Greece - Athens, Mykonos and Santorini
History, Parties and Romance!
Happy is the man, I thought, who, before dying, has the good fortune to sail the Aegean Sea.
– Nikos Kazantzakis
Athens– The hub of Greek history.
Chances are that if you travel to Greece from an international location, you will probably arrive in Athens. It’s Greece’s busiest airport and it serves as the hub and main base of Aegean Airlines as well as other Greek airlines. It’s also one of the cities (in my opinion) that contains the most absurd amounts of history, with a close second being Rome. Learn more about my trip to Rome here.
So, it’s no wonder that Athens is known as “The eye of Greece, the mother of arts and eloquence.” If you have never been to Greece before, make sure to add Athens to your list. All you need is a couple of days to experience its beauty, food and history.
This is how we did it. We arrived Athens early in the morning to make the most of the day. So we skipped the nap to balance out the jet lag and headed out into the city to start our city tour. I highly recommend walking tours because you see so much more than in a bus or car. I’ve mentioned before how wonderful Rick Steves app is, and on this trip we used it as well. His audio playlist includes three tours of Athens. One of the City, the Acropolis and Ancient Agora, all free and includes detailed maps too. Save your money and download the app!
Here are some highlights on the tour:
On our second day we focused on the Acropolis and Ancient Agora. All that we needed to purchase was the entrance to the Acropolis and used the walking tour from Rick Steve’s app.
After being immersed in Greece’s history, we ended our stay in Athens at a traditional Greek restaurant with live music and amazing wine. This is highly recommended!
Mykonos– There’s so much more than parties!
After a full immersion of Greek history in Athens, we took a ferry to Mykonos. Unfortunately, our ferry broke half way there and we spent an additional 4 hours in the middle of the Aegean Sea instead of seeing Mykonos, so we accommodated our plans.
When we finally arrived Mykonos, tired, sweaty and hungry, we decided to just hang out at the pool. Our amazing hotel provided exactly what we needed, food, drinks and relaxation! If we had arrived as planned, we would have rented a car or scooter and driven around the island since it’s not very big. Instead, we decided to skip that and leave it for our next trip there.
In our second day in Mykonos, we woke up early and headed to the beach. There are amazing walking trails you can enjoy as well as plenty of restaurants and bars alongside the beach catering to your every need. We did just that!
After enjoying a day on the beach, we headed to Mykonos town to party and have dinner. Mykonos town does not disappoint. We had an amazing dinner facing the ocean and partied like rock-stars, or at least, that’s how we felt.
The next day we took a ferry to Santorini. Luckily our ferry didn’t break down this time and we arrived as planned!
Santorini – it’s not just a place for honeymooners, it’s also a place for solo travelers and wine lovers!
In ancient times, Santorini Island was known as Stongili, which means round in Greek. Strongili was the victim of an enormous volcano eruption in 1,500 BC. The eruption was so huge that many consider it to be the main cause of the destruction of the great Minoan civilization on the island of Crete, situated 70 nautical miles away. The specialists believe that the explosion was so strong that it created gigantic waves that reached the shores of the surrounding islands and Crete. After the explosion, the centre of Santorini sank, and the many earthquakes that followed destroyed a big part of the rest of the island. Many studies and researches have been presented in our days about the volcano of Santorini, including a series of documentaries in National Geographic. Watch it, it’s really good! Also, in some ancient myths, the destruction of the island is closely associated to the legend of the lost city of Atlantis. Source: www.greeka.com
After all of these destructions, the caldera was formed. It’s a large volcanic crater, typically one formed by a major eruption leading to the collapse of the mouth of the volcano. Visible above water is the circular Santorini island group, consisting of Santorini (aka Thera), the main island, Therasia and Aspronisi at the periphery, and the Kameni islands at the center.
Over the years, Santorini has developed as a wedding and honeymoon destination. And yes, we were on our honeymoon when we were there. We were one of those annoying couples that said, “We’re on our honeymoon” and then received 2-3 responses of “So are we!” So in true fashion, we found the most romantic hotel, with the best views of the caldera, that we could find (and afford).
Santorini is just what you’ve imagined. It’s magical, romantic and fruitful. It’s one of those places where it’s hard to take a bad picture. Almost every location is picturesque, but that, we expected. What really surprised us about Santorini was its wine. Locals have been growing, producing and distributing wine in Santorini since ancient times. There are various wineries around Santorini, which have some of the best views of the caldera! One of the best things we did in Santorini was take the wine tasting tour, visiting two different wineries and the Wine Museum, which is a winery as well. This is a must do when in Santorini!
You can read more about the history of Santorini’s wine here.
Another must do in Santorini is see the island from the sea. The catamaran and yacht tours are popular for this reason. They provide spectacular views of the island and you can appreciate the caldera and rock formations like no other place in the island. We chose the 5-hour daytime cruise that included dinner, drinks and visits to the Red and White beaches. But don’t be fooled, Santorini is made up of volcanic rock, so you won’t find powder like sand there. Instead, expect multi-color rocks, which is still cool to see, but not as comfortable as lying in powder sand beaches.
You can’t leave Santorini without visiting its two most popular towns, Oia and Fira. Our hotel was conveniently located in between them in a small town called Imerovigli, which was perfectly located for us because we were close to the action, yet far enough to enjoy quiet, romantic evenings from our hot tub.
Oia is a village that is best known for its sunset because it’s located in one of the highest points in Santorini on the caldera cliffs. The sunset in Santorini is considered one of the most famous sunsets worldwide and people from all over the world travel here to photograph it. Oia is a lovely village with charming white-washed houses, blue-domed churches, old brick roads and breathtaking views of the Sea. It has a festive feeling with crowds of people gathering on streets and rooftops to experience the sunset. The shopping is pretty amazing there also.
Fira is the capital of Santorini offering bars, restaurants, cafes and a variety of activities. It has a slightly larger town feeling and is often crowded because of cruise ships. It’s also a great place to get one of the best views of the caldera. When you visit, walk around the town and try to find hidden restaurants on the cliff facing the sea. Those are where the locals dine and offer some of the best traditional Greek food and views.
You have probably also heard of the donkey rides. Those are offered to people to get them from the bottom of the cliff to the top where the cities are located. Feel free to skip this, take the cable car up, or if you dare, walk up the stairs.
“Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.”
— Socrates
Go to Greece, eat, drink and and be happy!
Below is a recap of 8 day trip in Greece:
Sun, 4/29: Day 1: – Arrive Athens - City walking tour
Mon, 4/30: Day 2: Acroplis, Ancient Agora and Dinner Show
Tues, 5/1: Day 3: Ferry to Mykonos
2 nights in Athens
Wed, 5/2: Day 4: Hang at Mykonos hotel
Th, 5/3: Day 5: Party at beach in Mykonos
2 nights in Mykonos
Fri, 5/4: Day 6: Ferry to Santorini, Hang out at hotel
Sat, 5/5: Day 7: Caldera Cruise
Sun, 5/6: Day 8: Sunset in Oia
3 nights in Santorini
If you’re wondering how easily this can be done, how much it costs and who I used to book travel and tours, I can send you my full itinerary. Just email me for the details.
My itinerary includes:
Tour company used for catamaran tour and ferry
More activity options and excursions
Tips for getting around, to and from, Athens, Mykonos and Santorini
Travel visa requirements – who needs what and where to get it
Hotel and restaurant recommendations in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini
Currency tips
Best time of year to visit
What to pack and wear
Unlimited amount of questions you can ask me for your travel
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