How To Plan Your Dream Greek Escape

With over 200 magical islands to explore, ancient cities bursting with historical wonders, and a mountainous mainland offering scenic views and endless hiking trails, Greece is an out-of-this-world destination providing travelers with everything they need to plan a dream vacation.

However, planning the perfect trip is challenging, with many exciting places, hidden gems, and paradises to experience. Luckily, we’re here to help. We’ve compiled a fool-proof plan that details how to plan your dream Greek adventure. Whether planning a luxury vacation or a two-week-long adventure, we’ll tell you everything you need to know, including where to go, when, and how to book your flights.

Table of Contents

Pick Your Travel Style

The first thing you must consider when planning a vacation to Greece is how you want to travel. Greece has so many beautiful places to visit and a wide range of things to see and do that we can travel in many different ways. For example, you could fly to the mainland for a city break, book an all-inclusive vacation at a luxury resort, or explore the Greek islands on an island-hopping adventure.

Bearing these opportunities in mind, you should consider the type of vacation you’re hoping to plan. We recommend booking an all-inclusive resort if you travel to Greece for a honeymoon. Alternatively, an island-hopping adventure might be better if you want to see more Greek islands.

Decide How Long You Want To Travel

Dream Greek Escape How Long to Travel — © Tetiana_u / Shutterstock

You also need to decide how long you want to travel around Greece. This is crucial because it dictates how long you have to spend in a particular place and how much you can do during your vacation. To determine how long you can travel, take your budget, personal preference, and how much work leave you can take into account.

If you’re planning an all-inclusive Greek island vacation, one or two weeks is more than enough time. Meanwhile, you’ll need at least two weeks if you’d prefer to plan an island-hopping adventure or a hiking trip on the mainland. This will allow you to spend plenty of time in each place and allow time to travel from A to B.

Decide When You Want To Travel

Dream Greek Escape Decide When to Travel — © Sergey Novikov / Shutterstock

Next, you need to decide when’s the best time to travel. Generally, the weather in Greece is always pretty excellent. You can usually expect mild to hot temperatures, wall-to-wall sunshine, and little to no rain whenever you visit. However, some times of the year are better to visit than others.

For example, if you seek plenty of heat for your summer vacation, July and August are the best months to visit, as they are the hottest. Temperatures can range between 81°F and 95°F (27°C and 35°C). However, this is also the peak tourist season in Greece. If you want to experience cooler temperatures, fewer crowds, and more affordable prices, visit during spring (April to June) and early autumn (September and October).

Create a Budget

Things You Should Know Before Going to the Greek Islands Budgeting — © pkazmierczak / Adobe Stock

Creating a budget isn’t the easiest of things to do, but it’s super important if you want to enjoy a fun, successful, and hassle-free trip. If you don’t set a budget, it’s easy to overspend, waste money, and ultimately miss out on the things you’ve always dreamt of doing.

To set a budget for your Greek escape, you need to determine how much money you have to spend on essentials, such as transport, accommodation, food, and activities. To avoid disappointment and worry, we also recommend setting aside a budget reserve so you don’t run out of money if you encounter any surprises. Once you know the budget, you can start choosing your destination(s).

Pick Your Destination(s)

Dream Greek Escape Pick Your Destination — © DaLiu / Shutterstock

Now you’ve done the hard part and decided how you want to travel, how long for, when, and how much you have to spend, it’s time to start thinking about where you want to go; our favorite part of planning a vacation. To pick the best destination/s for your trip, you should begin by considering the kind of experience you’re looking for.

For instance, historic cities like Athens and Thessaloniki are ideal if you’re looking for a city break. Conversely, Crete and Rhodes are perfect if you dream of a luxury all-inclusive seaside escape. Meanwhile, you could easily island hop between Santorini, Paros, and Milos on a two-week holiday.

The Best Places To Visit in Greece

Beautiful Places in the World Overwhelmed by Overtourism The Acropolis, Greece — © TTstudio / Adobe Stock

With so many unique places to visit in Greece, it’s only fair to help you find some of the best. Where you decide to go will depend on your personal preference, but here’s some inspiration to get you thinking.

