Greece

Discover the wonders of Greece with our comprehensive travel guide. Learn about the pleasant Mediterranean weather and the best seasons to plan your visit. Find out how to easily navigate through the country by various transportation methods. Explore top cities like Athens and Santorini, along with must-try Greek dishes such as moussaka and baklava. Uncover hidden gems that most tourists miss for a truly unforgettable Greek adventure.

Weather and Best Time to Visit

Athens & Attica: April to June and September to October offer pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds. July to August can be extremely hot.

Greek Islands (Cyclades, Dodecanese): Late May to June and September provide warm seas and mild weather without the summer rush. Meltemi winds can be strong in July and August.

Crete: April to June and September to October are ideal with warm temperatures and calm seas. Longer tourist season than other islands.

Peloponnese: May to June and September to October offer ideal conditions for exploring ancient sites and beaches without excessive heat.

Northern Greece (Thessaloniki, Halkidiki): June to September is best, with September offering warm seas and fewer tourists.

Ionian Islands (Corfu, Zakynthos): May to June and September are perfect with lush landscapes and comfortable temperatures.

Note: Greece does not have a typhoon season.

How to Get to Greece

Greece is served by several key airports across its mainland and islands. Athens International Airport (ATH) functions as the country's primary international gateway, handling flights from destinations worldwide. In the north, Thessaloniki Airport (SKG) serves as the main entry point for visitors to Macedonia and Greece's northern regions.

Those traveling to the islands can fly directly to Heraklion Airport (HER) on Crete, which accommodates tourists of all types, from families to solo travelers. Rhodes International Airport (RHO) and Corfu International Airport (CFU) offer direct access to these popular island destinations, each providing a distinct experience.

These airports connect travelers to destinations such as Athens with its historic sites and vibrant urban areas, Thessaloniki with its blend of historical and university atmospheres, and coastal Heraklion. 

Smaller airports serve other popular destinations, including:

• Santorini, with its distinctive architecture
• Kos with its beaches
• Zakynthos, home to the famous Shipwreck Beach

Each airport serves as a starting point for exploring Greece's diverse attractions, from island landscapes to ancient monuments.

How to Get Around

Greece unfolds itself differently depending on how travelers choose to move across its landscapes. 

Island-hopping becomes a journey in itself when boarding ferries that connect the mainland to the scattered pearls of the Cyclades, Dodecanese, and Ionian islands. The gentle sway of the boat, the salt breeze, and the approaching shorelines create memories before even stepping onto land. Companies like SeaJets and Blue Star Ferries operate vessels ranging from quick catamarans to larger ships where passengers can stretch out on deck and watch the Aegean horizon.

Those who prefer independence might consider renting a car, especially when planning to visit the mountain villages and coastal roads where bus schedules thin out. The winding roads through olive groves and alongside coastal cliffs tell stories that organized tours often miss. Meanwhile, the KTEL buses connect cities and towns across the mainland, filled with locals carrying groceries and students heading home, offering a slice of everyday Greek life.

In Athens, the metro carries passengers beneath the ancient city, occasionally delayed by archaeological discoveries during construction. On islands, local buses transport beach-hoppers between sandy shores, while mopeds and ATVs buzz along narrow island roads, their riders feeling the sun and wind directly. Taxis wait at squares and ports, drivers often becoming impromptu guides. 

In coastal areas, small wooden water taxis ferry swimmers to secluded beaches unreachable by road.

Each mode of transportation in Greece doesn't just move people from place to place; it creates a unique window into Greek life, landscape, and rhythm.

Food Scene

In Athens, families gather nightly, where the moussaka comes steaming hot, with layers of eggplant that melt into the rich meat sauce beneath. Around the corner from Syntagma Square, locals wait patiently as the souvlaki maker chars skewers over open flames. 

Morning light filters through the iron beams of Athens' Varvakios Market, where vendors call out their offerings and shoppers sample olives from barrels and bits of cheese from knife tips. Cooks drop dough into hot oil, creating loukoumades that emerge golden and ready for their honey bath.

On Santorini, fisherfolk sell their morning catch directly to the tavernas along the water, where you can eat while waves lap against the rocks below your table.

The air in Thessaloniki's Modiano Market carries the scent of oregano and grilling meat. 

Cretan shepherds still prepare lamb antikristo as their ancestors did, skewering and slow-roasting it beside the fire rather than over it. On their tables, you'll also find dakos, twice-baked bread topped with tomatoes that have ripened under the island sun. 

In Epirus, grandmothers still roll spanakopita dough until it's nearly transparent, while Halkidiki's mussels travel from sea to plate in hours.

Hidden Gems

1. Astypalea Island
Shaped like a butterfly when seen from above, Astypalea quietly goes about its business while other Greek islands draw the tourist crowds. In the hilltop capital, the medieval Querini Castle stands as it has for centuries, offering a front-row seat to the sun's daily descent into the sea. 

