Greece was hands down the best vacation my husband and I have ever taken together! We’ve been dreaming of exploring a country in Europe together for years, and we FINALLY made it happen as a 5 year wedding anniversary gift to one another!

I’d love to tell you that we always wanted to visit Greece, or that I meticulously planned for months, but the honest truth is — this was actually the most “on a whim” trip we’ve done so far. We knew we wanted to travel internationally when we felt that Sydney was old enough to be left for more than a few days (and that she’d actually sleep for Grammy). Our initial plan was to visit Germany. We even bought a travel book, started planning, etc. It’s a bit of a long, boring story so I’ll spare you, but the travel details were starting to stress us both out. We were cleaning up after dinner one night, and Mike just sort of threw out the idea, “Why don’t we go to Greece instead?” I said, “I’d love to go Greece! I’ll go wherever.” And we bought plane tickets about 3 days later.

We didn’t make a game plan until weeks before our trip. We didn’t know where we’d stay, how we’d get there, or even what parts of the country we wanted to see. But that didn’t stop us from being SO excited! Mike wanted to see ancient, mainland Greece, and I wanted to see the islands. Basically I wanted to feel like I was in a scene from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Mama Mia, even if I wasn’t really sure where that was. So after a little more research and a Rick Stevens book purchase, we compromised on Athens (for Mike), and Santorini and Mykonos (for me). Spoiler alert: it was definitely not a compromise for either one of us. We both LOVED each other’s part of the trip.

Ok enough of an intro…here’s what we did while we were there, what we loved, what we learned, and what we want to remember.

Athens

Traveling to Greece took about one full day. We left Raleigh (the closest major airport to my parents but still a 2 hour drive away) at 8 p.m. on Monday. We flew into DC, then into Munich, Germany, and then finally arrived in Athens by 7 p.m. TUESDAY. Athens is also 7 hours ahead of EST, so that contributed to the lost day as well.

Day 1:

We decided not to get an international phone plan, so we relied heavily on wifi when it was available and arranging things beforehand. Our Airbnb host was very helpful, and she arranged a taxi transfer for us from the airport to our apartment. We wanted to stay where we could walk to all the tourist spots but also experience the Athens culture. An article I read recommended staying anywhere near the plaka so that’s what I looked for when researching homes. We were really happy with our airbnb’s location! We could even see the Acropolis from our balcony, but you can honestly see if from just about anywhere within Athens. Here’s our Airbnb if you’re interested!

Since we arrived so late the the first night, we just settled in and went to a late dinner at one of the restaurants in our neighborhood that our Airbnb host recommended.

Ok here’s the first thing you should know about Greece: they eat LATE. We thought we were going out to dinner so late at 9:30, but 9 p.m. is about the time the dinner rush is just getting started. 11 p.m. is even a normal dinner time.

A few more things you must know about dining in Greece: eating outside is just a wonderful way of life. I’m pretty sure we didn’t eat a single meal indoors during our week stay. Restaurants have SO much character. They’re full of fresh flowers, hanging from ceilings, adorning the walls…anywhere and everywhere. Also, restaurants always have shade. Seriously America, why can’t we figure this shade thing out as well as Greece? Canopies, umbrellas, covered pergolas, shade sails — just know you’re going to be covered, and it’s glorious. On the other hand, the not-so glorious thing is that smoking is very much still a popular choice in Greece. There will be an ashtray at every table, and everyone around you will most likely be smoking. It’s something you just have to accept. Meals are slow, but in the best way possible. No one is pushing you out or making you feel rushed; in fact, it’s often hard to pay your bill and leave. They’re content to let you dine as long as you’d like!

Dinner our first night was mediocre. Everything “on the spit” was already sold out so we had to settle for food from the grill, which wasn’t terribly exciting. BUTTTT we spotted a Meghan Markle doppelgänger, and you still can’t convince me she wasn’t the real deal. Please enjoy this poorly lit screenshot of a creepy video I took for proof of Meghan likeness.

Ok moving on…

Day 2: 

We hit the ground running fairly early on Wednesday and began the Athens city walk from Rick Stevens’ book. We walked about 12 miles this day, and we explored various churches, monuments, and popular streets as well as Syntagma Square, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Greek Parliament, Cathedral Square, the Plaka, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Roman Forum & Tower of the Winds, Agora Square, Anafiotiki, and Monastiraki Square.

