Nine days in Greece: Athens/Mykonos/Santorini

Greece | Jun 28 - Jul 6, 2024

Our trip was nine days: three days in Athens, three days in Mykonos, and three days in Santorini. We stayed in great hotels and took ferries to get to the islands. Even though we didn’t have activities planned for travel days, we had activities every day (which was a bit much). We did a walking tour to the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum, a walking/tasting tour in Mykonos, a driving tour around Mykonos, a wine tasting tour including a visit to the Atlantis museum in Santorini, a catamaran ride to Rhedia & Delos, and a catamaran ride around Santorini. On travel days, we found our own restaurants, which gave us a chance to explore the hotels’ neighborhoods and get souvenirs. We also had a couple of sunset dinners at really nice restaurants in Mykonos and Santorini. I will say, the restaurants with a view were more expensive than the other restaurants in the area. We had transfers booked to take us to the hotels and ferries. The transfer drivers and hotel managers were great and helpful. They were a wealth of information for us on this trip. The food and atmosphere were amazing everywhere we went. However, since I was out of shape from having major surgeries during the pandemic, it was physically hard for me to get around. Plus, there are some areas you can’t drive through. You may have to walk to meet the Ubers and tour groups. I made it work but start training yourself for long walks before the trip. I was able to find Ubers on the app in Athens but they’re not as readily available on the islands. It was also very busy everywhere we went because this is the most popular time of year to vacation there. It didn’t bother us because we live in cities that get a lot of tourists. Everyone was friendly and respectful of each other for the most part.

If you’re going to the Acropolis, try to go first thing in the morning or late afternoon. It got so hot, windy, and dusty, and the crowds got so much bigger after 10-11am. We also bought bottled water because you’re not supposed to drink the tap water on the islands and you'll need water because it's hot. They let us swim on the catamaran tours, but the Aegean Sea was really cold. The islands have steep streets and driveways. You may be dragging your luggage up those streets and steps. Again, start training yourself for the extra walking and hiking before your trip. The trips on the ferries were choppy. Bring your Dramamine and earplugs so you don’t get seasick. Also, we caught a flight on Aegean Airlines from Santorini back to Athens because it was quicker than taking the ferry back. We scheduled in an extra hour to get our bags and go through customs. But it didn’t take long to transfer through the airport in Athens to get to our flights back home.