Best all-inclusive destinations: If you’re looking for the perfect place to book an all-inclusive vacation, consider Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Zakynthos, and Mykonos.
Best beaches: The best beaches in Greece are in Paros, Kefalonia, Lefkada, Rhodes, and Zakynthos.
Best for history: History buffs who want to step into the past should visit Athens, Rhodes Old Town, Delos, and Thessaloniki.
Affordable getaways: Crete, Corfu, Naxos, and Tinos offer affordable vacations.
For outdoor adventure: To enjoy the great outdoors, visit Kea, Kythnos, and Litochoro.
For fewer crowds: For a more relaxed and tranquil escape, stay in Kefalonia, Aegina, and Lipsi.

Organize Your Travel Documents

Dream Greek Escape Travel Documents — © SCStock / Shutterstock

At this point in the process, it’s a good idea to organize your passport and any other required travel documents. You should check the validity of your passport and whether you need a visa to enter Greece.

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Conveniently, citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom can enter Greece and the Greek islands for up to 90 days without a visa. However, it’s important to note that your passport must be valid for at least six months upon arrival. If not, renew it as soon as possible to avoid issues closer to your travel date.

Take out Travel Insurance

Most Beautiful Islands in Greece_Mykonos — © zgphotography / Adobe Stock

While you’re at it, you may as well take out your travel insurance. Travel insurance is one of those things we all hate purchasing. It often feels like a waste of money because we very rarely, if ever, use it. However, you must buy travel insurance in case something goes wrong during your trip.

Travel insurance providers provide financial cover in the event of unexpected situations. These include missing luggage, property theft, medical treatment, and medical repatriation. Safety Wing is one of the best travel insurance providers you can use to purchase travel insurance. This provider offers flexible and affordable insurance that covers international travel. It also provides 24/7 support.

Book Your Flights/Additional Transport

Most Beautiful Countries to Explore Around the Globe Greece — © Y. Papadimitriou / Adobe Stock

Booking your flights to Greece isn’t very difficult. However, you can use a few neat tricks to find the best deals.

This can be invaluable if you’re planning an island-hopping trip. You can save money by identifying the most affordable route, booking in advance, and traveling without checked luggage. After booking your main flights, consider booking any other transport you might need, too, such as airport transfers, ferries, and buses. We recommend using Omio to find and book additional transport, such as buses and trains, and Ferryhopper to book ferry tickets.

Book Your Accommodation

Now that you’ve planned the main part of your trip, it’s time to start thinking about where you will stay. We don’t know about you, but this is our favorite part of traveling. There’s something incredibly satisfying and exciting about finding somewhere special, unique, or budget-friendly to stay.

To find the best places to stay during your Greek escape, start by doing your research. Locate the main attractions you want to visit, look for the most popular areas, and read reviews from other travelers. Then, use accommodation platforms like Booking.com to find the best options. On Booking.com, you can use filters to find accommodation that suits your budget, needs, and requirements.

🏨 Explore all your hotel options here

Book Attractions and Tours in Advance

Surreal Places You Won't Believe Are in Greece_Oia, Santorini — © Maglara / Adobe Stock

Admittedly, the next part of our planning process isn’t a must, but we recommend it if you want to avoid disappointment when you arrive in Greece. Generally, you’ll easily be able to access all the attractions and tours you want to see and do. However, it’s not uncommon for attractions to be fully booked, especially in peak season.

For example, the Greek government has capped the daily visitors to the Acropolis in Athens at 20,000 due to overcrowding. While it’s unlikely to be fully booked during your visit, booking tickets in advance will prevent you from missing out. Get Your Guide is a reliable platform for buying tickets for tours and attractions.

🏰 Book your tickets and tours

Pack The Essentials

Unmissable Things To Do in Santorini Best Time To Visit Santorini — © Kirk Fisher / Adobe Stock

What you pack for Greece will depend on your plans. For example, if you’re planning a beach holiday, you’ll want to pack swimming shorts, a bikini, and flip-flops. Alternatively, if you’re planning a hiking trip, you’ll want to pack your walking boots.

Generally, though, no matter your plan, you’ll need to pack light clothing for your Greek escape because it’s likely to be hot. Here’s a list of some things you might want to pack to help: