After one of our epic summer family trips, we often get asked where we went and what we did. I spend countless hours planning each trip. And due to being rescheduled twice due to Covid, this trip got a bit longer each time (thanks to “you have to visit here!” recommendations from friends). Below is our 40-day Greece itinerary, starting with the mainland and then traveling to Crete and finally throughout the Cyclades Islands (specifically to Santorini, Naxos, Paros, and Milos). What follows are our top highlights and favorite places, as well as suggested itineraries for shorter trips. We also included some tips that made our family adventure a little bit extra. Thank you to all our Greek friends, as well as friends who traveled to Greece, for helping us craft our trip!
Notes, Disclaimers, and More:
- Remember, we traveled with our kids, who were 8 and 10 years old at the time of this adventure. (And we’re both recently-40 if that matters!)
- We are not the family that books reservations at fancy restaurants a year in advance; we are the family that walks for an hour until we find just the right ambiance to eat at (or we walk until one of us throws a hunger fit and we pick the closest spot). This is what leads to some awesome, unexpected eating experiences. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on Antonelli Travel Tips and Antonelli Travel Tips for Food Lovers.
- We also like to eat early (like embarrassingly early). Like to stay up late? More power to you – and cheers to your digestive system! “Linner” below refers to a “late lunch” or “early dinner.”
- Lastly, we mixed a healthy dose of relaxing on beaches with sightseeing ruins, visiting caves, cliff jumping, and a lot of eating.
Tips to Make a Greek Trip “Extra” with the Kids!
-Rick Riordan’s Greek Gods and Greek Heroes. (We listened to the Audible books on tape while we drove; the kids were so into it, they didn’t want to get out of the car!)
-While we made the kids leave their devices at home, we did allow them to practice Greek on our Duolingo app. This kept them pretty entertained and turned out to be truly helpful since the Greek alphabet differs significantly. The kids were the ones reading road signage before the end of the trip!
Overview of Trip
- Mainland Greece – 15 days
- Crete – 10 days
- Island Hopping – 15 days
Top Three Takeaways
- If we could only do one thing and only had a short trip, we’d definitely do Crete. It is a big island, offering beaches and mountains, relaxation and physical activity, seaside towns and urban cities, as well as ruins and great history. Read more in John’s Connected to Crete post.
- A second short trip and/or extension of the Crete trip would be island hopping in the Cyclades. We flew to Crete and then took ferries between the islands (totally recommend). While Santorini is the most well known and touted by American tourists, we found it overcrowded, expensive, and a bit lacking compared to the other islands. We preferred Milos and Naxos. (Paros was great too.)
- Don’t underestimate Athens and the mainland! Many folks warned us away from Athens, but we loved it. We spent 2 days on the front end of our trip and 2 days on the backend of our trip there. We always do this in the main city to allow for travel delays (i.e. canceled and missed flights, so our entire itinerary isn’t messed up); however, it was well worth it. Plus, the mainland offered so many great historical sites and ruins. Rent a car. Driving was easy and parking was mostly accessible.
40-Day Greece Itinerary
The following is a detailed – more or less – travel log. We’re happy to answer any specific questions as we’re able. Just reach out!
Athens – 5/23 – 5/25
- Stayed
- Makrygianni neighborhood (Parthenonos Street)
- Visited
- Acropolis Museum
- Acropolis with tour guide Adonis – hired him at the entrance. Was able to skip the line to get tickets
- Roman Forum of Athens
- Ancient Agora of Athens
- Temple of Hephestus
- Stoa of Attalos
- Monastiraki outdoor market – lots of shopping for statues
- Took the Big red Bus
- Stopped in the Central Municipal Athens Market full of fish and meat. Had a sushi snack at one of the stalls that was slicing super fresh fish to eat.
- Food Highlights:
- Linner: Opos Palia
- Breakfast: Everest Coffee Shop
- Cocktails: Tiki Bar Athens
- Dinner: God’s Restaurant
- Breakfast: Drupes Spritzeria and Takis Bakery (near apartment)
- Stayed
- Corinth
- Visited Corinth Canal for picture
- Ate: Nu Resto Cocktail Bar
- Mycenae
- Visited the archeological site with the cyclopion era stones and lions gate
- Kids had slushies – it was hot and that was the bribe.
