerary For Greece

Okay now lets get to the real meat (or should I say veggies since I’m a vegetarian?) of this Greece travel blog…the itinerary!! In general, I’d say you need a minimum of 10 days, ideally at least 2 weeks to just begin to scratch the surface on everything Greece has to offer. In my opinion, this itinerary should include some of Greece’s incredible history, culture, and of course, picturesque island exploring.

There are SO many Greek islands to pick from. We visited 6 in our month in Greece and I still have at least 6 more on my list for next time! The itinerary I’ve outlined below is just a suggestion of islands, but at the end I’ll still include some information on islands you could do instead/in addition to the ones listed below.

ATHENS – 2 Days

I feel like Athens gets a really bad reputation on a lot of Greece travel blog posts for being dirty and not worth the time or money, but I disagree! We stayed in 4 different areas in Athens, and what I will say is that your experience depends a LOT on where you stay. There were a few areas we stayed that were NOT nice, NOT clean, and we saw some questionable things happening. But if you stay in the right area, it’s clean, safe, and super cute!

Where to Stay in Athens

I’d recommend first time travelers to Athens only stay in the Psyrri area (Psirri, it can be spelled multiple ways). It’s central to everything you will likely want to see, super clean and full of cute cafes! We stayed at Raise Boutique Rooms and it was a perfect location, had great wifi and strong A/C (a must in Athens in the summer). There are a lot of cute boutique hotels and guesthouses in this area, so just look around Psyrri Square.

We also stayed at Safe Stay Athens on our first night in Greece. I wouldn’t really recommend the private rooms since they’re across the street and the wifi was really weak, but if you’re looking for dorm style accommodations it would be a great option! They also have a really stunning rooftop bar with views of the Acropolis, and a full kitchen where you could make your own food.

Athens Must Sees

• Visit the Acropolis – if you only do one thing on this Greece travel blog in Athens, the Acropolis should be it. While it’s not the best of the best Greek ruins I’ve ever seen (Ephesus in Turkey is more impressive in my opinion), it’s for sure worth the time and money to go! Try to go super early in the morning as it gets really busy and really hot later in the day Highly recommend spending the extra money on a guide if you can swing it.
• National Archaeological Museum directly across from the Acropolis – 12 €, we opted to skip this since we aren’t big museum people but some people love it!
• Temple Hephaestus – one of the best preserved Greek temples, we missed this and its definitely on our list for next time!
• Free Walking Tour: starts at Hadrian’s Arch, takes 2.5-3 hours, I’d plan to tip at least $10/person
• Hike Parnitha National Park, around an hour from Athens
  • Short Trek: hike from Bafi Refuge Church of Avia Triada, around 40 minutes
  • Long Trek: hike 12-miles from Avlona to Agia Marina
• Stroll through Anafiotika – a small village above Plaka. It was designed and lived in by the architects who built much of the Cyclades so walking around the narrow paths makes it feels like you’re in the islands while only being a short walk from the hustle & bustle of the city
• Mount Lycabettus – best spot in Athens to watch sunset!
• Shop for souvenirs around Monastiraki Square

Where to Eat in Athens

• A for Athens – a great spot to grab a drink or dinner and get awesome views of the Acropolis
• Εστιατόριο Αυλή – (Agiou Dimitriou 12) so freaking good and it was all locals! A bit hard to find because the doors are unassuming. I’m surprised I’ve ever seen this on a Greece travel blog, this was a recommendation from our walking tour guide!
• Little Tree Books and Coffee – cute coffee shop near Acropolis
• Philos Athens – yummy cafe, get yogurt with honey & walnuts
• Ariston – get the chicken Pita
• Kosta’s in Monastiraki – get the souvlaki, best in Athens, arrive early, usually sold out by 4 pm
• Kolonaki Kalamaki – good salads, pork chops, fried potatoes
• Falafafellas – yummy cheap eats
• Feyrouz – incredible Middle Eastern cheap eats
• Six Dogs – cute outdoor bar
• Ziller’s Rooftop Garden – coffee, juice with view of Acropolis
• Crust – simple but good pizza shop with huge 3 euro slices
• Coffee Berry Cafe

METEORA – 1 DAY

This unique area of Greece filled with beautiful red monasteries clinging to the side of the cliffs looks like a scene straight out of Hercules. Most Greece travel blog itineraries skip over Meteora, but I think it’s well worth the detour. 1 to 2 nights is enough in Kalambaka to explore the monasteries. Not only are the monasteries incredible, but the best Greek pastries we had in all of Greece were in Kalambaka.

