The Perfect Greece Vacation
We just got back from a dream belated honeymoon in Greece. Our trip was planned in under 4 weeks by our incredible travel agent, Catherine of Wanderlust Jetsetter. Because of the short planning period, we chose to keep our trip to 3 of the most commonly traveled places in Greece: Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini. However, we already have dreams of returning to see more of the many beautiful islands Greece has to offer (specifically Crete and Milos!). You’ll read mixed things online about Santorini and Mykonos being too crowded, touristy, and overpriced - but we think they are a must-visit for anyone going to Greece for the first time as long as you go at the “non-busy” time! We’d recommend our exact itinerary for anyone and sharing it here!
Athens
We started and ended our trip in Athens, with two nights at the beginning of the trip and one at the end. We arrived in Athens at 8am on a Monday morning after a 9 hour flight from New York (we chose to fly to NY from our home town of Boston for a less expensive flight!). After going through customs our driver was waiting for us and took us to our hotel, Divani Palace, a 5-star luxury hotel located in Athens City Center, about a 50 minute drive from the airport with morning traffic. Like all our drivers to follow, our driver was kind and thoughtful, engaging us in conversation and answering our questions about him and his life in Greece.
Our hotel was located a short walk from the famous Acropolis, which we were able to see from our balcony as well as the beautiful rooftop bar at the hotel. We arrived around 10am unable to check in until 3, so we fought our jet lag and ventured out to grab our first (of many!) freddo cappuccinos, walk around the Acropolis to see the Parthenon, and have our first (again, of many!) delicious meals. We both opted for pork gyros which did not disappoint, though they came deconstructed unlike ones we had had before in the US.
It was a hot day (80 degrees F), and we were exhausted from our overnight flight with little sleep, but we enjoyed walking around The Plaka, a historic neighborhood known for its charming narrow streets, traditional tavernas, and proximity to the Acropolis, and eventually lounging by our hotel pool until it was time to check into our hotel room and take a proper nap.
After some rest and showers, we ventured over to the Monastiraki neighborhood, about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. Here we enjoyed one of many rooftop bars in Athens, A for Athens, with a perfect view of the surrounding city and the Acropolis. We stopped for dinner on our walk back to the hotel, and enjoyed some fresh calamari, a Greek salad and croquettes (cheese balls!).
Tuesday was our one full day in Athens, and we spent it sleeping in, having breakfast at a local cafe and walking to the Athens National Gardens. We stopped for some Greek Pizza in Plaka, went to some shops, and ended our day with dinner on our hotel rooftop restaurant before calling it a night as we had an early ferry ride to Mykonos Wednesday morning.
We returned to Athens on our last night in Greece for a short ~15 hour stay. This time we stayed about a 20 minute walk from Divani Palace, at a luxury boutique hotel refurbished in 2020, The Gatsby. We arrived around 3pm and enjoyed some delicious appetizers and local wine at the hotel restaurant, then explored the area a bit by foot. We were a 4 minute walk from Syntagma Square, where we were able to watch the Changing of the Guard - It was really cool to witness! We then relaxed and showered and had a delicious last dinner at Dopios right near the Gatsby, before calling it a night and preparing for our early flight back home the next morning.
We felt like we had the perfect amount of time in Athens, but we know there is so much we didn’t see! A few things to do near our hotel that we didn’t have time for: Theatre of Dyonysus, Acropolis Museum, Temple of Olympian Zeus.
Mykonos
I had thought about skipping Mykonos for fear of bouncing around too much during our 10 day trip, and I am so glad we didn’t! We wanted our honeymoon to be a balance of exploring and relaxing, and while Mykonos is known as the ‘party island,’ this was actually the most relaxing part of our trip! Proof that no matter where you are in life, you get to decide what you make of it ;) It wasn’t just our mindset though - we were lucky to stay in a beautiful spot that made relaxing easy - The Nissaki Boutique Hotel, a luxury hotel located near Mykonos Old Port.
