In April we, along with my sister and brother-in-law, went on a two-week trip to Italy and Greece. It was our first time in Southern Europe, and it was incredible! We learned so much about European travel on this trip (some of it the hard way), and had many new travel experiences! So.. read on to learn from our experiences (and mistakes)!
We visited Italy first, in the last week of April, and then Greece in the first week of May. It was a fantastic time of year to go, as the weather was in the mid 70's and the summer crowds not yet too dense.
We flew out of Bologna, Italy to Athens on a short 1.5 hour flight. Inter-continental flights are incredibly cheap, anywhere from $35-$65 per person for short flights, so I would recommend this even when there's a train or driving option. However, you have to be very careful about extra fees/penalties in exchange for these cheap flights. More on this later.
Athens
I was incredibly surprised upon arriving in Athens at the condition of the city. I'm not sure what I expected (I knew it was one of the oldest cities in the world) but it was not what I thought at all; the economy in Athens is struggling and it shows. I read there is little to no government funding for restorative or new building efforts, so the city is slowly deteriorating. They also have no graffiti clean-up programs or funding, so it's very hard to go anywhere, even ancient sites, without seeing markings covering all the walls. It's pretty insane. As sad as it may be to see this once-bustling, ancient city deteriorating, it was still pretty incredible to be in a place where history surrounds you. The locals also seem to have made the most of it however, and have turned a lot of the graffitti into art installations.
We decided to spend 3 days in Athens (and 4 in Santorini) and stayed in the north Polytechnical college/Exarchia district, near the National Archaeological Museum. I had read previously that Athens was on the lower-end of lists of safe cities, so I did quite a bit of research before I settled on this place. Overall, I felt pretty safe even with our 18 month old in this district. However, just a few blocks over, on the west side of the metro in Omonia, is supposedly one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city, so we tried to stay as east as possible. I may recommend staying near the city center instead.
As we were relying on the metro to get us around, we didn't have much in terms of options without walking miles to our Airbnb every day. The metro isn't very extensive so you do quite a bit of walking anyway, even in town.
Exarchia is a super artsy district too with lots of craft coffee shops and restaurants, which is why we picked it instead of the city center (my sister and brother-in law can't function without their craft coffee everyday). Some of the highest-rated coffee establishments were within walking distance to our apartment. One of them is Taf coffee, which was not disappointing. We told the baristas there that we were from near Seattle and tend to appreciate "good" coffee, and one of them told us that he went to Seattle and participated in a barsita competition/convention, so we figured he at least knew his stuff. Anyway, if you're into coffee, you must visit Taf.
Our Airbnb was just a few blocks away from the National Archaelogical Museum and the views were pretty cool from the balcony. It wasn't fancy but very clean and comfortable. Hotels were pretty expensive for some reason, so this was a much better deal (less than $100 per night for 2 bedrooms). I would Airbnb, especially if you have more than two people in your group.
Super random thought coming that I want to include, because we were really confused at first when arriving in Greece. Most homes have this little key card that you put on your keys and and it activates the electricity when you connect it in your home. I'd never seen this before and didn't understand at first, but got used to it quickly. If you take the key out your electricity will immediately shut off. We had these in our airbnb in Athens and our hotel in santorini. This is what they look like:
Hopefully that will help you recognize it and clear up any confusion when visiting Greece!
Our first evening there we hit Trip Advisor for top-rated restaurants in the area, and came across Ouzeri Lesvos, which was within walking distance. Ouzeri's typically are taverns featuring traditional Greek small plates (like tapas) and Ouzo (a standard Greek liquor), so you see them often. Our first meal in Greece did not disappoint. The restaurant doesn't look like much (but hole-in-the-wall restaurants are always the best, right?), but it was probably top 3 meals we had in all of Greece. This one specializes in seafood. If you're in the area, stop in!
Our first full day in Athens we didn't do the major sight-seeing, but a couple random indoor activities because it was due to rain (and it did). We didn't book any activities ahead of time, only a few days before arriving, because the weather is unpredictable in the spring and I didn't want it to rain on our outdoor activities (and I was right!). If you can manage putting off booking until you know what the weather is doing, I would. Most the activities we did didn't require a prior reservation anyway (in Rome, however, this was a completely different story, and we missed things because they were sold out).
