One of the biggest issues I run into is searching for travel recommendations for a couple days. For example, if you look up "How to Travel Athens in 2 Days," I guarantee you'll find a forum post of someone bashing you for even considering travelling in Athens for a mere two days. "There is no way you can see everything." I'm not searching so I can be criticized; I just want to find answers. So, if you're short on vacation days or have a tight budget, here's how to travel Greece in 10 days (and spend a couple days in different locations).
Itinerary:
-Day 1: Leave the airport at 7:30pm
-Day 2: Arrive at Santorini around midnight (layovers and time change are rough)
-Day 3: Full day in Santorini
-Day 4: Full day in Santorini
-Day 5: Part day in Santorini. Ferry to Heraklion, Crete at 6pm
-Day 6: Rent a car and drive around Crete
-Day 7: Drive around Crete. Return to Heraklion to be close to airport.
-Day 8: Fly to Athens at 8am.
-Day 9: Athens all day.
-Day 10: Athens in morning. Fly home at 12pm. Arrive home at 6pm.
Day 1: Leave for Santorini
We (my favorite travel companion - my boyfriend - and I) packed the day before for our Greece trip. We both use a carry-on bag and a backpack as a personal item to make travel quicker and easier (read this article for packing tips). On the day of travel, we booked an airport shuttle so we could leave our car at home (parking at the airport is expensive and unnecessary if the shuttle is cheaper). We got to the airport about three hours before our international flight and enjoyed snacks, a beer, and a couple wine flights without any rush. Then, we hopped onto our 7:30pm flight to our layover in London.
Day 2: Arrive in Santorini
Due to time change, our layover in London is technically the day after we took flight. During our two hour layover in London, we again ate food and enjoyed a cocktail. We took the last leg of our flight and landed in Santorini at around midnight. I pre-booked a taxi from the airport to the hotel (highly recommended! You may be able to catch the bus, but check the schedule beforehand).
Day 3: Santorini
For our first full day in Santorini, we walked from our hotel in Firostefani to the main town of Thera. Firostefani is located just north of Thera and is a 15-20 minute walk away. Compared to Thera, Firostefani has less businesses and tourists, but is still plentiful with restaurants and lovely views of the oceans, islands, wild cats, and the volcano.
Our day consisted of walking slowly to Thera while looking westwards at the beautiful ocean, checking menus at every restaurant we passed by, shopping in "downtown" Thera (full of iconic tourist shops, jewelry shops, and tanks full of fish that eat the skin off your feet). We went into a travel shop downtown and found a 30 euro travel deal that consisted of an evening boat ride from the Old Port of Thera, driving to the volcano, hiking to the top of the volcano, cruising to the hot springs, jumping off the boat and swimming to the hot springs, boating around Oia (the northern end of Santorini), and floating while watching the famous, most beautiful sunset off the coast of Oia.
Day 4: Santorini
On our second full day at Santorini, we booked another evening boat trip (my boyfriend loves being on boats). We spent the morning hiking to Skaros rock, located just north of Firostefani. The hike is uphill in town, down stairs west of town, and slight rock climbing to the top of Skaros rock. The site on top of the rock is absolutely beautiful, overlooking the volcano, ocean, and iconic white houses with blue rooftops. In the afternoon, we walked back down to Thera to roam the town and eat delicious baklava. We walked down the >600 steps from Thera to the Old Port (you can either take a 3 minute gondola, ~20 minute donkey, or ~45 minute walk to the port and get your calf workout on), and hopped onto the ferry. On this ferry ride, we stopped in the ocean to swim and snorkel, had unlimited drinks, looked upon the Black and Red Beaches, and watched the sunset on the open water off the coast of the Black Beach.