- Nafplion – 5/25-5/28 Just outside of oldtown
- Stayed:
- Irakleous Street
- Visited
- Paralia Arvanitis – beach in shadow of two fortresses.
- 999 steps to Fortress of Palmadi
- Drove to the Theater of Epidaurus
- Stopped at old cyclopion bridge
- Paralai Karathanos – kids had the chance to go tubing and jump on inflatable water park
- Did:
- Shopped by Komboloi
- Food Highlights::
- Dinner: BluBlanc Grill
- Breakfast: Kalimera
- Lunch: Asinin Te in Tolo – This was the first restaurant we went to where they walked us into the kitchen to show us the fish we could select from.
- Dinner: Savouras
- Stayed:
- Tiryns – 5/28 – visited archeological site
- Lunch along the corinth gulf – need to check kendall’s photos for meat platter
- Arachova – 5/28-5/29
- Stayed
- Ellinon Thea Hotel
- Visited
- Delphi
- Temple of Apollo
- Climbed Clock tower of Arachova
- Ate:
- To Archontiko
- Stayed
- Corycian Cave – Drove up dirt road and visited place where Zues was held captive.
- Eptalofos
- Town with Waterfall running down the middle with a number of open air restaurants in the center of town
- Had lunch at Τα Πλατάνια – Amazing roasted meats – bustling town
- Thermal pools outside Thermopylae
- Kamena Vourla – 5/29-5/30
- Stayed
- Mitsis Galini Wellness Resort and Spa
- Visited:
- the pool
- Ate: Nostos Fish (I Think)
- Stayed
- Thermopylae
- Visited The King Leonidas Memorial
- Searched for spearheads at Hill where the Spartans took their last stand
- Purchased Cherries along the side of the road as we drove to Meteora
- Ate: Roadside restaurant –
- Kalabaka (Meteora) 5/30-6/1
- Stayed:
- Sokratous Street Mary’s Modern and Elegant Apartment Airbnb
- Visited
- 7 Monasteries at the top of the rock towers. Climbed thousands of steps
- Hiked the second day from Kalambaka to the Monasteries
- Hermitages – explored by car to find hidden areas where hermits had built homes and places of worship inside of caves throughout the area.
- Did
- Played scrabble with Everett and Elia and had a blast
- Had our first turkish delight on the trip
- Ate:
- Panellinio Restaurant – Best Mousaka and Pastichio we had on the trip
- Restaurant Meteora
- Drinks at To Paramithi to play cards with kids
- Desserts at Kyrelie Pampiris
- Stayed:
- Drove through Larissa – Had lunch at a fast casual restaurant that you chose food from premade pans- Το Συντριβάνι
- Litochoro 6/1-6/3
- Stayed:
- Olympus Mediterranean Hotel
- Did:
- Gorge hike on mount olympus from Old Holy Monastery of Saint Dionysus to Prionia – Ate lunch at the restaurant in Prionia and hiked backed down. We did not get a chance to swim in the cold water
- Swam in the hotel pool
- Visited Olympian Bay Beach and drank and played at Mylos beach bar – Saw an Argonaut in the water
- Ate
- Γαστροδρόμιο Εν Ολύμπω
- Amazing meal with incredible cheese course
- Veranda Seaside in Plaka
- Γαστροδρόμιο Εν Ολύμπω
- Stayed:
- Drove through Orlias Stream to see waterfall. Elia and John jumped in to swim in the cold water
- Thessaloniki 6/3-6/5
- Stayed: Leonida Iasonidou Street
- Visited:
- Sani Beach – Had a cheese picnic and some sushi
- Museum of Illusions
- The Grocery of Thessaloniki – amazing grocer – supplied cheese to the restaurant we ate in in Litochoro
- Visited the Rotunda
- Ate:
- Lunch: Κιβωτός των Γεύσεων near the Rotunda
- Mamalouka – amazing meal
- Flew to Crete
- Chania 6/5-6/8
- Stayed:
- Airbnb on Sorvolou street (in old town) Worth finding parking
- Visited:
- Elafonisi Beach – Day Trip
- Cave of Agia Sofia
- Walked the streets of old town for hours
- HIred a tour guide to drive us to Imbros Gorge to hike with the kids. It was amazing
- Took us to Tzitzifies to visit a cheesemaker. Simple operation making Graviera. Tiny Roads leading to it. Multiple cheesemakers in the same town
- Lots of Raki at the end of every meal. So worth it
- Did a glass bottom boat out of the harbor. Not so worth it.