Meteora in Greek translates to “suspended in the air” or “in the heavens above”. The monasteries of Meteora came about 100’s of years ago in the 11th century when monks built them to be closer to god atop of massive rock pillars. At one point there were 24 monasteries in Meteora, but only 6 remain active now, all of which are open to the public! In the summer, everyday one of the monasteries is closed to the public, it just changes day to day (I listed the summer days closed below but you can find the winter ones here).

How to Get to Kalambaka

The easiest way to get to Kalambaka is to take the direct train from Athens. They run multiple times a day and tickets should cost around 30 euros a person each way. The train ride can be pretty scenic at times and takes approximately 4 hours. In theory you could probably do a day trip to Meteora, but it would be pretty tight with the train ride each way. I’d recommend spending 1 night there if you can.

Where to Stay in Kalambaka

We stayed at Hotel Kaikis and it was perfect for what we needed! Cute balconies looking at some of the unique cliff formations. Good wifi, clean, and super helpful staff (i.e. how we found Spitiki!!). We arrived pretty early in the morning on the train from Athens and they held our bags while we went to the monasteries and even put them in our room for us once the room was ready before we got back.

Even if you don’t stay at Hotel Kaikis, I’d stay near there on the main road, Trikalon. This is where most of the restaurants and shops in the area are.

How to Visit the Monasteries

There are 2 ways to visit the monasteries, the harder & cheaper way, or the easier & more expensive way. On our first day we chose the cheaper option because we are who we are. Day 2: we went the more expensive option after day 1 kicked some sense into us. Basically you can either hike up to the monasteries, or you can take a taxi. We thought the hike would be a cheap fun way to explore. While it was cheap, the 1.5 hour hike up in the blazing sun was NOT fun. It was absurdly hot, I complained about how much I was sweating, and the hike didn’t provide any real scenic views that you wouldn’t have gotten once you were at the monasteries anyways.

After trialing BOTH options, I’d recommend paying the 10 euros to have a taxi take you up to the furthest monastery you plan to visit. From there you can walk/hike your way to the others. Once you’ve seen enough/or seen all of the monasteries you can either take a taxi back down or walk back (we walked back and the walk down was much more enjoyable than the walk up).

If you do want to hike in Meteora, I’d recommend hiking to a viewpoint for sunset. That way you can get a nice view for sunset and it won’t be as hot while hiking!

Visiting the Monasteries in Meteora

The monasteries run off donations, and most of the entrance fees are 3 euros a person (cash only). Note that women will need to cover their knees, shoulders, and cleavage. I hiked in shorts and just brought a long skirt with me to throw on over my shorts in the monasteries.

• Holy Monastery of St. Stefanos (Closed Mondays)
• Holy Monastery of Great Meteora (Closed Tuesdays)
• Holy Monastery of Rousanou (Closed Wednesdays)
• Holy Monastery of Holy Trinity (Closed Thursdays)
• Holy Monastery of Varlaam (Closed Fridays)
• Holy Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapafsas (open everyday)

Where to Eat in Kalambaka

• Spitiki – the BEST spanakopita (spinach pie) we had in all of Greece! Make sure to try the bougatsa (custard pie) too! I wish I could add this to every Greece travel blog out there!
• Spitiki Again
• Spitiki, Again
• Sadly Spitiki is only open for breakfast & lunch, so for dinner I’d find a good gyro spot! We tried these ones and they were both really good:
  • Chicken Time
  • Fast Food Diava

SANTORINI – 2 DAYS

First lets address this question: is Santorini worth it? In my opinion, it’s a resounding yes. Do I recommend you go and spend $1,000 a night on a luxury cave hotel room in Oia? No, not unless you just really want to or can afford it! You can find plenty of accommodations for around $100 a night in Santorini, it just will be in a different part of the island, and that’s okay! Although it is insanely touristy, overcrowded and on just about every Greece travel blog out there, it’s also stunning and really unique. The island used to be have a more “normal” shape, but when a volcano erupted and sunk most of the island, it gave it this unique moon curvature.

The reason I think Santorini is worth it but Mykonos isn’t, is because Santorini isn’t easy to replace. Mykonos on the other hand, to me, felt just like it’s neighboring islands of Naxos and Paros but 3x the price and 4x the amount of people, & significantly less authentic.