Day 5: Santorini to Heraklion, Crete
We spent most of Day 5 in Santorini. We went to the bus station, which is the only bus hubbub on the island. About five buses come into this outdoor station at a time, and they all leave on time. When your bus parks, you form a line in front of the door and pay during transit. We took the bus down to Akrotiri, a prehistoric city partially preserved in a volcanic eruption during 16th century BC (similar to an indoor, small-scale Pompeii). We walked around the preserved ruins for about two hours, and then headed out. We walked along a black cobble beach and made our way to Red Beach, full of beautiful red sand, cobbles, and rocks. We stopped for lunch on the black cobble beach where I had a three course appetizer, fish entree, dessert, and wine for under 10 euro. We went back to the bus stop and headed to Thera. Keep in mind that all buses go to Thera. If you want to go to a second stop, you must head to Thera and take another bus. We grabbed our suitcases and took a taxi to the Santorini port.
I recommend buying ferry tickets and arriving at the port early. There are a few ferries that dock, so make sure you look for the correct ferry and ask for assistance, if needed. We arrived on a massive ferry and watched the sunset as we made our way to Heraklion. Once we docked, we grabbed our luggage and walked to the Heraklion city center to our hotel. The walk is easy and outlined by paint and direction arrows. After dropping off our luggage, we walked to the main city center where we were presented with numerous restaurants and desserts.
Day 6: Crete (Heraklion, Knossos, Matala Beach)
In the morning, we had all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at the hotel. My boyfriend got to make his very own Greek coffee, which was an exciting experience for him. Then we went to our rental car company and picked up our small European car with a sun roof (Highly recommend a sunroof! It was just a few euros more!).
Driving in Crete: This is such an experience, but you must be prepared for it! You drive on the right side of the road. Most roads are one-lane two-way streets. However, when you want to pass someone in front of you, you must flash your high beams a couple times. This tells the car in front of you that you are going to pass, and the car in front moves to the shoulder. Now, you are allowed to drive in the middle of the road to pass, even if there is opposing traffic. The opposing traffic also moves to the shoulder, creating an imaginary "third lane."
We drove to our first big stop in Crete: Knossos, an ancient Greek archaeological site developed around 12,000 years ago. Here, we walked around the ancient Greek ruins with preserved and recreated murals for about 3 hours. It's a must-see if you visit Crete!
Next, we followed recommendations from friends we met on a Santorini boat tour and drove 2.5 hours south to Matala beach. It is a cute hippie area with little shops, a lovely beach, and cool rock caves. We bought snorkel gear at a shop on the way to the beach, and set up station on the sand. Snorkeling is one of my most favorite activities, and it was absolutely exceptional at Matala beach. There are so many colorful, exotic fish and crabs not far from the shoreline. We stayed and watched the sun set, and then drove a couple hours to our hotel at Chania.
After parking, we walked to the harbor and found a restaurant serving delicious cheese plate and wine overlooking the water.
Day 7: Crete (Chania, Gorge Patsos, Rethimno, Heraklion)
We woke up to the loveliest hotel sight. When we opened our balcony door, we were immediately welcomed by old Crete ruin arches. We walked around town and there was magic everywhere! A map was not necessary as the whole town is full of preserved ruins from different time periods. We spent the morning and afternoon in Chania, but you can definitely stay and enjoy for a couple days.
After adventuring around town, we drove to the Gorge Patsos. The drive is full of green, lush mountains with few cars on the road. We parked and started hiking the Gorge. It started as an easy level walk alongside the river. We walked through the Church of Agios Antonios, which is an extremely small church building. Afterwards, we began ascending the mountainside and made it to the top of the mountain. You could see the Gorge for miles and miles, and it was absolutely *stunning*!
We walked back towards the entrance and strolled to the winery - yes, there is a winery at the entrance of the gorge! It is called the Kourkoulou winery, and is a family-owned business with four floors used to hold and age the wine. Wine tasting occurs on the top floor with beautiful sites of the vineyards.
We drove through the mountains to Rethimno as the sun was setting. Rethimno is a cute harbor city with many little shops. We had dinner outside under citrus trees. Definitely spend a day or two in this little town! At the end of the day, we drove back to Heraklion and stayed at a hotel next to the airport.
Day 8: Athens
In the morning, we walked across the street to the Heraklion airport and flew to Athens. Arriving at the Athens airport and taking a bus to the city center takes about an hour, so mentally prepare for that. When we arrived, we dropped off our luggage at the hotel and roamed around town. Unlike our other destinations, Athens is a big city that is hustling and bustling with people. We roamed around the sidewalks and looked at all the stores, shops, and restaurants Athens had to offer.
