12 Tips I Wish I had Known Before Traveling in Greece
After spending 2 weeks in Greece I decided to sit down and think about what I wish I knew before going. And some of this I did figure out early and some of them I couldn’t have learned until I was there. But either way I hope that this information is helpful for you as you are planning for, looking into, or about to head out to an adventure in Greece!
I don’t want to let this intro run too long because guys we have so much to chat about while it’s all still fresh on my mind so let’s get into these 12 tips I wish I had known before traveling in Greece.
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12 Tips I Wish I had Known Before Traveling in Greece
Helpful tips for visiting Greece:
Tip 1: Plan your transportation in advance
Planning how you are getting between locations and around at the location is so important.
That will look very different for everyone depending on your exact itinerary. But, it’s important to look at your transportation options before booking accommodations or tours. Because you can’t always easily get between regions even on the same island.
So investigate the ferries or flights between islands or major cities. As well as the options for public transportation, rental cars, and taxi/ubers in the locations that you are looking to go to.
Tip 2: Keep your options open on where to visit
This has two reasons behind it:
- There are way more places on mainland Greece and islands (there is 200+ inhabited islands) then you probably can imagine! And the major tourist spots may not be the most fun for you. If you love city inspired travel then spending a few days (not just one like many) in Athens may be the way to go for you. If you don’t like the party scene then skipping Mykonos and visiting an island like Paros may be right for you. Keep your options open when planning!
- Ferries and flights may not allow your dream itinerary possible. I used the ferry hopper app to help plan which islands we visited because there are ones that you have to book private transfers between, ones that only have ferries between during certain times of the year, and limited flights to and from the islands.
Tip 3: Use AirTags to keep track of luggage and important documents
Getting a 4 pack of air tags was honestly live saving for my travel anxiety.
We put one in each of our suitcases- I would recommend putting one in any suitcase you are going to check on a flight of course but also if like us you are doing your trip with just a carry on you still will need to put them on the luggage racks in the ferries. And having the air tags ensured we knew where they were if they slid around (or worse!).
For the other two we put an air tag in each of our passport holders. Again, so helpful for making me not feel anxious about where my passport is when traveling between places that don’t actually require using your passport.
Tip 4: Book as much in advance as possible
I mean everything you can book in advance. Including but not limited to:
- Airline flights
- Ferries (I booked all through Ferry hopper. But as soon as you get your boarding pass take a screenshot because if the ferry boarding is even a minute late the link won’t work. Hopefully they fix that glitch/issue soon).
- Rental cars
- Hired land transportation
- Experiences/ excursions/ activities- we booked a few through Viator but found that the best ones were from local options that don’t pay the fees to be on Viator so head to the second page of Google to find some!
Tip 5: Keep cash/coins on hand- but beware of ATM fees. And bring two credit cards!
Everywhere (I believe legally) has to have credit card machines. However, often the price for cash was lower and on quite a few instances the credit card machine was down. So keep some cash on you. But arguably more important was coins for different ticket machines that only took coins not credit cards or even cash bills.
Also, bring two different credit cards minimum in case you run into issues with one. This is always something we recommend when traveling internationally.
Tip 6: Plan for tours/experiences to run long, like really long
The people of Greece are the most friendly and welcoming I have ever met. That being said, any booked experience or activity or tour we had ran at least 30% longer than the stated time.
The main thing to keep in mind with that is if you book a dinner reservation or anything else after plan enough buffer time for the earlier tour to run long.
Tip 7: Read up on local cuisine/menus
This is primarily for people that have dietary restrictions or eaters in your group who won’t just eat anything. Which really I think one or both of those applies to almost every group who is traveling. For us my husband will eat basically anything that is put in front of him but I on the other hand will eat anything that doesn’t include meat.
I’ve never had a hard time finding meat free options when traveling in Europe (at least thus far) however we have met people when traveling who themselves or someone in their group has a lot of food preferences that are challenging to accommodate. Such as someone who only really eats chicken and pastas. But in some of the islands it is mainly just seafood and fresh veggies! So make sure you find some restaurants where you are wanting to go if you have someone with strict restrictions or preferences.
For reference- I had no problem finding delicious meat free (but I do eat seafood!) options in Athens (Athens is a major city, all dietary restrictions can be accommodated there), Heraklion Crete, and Milos. However, all over the island of Paros we found there was primarily just seafood. So if you have someone who doesn’t eat meat or seafood OR someone who eats meat but not seafood honestly it may not be the island for you!
Tip 8: Pick the season you visit based on interests.
Greece is beautiful year round! But there is peak season for a reason. Summer is the best time of course for swimming and enjoying beaches. And a lot of the beach towns/high tourism areas have a lot of shops and restaurants closed during slow season.
But if you are more into the history and culture (which is the case for us) going in April/May or September/October can be a valid option too. It’s cheaper and less crowded!
It also will be a more reasonable
Tip 9: Learn the basic words!!
Compared to most other countries we have visited that don’t recognize English as a national language, Greek locals spoke perfect English. We learned while there that knowing Greek isn’t required by any means to enjoy Greece and communicate with locals. And more than communicate, truly converse!
However, I believe that learning the basic words for politeness and pleasantry is good human decency. But we were surprised how few people did. And trust me, you and locals you encounter will love that you took the time to learn the most common and used Greek words.
Tip 10: Pack these essentials-
- Lots of sunscreen!
- Outlet adapters
- Extra long phone chargers
- Phone charger packs/banks
- Hand sanitizer (encountered a lot of bathrooms out of soap)
- Conditioner- only one of 5 hotels we stayed at had conditioner!
- Comfy walking sneakers and sandals
Tip 11: Be open to unique accommodations
Staying at large scale hotels will honestly limit your experience and the culture you get to experience in Greece.
I highly recommend leaving hotel chains behind and checking out smaller, family run hotels. We stayed almost exclusively at these and had the best experiences. Our favorite was Fotilia Hotel in Paros because we stayed in a legit restored windmill. It was the coolest experience and not that expensive compared to a lot of accommodation options on the island.
Keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to stay at smaller properties. Though, I do generally recommend that you stay in hotels rather than airbnbs because there is a lot of risks associated with airbnbs in my opinion that make it not worth it when staying in a foreign country.
Tip 12: Embrace the amazing hospitality!
My husbands paternal side is all from Greece and this wasn’t a shock to me as a result. But seriously embrace the friendly people, embrace the invitations, the experiences, and the vibe!
You are NOT imposing, if you are invited to join someone for something. They want you there and you are so welcome to join. Embrace the friendly vibe and say yes to the experiences it presents to really engulf yourself in the Greek culture!
Korra The Explorer
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