How to Get to Santorini

If you’re coming from Athens, the easiest way to get to Santorini is to fly. The flights are super quick, about 30 minutes. They’re a little pricey (around $100/ticket one way) but not too much more than a ferry would be from Athens, and much MUCH faster.

BE AWARE: we flew from Athens to Santorini on Volotea. If you DO NOT check in online at least 2 hours before your flight and you try to check in at the airport, they will charge you a 30 euro fee, PER PERSON just to check you in. It is absurd, and it made me so mad, but it’s just a fact.

How to Get Around Santorini

We didn’t plan in advance, so sadly they were out of mopeds near our hotel when we tried to rent one! We ended up getting ATVs for 1-day for 40 euros from Vazeos Rentals. They dropped them off at 5:30pm and we returned them the next day at 9:30pm so I just told myself it was really only 20 euros per day haha.

Where to Stay in Santorini

Where you stay on Santorini is really going to depend on your budget and style. If a Greece travel blog tells you to budget $600 a night, they’re just wrong. For most people I’d recommend staying on the southeast side of the island by Perissa Beach. The accommodations are way cheaper and it’s a nice way to escape some of the insane crowds of Oia. Perissa also is famous for it’s black sand beach!

The most popular/famous town on Santorini is Oia. Oia is likely where you’ve seen the photos on social media of white washed buildings stacked on top of each other with blue domes scattered throughout. Oia is mostly famous (and rightfully so) for it’s insane sunset views. I honestly don’t know why the sunset are so magical from Oia. Maybe it’s the contrast of the deep blue water with the orange and pink sky against the white buildings? Either way it’s definitely something worth seeing once in your life.

If you’re wanting to stay closer to Oia, but still save some money on accommodations, check out Fira. It’s on the caldera (volcano) side of the island with easy access to Oia if you’re renting a moped or ATV!

What To-Do in Santorini

• One of the most famous things to do in Santorini is a catamaran tour. If you’re just going on a general tour, while it may look nice in photos, I’d say it’s not worth it. The tickets are expensive, you’ll be with 60 other tourists on the boat, and you really only stop at like 2 swimming areas that arguably aren’t that unique. There are some options for a more private boat rental, while expensive, it may be worth it.
• Watch the sunset in Oia
• Stroll through Oia at sunrise to capture some of those famous “Santorini Photos” without all the crowds
• Visit Red Beach
• Monolithos Beach
• Visit Pyrgos – this town actually use to be the capital of the island. Has the same narrow paths and white washed buildings of Oia without as many crowds
• Visit Fira
• Akrotiri Archaeological Site – so we already talked about how much of the island of Santorini sunk after the volcano, but did you know that Plato actually believe that Santorini was the true Atlantis? To learn a bit more about the history of the island head here
• Hangout for the afternoon in Ammoudi – a cute little fishing village area at the base of Santorini’s steep cliffs. Great place to have lunch & cliff jump!

Where to Eat in Santorini

• Pitagyro – the best cheap eats option in Oia! I found this on a Greece travel blog and I’m so glad I did!! Get the halloumi gyro, you won’t regret it
• Santo Winery – definitely touristy and very busy, but the sunset views from here are absolutely worth it. Get a wine flight and enjoy the insane fiery sky
• Santorini Brewing Company
• Passaris – cute affordable bakery

NAXOS – 3 DAYS

Now that you’ve spent your obligatory days in Santorini seeing the famous caldera views and glowing sunsets, it’s time to really get into some of the best parts of Greece! Spending the next week in the less-visited parts of the Cycladic islands will live up to everything you thought the Greek islands should be.

Take a quick ferry from Santorini to Naxos and spend the next 3 days exploring all the unique beaches this huge island has to offer.

Where to Stay in Naxos

Since Naxos is such a big islands, I did so much research on which part of the island to stay in, and narrowed it down to the two best options: Naxos Town or Agios Prokopios. We chose Agios Prokopios only because we found the best accommodation options for our budget here!

Our hotel, Naxos Petite Studios, was amazing and I couldn’t recommend it enough! We were greeted with true Greek hospitality from the moment our ferry arrived at port. It’s a family run hotel and the son, Zaxos (yes, Zaxos from Naxos), picked us up at the port and told us so much about the island just on the quick drive to the hotel. When he showed us to our room there were fresh donuts and 2 shots of kitron, the green local liquor of Naxos. He also WhatsApp’d me a list of things to do in Naxos which was really helpful!

Our scooter rental here was from On The Road Rentals, we paid 20 euros per day.

