8 Amazing Places to Visit in Greece: Itinerary and Budget

We spent 15 days in Greece in September 2018: a road trip across the mainland (Athens, Meteora, Delphi, Corinth), then island-hopping by ferry through Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini and Crete. It cost our family of four 2,837.52 EUR (about 3,320.80 USD at 2018 rates), and the sunset over Oia, on Santorini, is still the single most memorable moment of our whole round-the-world trip.

Before planning our trip around the world, we hadn’t considered Greece a dream destination. The more photos we looked at, the clearer it became that we couldn’t skip it — and we’re glad we didn’t. The Hellenic Republic won us over with its pleasant weather, relaxed pace of life and striking landscapes.

The Amazing Places to Visit in Greece

The Cyclades islands captivated us the most. We’ll start with them.

Santorini

Santorini is probably the most photogenic island of the Cyclades. Even the names of its towns — Oia, Imerovigli, Fira, Perissa, Emporio — are a pleasure to say.

For me, Santorini ranks second only to Cappadocia in Turkey on my list of most “wanderlust” destinations.

Santorini’s caldera formed through repeated eruptions of the volcano it sits on. The view from the cliffs that ring it is spectacular — it’s hard not to feel small imagining the forces that shaped it.

What we’ll remember most about Santorini: its white and cream-coloured houses, its blue-domed churches, its multicoloured doors, staircases tucked into the cliffs, pedestrian streets lit up at night, views over the sea and mountains, black and red sand beaches, and above all, the sunset over Oia. The one we watched on our first night on the island was unforgettable — the crowd applauded as the last light faded.

2026 update: Santorini now caps cruise-ship arrivals at 8,000 passengers a day and charges visitors a landing fee (up to 20 EUR in peak season) to manage overtourism (Greek City Times).

Not everything went to plan. Strong winds shook the Greek islands and forced us to stay two extra nights, which shortened our time on Crete — a reminder to expect a few surprises on a round-the-world trip.

Mykonos

Mykonos, one of the Cyclades’ best-known islands after Santorini, is beautiful in its own right. Several people told us it wasn’t worth visiting — too crowded, too much partying, other islands more beautiful. We went anyway, and were won over by its small streets, windmills, beaches and easygoing way of life.

Naxos

Naxos is the largest of the Cyclades. The gateway to the Temple of Apollo, perched on a hill at the entrance to the port, feels like a portal into another dimension. Our apartment was right in the centre of Chora, the island’s main town, and we loved wandering its streets at night.

We crossed the island from west to east, through charming villages and sweeping landscapes. The view from Mount Zeus, the highest peak on the island (and in the Cyclades), is stunning. We also visited Zeus’s Cave, where his mother is said to have hidden him from his father, the Titan Cronos.

The highlight of Naxos, though, was time spent on the beaches of Agios Prokopios and Plaka, where the water is so clear you can see the fish swimming beside you — capped off with another beautiful sunset.

Meteora

Meteora is a rock formation topped with monasteries perched on rocky pinnacles. The view from the top is sensational.

Delphi

The name Delphi comes from this sanctuary, once considered “the navel of the world,” where the Oracle of Apollo spoke through her prophetess 2,500 years ago. Delphi was the symbolic centre of the ancient Greek world, and its sanctuary sits on a mountainside with a phenomenal view over the valley.

Corinth

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13)

Paul the Apostle wrote these words to the Christians of Corinth. We came looking for traces of that history and found instead the ruins of ancient Corinth, destroyed by the Romans. The remains of the Temple of Apollo and the fortress of Acrocorinth are what’s left of Corinth’s rich past.

Athens

At over 5,000 years old, Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the birthplace of democracy 2,500 years ago. The first Olympic Games were held nearby in 776 BC. Our two days in the Greek capital were spent mostly at the Acropolis and the ruins around it — honestly, we expected to be more impressed by a city with this much history.

2026 update: The Acropolis now requires timed-entry tickets booked in advance, capped at 20,000 visitors a day; walk-up entry is no longer guaranteed, especially in summer (official ticket site).

Crete

We’d planned 3 nights on Crete, but stayed only one because our ferry out of Santorini was delayed by violent winds. From our hotel in Heraklion, we drove to Chania to catch our flight. The drive between the two cities took much longer than the 2 hours we’d expected, because we kept stopping to admire the views. We still had time to visit Knossos, a Bronze Age archaeological site and the oldest town in Europe — the palace of Knossos was the political and cultural capital of Minoan civilization.

How to Plan a Trip to Greece

Itinerary

Here’s how our 15 days in Greece broke down:

• Athens and its Acropolis, 2 nights;
• Meteora and its monasteries perched on rocky peaks, 1 night;
• Delphi and its Pan-Hellenic sanctuary, 1 night;
• Corinth and its ancient city;
• Back to Athens for 2 nights;
• The island of Mykonos and its narrow streets, 2 nights;
• The mountainous island of Naxos and its beaches, 2 nights;
• The volcanic island of Santorini and its caldera, 5 nights;
• The island of Crete and its coastal scenery, 1 night.

1. Santorini
2. Acropolis
3. Mikonos
4. Chania, Greece
5. Meteora Monasteries
6. Naxos
7. Delphi
8. Corinth
9. Knossos

Accommodation and Getting Around

Over our 16 nights in Greece, we stayed in 4 apartments and 5 hotels. We rented 5 cars in total — one on the mainland, and one on each island (Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini and Crete).

What to Eat in Greece

Gyros, souvlaki, moussaka. We ate very well in Greece!

How Much Does 15 Days in Greece Cost?

Transport made up the biggest share of our budget: we took 4 ferries to island-hop and rented a car at every stop. In the end, our 15 days in Greece for a family of 4 cost:

• 2,837.52 EUR (3,320.80 USD);
• 177.34 EUR (207.54 USD) per day;
• 44.33 EUR (51.88 USD) per person per day.

Amounts were paid in euros. US-dollar equivalents use the average exchange rate during our trip (September 13–28, 2018): 1 EUR = 1.1704 USD.

In detail:

Expense Category	Amount Spent
Flight	280.58 EUR / 328.37 USD
Ferries	536.04 EUR / 627.34 USD
Accommodation	750.85 EUR / 878.73 USD
Transport (including gas)	597.66 EUR / 699.45 USD
Eating out	325.04 EUR / 380.40 USD
Groceries	234.85 EUR / 274.85 USD
Activities	112.50 EUR / 131.66 USD
Total	2,837.52 EUR / 3,320.80 USD

Conclusion

Greece impressed us with its rich history and beautiful islands. Given the chance, we’d like to go back for Paros, Milos, Ios, Hydra, Patmos and Rhodes, and to see Crete’s famous Balos beach. It was a good way to return to Europe after Turkey and Lebanon. Next stop: Cyprus!