Destinations
Visiting Greece: How to Plan Your Holiday
From the ancient sites of Athens to whitewashed Cycladic villages, the clifftop monasteries of Meteora and the Minoan palaces of Crete, Greece packs very different landscapes and eras into one country. This guide helps you choose the season, length of stay, route and budget, then points you towards our detailed guides.
Photo : Norbert Nagel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Where to go in Greece
Why visit Greece
Greece is a mountainous mainland edged by thousands of kilometres of coastline, plus island groups that each have their own character: the bright, windswept Cyclades, the greener Ionian Islands, the Dodecanese close to Turkey and the wooded Sporades. A single trip can mix archaeology, walking, food and beach days without crossing a border.
Heritage is the headline: the Acropolis and museums of Athens, Delphi, Olympia, Mycenae and Epidaurus in the Peloponnese, and the monasteries perched above Meteora. In July 2025, UNESCO added the Minoan Palatial Centres (including Knossos, Phaistos, Malia and Zakros) to its World Heritage List, one more reason to linger on the country's largest island. Our complete guide to visiting Crete covers its regions, beaches and Minoan sites.
Away from the busiest circuits, Epirus and the Zagori villages, the Mani peninsula, Thessaloniki and the small ferry-only islands show a quieter and often cheaper side of Greece.
When to go to Greece
- April–June: the best window for sightseeing and walking, with green hillsides and smaller crowds. The sea is still cool in spring.
- July–August: peak beach season and the school holidays, fierce heat on the mainland, and ferries and hotels in high demand. Book early, especially for Santorini, Mykonos and weekend sailings.
- September–October: warm sea, fewer visitors; often the sweet spot for the islands, and a good half-term option.
- November–March: ideal for city breaks in Athens or Thessaloniki and for ancient sites. On many smaller islands, much of the accommodation and many tavernas close and ferry timetables are reduced.
How long to stay and sample itineraries
The usual mistake is underestimating journey times: island-hopping often takes half a day. A few well-chosen bases are better than moving on every night.
- One week: Athens (2 days) plus one or two nearby Cyclades, or Athens and a Peloponnese loop (Nafplio, Mycenae, Epidaurus).
- Ten days: Athens, Delphi and Meteora on the mainland, or a full week on a large island such as Crete, which easily fills that time by itself.
- A fortnight: Athens, two or three islands in the same group linked by ferry, then a few days on the mainland or in Crete.
Getting there, entry rules and getting around
Athens has year-round flights from the UK, and in summer many islands, including Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Kefalonia and Santorini, have direct flights from UK airports, so you can often skip Athens altogether. Metro line 3 links Athens airport with the city centre. Overland via the Eurostar, Italy and an Adriatic ferry is possible but takes several days.
Since Brexit, UK visitors are limited to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before you arrive and be valid for at least 3 months after you leave. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) is replacing passport stamps, and the ETIAS travel authorisation has no confirmed start date yet. Check the latest GOV.UK entry requirements for Greece before you travel. Greece uses the euro.
Ferries leave mainly from Piraeus, but also from Rafina and Lavrio, closer to the airport for some Cyclades routes. Domestic flights save time for distant islands. On the mainland, a hire car is the most flexible way to reach Delphi, Meteora or the Peloponnese; KTEL coaches link the main towns.
Budget and taxes to plan for
Prices vary enormously by season and island: Santorini or Mykonos in August is a world away from the Peloponnese in May. A few charges worth knowing:
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Climate resilience fee (April–October), per room per night | €2 (1–2 star), €5 (3 star), €10 (4 star), €15 (5 star) |
| Same fee, November–March | From €0.50 per night depending on category |
| Cruise passengers going ashore in Santorini or Mykonos (June–September) | €20 per person per port call |
The accommodation fee is usually paid locally and is not always included in online prices, even on package-style bookings; holiday lets are charged too. For the major archaeological sites, buy tickets on the official ticketing platform and arrive at opening time to avoid heat and queues.
Where to stay: main areas
- Athens: Plaka, Koukaki and Monastiraki to walk everywhere around the Acropolis; Piraeus if you have a very early ferry.
- Cyclades: Naxos and Paros as versatile, well-connected bases; Santorini and Mykonos for the famous views at premium prices; Milos, Sifnos or Folegandros for a slower pace.
- Crete: Chania and Rethymno in the west, Heraklion for Knossos, the east around Agios Nikolaos. See our region-by-region Crete guide.
- Mainland: Nafplio for the Peloponnese, Kalambaka for Meteora, Thessaloniki for the north.
- Ionian Islands and Dodecanese: Corfu, Kefalonia and Rhodes, all well served by summer flights from the UK.
For official regional and events information, see the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Our detailed guides below go further into each destination.