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Greece: Three Weeks

Athens & Island Hopping

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Athens

Day One:Athens

  • Transportation: In Athens, we relied on the subway system to get around the city. You can purchase a multiple day subway pass if you will be using it multiple days. Our first day was pretty relaxed so we could get over our jet lag. 
     

  • Syntagma Square connects to markets

    • Monastiraki & Market

    • Athens Central Market

  • Sandal poet 

    • The poet sandal maker- famous custom made sandals fit to your feet: Agias Theklas  2, Athina 105 54, Greece 

    • If you want to purchase sandals, it may take an hour or two for them to be ready. 

  • Plaka & The Psiri Neighborhood

    • Lots of restaurants, bars, shops 

  • There are tours that take you to the Temple of Poseidon​

    • The temple is beautiful, but it is a pretty far drive. I didn't think it was a "must do," but if you have extra time it's a good option.​

Day two:Athens

  • Athens free walking tour at 9:15 am

    • meet at 9:15am outside the Ekklisia Agii Asomati ke Agios Georgios (it's a small church).

      • The address is Ag. Asomaton 5, Athina 105 53. It is very close to Thissio metro station.

    • 2-2.5 hour tour and hits the below sites

      • Arch of Hadrian

      • Good view of the city

      • Temple of Athena

      • Mv.  Parthenon

      • Panathenaic Stadium

      • Finishes near the entrance to the Acropolis

  • Tour the Acropolis

    • There is a ticket for 30 Euros that will give you admission into 5 different historical sights, including the Acropolis​

  • Sunset at Sounio​

Day three:Meteora

  • Full day rail tour to the Meteora Monasteries (a UNESCO World Heritage Sight)

    • $112.39/ Person- includes train ticket, lunch, and transportation around the mountains​

      • Girls must wear skirts to enter monasteries. Knees and shoulders covered for both men and women. No shorts for men.

      • Monasteries have wrap-skirts for visitors to borrow if they are wearing pants or shorts

    • The train ride is about 4.5 hours​

      • Pack snacks and entertainment​

    • We were back in time to go out for dinner before going back to pack for our early flight.​

Day four: Athens to corfu

  • Corfu was one of our favorite islands! It really had everything- a quaint town, beautiful beaches, and unforgettable hikes 

    • We rented a car to drive around the island. I would recommend renting an automatic, our manual really struggled up the very steep, dirt roads. 

    • We landed early enough to have Campiello all to ourselves- one of the highlights to our stay!​

Corfu

  • Campiello (old town- UNESCO World Heritage sight

    ​Explore restaurants & shops

    • Paleó Froúrio (Old Fort- $6 euro)​

    • Kaiser Throne- Overlook of the city

  • Drive to lodging (48 minutes)

    • We stayed at an incredible airbnb! ​

      • Spyridon was a remarkable host! We met him at his restaurant by the beach, and he showed us to the airbnb. We were able to use his restaurant's beach chairs for free throughout our stay.

    • Lounge by the beach​

    • Canal d’ Armour

    • Logas (the sunset beach)

      • Dinner at 7th Heaven during sunset

      • We had a large group, so we made a reservation in advance. I would recommend reserving a table because the restaurant was pretty busy. The food was a little more expensive than most Greek restaurants we had been to, but we all thought it was well worth it!

Day five: Hiking in Corfu

  • Hike to Porto Timoni Beach (40 minute hike)​

    • Park in Afionas village

      • You'll want to arrive early, parking is limited- you'll have to find a spot on the street somewhere. ​

        • ​A bright yellow shop has placed a sign pointing to the direction of the trailhead. 

    • There is a beautiful beach at the end of this hike! definitely wear comfortable, close-toed shoes as the hike is very rocky. 

      • The beach is very secluded- no bathrooms/restaurants, etc. ​
        ​        ​​

  • Second option: we didn't go here because it was raining, but other pictures look beautiful!​​

  • Corfu Trail (Section)

    • Part of the trail comes very close to the trail to Timoni Beach

      • http://www.corfutrailguide.com

      • Drive to Paleokastritsa Beach

        • Fun Fact: Paleokastritsa is said to be the place where Odysseus met the princess Nausicaa after the sea god Poseidon turned his ship to stone. You can still see the ship-shaped rock out in the harbor today