- Ate:
- Took us to a restaurant in Vafes called Καφενείο-Μεζεδοπωλειο “Η Συνάντηση” Simple food. Delicious Sheep milk icecream
- Ate in many of the Tavernas in Chania.
- To Xani was delicious
- Melodica Cafe-Bar was awesome for a cocktail
- Ate at Romantza where the Cave of Agia Sofia – they had little plates premade of delicious cretan food
- Stayed:
- Matala 6/8-6/10
- Stayed:
- Matala Bay Hotel and Apartments
- Did
- Swimming all day on the beach
- Cliff jumping for kids and dad
- Lots of ball sports on the sand
- Ate
- Restaurant Scala
- Eleni for lunch (I think)
- 2 Friends for dinner
- Stayed:
- Drove through Phaistos and visited the ancient ruins
- Visited Archeological site of Gortyna and the Ancient Temple of Apollo across the street
- Stopped in the town and Pyrgos to find a meal. We happened upon Restaurant MInas. The proprietor had to walk us into the restaurant to show us what food she had cooked in the morning. It was a simple meal of chicken and rice, lentil soup and greek salad. It was amazing.
- Agios Nikolaos 6/10-6/12
- Stayed:
- Nikolaos Plastira (Airbnb)
- Did:
- Sick – stayed in most of the time. Didn’t move car one
- Walked around the lake a few times
- Foot procedure with small fish (Elia and Kendall)
- Ate:
- La Strada for dinner
- Zygos urban garden for breakfast
- Karnagio for dinner
- Stayed:
- We drove through the mountains instead of taking the highway. This was an amazing day. We stopped at Snack Bar Vangelis and spent time with the owner. He sold lots of olive wood carvings and ran a cafe. It was such a fun playful spot.
- The drive took us to the Lasithi Plateau where we visited the cave that Zeus was born in. On the way up the hill we stopped for lunch at Tavern Taksiarhos Special Grill and had one of the best meals of the entire trip. The slow roasted pork was incredible.
- Heraklion 6/12-6/15
- Stayed:
- City Lion Apartments and Lofts
- Did:
- Took the big red bus
- Went to the palace of Knossos. Hired a tour guide to walk us through. It was amazing
- Went to the Heraklion Archeological Museum to view all of the artifacts including the Phaistos disc.
- Went bowling with the kiddos
- We played at the playground in old town a couple of times.
- Ate:
- Thraka Restaurant – Had gryo in home made bread.
- Ate Sushi at Nori
- Peskesi Dinner – Was one of the highlights of the trip
- Stayed:
- Our first Ferry Ride. It was awesome.
- Santorini 6/15-6/19
- Stayed:
- Megalorchi in an Airbnb
- Did:
- The Haneys Visited us and stayed at the Marriott property in Megalorchi
- We rented a sail boat three days in a row (a little much because the wind was not great on two days so we were limited to what we could do) Still. The food was great and the swimming was beautiful. Red Beach, Black Beach, White beach and a thermal pool in the caldera.
- We swam in the pool at our airbnb and at the marriott pool quite a bit.
- At night we went out to dinner which took up most of the time
- Did a wine tasting at Gavalas Winery
- Ate:
- Fell in love with Banoffee Icecream at Mr. spoon in megalorchi
- Ammoudi Bay Fish Tavern – Beautiful restaurant at the tip of the north island along the water. Perfect view – long drive to get there. Kids had gelato afterwards.
- Kaliya Reimagined Food & Drinks in Thera
- Dinner at Feggera in Megalorchi on the first night. Super amazing food
- Dinner at Avlogyros in Megalorchi on the last night.
