Free Travel Itinerary to Greece 8 Days

Short on time but you want to travel to Greece? That’s why I have created my free travel itinerary to Greece in only 8 days to help you make the most of your time. Greece can be a little overwhelming to visit because there are over 227 inhabited islands to choose from. In this Itinerary you will be visiting Athens and Santorini. For a little bit of history and a little bit of the island life without having to hop from ferry to ferry.

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About my Free Itinerary to Greece

Before diving into the trip you must plan. It’s the most crucial steps in ensuring your trip runs smoothly and stays on budget. Don’t worry because I will walk you through all the steps. Then the fun part begins, exploring! After arrival into Athens I will help you navigate the city of Gods, then take you on a day trip to Delphi and the blue waters of Santorini. Where you will be left speechless, inspired and not willing to go home.

Itinerary to Greece Highlights

Exploration of Athen Ruins and Museums (Like the Acropolis)
Sailing in Santorini
Ancient City of Delphi
Wine Tour
Sight Seeing on a ATV
Hike to Oia

Planning your Trip to Greece

Know when you are going to travel. Whenever traveling to Europe the most crowded and expensive time will always be the summer months. Middle of May through the beginning of September and major holidays. If you travel during the “off” season the crowds are less which means hotels, other accommodations, and activities will be more affordable. Bronson and I visited Greece the end of September into the beginning of October. It was beautiful weather the whole time. The water was at its warmest. So swimming was perfect. Making the trip absolutely magical. Being somewhere at the right time and place makes a huge difference. Do your research and plan according to your wants and needs.
Make sure you have a credit card. If you travel without a credit card you are missing out. The right credit card gives you points or miles back on every purchase (this is how Bronson and I get free flights on our trips every year.) Has no foreign transaction fees. Provides free TSA or Global Entry Pre Check. And comes most of the time with travel insurance, rental car insurance, etc if you used your card to make the reservation. It’s the smart way to travel and builds your credit at the same time. I never leave my house without my Capitol One Venture X card. It’s how I travel affordably. Check it out and others if you don’t already have one. Then you can reap all the benefits too.

Booking your Trip to Greece

Get your Flights: Now that you know when you will be traveling begin searching for the flights. This trip will require two round trip flights. One to Athens and back home and one from Athens to Santorini and back. For reference, Athens is 8 hrs ahead of mountain standard time. When planning your flight to Athens account for that. I always plan two days of the trip as travel days. One day to get to the destination and the other day upon leaving to go back home. Which leaves 6 days to explore Greece. I use Hopper to track and find a good flight no later than 6 months in advance. Once a good price arises I cross reference with google flights and then book through the airline. Booking through the airline has always been cheaper for me and also offers the most benefits as a flyer if a cancelation or something were to happen.
Accommodations. Now that the flights are taken care of its time to book places to stay. Start by looking for the hotels through Bookings.com. It’s the only travel website I use for accommodations. Its easy to navigate, always has the best (lowest) prices and provides free cancellations on most everything. Bronson and I stayed at Chic Centre Suites in Athens, right in City Center next to all the shops and history sights. Then in Santorini we stayed in the most amazing bed and breakfast on the outskirts of Fira. Milos Villas Hotel. You have to ask the bar tender at the pool to make you a pina colada. Seriously, the best pina colada I’ve ever had. As well as the Manhattan.
Experiences. When ever I travel out of the U.S. I use Get Your Guide and Trip Advisor to scout for fun activities. Tip: after browsing sometimes it’s cheaper to book directly through the businesses website instead of a third party website. Just check your sources first. Bronson and I booked a wine tour and boat tour in Santorini. As well as a day trip tour to Delphi from Athens.
Transportation: For this Itinerary you will not need a car. Just use the taxi’s for rides (can book easily through Bookings.com) to and from the airport or the bus system. I highly recommend downloading the Rome 2 Rio app. It provides everything you need to know about the bus system, trains, taxis, etc when out of the country. We did rent a four wheeler for a day in Santorini though. There’s a rental shop right up the street from Milos Villas Hotel. It was only 20 euros for the day (remember prices are always changing.) We had the best time exploring Santorini that way.

Preparing for your Trip to Greece

Packing: Pack light. You don’t need more than a carry on. You can also bring a personal bag/backpack too if you feel like you need it. Then your luggage is typically free. Some foreign airlines charge a small fee for carryons but it’s because the flights are so cheap. Baggage is where they make majority of their money. I also recommend packing cubes, a wet bag and a liquid toiletry bag to help keep your luggage organized to maximize the most space. Oh and a towel. Only bring two pairs of shoes too. Wear a pair of tennis shoes comfortable for walking and hiking and a set of sandals.
ID’s: Please don’t forget your passports and driver licenses. I always carry all of mine and Bronson’s important documents and items in a crossover bag that stays with me at all times. Get Global Entry if you plan on visiting a lot of foreign countries too. Then you don’t have to go through customs every time you arrive back into the U.S. Your credit card might even pay for it. Double check.