We visited the National Archaelogical Museum first. It's the largest museum in Greece and houses some of the most important ancient greek artifacts. I would definitely visit to get a sense of the history and culture in Greece.
We grabbed lunch at a cafe and then headed to escape room and dinner in the afternoon/evening after our daughter's nap. We LOVE escape rooms, and we try to do one in every city we visit abroad. It's also a great rainy day activity. We picked the Great Escape because they have locations in many cities so we knew it was going to be top-notch. We picked the Circus room because it's filled with ball-pit balls and toys and I knew our daughter would stay entertained. We had a great time! *disclaimer: the location is not in a great part of town and was rather sketchy walking through from our Airbnb from the north, so try to visit during the day or get a taxi.
We then walked around Monastiraki, one of Athen's most lively central districts. There are street performers, shops, and old archaeological sites right in the center, and there's a metro station in the middle of Monastiraki square. It's Athen's shopping/commercial district so it's pretty crowded, but we really enjoyed walking around down some of the side streets with tons of little flea market shops.
One of the places to eat we stumbled across that again, didn't look like much, but was DELICIOUS was the Old Omonoia near the Omonia metro station. We stopped here on the way back home for some mediterranean fare and it was definitely the right choice. The have a covered outdoor patio and it was a great atmosphere.
Our third and final day we hit the Acropolis. One of the things I'm SOOOO glad we found was a local tour guide to take us around through Airbnb. It was called "'true or false' funny historical walk" and it was BLAST. This is definitely the way to see some of Athens, with a local! We met at Monastiraki square and as we walked through to the Acropolis our guide showed us some local sites. We stopped a few times along the way to play true or false trivia about ancient greeks, which was really entertaining. We had such a fantastic time, it's a MUST!
When we got to the Acropolis our tour was over, but the guide gave us the option to go up to the acropolis on our own or go back down with her. We were there to see the Acropolis so we of course left some of the group and went up. It's about 20 Euros per person and worth every penny. The views are breathtaking and the historical presence of the structures are magical.
It can get VERY windy up there, as it's quite a hike and far above all of Athens, so be prepared for that. I was not, and wore a hat and a dress which I was contantly holding down. But I managed, and it didn't destroy my experience by any means. I noticed that a lot of people had umbrellas too, to keep the sun away, which usually I think would be a very good idea but it was a particularly extra windy day so most people were struggling with that. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring one, just in case. I read in the summer that visiting the Acropolis can be unbearabale with the walk and the heat, so if you're visiting at that time be prepared with lots of water and bring your own shade (its all very open and you won't find much foliage to block sun and wind).
The lower hill of the Acropolis is free to look over, and is before you get to the entrance of the actual Acropolis, so you can always go there if you're not planning on going all the way up. The lower part still has fantastic views.
After leaving the lower part, you can follow the signs to the entrance of the Acropolis. Theres tons of views even on the way up, and when you get to the top it's incredible. There's bathrooms and water fountains at the top so you can replenish after the hike.
On the way back down from the Acropolis we ate dinner at a restaurant on the Plaka stairs, which are pretty popular. The atmosphere is very lively in the evenings and all the shop-owners are super friendly.
... and that was our time in Athens! The next morning we hopped on the metro to the airport and caught an early flight to Santorini! Overall I liked Athens, even though my initial surprise was a little hard to forget. The final experiences were the best here, so that really helped sum up my experience to be a positive one.
Santorini
You guyyys.. I mean, look at this. You can't beat Santorini.
LISTEN UP! You need to read this advice below about transport and fees, or else pay the consequences!
We had some troubling experiences traveling from Athens to Santorini. The first was that some airlines require you to check-in online more than 24 hrs before or pay a penalty once you get to the airport. I know, weird, right? I got emails probably 3 times a day for a few days leading up to our Ryanair flight telling me we should check-in, but nowhere did it say "or pay fines". I assumed it was a suggestion for convenience like in the states. It's absolutely INSANE that there are airlines that require this. I asked a local about it later and they said they knew of a few airports that enforced this, not just in Greece, but I had never experienced it in all my European travel. Then I read its because online check-in reduces cost like staff to man the counter, paper, etc., which is why the flights are so cheap.
