7 Day Greece Itinerary

 3 nights in Santorini

Experiencing a sunset in Santorini was always on my bucket list and I was fortunate to spend 3 beautiful evenings watching the sun go down on the Aegean Sea. 

Where to Stay:  While there are several incredible hotels on the actual cliff you can stay on in Oia they were either already booked or too expensive for our budget.  After looking to find something close by we chose the Aperanto Suites in Oia Village. It was about a straight 20 minute walk to the main cliffs and on days that it was too humid we would take a 10 euro cab from the hotel.  The place overlooked the Aegean Sea and there are mini pools that accompany the suites too.  Every morning a tray of breakfast was delivered to your door and we couldn’t have been happier with our stay there.  They arranged transfer to and from the airport too, making our stay incredibly easy.

What to Do:  Santorini is incredibly romantic and watching the sunset was my favorite thing to do while there, I felt completely obsessed.   Our first night there we did this on the top of the Caldera.  Check the timings for when the sunset is happening and try to arrive 45 minutes early since a crowd does develop, but the view is worth it.

Anytime I go on a trip I love to plan a boat day and so we went on a sailing cruise with Sunset Oia.  I would definitely recommend using this company, they pick you up and drop you off to your hotel.  We chose the “Ammoudi Ocean Voyager 74 Sunset Tour” and they make two stops for swimming and snorkeling.  The crew is friendly, energetic and also makes a delicious Greek barbeque that is included in the price.  The evening ends on the boat in the middle of the sea with the sun going down, it was by far the best sunset I have ever experienced.  

One of the things that’s a must do when visiting Santorini is the hike from Fira to Oia.  We took a bus to Fira and followed the signs to where the hike starts.  Fira itself is beautiful and has several fun restaurants to visit as well.  Start the hike early and allow yourself to make fun stops around the village. The hike is 9km and if you walk the whole time it will take you 2-3 hours, but since we were strolling along and making stops in the villages it took us closer to 5 hours.  The end of the hike is hard!  There’s a lot of hiking uphill and pebbles, etc.  It’s definitely worth doing the hike though as the views are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

Where to Eat:  My absolute favorite meal in Santorini was at a Taverna called Santorini Mou.  It’s a small restaurant with outdoor seating and live music.  The owner himself plays the guitar.  The food is authentic and traditional, we asked them what to order and weren’t disappointed by any of it. Each guest is asked where they are from and a little flag with their country is placed on the table.  At the end of the meal they take a picture of you and have you sign the guest book, Jennifer Anniston has been there too!

Some other places we really enjoyed: lunch at Lefkes, seafood at Kastro, and the tasting menu on a cliff at Lycabettus.

What to Pack: WHITE AND BLUE, duh 😉  I couldn’t help myself and every outfit I packed I wanted to match the scenery I’ve always seen on screensavers of computer desktops.  

Sun hats and swimsuits for dips in the pool and the sea.

Sneakers- the hike from Fira to Oia can’t be done in anything less than a legit pair of sneakers and work out gear so if you want to include this in your travels make sure to do it right!

Tips: When you visit Santorini, it’s hard not to want a picture next to the blue domes.  When you get to the cliffs though you realize though that the place is a complete maze!  Walking through the different alleys is fun, but if you really want that blue dome picture then on the main path find a jewelry store with the “Bulgari” sign.  Turn left and click away, the blue domes will be in every background picture!

2 nights in Mykonos

Before heading to Mykonos everything I had read/heard stated it was a party island and not to spend too long there.  I couldn’t disagree more, in fact I wish I hadn’t listened to others and booked more time here.

Where to Stay:  Swayed by my Instagram feed, I booked the Cavo Tagoo Hotel for the Mykonos part of the trip.  Laying poolside with views of the sea in front of us we could have spent our entire day there.  Our room had it’s own mini pool too, but the downstairs main area was our favorite place to hang out by far.  If we came back to Mykonos this is where we would stay again for sure.

What to Do: Mykonos was the relaxing part of our trip.  We lounged by the pool in our hotel and when we wanted to venture out the hotel provided us with transportation.  Our first night we went to Scorpios, a beach club and outdoor restaurant.  The DJ played deep house and we watched another incredible sunset before dancing the night away.  On our second day after we had gotten enough R&R we went to Little Venice.  We found the famous windmills and after taking a few pictures walked in to the main area. The streets of Mykonos are fairly empty compared to Santorini and we got to leisurely stroll through and soak it all in.

Where to Eat: Our first day we had a late lunch at Cavo Tagoo before we headed to Scorpios.  Everyone had told us to eat octopus when we traveled to Greece and honestly the hotel’s was the best we had.  After our evening at Scorpios we were hungry and luckily food spot nearby was open.  Nikos Taverna has been a family run business for years and while we were there cousins/aunts/brothers/sisters were our hostesses and servers.  It had great authentic Greek seafood.  Our second day we went to Nammos, where I was really hoping to run in to Lindsay Lohan, no such luck L. Nammos is known for its wild crowd and dancing on tables, but because we were there in the off season our lunch was scenic and tame.  For dinner we visited the Little Venice area this night and had dinner right on the edge of the sea overlooking the windmills. 

1 night in Athens

As a lover of Greek mythology Hassan was really excited about traveling to Athens.  We booked a hotel in the city center and as soon as we got ready left for the Acropolis.  It was fun to explore a place we had learned so much about in our history classes.  After the Acropolis we went to the Acropolis Museum and read again about the different Greek gods and goddesses. We walked around for a bit where the main markets are before settling back into our hotel for some room service.

As a lover of Greek mythology Hassan was really excited about traveling to Athens.  We booked a hotel in the city center and as soon as we got ready left for the Acropolis.  It was fun to explore a place we had learned so much about in our history classes.  After the Acropolis we went to the Acropolis Museum and read again about the different Greek gods and goddesses. We walked around for a bit where the main markets are before settling back into our hotel for some room service.

Tips:  Make sure to stay away from budget flights when traveling through Greece. While they may look enticing, those flights are always delayed or cancelled, especially when going in between the smaller islands. Try not to visit during the summer months- this is high season and very crowded. Plus the heat will force you to stay by a pool or beach instead of exploring.  We went in September and the humidity was still driving me crazy!  Lastly, order all the different kinds of seafood you find on the menu, there’s probably no better place than Greece to try it.