Free Travel Itinerary to Greece 8 days

Day 1: Make sure everything is packed and ready to go before leaving for the airport. Get to the airport at least 2 hours in advance before your flight and relax before take off. I like filling up my water bottle and getting a coffee or snack before boarding. Airplane food is always the worst. P.S. more than likely you will arrive into Athens the next day when the flight lands.

Day 2: First day in Athens. Find the bus to Syntagma square at the airport. Then walk to your hotel. After checking in, drop off your luggage to your room, freshen up and hit the town. Do not sleep. If you go to sleep but it’s still daylight in Athens you will be so jet lagged. The Roman Agora is just around the corner as well as the markets. Go eat, shop, listen to live street music and view some of the archaeological sites close by. Oh and make sure and get some treats from the Mona Lisa Latelier. Then try and find your way back to the hotel at about 9 or 10 pm to get a good nights rest in before tomorrow.

Day 3: Wake up early (about 7am, 8am) to eat breakfast at Picky Coffee & Brunch. It’s the best, most fresh breakfast I have ever had. Served with the most creamy and dreamy cappuccino. My mouth is drooling just thinking about it. After breakfast head to the Acropolis Museum. The earlier you show up the better chance you have of getting in right away. Buy your tickets beforehand for faster entrance. Right after visit the Acropolis museum. Then head down the street for the best gyros of your life at O Gyros Pou Gyreveis. Then head to the other ruin sites or museums you would like see. Today is all about History!

Day 4: Day trip to Delphi! Bronson and I booked a tour but you might want to get a car and drive yourself instead. The tour was great if you like having a guide to teach and explain about the ancient city but if you like to go at your own pace I would get a rental car. The roads are very similar to the U.S. and traffic was very easy to navigate. Bronson I wished we had gotten our own vehicle so we could have walked around new Delphi and driven to some of the neighboring towns close by to check out as well.

Day 5: Off to Santorini! Head to the airport and board your plane to Santorini. Upon arrival get a taxi and head to the hotel. After getting settled change into some active wear to hike to Oia from Fira. It’s a long hike (about an hour and a half one way) but so worth it. The views are unmatched! Don’t forget water and sunscreen by the way. Once you hike into Oia explore the shops and get some pictures of the white stucco buildings. We stopped for food and then took a bus back to Fira to freshen up at the hotel before doing a sunset wine tour. Which was our favorite activity of the whole trip.

Day 6: Let’s sail the Mediterranean! Eat breakfast at the hotel and head to the port to hop onto a boat for the day. We booked through Santorini Day Tours for the Greek Meal and Daytime Cruise and it was spectacular. The staff was amazing. The food was so good. And I had the best time daydreaming on the boat net, getting a sun tan on the water. It’s an experience I will never forget. After the tour head back to the hotel for some R&R by the pool. Order some happy hour drinks and then head into Fira for dinner, shopping and clubbing. The bars stay open until 4 am in the morning, I swear. The Greeks know how to party!

Day 7: After breakfast head into town to to rent an ATV for the day. You might need to rent one a few days in advance or reserve before your trip. We booked through ATV Santorini. It’s the best way to see all the neighboring towns on the island and to enjoy the beaches. A few must stops is the Red Beach and Kamari Beach plus shopping (we found the most perfect souvenirs there to bring home.) This day is all about having fun so make it special and do your own thing. It’s the last day before heading home tomorrow.

Day 8: Wake up and head to the airport for a flight back to Athens and Athens back to home. Make sure if you have a connecting flight getting back into the states that you have plenty of time to go through customs. It can take a while to get through once arriving back to the united states (about 2 hrs.) Once home rest and reminisce on the amazing adventure you just had.

Last Remarks

If you are like me then your plus one had to drag you back onto the returning flight kicking and screaming because home became Greece and you did not want to leave. It’s ok, just plan another trip back asap. It’s crazy but traveling to Europe is cheaper than visiting most states in the US. Maybe go to Spain next or I’ll go, and write another itinerary to help make your trip more enjoyable by taking the guess work and stress out of it. Tip: plan a few days to recover after returning home before going back to work. Bronson and I always make sure to get back on a Friday so we have Saturday and Sunday to recoup before Monday.