EuropeGreeceGreece
Greece is Athens plus the islands for almost everyone, the Acropolis and two or three Cyclades by ferry, with the mainland of Delphi, Meteora and the Peloponnese as the trip most people never take. Ten to fourteen days, May or September for the weather without the crowds, the ferries booked in one app, and the wind and the strikes as the two things that move a boat.
GreeceGreece in a nutshell
Where to go in Greece
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Plan your adventure in Greece
Our travel routes through Greece
Greece is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
7 nights1 week: Athens plus one island, the low-stress version
Athens · Milos
Athens and Milos are both at their best; warm enough to swim late May onward, cheap and uncrowded in April and September.
10 nights10 days: Crete as a hub, not a dead end
Heraklion · Santorini · Milos
Heraklion, Santorini, and Milos all avoid their rainy or peak-price windows; April and October are ideal for varied weather tolerance.
10 nights12 days: Athens, Milos and Santorini, the corpus's own route
Athens · Milos · Santorini
All three destinations peak simultaneously; Milos prices double from June, making May and September the ideal windows.
12 nights12 nights: island only, in through Santorini and out through Mykonos
Santorini · Milos · Mykonos
Santorini, Milos, and Mykonos are all opening or at their best; September offers warmth and thinner crowds than peak season.
13 nights2 weeks: five Cyclades, Athens at both ends
Athens · Paros · Naxos
Paros, Naxos, Ios, and Santorini cluster in the Cyclades' consensus best months, avoiding July's heat and August's crowds.
14 nights2–3 weeks: the Ionian pair, Zakynthos and Kefalonia
Zakynthos · Kefalonia
The Ionian islands lack spring and early-season notes but are best avoided in July–August; shoulder seasons offer warmth without crowds.
19 nights3 weeks, the mainland loop from Athens
Athens · Delphi · Meteora
Delphi, Meteora, Zagorochoria, and the Peloponnese monuments suit walking in mild temperatures; avoid summer heat for archaeology.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editorsWe looked at how travellers actually plan Greece on Stippl, across 157,000+ planned stops in Greece.
Greece is Athens plus two or three islands, and most stops get 2 nights. Athens takes 24.53% of every Greek stop planned on Stippl, because the ferry ports are its, and the named things are the Acropolis at opening, the ferry itself as the experience rather than the transfer, sunrise in Oia instead of the sunset queue, a boat day to Kleftiko on Milos, a Cretan gorge and the Vikos gorge in Zagori. Santorini, Mykonos, Paros and Corfu are the islands behind the capital.
Greece is a summer country in the plans, and a shoulder country in the advice. 81.4% of Greek trips on Stippl start between May and September and 57.0% in the three summer months, when the islands cost up to four times the shoulder rate and the meltemi grounds the fast ferries, while only 5.95% start between November and February, when the islands have largely shut. Under half of the trips are Greece alone; the rest fold it into a longer European run.
So give Athens two nights and two islands three each, land in May or September, book the ferries as soon as the summer timetables open, and check which of the three Athens ports the boat leaves from. Skip a ferry and a flight on the same day, since the wind and the strikes both cancel boats, skip the Amoudi Bay donkeys, and skip assuming Santorini is a beach island, because its sand is black and the swimming is on Paros, Naxos and Milos.
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Download the appWho Greece is for
First-timers to Greece
The Athens-plus-two-islands shape is well trodden, the ferries are booked in a single app and there is very little to get wrong.
History travellers
The classical, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman layers are all standing: the Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus and Mystras.
Island-hoppers
The Cyclades carry several sailings a day between neighbours in summer, and 21.9% of Stippl stops in Greece run four nights or more.
Swimmers and beach people
Milos, Paros, Naxos, Crete, Kefalonia and Corfu, and not Santorini, whose sand is grey and black volcanic.
Families
Ferry crews board young children first, under-fives usually sail free, and Naxos and Fiskardo are the named family bases.
Backpackers and solo travellers
A dense hostel network in Athens, Crete and the party islands, free walking tours, and Crete the island where money lasts longest.
Road trippers
The mainland is a real self-drive country, with a three-week Athens loop and sights that no bus reaches.
Maybe not for you: anyone heat-sensitive in July or August, when Athens passes forty degrees and the Acropolis closes in the afternoons; and anyone wanting quiet islands and open businesses at once, because outside May to October the island restaurants and fast ferries largely shut.
The best time to visit Greece
Spring shoulder
April to mid-June
Warm without punishing, the sites uncrowded, the prices low and the hills in flower, with the catch that the sea is still cool and some island businesses not yet open.
High summer
July and August
Over forty degrees, rooms at up to four times the shoulder rate, no space on the popular beaches and the meltemi at its most disruptive in the Aegean.
Autumn shoulder
September and October
The sea still warm, the heat broken and the crowds gone, and September the one month every guide names without argument.