Day Six: Windsurfing

  • In the morning, some of us decided to go back to Porto Timoni Beach for a morning swim!
  • We scheduled a windsurfing lesson, which was the hardest and best experience!​
    • This excursion was a bit of a drive, about an hour way from our airbnb​
  • Windsurfing (3 hrs. $100/ person)
    • ​We had a pretty big group, so we were given a private lesson​

      • Meet at surf center on Chalikounas beach at 12:30. Lessons start at 1:00

  • Kontokali Beach

  • After windsurfing we found the best Greek restaurant! It was about 5 miles from the beach

  • We drove back to our airbnb and enjoyed the sunset before another early flight the next morning​

Zakynthos

Day Seven: Corfu to Zakynthos

  • Corfu to Athens flight 6:35-7:35am;​ Athens to Zakynthos flight 9:50-10:50am 
    • ​Unfortunately, there aren't any direct flights from Corfu- Zante​
  • We booked a rental car for this island as well
  • We stayed in a very quaint airbnnb surrounded by olive trees. Our hosts were an incredibly kind couple who welcomed us with a traditional Greek dessert. The airbnb is perfect if you're hoping for a traditional, quiet Greek experience.

    • 3 bedrooms, 8 guests, 2 baths

    • Located in the historical village Skoulikado. 3 miles from Alykes

    • 25 minutes from the airport 

  • Alykes Beach    

    • Today was full of relaxation. We decided to lounge on the beach, walk through town, and enjoy the beach-front restaurant

Day Eight: Zakynthos Excursions

  • Ride/swim with horses

    • 9:00 am- 12:00 pm

      • 3 hours ($30) 

      • Address: Laganas Horse Riding Center, Laganas 291 00, Greece

  • Sea turtle Spotting (about $25) 12:50 pm- 4:00 pm

    • Eco-friendly sea turtle tour:

    • Meeting point: Agios Sostis Harbor at 12.45 at the entrance of the Wooden bridge to Cameo Island

    • This was a group boat ride to spot sea turtle and visit popular viewpoints. It was a good introduction to the coast, but not necessarily a "must do." 

  • Grab lunch in town​

  • Navagio Beach (shipwreck beach)

    • Drive up to view point for sunset​​

    • Drive back to airbnb (about 45 minutes)

  • We decided to cook at our airbnb after our long day​

Day Nine: Zakynthos Private boat ride

  • Rent a boat with a captain

    • 9am-5pm with captain

    • https://www.luxuryislandevents.com/en-cruises.html

    • “First stop is the shipwreck Beach one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. You can enjoy swimming to the natural blue water. Next stop is Blue caves and Agios Andreas caves where you can explore arches, hidden caves snorkling underwater spotting some fish and reefs . Some other stops are Xigia Beach our natural Sulfar spa, with thermal water that is healthy for the skin and Makri Gialos a beautiful private beach where you get to enjoy the amazing natural scenery.”

  • Grab dinner in town​

  • Rest and pack for an early morning

Day Ten: Zakynthos to Crete

  • Land in Chania- explore shops & restaurants

    • ​We rented a rental car for this island as well.​

  • Seitan limania beach is 30 minutes north

    • Wear good walking shoes- bit of a hike to get to his beach​

    • The beach area is relatively small; there are no facilities on this beach

    • Good beach for cliff jumping

  • Stay the night in Chania

Crete

Day Eleven: Samaria Gorge Hike

We wanted to hike the Samaria Gorge in Crete. I would recommend starting at the Xyloskalo trailhead and ending in the small town, Agia Roumeli. The gorge hike is a one-way, 10-mile hike. Therefore, the transportation gets a little complicated.

  • There are also tour groups that will arrange transportation and lodging for you.



 If you are committed to doing the traill on your own, you will want to stay the night in Chania the night before the hike, so you can take the public bus from Chania to Omalos.

  • After completing the hike, you can stay the night in a quaint village, Agia Roumeli, before catching the ferry back to Chora Sfakion.

    • You  can purchase ferry tickets on sight at the port.

    • The timetable is also listed at the port, so you can check ferry times for the following day 

  • Once your ferry arrives in Chora, you will have to take a bus back to your car in Chania. 

    • We left our luggage locked in our car, and packed an overnight backpack to carry with us during the hike.

      • Pack light because you'll also want to pack enough food and water!

      • We brought our bathing suits, sandals, a microfiber towel, toiletries, and one clean outfit. 