Our trip from Athens to Mykonos was easy, thanks to Catherine lining up our ride from Divani Palace to the ferry port (about a 15 minute drive) and checking us in for our ~3-hour ferry ride! We learned quickly that while the ferry boarding/off-boarding experience seems hectic in Greece, it’s actually very organized chaos! The ferry ride was comfortable and went by quickly, with snacks and drinks on board. There are many ferry companies on the islands, but Catherine booked us with Seajets which is one of the faster ferries and we had a good experience. Upon arrival at the Mykonos port, our hotel shuttle was waiting for us. He carried our bags and helped us navigate the crowds (and it wasn’t even the busy season yet!) and drove us ~15 minutes to the Nissaki Hotel, located on a beautiful quiet cove.
I truly cannot say enough good things about our hotel. From the incredible, attentive staff, to the gorgeous pool overlooking the sea, to our beautiful suite and balcony, to the stunning resort, delicious food and drinks, and incredible spa. We honestly felt no need to even leave Nissaki, but we did venture out three times in our three day stay. Once to walk around the corner to a beautiful beach club/restaurant area for dinner at Avli, once to walk the beach and cliffside over to the famous Scorpios for lunch, and once to ride in the hotel shuttle ($25 Euros for both of us) ~15 minutes to the Little Venice Area. This area is known for restaurants and nightlife, and we chose to walk around, check out the shops, and have dinner and drinks at Mosaic Restaurant. The hotel shuttle stopped at 10:30 so we took a taxi back (also $25 euros) which was easy to get; however, we’ve been told that when the busy season comes along (June, July, August) taxis are much harder to come by.
The complimentary breakfast every morning at Nissaki was incredible, and the full body massages we got in the spa were the best massages either of us had ever had. We truly had a hard time leaving this magical resort, but we felt that our 3 night stay was perfect and we were excited to go back to the ferry and head to Santorini.
Santorini
The hotel shuttle took us back to the ferry port and we boarded our 2 hour ferry to Santorni (again, complete chaos but very efficient!). Upon arrival at the Santorini port we were picked up by our driver who drove us ~25 hours to our hotel in Oia. There are many towns on the island, but the most popular places to stay are Oia and Fira - both have the most hotels, restaurants, shopping, and sites to see. Our hotel suite was in the heart of Oia, embedded into the signature cliff with the Caldera View. Like all the hotels located in this area, cars are not able to drive right up to them, so there is a meeting spot about a 5 minute walk away that we got dropped off at. The amazing hotel staff met us at the meeting point, taking our luggage up the narrow, busy pathways, and down the steps to our suite.
We stayed in the Captain Suite of the Chelidonia Luxury Villas and Suites, complete with a balcony and private outdoor jetted tub, and delicious complimentary breakfast delivered to our balcony every morning. Our suite was located about 30 steps down, and while it was completely private, quiet, and romantic, just 30 steps above us was the heart of Oia, bustling with tourists, restaurants, shops and history. Again, it wasn’t even the busy season yet, but we found that the best time to walk the narrow scenic walkways was morning and evening, before they were crowded with additional tourists stopping by for the day on cruise ships.
We arrived at our suite for the first time around noon in complete awe of our surroundings. After getting settled and enjoying our complimentary champagne in our jetted pool, we headed out for lunch at a great spot a few minutes walk away called Thalami. It was pretty hot, but we then explored the tiny streets, checking out shops, the famous St. Anastasi and St. Spirydon Churches and Oia Windmill. Later we had a late dinner at another close by restaurant, Lotza. The streets are lined with so many restaurants, so we chose our spots based on recommendations and vibes walking by! We only made a reservation one time, and otherwise found we could walk right into a spot without having to wait.
On our first full day we sadly woke up to rain, which is not common in Santorini! We were bummed, but we recognized how lucky we were to have such a gorgeous suite to spend our morning in while we waited for some better weather to walk around in. We enjoyed our breakfast, our view, and our pool (warm enough to enjoy even though it was a little chilly and sprinkling), and eventually headed up the steps to walk around, grab some lunch and cappuccinos at a casual but yummy and casual spot called Skiza. As we sat and enjoyed the view (most restaurants in Oia have a gorgeous view!) the sun came out. We walked around some more and got amazing gelato at Lolita’s, then returned home to rest before going to dinner in Ammoudi Bay.