What To-Do in Naxos

• Stroll the shops and alleys of Old Town Naxos
• Watch sunset at Portara – the big marble “frame” that’s what’s left of the temple of Apollo. The temple was started around 6th century BC but never finished. It’s a popular spot so make sure to go early to get a good spot!

• Alyko Beach (Aliko) – natural reserve beach on the south of the island with stunning clear water
• Hotel Ruins Alyko – right beside Alyko beach are the ruins of an abandoned hotel that’s become a sort of display of street artists, it’s definitely work walking around!
• Walk around Naxos Port, by the ferry entrance provides the best views of Naxos Town!
• Explore Chalki (Halki, Xalki, etc) – cutest town IMO of all of Naxos’ mountain villages! Check out Vallindra, a distillery of kitron since 1896, they offer free tastings! Get a crepe or coffee and walk around the tight alleyways.

• Agios Prokopios Beach – this is the beach we stayed at, great place for an evening swim and lots of cute restaurants lining the street across from the beach
• Plaka Beach
• Agios Georgia’s Beach – I didn’t really like this one since the same was pretty black/brown & the water wasn’t as pretty but it’s really close to Naxos Town
• Vivlos – super cute mountain village known for it’s ancient windmills, even if you don’t walk around the village, the main road that passes by has great views of the windmills

Where to Eat in Naxos

• Nomad Naxos
• Il Gusto – affordable coffee shop in Agios Prokopios with great crepes & freddo espressos, with a cute back patio
• Kahlua Beach Café Bar – feels a bit touristy but it’s a trendy Bali-esque café on Agios Prokopios
• Eat melachrino – a local walnut cake doused in kitron

MILOS – 3 DAYS

From Naxos, take a ferry to Milos, my favorite Greek island! Milos is the island of moon landscapes and all things beaches. What originally drew me to Milos was when I saw a picture of Sarakiniko Beach on a Greece travel blog, but it has so much more to offer (although Sarakiniko is undoubtedly incredible). Milos has the most diversity in terms of types of beaches of any island we went to in Greece.

We booked our scooter before arriving in Milos through Moto Kotsikas for 20 euros a day. It was the nicest moped we had in Greece!

Where to Stay on Milos

We weren’t sure at first if we were going to be able to visit Milos. We actually only booked our hotel and ferry 2 days in advance when we decided on a whim to go while we were in Paros! There weren’t many options available, so we booked a place that was a bit more expensive than everywhere else we stayed, but we loved it! We stayed at Malion Rooms and it was perfect. It’s in a great location, the rooms have cute patios overlooking the town, great A/C, and the couple who owns & runs the hotel is so kind. We had to checkout in the morning but our ferry didn’t leave until 11pm, so they let us use an extra shower to clean off before our overnight ferry!

What To-Do on Milos

• Sarakiniko Beach – you obviously have to visit this white volcanic beach since it’s the most famous (& rightfully so!) in Milos. Read this post for everything you need to know before visiting Sarakiniko!
• Tsigrado Beach – one of my other favorite beaches in Milos! You’ll need to climb down a rope & ladder to get to Tsigrado, which is half the fun! Get there early if you want a spot to lay a towel because it’s a small beach and gets busy quick

• Fyriplaka Beach – from a distance, it’s one of the most colorful and beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. It looks like someone spilled their watercolor paint palate onto the mountain just before the cliff face falls into the ocean. Great place to hangout for the day!
• Paleochori Beach – another really colorful beach with yellow and red sulfur rocks, the water’s typically really warm there because of underwater hot springs that bubble up from below. Don’t be surprised if it smells a bit “eggy”, it’s just the sulfur! There’s a café here too overlooking the beach where you can get a nice (albeit overpriced) drink or snack
• Walk around Plaka Village, and catch sunset from Plaka Castle

• Ancient Theater of Milos – it’s free to walk around this Ancient Greek theater from around the 3rd century BC. While the remains only hold around 700 now, it formerly had a capacity of over 7,000! Just image what it would’ve been like to sit in that theater thousands of years ago with those views.
• Firopotamos Village – the cutest fishing village you’ll ever see! The water in the bay area here is an unreal teal and blue, and the waves lap right up to the doorsteps of the houses. You can actually rent a room to stay here! Check out the ruins on the top of the hill behind the church
• Papafragas Beach – we sadly didn’t make it here because we ran out of time, but it’s on my list for next time! It’s a stunning natural pool shielded by huge cave like rocks on each side

• Klima – this fishing village is a must in my opinion when in Milos! The rainbow houses lined right up against the oceans edge look like something out of a Disney movie. We jumped off the pier and swam here a bit, highly recommend!
• Cake of Sykia – you can only
• Kleftiko Caves – these impressive caves are sadly only available by a boat tour, but worth it if you have time!