When we got Monostraki Square area, we had a late lunch and beers (because they’re huge and SO cheap) on Souvlaki Row right before the hanger kicked in full force.  We explored the Monostraki flea market a bit, but we quickly decided we liked Plaka’s shopping options much better so we went back and bought a few things to bring home with us.

We decided to save the Acropolis until the following day so we could take our time, but honestly, if you wanted, you could see most of the Athens destinations in one full day. It’s a very walkable city, so there’s no significant travel time to and from activities. While we really loved Athens, if we could go back and do it again, we’d cram everything into one full day in Athens and add an extra day to Santorini.

Like I mentioned earlier, you can see the Acropolis from just about anywhere in the city because it was built so much higher than everything else.

The change of command ceremony was definitely different than Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown soldier, but it was interesting to watch.

Day 3:

This was our last full day in Athens so we mostly dedicated the day to the Acropolis and exploring the places we loved or missed the previous day. Based on some recommendations, we bought the multi-site ticket while touring some of the Day 2 archeological sites. It was €10 more than the Acropolis-only ticket, but avoiding the ticket line AT the Acropolis was well worth the additional cost.

We were told to visit the Acropolis  as soon as it opens in the morning, but we were slow getting up there so we didn’t follow through with the advice.  That was, however, solid advice. It gets crowded very early, but if you buy your ticket in advance like we did, it’s really not that terrible waiting. If you’ve ever been to most any tourist attraction in NYC near Christmas, it’s really no more crowded than that.

Like I mentioned previously, this part of the trip was really meant more for Mike. However, I’ll fully admit that I was a little speechless when seeing the Parthenon and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus for the first time. It was surreal to say the least. You read about places like this in history books, but it doesn’t seem real to actually see them in real life. Even if you’re not a huge history buff like my smarty husband, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I really enjoyed myself. Beyond just the Parthenon, the views were also insanely beautiful as well! So I never thought I’d say this, but I now think a trip to Greece isn’t complete without a stop in Athens!

They still use this theatre to this day, which is pretty amazing considering it was build in 161 AD.

I think Mike would agree his choice in footwear wasn’t ideal. It sounds silly, but Greece is a slippery country. So many walking surfaces are made of marble and cobblestone, and there are lots and lots of stairs. You’re just much better off with good shoes!

One of the things that surprised me most about Athens was the charm. The neighborhoods, homes, and restaurants are all so unique and idyllic. Every corner was like uncovering a new piece of the city, and I fell in love way more than I ever imagined I would!

There is a LOT of graffiti in Athens, which I initially found off putting. We later overheard a tour guide explaining that graffiti is very common and considered art  in Athens, so just because you see it doesn’t mean you’re in a bad area.

Greek coffee is typically very small in size and very thick and sludge-like at the bottom. It caught Mike by surprise more than once. He liked it but said, “It would put hair on your chest.” If you’re seeking a regular black coffee, order an Americano.  Nescafe instant coffee is also available on almost every menu. Another note on the subject — beer was almost always cheaper than coffee in Athens. Just throwing that out there. 😉

We ended up a really funky, fun neighborhood for dinner on Day 2 when we wanted to try a highly rated tripadvisor restaurant, Lithos. It was definitely delicious. We both tried the moussaka, which a traditional Greek dish kind of similar to shepherd’s pie, but it’s made with eggplant. It’s heavy. It’s rich. It’s amazing.

We loved the neighborhood so much that we went back on the night of Day 3 and explored a bit more. We ate dinner that night a few doors down from Lithos.

This whole block was Mary Poppins themed.

I wish photos could capture the character of these restaurants. I kept saying to Mike, “I wish I could bottle this charm and bring it home.”

Wine was usually sold in 2 sizes: half a pint (the mini shown here) and a pint, but the half a pint was about the cost of cheap glass of American wine. But that’s way more than one standard glass. Another thing we found fascinating was that they often serve their beer and wine alongside very tiny glasses — think the sample size glasses you get at a beer festival. Mike was a big fan of “feeling like a giant” with the tiny glasses! HAHA.

Santorini

Day 4: 

Goodbye mainland Greece; hello Greek islands!

Getting There

There are two ways to island hop: by plane and by ferry. I’ll be honest and tell you that I never even looked into flying because I assumed it would be significantly more expensive that the ferry, but I did notice when we traveled from Santorini to Mykonos, the flight was actually fairly reasonably priced (still more than the ferry), but the point of that long winded thought is to price check both options.

We used Ferryhopper.com to book our ferries. I read the ferries rarely sell out during the time of year we went, but I’m a little on the overly cautious side so I felt more comfortable purchasing our ferries a day or more in advance. The only one we bought prior to being IN Greece was this one: Athens to Santorini.