Ammoudi Bay is a beautiful small port located 278 steps below Oia, starting about a 5 minute walk from our hotel. The weather had completely cleared up at this point, and while walking down the steps we witnessed the beautiful setting sun and encountered cats and donkeys (one named Georgia!). The walk down took around 10 minutes and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Ammoudi Fish Tavern while watching boats coming and going. While you’re able to take a taxi up if you want to, we chose to walk back up the steps which was harder than expected!
On our 3rd and final day, we spent the morning walking ~30 minutes to a neighboring village, Finikia. While there wasn’t much there, it was nice to walk and see a quieter part of the island. We then bought some souvenirs and had a light lunch at a recommended restaurant called Skala - they had the most delicious grape leaves and octopus! We then spent the afternoon on a catamaran tour that our hotel kindly booked for us with Santorini Yachting Club.
Boats are one of the best ways to see a lot of the island of Santorini. We joined 5 other couples on a 5 hour sunset tour, stopping at multiple swimming spots, checking out the hot springs, volcano, and caves, enjoying an authentic Greek meal prepared by the crew, and ending the evening viewing a magical signature Santorini sunset. Along the way we learned lots about the island, passing by the famous Akrotiri Light House and Gialos, the port of Fira, similar to Ammoudi Bay but with over 600 steps! We were happy to see it from the sea rather than walking down!
The following morning we had our final balcony breakfast and met our driver at the meeting spot for the 15 minutes drive to the Santorini Airport. Catherine booked us a flight back to Athens (only 35 minutes!), rather than taking a 5 hour ferry ride back. The airport is tiny and easy to navigate and we are glad we got back to Athens this way. We ran out of time to do the famous 3 hour hike from Oia to Fira, and did not make it to any wineries like I had wanted to, but we do feel like we saw a lot of the island and made the most of our time!
Takeaways + Tips
Timing
While we did encounter some crowds, we think we traveled at the perfect time: May 19th - May 29th. Right before the busiest season, and the weather was ideal, 70s and 80s but very strong sun so we can’t imagine being there in the summer when temperatures reach high 90s and beyond. 10 days was not enough to see all there is to see, but we did not have infinite time of course and overall we never felt rushed. Though it would have been nice to squeeze in a day trip to a nearby island, we’re glad Catherine advised us against this as it definitely would have been a stretch to do so!
Transportation
There was a decent amount of traffic in Athens at this time, and we were told by one of our drivers that it was because we were there before most of the Athens residents headed out to the islands for the summer. While we always love being in a location that is walkable to sites, shops, and restaurants, it was especially great to not have to drive around Athens in the traffic!
Having our taxis and ferries booked ahead of time (Thank you, Catherine!) made our trip even more relaxing. Our drivers were always waiting for us with a sign with either our name or our hotel name, and we never had to worry about how to get from A to B. Some hotels took payment when we arrived, but most of our transportation costs were paid ahead of time.
Locations
While we wish we could have spent more time in Greece and visited more islands, we are so happy with the itinerary we chose for this trip. In Athens, we were in the heart of the historic sites we wanted to see, and we felt the city was the perfect spot to recover from jetlag before visiting the islands. Our stay in Mykonos provided us with the exact relaxation we were craving, while our hotel in Santorini provided us with the perfect balance of busy site seeing and enjoying our beautiful suite. Throughout our trip, cats were everywhere and we loved seeing them! They live on the streets, getting food and water from shopkeepers, and enjoying the beautiful island views. Wrapping up our trip back in Athens felt full circle and it was nice to be able to explore a different area of the city for an additional night.
Tips
Something we didn’t do but we recommend is getting some Euros in your local US bank before heading over to get a better exchange rate. We encountered plenty of places to exchange during our trip, but you don’t always get the best rate! We used our credit cards a lot (tip: choose “euros” not “dollars” when paying so that you don’t get charged an additional fee from your US bank), but having cash on hand is always good, especially for tipping! You’ll read mixed messages online about tipping in Greece, but in our opinion tipping is always a nice gesture especially when we were getting such incredible service.
The Biggest Takeaway
Our biggest takeaway from our incredible trip to Greece was that we felt so welcome and cared for by every person working in the hotels, restaurants, taxis, ferries, and airports that we encountered were so kind and helpful. The food is delicious and fresh, and we saw so much beauty and history. We also missed so much and we would love to return. I recommend a Greece vacation to anyone and everyone and think Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos are a great place to start!
