Travel: The Greek Life

Santorini Church

It finally happened! The first vacation back to Europe since moving back to the States in 2015! I came to the realization that 9 hour flights across the pond are much less enjoyable than a 2 hour RyanAir flight to insert destination here. This trip was in the works for a while. My sister and I had been talking about it with my mom for a couple of years. "Okay, next year is it!" Well this year it was.

The three of us, along with our gents, made the trek to Athens, Crete, and Santorini. What a dream! Hiking a gorge, climbing into caves, swimming in the Aegean Sea, dining with locals, visiting the Acropolis...it was great! We spent about 10 days total (including travel) there. I shared a suitcase...which meant no over packing for me if I still wanted room for souvenirs! I'll detail the trip along with tips I found along the way.

 

Where Do I Go?

Here is our complete itinerary for the trip.

 

Friday: Arrive Athens 

Train from airport to AirBnB
Lunch at The Greco's Project
Walk to the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Arch of Hadrian
Walk around Athens, visit shops, take pictures

Hadrian's Arch

Temple of Olympian Zeus

Saturday: Acropolis and Agora

Breakfast at The Greco's Project (It was right by our flat and SO delicious!)
Early morning walk to the Theatre of Dionysus
Hike up to the Acropolis and spend hours there :)
Wander over to the Roman and Ancient Agora -- stop at Yiasemi for lunch
While at the Ancient Agora, visit the Temple of Hephaestus for gorgeous views of the Acropolis
Flight to Heraklion, Crete

Theatre of Dionysus

The Caryatid Porch

The Parthenon

Sunday: Dikteon Cave and Lisithi

Drive to the summer house in Lasithi
Breakfast at Taverna Manos
Hike to the Diktaean Cave (and descent) to where Zeus was born
Lunch with the locals at their mountain home!
Drink homemade wine and raki with them

Monday: Heraklion Archeological Museum and Knossos

Morning visit to the museum
Afternoon visit to Knossos Archeological Site

          

Knossos Palace

Tuesday: Agio Farago (Gorge of Saints), Aegean Sea, Phaistos Archeological Site

Drive 2 hours from Hersonissos to the Gorge
Hike the gorge (and into some random caves)
Stumble upon a 15th Century Church
Swim in the Aegean Sea
Visit Phaistos Archeological Site (and check out the artifacts laying around - no, you can't take them home)

     

Wednesday: Hersonissos and Irini's

Walk around the town of Hersonissos
Lunch on the Mediterranean Sea
Visit Iraklion Air Station
Visit Irini's jewellery shop

Thursday: Santorini

Ferry to Santorini
Lunch at Zafora and watch the donkeys with bells walking up the paths
Walk around Firá
Sunset in Oia

Friday: Santorini

Rent ATVs from Tony's Rent a Car and Moto
Tour around Santorini and visit the top beaches and sites with breathtaking views

• Black sand of Kamari Beach - restaurants, pubs, shops
• Perissa/Perivolos Beaches  - restaurant, pubs, water sports
• Red Sand near Akrotiri - requires a bit of a walk down the rocks after you park, but it is so worth it

Estate Argyros Winery

• I didn't know what to expect with Greek wine - especially in Santorini which I've generally viewed as overly touristy - but this wine and the setting were fantastic! I've been looking for wine merchants in the states who carry Estate Argyros wine because it was so good! 

Dinner and sunset in Imerovigli

ATVs up to Ancient Thira

Sunset in Imerovigli

Saturday: Santorini and Athens

Sunrise in Imerovigli

Sunrise on Anastasi Church

Walk around Thira

Saint John the Baptist Church

Flight to Athens
Dinner at Ηλιαία (Heliaia) with a view of the Acropolis

• The food, price, drinks, and view are hard to beat! Portions were generous (I had plenty of leftovers) and the staff were attentive. I would definitely go here again.

Hike to Monument of Philopappos

• Along the hike up to Philopappos Hill, you'll stumble upon the ruins of Pnyx -- the birthplace of democracy

How Do I Get There?

International Flight (for me) to Athens: Skyscanner is my first choice
Metro from the Athens airport into the city (Syntagma Square)
Domestic Flight: We used Sky Express from Athens to Heraklion
Rental Car from the airport to drive around Heraklion
Ferry to Santorini
ATVs around the island

Where Do I Stay?

Athens: Athena's Nest on AirBnb: centrally located, clean, quiet, perfect for exploring the city!
Crete: Ioulia Luxury Villa Gouves on AirBnB: private outdoor pool, amazing house, gorgeous views of the city...true luxury!
Santorini: Hotel Thira

 

What Are the Must-Sees/Must Dos?

Athens: Acropolis, Agora, Parthenon, coffee, restaurants
Crete: considered the birthplace of civilization - visit the Minoan ruins of Knossos and the Archeological Museum in Heraklion, hike the many gorges, eat at the local restaurants, do your souvenir shopping here to save money!
Santorini: wineries, beaches, sunsets restaurants, ATV tour around the island

• Taking ATVs around the island and stopping wherever we wanted (restaurants, churches dotting the landscape, overlooks, wine tasting) really put Santorini higher on the list for me. It gets you out of the hyper-touristy area (which is crowded and very expensive) and allows you to see the beauty of the island. I would go back solely for this.

 

What Do I Pack?

The weather for us was relatively mild. Rather, it was still hot most days, but it wasn't too humid or rainy. That made packing much easier. My outfits included:

• 2x skirts
• 1x pants
• 1x sweater
• 1x shorts
• 1x dress
• 1x workout shorts
• 1x workout top/sports bra
• 1x comfortable walking flats
• 1x tennis shoes
• 4x tops
• 1x scarf
• 1x swimsuits
• toiletries, jewellery, makeup, etc.

All of my stuff was able to fit into my carry-on shoulder bag, but I put it in the suitcase so I had extra room for souvenirs (aka wine...)

If you are planning a trip to Greece or just like to daydream, I hope you found this to be a good starting point! Greece is beautiful and worth multiple visits. We did so much in our 10 days, but it wasn't jam-packed to the point of not being relaxing. The food, coffee, history, everything was amazing.

Safe travels and I'll see you on my next journey!

XOXO,
Byrdie