Here's the kicker guys: the fine was $90 PER PERSON. Yes, you read that right. Triple the cost of my flight. Not a slap-on-the-wrist $10 or even $20. 90 DOLLARS. You better believe I was in a rage. I then tried to play the innocent tourist (which I really was because I had no idea) and stated it did not tell me it was mandatory but they literally just stared at me at the counter and then said flatly, "pay the fine or don't fly". I couldn't argue it any more because there was 45 minutes to my flight and they wouldn't check me in without paying the fine. UGGGGH. DONT MAKE MY MISTAKE, please.
So, $360 poorer and still in a very bad mood, we flew to Santorini. THEN we had problems with the pre-booked rental car upon arriving.
Here's the deal: don't get a discount, off-brand car rental in Santorini. Go with one you've heard of before. We tried to save money and get a really cheap car with Avance Rent A Car, and it turns out you save money because they don't want to pay international license insurance. An international driver's license is required in Greece (whether or not it's enforced) for anyone driving a vehicle, and rental companies will get fined if you're caught driving without one. We had no idea. We were told that these type of smaller companies don't pay for international drivers insurance and so they refused to let us take a car without one. So we had to eat the cost and walk over to a different car rental (I believe it was something like Hertz/Sixt/Avis or something more popular) and it wasn't a problem with them because they pay the insurance or at least don't mind eating the fines.
I would just pay the $20 and get the international driver's license in advance (we did after this just to be safe) and then you're good anywhere. You can apply online and they send it to you as a PDF in your email 24-48 hours later. I think you can also do it through a AAA office or the DMV if you're at home. All it really is is your license and information in many different languages so that any law enforcement from any country can read it. *Insert eye roll*.
The reason we decided to do a rental car in the first place is because I read that unless you are staying on the cliffside and don't plan on seeing the rest of the island much, you need one. We wanted to see it all and love the outdoors, not just the shops and crowded streets, so we decided we wanted our freedom. Everywhere but a popular, narrow strip in Oia allows cars so we could get almost anywhere at any time.
Speaking of the rental car, if you're bringing a young child on your trip, know that all the rental companies have to provide carseats. We didn't bring one on our trip and it helped us to travel light.
After the rental car debacle and growing frustration at our day's surprises, we finally got in the car and decided to drive up to Oia to look at the views and put us in a better mood. I was absolutely right about this; the day we got there was the clearest day of all and it was much better welcome to the island. The previous photo was our first step out of the car in Oia, and oh, was it beautiful.
The east side of the island is mostly grassy/hilly with rock beaches down the coast. The west side of the island is cliffside you see in photos, with the white cave dwellings and blue roofs. I still thought even the sloping land on the east was beautiful too.
After spending just a short amount of time in a cafe on the roadside near Oia, it was time to check-in to our hotel and rest, so we headed back to east side. We had four days to explore with not many plans so we were in no hurry to see everything at once.
I had decided to stay in Kamari Beach after months of research and pouring through Airbnb. I was right to book 6 months in advance; Santorini is popular and I was told most places booked out a year or more in advance. I couldn't find much under $300 a night on the cliffside in Oia or Fira that would suit our needs best (parking for the car, a beach or pool for baby, etc.). Also, its only a 15-minute drive from the East to West side, and I thought it sounded nice to be out of the crowds when we wanted to be.
I'm pretty convinced this was absolutely the right choice. Our hotel, Makris, on Kamari Beach was INCREDIBLE. It was one of the most beautiful I've ever stayed at and it was $80 a night for a room. I was obsessed with this hotel and I took a million pictures of the design and decor to take back home with me as inspiration. It was recently remodled/built to look like the classic cave dwellings on the cliffside, so you get the feel of santorini without having to stay on the cliffside. Make sure you book a "superior" room (which wasn't much more), because they have older villas on the lot they haven't remodled yet but you'll want the new ones. STAY HERE, you won't regret it. I promise.
https://www.makrishotelsantorini.com/discover/
Sorry for all the photos of just the hotel, but you just HAVE to see it!
We spent the next two days driving around the island and exploring. Kamari beach is also a very walkable little town so if you're staying there there's lots of restaurants and cute shops around you can explore on foot. We visited:
- Kamari Beach
- Perissa Beach
- Fira/Thera
- Oia
On Kamari Beach our favorite restaurant was Kiwi, an Asian-fusion restaurant a block from our hotel and the beach. Our hotel had a restaurant right on the beach called Prince Restaurant (in the photos of our hotel above), and they had great burgers and fries. We also liked Imba, right on the beach, for the atmosphere.
Again, since our group can't survive without good coffee, we found a place just around the corner from our hotel called the Bagel Company that makes a great espresso. They also have smoothies and pastries (including bagel sandwiches, duh).
We hopped down to Perissa Beach for a few hours one day because they have sandy beaches (as opposed to Kamari's rocky) and we wanted Delaney to get to play in the sand for a bit. We found a vegan/vegetarian friendly fresh food restaurant called Tranquilo and it was delicious. I didn't take any photos of our food but you can see it in the video at the top of the blog, at 6 min, 30 sec.
In the countryside near Kamari there's an excellent winery called Estate Argyros, and we toured and took home several bottles. The way that they grow grapes in Santorini (on the ground) gives the wine a super unique flavor, and its really interesting to hear about the process. I would recommend a winery tour here if you're into wine.
Fira/Thera (English and Greek translations, locals call it both) is the main city on Santorini. This is where most of the locals shop/eat/live, etc. It's got cliffside views but isn't quite as picturesque as it's northern town Oia. We went here everyday though for shopping, excursions, etc.
We also booked an excursion while we there after chatting with some locals, as we had previously decided to "wing it." They said to do some kind of boat tour with a visit to the Caldera, so we did. We wanted to save a little money so we did a group tour, but if you can afford it try to get a private or semi-private one. We booked through Viator and there are TONS of tours and choices depending on your needs. Below is the tour that we booked, which was only $30 per person (but we shared a boat with about 30 other people).
We met on the dock below the cliffs (Santorini Old Harbor) which required a ride on the cable car, or for the full Santorini experience you can ride a donkey down to the docks. We opted for the cable car, which don't have to reserve and can pay for at the door. Its a little hard to find but if you have a car, you'll have to park in a lot a little ways a way and walk onto the cliffside. Googling "Santorini Cable Car" to find it will do the trick, that will drop you at the station. It's 6 Euro and takes just a couple minutes. You can see the ride and the process in the Gopro video at the top of the post.
The boat tour was great! They take you to an island called Thirassia where you can hike up to a volcano (optional to hike all the way up) and then to a sulfuric hot springs where you also have the option of swimming. I had to stay on the boat with our baby but Kyle and my sister dove into the caldera and loved it. I didn't take many photos because I was too busy with the baby and the Gopro, so you can see the cable car ride and our boat tour in the Gopro video at 5 minutes 30 seconds.
Our last evening in Santorini we explored Oia. We wanted to catch the sunset with our dinner, so we had to do some creative investigating to figure out where to eat so that we had an unobstructed view. At that time of year the actual sun was more north-west of the buildings and didn't radiate quite as much (it wasnt warm enough) so the typical Oia cliffside that faces south-west wasnt going to cut it. I don't remember the name of the restaurant because we just followed the sun and stumbled across it, and I honestly wouldn't recommend it anyway. The food was very expensive (as the balcony restaurant bragged to have the best sunset views so they can charge whatever they want) and not that good. They tried much too hard to be "high-class" and we left still hungry due to the small portion sizes. With that said though, it was a GORGEOUS evening and we loved drinking our wine and soaking it all in.
Here's a great blog post I found on where to catch the sunset on Santorini, which is super helpful: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/the-best-places-to-watch-the-sunset-in-santorini/
What a send-off for our last night, huh?
The next day we found a sandy beach near the airport because we had a few hours to kill in the morning, and then we started the arduous journey home. We flew direct from Santorini back to Rome and stayed the night at an airbnb a few blocks from the airport, as Colleen and Jay had a 5am flight the next morning to head back to Texas. We had a mid-morning flight back to Seattle, and we were home the same day we left after almost 24 hours of travel (due to the time change). If you would like more information on flying long flights with a toddler (and this 10-hour flight in particular), I cover it in this post here: https://www.bisconerstakeontheworld.com/post/tips-for-traveling-long-haul-on-an-airplane-with-an-infant-toddler
Thanks for reading, and I hope I helped you in your planning to discover the world! Please, subscribe and leave your comments or questions below! I want to hear what you think or about your experiences in the beautiful country of Greece.
Yamas!
xxx Kaci