Where to Eat on Milos

• Akri Bar – good place for cocktails at sunset
• Artemis Bakery – we ate basically every meal here because our time in Milos was so limited we mostly got food to take with us! Get literally any of the pastries, or the pre-made Greek Salad, it’s all so good!
• Nostos Seafood Experience – cute restaurant with tables right on the water
• Eat watermelon pie, a local favorite! Get it from Palaios Café in Plaka

ADDITIONAL/ALTERNATIVE ISLANDS

Unless you have additional time to add extra islands, if you’re on a short time frame I’d try to stick to visiting 2-3 islands. If you’re interested in other islands besides the ones I mentioned, here’s a few additional options!

PAROS

Based on our experience, I think Paros is very similar to Naxos. Same type of feel, similar villages and beaches, Naxos is just a little bigger. If you’re looking for a little bit of everything (beaches, beach clubs, shopping, bars and restaurants, history, hiking) I’d go to Naxos. For a little more relaxed island, check out Paros! We really did love Naxos AND Paros, SO it’s hard to choose or recommend which one to go to (which is why we didn’t choose and did both!)

Things To-Do on Paros

• Panagia Ekatontapiliani Monastery aka Our Lady of A Hundred Doors – the legend has it that this 4th century church has 100 doors on the property, but only 99 have been found. The 100th will reappear if the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul turns back to an Orthodox Church (it’s currently a mosque). This was mostly only really cool for us since we’d come to Greece directly from Turkey so neat to see it all come full circle!
• Kolymbithres – my favorite beach in Paros! Rocky beach but not like small rocks, basically just like 1 big rock so no sand, and it doesn’t hurt your feet to walk on!
• Marcelo Beach – a cool little hidden beach frequented by locals in the early hours of the morning

• Agios Fokas Church – cool church on the edge of the rocky edge of Paros, from here there’s good vies of the bay and of Parikia Village
• Day trip to Antiparos – the smaller island just off the coast of Paros, ferries back and forth are only around 1 euro per person. Here’s the ferry schedule.

ZAKYNTHOS

Zakynthos is arguably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The ONLY reason I didn’t recommend it in this general itinerary is because it’s not as easy to get to as the island is the Cyclades. Zakynthos is in the Ionian Sea, and to get there we took a bus from Athens to Kyllini, then a ferry across from Kyllini to Zakynthos. There’s technically an airport on Zakynthos so if you’re really wanting to visit I’d probably recommend flying!

Things To-Do on Zakynthos

• MUST DO – rent a boat to use to explore the cliffs of Zakynthos from the water for the day. We rented from Captain’s Motorboat Rentals and had a great experience. It was $165 for the whole day, including gas and a cooler for us to bring our own snacks and drinks. Bring a snorkel!
• Watch the sunset from the cliffs above Navagio Beach (shipwreck beach)
• Eat at Tazie’s – the best veggie gyro we had in Greece! We went literally everyday that we were in Zakynthos

MYKONOS

I know this may be controversial, but I just don’t think Mykonos is worth the time or money. It’s a beautiful island with an adorable main town, and the windmills are SO picturesque. But, that comes with a tradeoff. And that tradeoff is exploring the island with 1,000’s of other people, and paying 4x the price for everything compared to the surrounding islands. That being said, if it is on your must-do bucket list than by ALL means you should go! It really is pretty.

Things To-Do on Mykonos

• Walk around Mykonos Town and get the obligatory picture in front of the #HAPPINESS sign
• Walk along (Alefkandra) Little Venice in Mykonos Town to see where the waves slash up into the cute cafes
• Eat at Mykonos Bakery – SO yum
• Eat at Leonidas – some of the best Greek salads we had in Greece, and one of the cheapest places to eat in Mykonos Town!

ADDITIONAL ISLANDS ON MY LIST

There are SO many Greek islands you could choose from to list on a Greece travel blog, but the others at the top of on my list right now are Ios, Icaria, Crete, Delphi and Folegandros.

I hope this in depth post has been helpful for planning your trip to Greece! If I missed anything or you have any additional questions please let me know in the comments!