During May and June, the island dresses itself in wildflowers, and the temperature sits just right, warm enough for swimming but cool enough for exploring. 

Getting there takes some commitment: either a 9-hour ferry journey from Athens or one of the four weekly flights to the island's small airport.

2. Folegandros Island
While travelers flock to nearby Santorini, Folegandros keeps its treasures for those willing to look beyond the famous names. Its main village, Chora, clings to the cliff edges as if defying gravity. Those who take the 45-minute walk up to Panagia Church find themselves surrounded by nothing but blue sea meeting blue sky. 

The island shows its best self in June or September, when the water stays warm but the summer crowds haven't arrived or have already left. 

Ferries make the 4-to 9-hour journey from Athens, or you can island-hop from Santorini during the summer months.

3. Alonissos Island
On Alonissos, fish and humans have worked out a respectful arrangement in Greece's first marine park. The island offers clear waters where divers might spot the rare Mediterranean monk seal. Up in the Old Village, also known as Chora, dinner tables fill with local seafood as the evening progresses, and conversations flow as freely as the local wine. 

July and August bring perfect swimming conditions, increasing your chances of spotting dolphins playing offshore. 

To reach this sanctuary, take a ferry from Volos or Skiathos (2-4 hours), and Skiathos is connected to the mainland by air.

Scenic Routes

Greece unfolds its story across landscapes where ancient history and natural geography intertwine. The country reveals itself differently along each road and waterway.

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• Athens to Delphi: The road from Athens climbs away from city streets, passing silver-leaved olive trees that have grown for centuries. Mountains rise ahead as the bus curves through passes until reaching Delphi, where the ancients came to hear prophecies. From the temple ruins, the valley stretches green and vast below. Take this journey in April or October when wildflowers dot the roadside and the air feels crisp rather than hot.

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• Thessaloniki to Meteora: Train windows frame the story of Greece changing from coastal flatlands to a place where monks built homes on impossible rock towers hundreds of years ago. The monasteries sit like chess pieces on stone pillars, seeming to float between earth and sky. Summer days make the rocks glow golden in the afternoon light, and you can see for miles from their heights.

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• Volos to Pelion: The little train locals call Moutzouris ("Smudgy") huffs up mountain tracks into forests where Greek myths placed centaurs. Stone villages with slate roofs appear around bends. In October, chestnut and beech trees turn copper and gold across the slopes. The train crosses old bridges and dips through tunnels built by hands long ago.

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• Piraeus to Santorini: Blue water stretches in all directions during the ferry crossing. Hours pass, watching as islands appear and fade, until Santorini rises from the sea — a wall of rock topped with white buildings that catch the sunlight. The ferry approaches the half-moon island shaped by an ancient volcano. Go in May or late September when the water stays warm but the crowds thin out.

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• Mykonos to Delos: A short boat ride carries you back thousands of years. Delos holds no hotels or restaurants, just stone pathways where ancient Greeks once walked between temples and homes. Lion statues still guard silent streets. The morning ferry lets you walk through history before the midday sun grows strong, especially in May or September when the light turns everything honey-colored.

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Events, Festivals and Local Markets

Inside the historic Athens Central Market (Varvakios Agora), shopkeepers call out their daily specials as locals weigh fish on old brass scales. The market opens early each morning, filling with the scents of fresh seafood, hanging meats, and open barrels of olives. Visitors walk the narrow aisles between vendors who've held the same spots for generations.

On Sunday mornings, the Monastiraki Flea Market in Athens transforms into a treasure trove. Old pocket watches sit beside hand-painted ceramics, while worn leather goods and black-and-white photographs tell stories of past eras. Early birds catch the best finds, perhaps a copper coffee pot with decades of morning brews in its patina.

The 1922 archways of Thessaloniki's Modiano Market shelter food stalls where shopkeepers offer samples of regional cheeses, cured meats, and honey. Light streams through the roof onto marble countertops where families have sold their specialties for a century.

A few streets over, Kapani Market reflects Thessaloniki's crossroads character. Spice merchants arrange colorful hills of seasonings while nearby, small tables fill with locals eating simple plates of grilled foods. The market's rhythm hasn't changed in decades. Come hungry and practice your Greek with the vendors who remember every repeat customer.

Best Places to Visit

1. Athens

Athens tells a story where ancient stones speak of classical civilization while modern life buzzes around them. The Acropolis sits above the city, where people have walked for thousands of years. In neighborhoods like Plaka and Monastiraki, narrow streets lead to family tavernas where locals eat dinner at 10 PM and talk until midnight.

The gentler temperatures of April-June or September-October make walking the marble steps more comfortable, with fewer people around than during summer's peak heat.