There are 3 ports in Athens, but Paraeus is the most popular. There’s a metro station in Monastraki square, which was about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. You can take the 30 minute metro ride to Paraeus, and it’s another 10 minute walk to the port (with all your bags in tow). Our ferry left at 7 a.m., so we weren’t crazy about the idea of taking a metro at about 5:30 in the morning. We opted to arrange a taxi to the Port of Pareaus instead.

There are tons of ferry options, and Athens to Santorini can take anywhere from 4 1/2 hours to 8 hours. Flights are obviously a LOT faster, so if you want to maximize time, definitely look into those. We took one of the fastest/biggest ferries, but it was still nearly an hour behind, and we didn’t arrive in Santorini until about 1:30 p.m. We started referring to it as Greek time because things always seem to run at least half an hour behind.

Ferries are…interesting. It’s nothing like an Ellis Island ferry. It’s more like an airplane with flexibility to walk around. There’s also a snack bar and various lounges, depending on the size of the ferry. We always purchased a seat, but I’m told that there are some ferries that have cheaper options that don’t include a seat. I can’t imagine looking for a place to sit, or having to stand, for 4+ hours so the seat purchase is worth it in my opinion.

I’d say the weirdest part of ferry travel is getting off. Your luggage usually stays below the seating areas (you load it yourself when you get on), so there’s a mad dash to grab your luggage and wait in front of the ramp. Everyone waits in the HOT ramp area while the ramp begins lowering before you even reach the port. They come in HOT and fast because they have many more scheduled stops to make. Mike likes to describe it as looking like you’re about the storm the beaches of Normandy. And honestly, that’s a pretty fair assessment. For about 10 minutes while that ramp is lowering and everyone is cramped together waiting to unload, it’s very stressful.

Day 4 evening

Our hotel arranged a taxi transfer to pick us up at the Santorini port. We stayed in Oia, which isn’t that close to the port, and we made several stops dropping other people off along the way. We also stayed within the caldera cliffs, so our hotel room was not accessible by car. It’s only about a 5 minute walk to where you get dropped off, but we had to wait for someone from the hotel staff to come meet us, and they showed us the way and carried our luggage.

By the time we finally arrived at our hotel doorstep, it was about 4 p.m., which was a lot later than we expected to begin our first day in Santorini. At this point, my Greece dreams were fully coming true. Prior to this trip, if you’d asked me to describe Greece, I would have given you a semi-accurate description of Santorini — teal waters, blight blue sky, white buildings with blue roofs and accents all nestled among the side of a cliff. That was postcard Greece to me so I was most excited to visit Santorini, and it did NOT disappoint.

Since we were only staying 2 nights, we decided to fully embrace my postcard dreams and stay in a cave house in Oia. If you don’t already know, Oia is KNOWN for their sunsets. People travel from all parts of Santorini to witness the sunsets in Oia, and we’d read (which was accurate) that you have to fight crowds that begin building hours in advance to watch the sunset. That’s just not how we wanted to spend the 2 sunsets we’d be present for, so we opted for a place that would give us the jaw-dropping views from the seclusion of our own balcony. I’m so glad we made that choice!

Those three previous photos were views from our balcony. Our balcony even had a hot tub!

Our room was TINY, and you had a climb up steps to reach the bed, but I’d stay there again in a heartbeat. Just know you’re paying for the view, not the room. The hotel was Theodora Suites, and the owner was very friendly. Mike had drinks with him and chatted both nights after I went to bed. The door to his home shared a common entrance to the door of our room, so we’d see him a lot in the evenings.

Since it was so late by the time we arrived and it was SO hot, we nixed our plan to hike from Oia to Thira, which is very highly recommended by Tripadvisor and Santroni Dave (which aided our wishlist). Instead, we opted to just explore the cliffs, watch the sunset, and have a late dinner.

Those pics were all views from this castle below.

Every corner and everything as far as you can see are stunning.

Honestly some of my best memories of Santorini will just be enjoying the view from our balcony with my hubby!

Day 5

Santorini Dave raved about catamaran cruises, and it’s his number one recommended activity. We began our day with a delicious crepe breakfast followed by a five hour semi-private catamaran cruise with Spiridakos Sailing Cruises.

If you force me to tell you one activity from our trip that was my favorite, it would probably be this! It wasn’t one specific thing about it, but sort of a culmination of great people, great food, fun, and relaxation. We’ve done a catamaran cruise in Jamaica before (which we also loved), but this was very different.