Low season
November to March
The cheapest and quietest Greece, with the ferries on reduced or weekly schedules, the catamarans stopped and the island beach clubs, bars and rental desks shut.
Crete's rainy window
Late January to mid-March
The island takes nearly all its rain in these weeks and the mountains get snow, and the rest of the winter is sunny days in the low twenties.
- Most stops in Greece get 2 nights on Stippl, and 21.9% get four or more. Two in Athens, three on each island, and the longer stays are Crete and the Ionian, where a week is the unit.
- 81.4% of Greek trips on Stippl start between May and September. The peak month here on Stippl is July of plans, which is the month the guides tell you to avoid.
- May and September are the two months nobody argues about. Warm, open, priced at shoulder rates and with the full ferry timetable running, and the sea is warmer in the second of the two.
- The quiet island and the open island are not the same island. July and August are overpriced, and outside May to October the businesses close, so the shoulder is the compromise.
- Flights and rental cars cost more in July and August however early you book. Early May and late September are the cheaper windows from northern Europe.
- Only 5.95% of Greek trips on Stippl start between November and February. Crete is the exception to the winter shutdown, with buses running and the sea swimmable in December.
Add your Greece dates and we'll flag the weather per stop
Stippl shows the season, crowds and prices for every place on your route.
Festivals, and when to avoid them
Ochi Day
A national holiday with parades, and a free-admission day at the state archaeological sites. A reason to be in Athens that morning, with the Acropolis queue longer for it.
Clean Monday
Shops, banks and offices close nationwide and the kites go up on the hills, opening the Lenten calendar. A quiet day to be on the road, and a closed one for admin.
Orthodox Easter
The biggest event in the Greek year, on the Julian calendar and rarely aligned with the Western one, with the sites closed on the Sunday and Athens emptied for the villages. Come for the midnight liturgy and the lamb, with the room booked months ahead.
Protomagia
Labour Day, a site-closure day and, near-annually, a 24-hour nationwide ferry strike. Treat it as a no-ferry day when the itinerary is built.
Athens Epidaurus Festival
Performances in the 2,000-year-old Odeon of Herodes Atticus and at Epidaurus, one of the oldest running festivals in Europe. A ticket under the Acropolis at night, booked when the programme is announced in spring.
Dormition
The tightest weekend of the year for ferries and domestic flights, with the big shops and offices closed and every Greek family moving. Book that weekend first, or avoid it altogether.
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Things to do in Greece
Photo by Edouard CHASSAIGNE via PexelsThe Acropolis at opening
The classical core on its rock, walked at eight in the morning or in the last two hours, because through the middle of the day it is crowded, hot and in summer sometimes closed.
The ferry itself
The deck, the harbour arrival and the two-to-five-island week the Cyclades network makes possible, treated as the experience rather than the transfer.
Sunrise in Oia
The castle viewpoint needs an hour and a half of queuing at sunset, and at sunrise the village is almost empty and the light is better.
A boat day to Kleftiko on Milos
White rock formations rising out of the sea and caves reachable only from the water, on a coast with no road access at all.
A Cretan gorge
Samaria at sixteen kilometres with the Iron Gates narrows and a season, or Imbros at half the length and just as much a gorge.
The Vikos gorge in Zagori
Thirteen kilometres and about six hours from Monodendri to Vikos village, walked south to north for the views, and the most underrated hike in the country.
What to eat in Greece
spit-roasted meat in pita with tomato, onion and chips, the budget backbone from about €3
grilled meat skewers, served on the skewer or wrapped
layered aubergine, minced meat and béchamel, baked
tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and a slab of feta with oil, no lettuce
small shared plates, hot and cold, ordered across the table
cheese fried or baked in a small pan; also used for prawns
barley rusk soaked and topped with tomato and myzithra cheese
slow-cooked beef stew with onions
beef in garlic and white wine, and a hearty pasta dish, both Venetian-influenced
spinach and feta in filo pastry
rice wrapped in vine leaves, one of the reliable vegetarian orders
jellied sweet and layered filo-and-nut pastry
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Greek customs and what not to do
The calendar is Orthodox
Easter follows the Julian reckoning and rarely lines up with the Western one, and Christmas, Easter and the Dormition are when the country moves.
Hospitality is real
Hosts leaving tomatoes, oil and cake for guests, and a taverna table pulling strangers in, happen often enough to count on.
Life runs late
Dinner starts at nine or later, most places stay open to midnight, and a night out in Athens or Heraklion runs to daybreak.
Monasteries enforce the dress
Knees and shoulders covered for everyone at Meteora, men in long trousers, and a wrap lent at the door rather than relied on.
Sites have a legal code
Food, drink, smoking and pets are banned at the archaeological sites, along with dress the guards judge incompatible with the place.