- Stayed:
- Ferry Ride to Naxos
- Naxos 6/19-6/22
- Stayed:
- Agios Prokopios Hotel with Pool
- Did
- Spent our first day driving
- Visited the Demeter Temple in the middle of the island
- Hiked to the cave where Zeus grew up
- Got sick and so spent two days holed up in the hotel room
- Ate:
- Taverna O Giannoulis – The food on the first night was so awesome. WE craved it and went back and had an amazing meal. The sun Dried Mackerel was the best bite of fish on the trip.
- Stayed:
- Took another Ferry ride
- Paros 6/22-6/25
- Stayed:
- Airbnb in Old Town Paros
- Did:
- Drove all around the Island. It was beautiful
- Spent almost two days at Santa Maria Beach
- Visited the Valley of the Butterflies (the area was nice and cool on a hot day)
- Watched kite surfing off the west coast
- Naousa twice
- Enjoyed traditional music on the Summer solstice
- Everett and Dad jumped over fire during the annual festival
- Swam in Christi Akti
- Went to Poseidon hotel and spa to use the pool and showers on the last day
- Swam in Faragas beach for an hour
- Ate:
- Calypso Restaurant and Bar Naousa
- Taverna Glafkos Naousa
- To Balcony Tou Aki in Aliki
- Hellas across from the port
- ICecream at Vanilla Gelatria a couple of times
- Ragoussis bakery a couple of times
- Taverna Alexandros in Port town (I think)
- Stayed:
- Took our last ferry ride
- Milos 6/25-6/28
- Stayed:
- Adama Zephyria Street in Adamantas
- Did:
- Cliff jumping at Sarakiniko beach (all four of us did it from various heights. It was really impressive.)
- Drove to Firopotamos beach – it was a small town with no parking so we left there to continue driving
- Climbed down the cliff to swim at Tsigrado beach. Two ladders and 10 minutes later we made it down safely. It was impressive
- Visited Beach Paleochori where we rode jet skis and put our feet into the volcanic sand and slightly burned ourselves. Keep an eye out for red sulfur stained rocks a few feet into the surf. Dig your toes an inch or two deep and you’ll feel the thermal activity.
- Went to Fyriplaka beach and spent some time relaxing and reading.
- We nt to Plaka for dinner and stopped at the Ancient Theater of Milos. This is where Venus De Milos was found. It is stunning looking over the harbor.
- Ate:
- Aggeliki Icecream shop for breakfast
- Παραδοσιακά Εδέσματα bakery we went to a couple of times
- Drinks at Mikro Cafe Bar
- Spirtoni had good food
- New Malion Restaurant
- Sirocco Volcanic All Day Restaurant – 45 minutes the fish was buried in the hot sand as it cooked. Such a cool experience
- Archontoula in Plaka for dinner
- Palaios Coffee and Pastry served the very best Watermelon Icecream we have ever had.
- Stayed:
- Flew to Athens
- Athens 6/28-6/30
- Stayed
- Apollonos Street in Plaka
- Did:
- Walked through the Monastiraki market to find statues and gifts to bring home.
- National Archeological Museum – Death Mask of Agamemnon.
- Walked the old streets around Plaka and Monastiraki – there were some amazing Tavernas that we missed eating at but the music in the evenings was beautiful. We continued shopping well into the night
- Took the Funicular to the top of Lycabettus Hill.
- Ate:
- Little Kook – Instagram worthy dessert place. Elia had a chocolate slipper.
- H ΩΡΑΙΑ ΠΕΝΤΕΛΗ – Tavern in Psyri neighborhood. Delicious
- Central Municipal Athens Market – Hasapika Asian Agora for sushi
- Kosmikon – last dinner in athens in the Plaka district
- Searched for the best bites of gelato and desserts we could get our hands on.
- Stayed
Athens – 5/23 – 5/25 
Visited 
Arachova – 5/28-5/29 
Thermal pools outside Thermopylae
Agios Nikolaos 6/10-6/12
The drive took us to the Lasithi Plateau where we visited the cave that Zeus was born in. On the way up the hill we stopped for lunch at Tavern Taksiarhos Special Grill and had one of the best meals of the entire trip. The slow roasted pork was incredible. 
Ate:
Milos 6/25-6/28
Ate:Related Posts