We were on the newest, largest boat of the Spiridakos fleet, and it was so clean and nice. One of the workers showed me what he considered to be the best seats on the boat, right in front of the captain above the bow. I pretty much lived my very best life for the next five hours.

We immediately hit it off with two other couples, especially one couple from England. Shawn and Matt, if you’re reading this, please move to America so we can be best friends. Shawn and I lounged and girl talked most of the day, while Matt and Mike jumped in the water every chance they could get. I finally got in the water once when we stopped at a hot water spring, which was more like a lukewarm spring.

We loved the tour, and they stopped briefly to allow everyone to snorkel while they grilled us an amazing Greek meal. It was honestly one of the best meals we had while in Greece. Every minute of the cruise was amazing, and I highly recommend it!

We just spent the rest of the day similar to the previous evening, exploring, sunset viewing, and just taking in all the beauty!

Day 6:

We spent the morning marveling at Santorini’s beauty one last time.

Then mid-day we took a ferry from Santorini to Mykonos.

Mykonos 

We arrived in Mykonos around 4ish, and we really had no real plans at all. Since we’d been going non stop, I wanted our last stop to be relaxing and low-key. We stayed at Hotel Tagoo, which we really loved, and it was about a 10-15 minute steep walk to the Old Port and Little Venice areas. We spent the evening weaving in and out (i.e. getting lost) in Mykonos Town. It really is like a maze with lots and lots of narrow pebble-paved alleys. It was originally built like that to protect itself from strong winds and pirate attacks.

My camera died right when we arrived so I don’t have as many photos from this part of our trip.

Oia might be known for its sunsets, but the view from Mykonos Town certainly didn’t disappoint either.

Day 7: 

Santorini is not known for their beaches, but Mykonos has several. We asked around for beach recommendations, and we settled on Elia Beach. We took a public bus there, and saw a lot beauty along the way. We rented 2 chairs under an umbrella, and it had food and drink service with the push of a button on the umbrella.

After all the travel and walking miles and miles each day, relaxing on the beach was a very welcome change of pace. The beach was rocky, but not so much that couldn’t still walk barefoot. However, it’s definitely not as comfortable under your feet as sand.

We spent some time at our hotel pool (below) before going out that evening in Mykonos Town.

Day 8: 

We had a slow morning and then took a ferry from Mykonos to Athens because our flight home was out of Athens the following morning.

Mike told me to book a hotel close to the airport, but I figured we shouldn’t waste an evening in Greece. I booked a cute villa about 15 minutes from the airport, but it was in the middle of the nowhere. It overlooked a winery, pistachio trees, and the Vravrona Tower, which is how it got its name Villa Vravrona Tower and Suites. They also had a cute little restaurant where we got dinner because there was literally nothing else for miles.

There were two pools, and this was the glass house restaurant. 

Day 9 

That’s pretty much a wrap. We headed to the airport in Athens and made our longggg journey back home.

We were exhausted. We were happy. We were ecstatic to see our girl. It was an amazing trip, and I hope we’re lucky enough to go back someday — maybe when Sydney is a teenager! She is 25% Greek after all! On that note…

Is Greece Family Friendly?

We were so worried that we’d spend the entire trip talking about how much fun Sydney would be having with us. But that just was NOT the reality. In our opinion, if your child isn’t a really great walker (and listener), Greece is not a kid-friendly vaca spot. We saw people trying to lug their strollers around, spending most of their time carrying and lifting the stroller because these streets are just not stroller friendly (or toddler-walking friendly).

Also like I mentioned, the Greeks eat late (not early bedtime friendly) and for longgg periods of time. Almost every meal we caught ourselves saying, “Sydney would be miserable sitting here this long.” On the other hand, we loved taking our time and enjoying mealtimes like the Greeks do.

The other reason I wouldn’t recommend little kids is because the Greeks drive like maniacs. Mopeds and taxis make their own traffic rules. You never see police monitoring any driving behaviors, and every time you step foot outside (especially in Athens), you feel like you’re walking at your own risk. I just can’t imagine how stressed I would have been trying to keep Syd close to me and out of harms way.

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With all that said, if you’ve ever thought about visiting Greece, or even if you’ve never considered it before, I can’t sing its praises enough! We’ll remember and cherish this vacation for the rest of our lives!

Cue the music from Greek Summer Band that Mike and I sang ALLLLL week long.