When night falls at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, audiences sit on ancient stone seats under open skies. Musicians and actors perform in the same space where people gathered 2,000 years ago. During the Athens & Epidaurus Festival, the summer nights fill with storytelling, music that echoes off marble, and dancing that continues ancient traditions.

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• How to get to Athens
• -Fly directly to Athens International Airport, the country's main hub
• -Take a ferry from various Greek islands to the Piraeus port
• -Arrive by international train via the Balkans to Athens Railway Station

2. Santorini

On Santorini, buildings cling to volcanic cliffs like white seashells, looking out over waters that shift from blue to deeper blue. The island curves around a caldera where the sea filled an ancient volcano. In Oia village, people gather each evening as the sun turns the sky orange and pink before disappearing.

Between late May and early October, the sea warms enough for swimming. By September, families with school-age children have left, but the water stays warm enough for afternoon swims.

Artists display their work at the Santorini Arts Factory in Vlychada, where an old tomato cannery now houses paintings and performances. As evening approaches, wineries open their doors, pouring glasses of wine made from grapes that grew in volcanic soil, creating flavors found nowhere else in the world.

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• How to get to Santorini
• -Fly to Santorini International Airport from Athens or international destinations
• -Take a high-speed or conventional ferry from Athens' Piraeus port
• -Connect via cruise ship during Mediterranean itineraries

3. Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki looks out to the sea from northern Greece, where Byzantine churches stand next to Ottoman buildings and modern apartments. People stroll along the waterfront at sunset, stopping at outdoor tables for small plates of food and conversation. On clear days, Mount Olympus appears in the distance.

The city breathes more easily in April-June and September-October, when temperatures allow for long walks through history without summer's heat.

Film lovers arrive each November for the International Film Festival, watching stories unfold in darkened theaters since 1960. October brings the Dimitria Festival, filling historic spaces with music and movement. Year-round, the Concert Hall hosts orchestras and musicians who travel from across Europe to perform.

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• How to get to Thessaloniki
• -Fly directly to Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia" from Athens or international cities
• -Travel by train from Athens or international destinations via the Balkans
• -Drive via the modern highway network connecting major Greek cities

4. Mykonos

On Mykonos, narrow streets painted white and blue create a labyrinth where visitors get happily lost. Windmills stand on hills watching over beaches where music plays until sunrise. In Little Venice, buildings hang over the water, their balconies nearly touching the waves.

The island comes fully alive from June to September. July and August bring crowds of people looking for daytime beaches and nighttime music. May and October offer quieter versions of the same experiences, with room to move and time to talk.

DJs spin records at Paradise and Super Paradise beaches, where dancing continues from afternoon into night throughout summer. Artists hang new work in galleries tucked between boutiques and restaurants, opening their exhibitions with glasses of wine and conversations about light and color.

How to get to Mykonos

• -Fly directly to Mykonos Airport from Athens or international destinations
• -Take high-speed or conventional ferries from Athens' ports (Piraeus or Rafina)
• -Arrive by cruise ship during Mediterranean sailings

5. Crete

Crete stretches long across the southern Aegean, large enough to hold many worlds: mountains where goats climb, beaches where turtles nest, and olive groves that have produced oil for centuries. At Knossos Palace, visitors walk where Minoans walked 4,000 years ago. In Chania and Rethymno, harbors built by Venetian traders now shelter fishing boats and pleasure craft.

The island opens itself best to visitors in April-June and September-October, when hiking trails don't shimmer with heat and historic sites don't overflow with summer crowds.

Musicians play evening concerts in Heraklion's historic buildings, the notes floating through doorways that have stood open for centuries. The Archaeological Museum displays treasures uncovered from the island's soil, telling stories of who came before. Weekend markets spread through harbor towns, where people still make things by hand and sell them face to face.

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• How to get to Crete
• -Fly to either Heraklion or Chania international airports from Athens or abroad
• -Take overnight or high-speed ferries from Athens' Piraeus port
• -Connect via domestic flights or ferries from other Greek islands
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Tips for Traveling to Greece

VISA & ENTRY

• EU citizens: No visa required
• US/UK/Canada: 90-day visa-free stay
• Others: Check Schengen requirements 
• Passport valid 3+ months beyond stay

CULTURAL ETIQUETTE

• Greetings: Handshakes are common
• "No" gesture: Tilt head upward
• Dress modestly for churches
• Tipping: 5-10% in restaurants

MONEY MATTERS

• Euro (€) - ATMs are widely available
• Cards accepted in cities; cash for small towns
• Inform the bank of travel plans

HEALTH & SAFETY

• Emergency: 112
• Recommended: Travel insurance
• No special vaccines required
• Pharmacies (Farmakeio) are easily found

TRANSPORTATION

• Metro in Athens
• KTEL buses between cities
• Ferries for islands
• Taxis use meters
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