We walked past the National Garden to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Here, you can buy a single ticket for about 20 euros that allows entrance to multiple Athens attractions. The Temple consisted of a lawn with preserved columns, many friendly wild cats, and wild tortoises. This attraction takes at most an hour to see. Afterwards, we walked to the Syntagma Square, a central location full of people singing, performing, and entertaining and street vendors.
After lunch, we walked through the Archaeological Site of the Lyceum of Aristotle with a wild kitty companion that adopted us followed by the Byzantine And Christian Museum. When we were there, the museum was hosting a free outside art exhibit from local artists.
At night, we walked north of the Byzantine And Christian Museum and south of the Lycabettus Hill. This area has downtown San Francisco vibes and is full of shops and food, but is all uphill!
Day 9: Athens
We woke up at our fancy hotel (bought completely by my Chase travel card points) and had all-you-can-eat Greek breakfast overlooking the Acropolis, fueling up for the big day ahead.
After breakfast, we moved west towards the Acropolis. We first visited Stoa of Attalos, Odeon of Agrippa, Temple of Ares, Altar of Aphrodite Urania, Temple of Hephaestus, and Ancient Agora of Athens. These are all located in one large plaza and require one ticket to enter. Walking through all of these attractions takes about 3 to 4 hours.
Afterwards, we grabbed Greek lunch and ouzo (a traditional Greek aperitif), and rested our feet before continuing on to the Acropolis. We took a cobble backroad and climbed up and up to the Acropolis. Along the way, there is one flat stretch with a fence and grass on either side. Just on the other side of the fence lies tens of wild kitties sleeping in the sun.
After a long walk up, we entered the Acropolis using the ticket from our first day in Athens. It is as great as you can imagine it to be. The Acropolis is located on top of the tallest mountains, and you can look out in every direction. The preserved ruins are gated off, but still a grand and beautiful site from a few steps away. There are many columned buildings and preserved statues as you walk around. It is an iconic attraction and a must-see! Prepare for the large crowds.
We headed back to the hotel to clean up and have dinner at a popping street-food stand. At night, we had a sweet craving and went out to town. Surprisingly, much of Athens was closed down and not a lot of the "sweet" food places were open. We walked in the same locations we did earlier that day, but barely any of the restaurants were open. We lost hope and headed back to our hotel, only to find a small corner shop open with ingredients that looked sweet. We could not read the sign but told the worker we were looking for something sweet. He said he had just the thing - and whipped up frozen liquid nitrogen ice cream with various toppings. It was exactly what we needed!
You can never go wrong when you go to a random local eatery and tell them to make whatever they think is best.
Day 10: Athens, then Home
The final day! We enjoyed another day of all-you-can-eat breakfast, went out for a delicious coffee, and headed to the Athens airport to go home. Similar to the way in, we had to take a bus for about an hour back to the airport. For all international travel, make sure you give yourself plenty of time (about 2-3 hours) to go through the airport procedure.
We checked in and were told that our flight was boarding and we needed to run to the terminal. So . . . we checked in our bags and ran to the terminal (which was about 15-20 min away). It was anxiety driving and exhilarating at the same time. When we got to the terminal, the flight was definitely not boarding and we still waited about half and hour to board. Thus, we ended up all sweaty for our 13+ hour long flights for no reason. Our particular flight had a layover in Norway (which is expensive AF, so be aware if you have a layover there!). We stayed in the airport for a couple hours and boarded our next flight.
Landing home at LAX was the worst part. We know we are lucky that our trip was smooth, but also understand that there is always at least *one thing* that will go wrong. We ordered a shuttle to pick us up. However, we were late because the part of the plane that carries luggage wouldn't open, and it took about an hour to open the luggage and load it onto the carousel. By this time, our shuttle was gone and we spent about 4 hours waiting for the next shuttle to pick us up. But hey, some things are out of our control.
All in all, Greece is absolutely amazing and worth visiting. We traveled Greece on a cheaper budget and tight time, and still made the best of it. I hope you can too! Contact me with any specific questions about traveling Greece.
Коментарі