The afternoon closing holds
Small shops, banks and pharmacies close mid-afternoon on several days a week, so the admin is a morning job.
Do
- Carry something with sleeves and a long skirt or trousers if a monastery is on the itinerary
- Do the bank, pharmacy and post-office business in the morning
- Confirm the taxi price before getting in, anywhere in the country
- Walk a few streets inland from the harbour for dinner, on every island
- Check the Greek press in the week before travel for strike announcements
Don't
- Ride the donkeys at Amoudi Bay on Santorini; walk the steps
- Assume a ferry from Athens means Piraeus, when it may be Rafina or Lavrio
- Put a fast catamaran on the last leg before an international flight in summer
- Plan a ferry and a flight on the same day
What a Greece trip costs
Budget
€35–80
A hostel dorm or a simple room, gyros and market food, buses, free beaches and the odd site ticket.
Mid-range
€80–160
A studio or three-star double, a taverna meal a day, a shared rental car, ferries and paid sights.
High-end
€200+
A caldera or beachfront hotel, private boat days, fast ferries and restaurants without checking the price.
Track what you actually spend
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Ferries, euros and getting around
Entry & visa
Schengen, no visa
EU, EEA and Swiss passports and ID cards walk in, and UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports get ninety days in any 180 without a visa.
Money
Euro, with cash in the bag
Cards work in the hotels, the tourist restaurants and on the bigger islands, and cash pays the tolls, the island buses, some petrol stations and the small tavernas.
Connectivity
4G everywhere, uneven by provider
At least 4G on the islands and 5G on the mainland, with some networks strong on the mainland and weak on the islands, and an EU SIM roaming free.
Getting around
Ferries, booked in one app
The Cyclades sail several times a day in summer, the Ionian has no direct link to the Aegean, and the mainland is a self-drive country with sights no bus reaches.
Health
Nothing compulsory
The routine tetanus, polio and MMR are the standing advice, the EHIC or GHIC covers public care, and the pharmacy rota keeps one open out of hours.
Water
Mainland yes, dry islands no
Athens and the cities run EU-standard tap water, and Santorini, Mykonos and Naxos run desalinated or brackish supply that the locals do not drink.
Tipping
Not obligatory
Rounding up or a few euros at a taverna, small change to the taxi, and nothing like the American model.
Power & plugs
Types C and F, 230 V
EU travellers need nothing, and UK and Australian plugs need an adapter only, since the voltage matches.
Language
Greek, with English in the trade
Younger Greeks generally speak good English and the older generation often does not, so a few words land well in the villages.
Greek worth knowing
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
YA-soo / YA-sas
Hello and goodbye, informal to one person, formal or to several · Γεια σου / Γεια σας
ef-ha-ri-STO
Thank you · Ευχαριστώ
pa-ra-ka-LO
Please, you're welcome and excuse me, one word doing three jobs · Παρακαλώ
sig-NO-mi
Sorry, excuse me · Συγγνώμη
NEH / O-hi
Yes and no, and ne meaning yes catches every visitor out · Ναι / Όχι
PO-so ko-STI-zi
How much does it cost? · Πόσο κοστίζει
ton lo-gar-ya-SMO, pa-ra-ka-LO
The bill, please · Τον λογαριασμό, παρακαλώ
YA-mas
Cheers · Γεια μας
ka-li-MER-a
Good morning · Καλημέρα
ka-li-NIH-ta
Good night · Καληνύχτα
Greece questions, answered
Late April to mid-June or September to October, for the balance of weather, price and open businesses. 57.0% of Greek trips on Stippl start in June, July or August, which is when the rooms cost the most and the fast ferries are most often grounded by wind.
Within a group it is easy, and the Cyclades sail between neighbours several times a day in summer. Between groups it depends on the map: the Ionian has no direct link to the Aegean, and Crete connects to Santorini and little else. Put the ferries into Stippl as the summer timetables open, then ask people in subreddits like r/GreeceTravel which crossings were rough.
Check before booking. Piraeus serves the widest set and sits on the metro, Rafina serves Andros, Tinos and Mykonos and is closer to the airport, and Lavrio is the third, with a ferry from Athens meaning any of them.
It can, and it depends on the hull: the meltemi grounds the fast catamarans from around six or seven Beaufort while the conventional ferries usually sail to eight and above, and the port authority makes the call the same morning. A conventional boat on the last leg before a flight is the insurance.
Cyclades three to four each, Crete a week for the west and centre, and Kefalonia and Corfu a week apiece. Most stops in Greece get 2 nights on Stippl, and 21.9% get four or more, which is the Crete and Ionian share.
43.8% of the trips carrying Greece on Stippl are Greece alone, and the rest fold it into a longer European run, usually with Italy or Turkey. Ten to fourteen days is the single-country shape, Athens plus two islands, and it fills the time on its own.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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