 

Day Twelve: Agia Roumeli to Heraklion

  • Today was mostly a day of transportation, but we enjoyed a lot of gorgeous scenery along the way

  • Enjoy the morning on the beach

    • Ferry back to Chora Sfakion​

      • We decided to grab lunch and enjoy the small town for a little bit​

    • Bus back to Chania (1 hr 26 minutes)

  • Drive to Heraklion (2 hours)

    • Grab dinner and explore the old town

Day Thirteen: Canyoning Excursion

  • Canyoning tour (all day) 

    • Definitely one of our favorite excursions! we had the nicest tour guide whose mother made us a home cooked lunch​!

      • We had to wear our tennis shoe through the water. If you can book an airbnb with a washer, it will be worth it to clean your tennis shoes, so they don't smell too bad.​

    • After the tour, our guide recommend a gorgeous beach that also had some great cliff jumping!

      • There was also a decent amount of shade, so we could lay out for a long time and enjoy the warmth without worrying about burning. 

      • Again, there were no bathroom facilities​

  • Another night in Heraklion for early morning ferry out of this city

Santorini

Day Fourteen: Crete to Santorini

​​

  • Ferry 8-10am

    • 50 euros

    • Ferry out of Heraklion to Santorini​​

  • We arranged for a driver to pick us up, so we wouldn't have to deal with a car on the island​

  • Villages:

  • We spent the early afternoon exploring some of the small villages​

  • Cliff jump or relax in Ammoudi Bay 

  • Dinner reservations at Katharos Lounge at 7pm in Oia

    • ​This restaurant was a vegan restaurant a little off the beaten path. The food was absolutely incredible, and a welcomed change after eating so much meat for the past week weeks. ​
    • It overlooked the water- located right above the beach. There weren't any other building around

    • Having a dinner reservation in Oia is a good idea if  you're hoping to enjoy the sunset without worrying about fighting through tourists (if you're traveling during high season)​

Day Fifteen: Santorini Catamaran tour

  • Free morning

    • Options:

      • Explore Oia early morning​

      • Brunch by the sea

      • Enjoy the beach

      • Walk around the shops in Fira

  • Excursion: Sunset Catamaran tour

  • Dinner reservations at Kastro Restaurant in Oia at 7pm

    • Oia 847 02

    • Nice view of sunset- prices are a little higher 

      • Area was overcrowded with tourists- the waiters at the restaurant had to ask people to move away from the diners.​

Day Sixteen: Beach Day & Winery Tour

  • Some beach options:

    • Kamari Beach

    • Perissa Beach​

    •  White Beach

    • Red Beach

    • Monolithos Beach

    • Katharos Beach

    • Baxedes Beach

    • Pori Beach

    • Agios Georgios

    • Vlychada Beach

  • Sunset winery tour- HIGHLY RECOMMEND

    • $100 4-5 hours

    • Pick up between 4:15-4:30 at hotel​​

      • We went to 4 different wineries. Each winery gave us 4-5 tastings and some light o'dourves- make sure to eat before you go on the tour

    • ​After the winery tour, we went to some of the bars in downtown Fira  ​

Day Seventeen: Santorini to milos

  • Morning in Santorini- we hung out at the beach again

    • Hike from Fira to the town of Oia.

      • Oia is the town with the iconic blue domed roofs.

      • Hike takes 2-5 hours

  • Santorini to Milos

    • Shuttle to the ferry port

    • Ferry 6:30-8:20pm

      • We booked on Golden Star Ferries 

      • Pick up tickets at port office at least one hour prior to departure 

        • Dakoutros Travel Agency, Fira, 847 00 ​

Milos

Day eighteen: Sarakiniko Beach

  • Lodging in Milos is somewhat limited

  • Explore Sarakiniko​ beach

    • We spent most of the day here​

      • no restroom facilities​

      • pack your own food

      • limited shade

  • Dinner in town

  • Sunset at Sarakiniko Beach​​

Day Nineteen: Explore the Island

  • There are a lot of beautiful beaches on the island:

    • ​Firopotamos

    • Firiplaka

    • Kastanas

    • Agia Kyriaki

    • Paleochori

    • Sykia Cave

    • Mytakas

    • Paliorema

  • Excursion option:​

  • Fly back to Athens in the evening​

    • I would recommend adding one more day in Milos if time permits

Day Twenty: Fly Home

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About Me

I'm a teacher and a travel addict! I'm just trying to make my way around the world, one plane ticket at a time. 
 

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