So you wanna go to Greece but you have no idea what to expect, what to plan or how to plan it ? Luckily for you, I’ve been and I know a few secrets.
Lets start with a quick Greek overview:
Greece is a country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean sea. It is often called the cradle of Western Civilization and is jam packed with rich history and culture. It is very well known for the food, beaches, and laid back atmosphere.
The Greeks are often portrayed to be loud, obnoxious people, but that cannot be farther from the truth. They are beautiful, compassionate, easy going people who are very kind and genuine. Of course you need to be careful in any new country especially when you are traveling alone, but I can say with 100% certainty that there was not one moment in my time in Greece that I felt unsafe. When I visited Greece I went for 15 days and spent time in Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos. In that exact order.
I would suggest staying on Crete or Ios as well, as it is much less touristy and far more budget friendly.
Country Information:
When to go: I would suggest going during high or the shoulder season. May to Aug or Sept to Oct. I went in June and it was bloody hot. Like imagine lava and then you living in the lava.
Note: It rained while I was in Greece and everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off. I doubt that will happen to you……but just incase play it cool. You may get a free Mythos out of it !
Currency: Euro ! People lied to me and told me it would be hard to find an ATM. Not the case. This is 2019 there was ATM’s everywhere.
Languages Spoken : Greek , but honestly I realized a few days in that if someone didn’t speak English they were probably just pretending and didn’t want to talk to you.
Population: 10.7 Million
Best Drink: WINEEEEEEEE or Mythos beer. Do not under any circumstances order a Pina Colada. It will be 8 euro.
How to order iced coffee : Greeks don’t know what your taking about if you ask for “Iced Coffee” instead ask for” Espresso Frito”. It will be just espresso and ice. No Tim Hortons like substance will be served. But it will help with a Mythos hangover and your jet leg.
Safety Scale : I personally give this a top rating of 10/10. Remember to be smart and to be aware of your surroundings. It can be hard when your constantly stuffing Baklava in your face but try your best.
Planning Your Trip:
While in Greece I stayed in Budget hostels and planned my trip to be cost effective ! I started planning 3 months in advance as I wanted to leave nothing to chance.
Tip: Use Hotelworld in conjunction with Expedia to find the best bang for your buck. I would often cross reference the prices between Hostelworld and their listings with Expedia to see if it was cheaper on one site and then book with the site that had a better price. If the same, I would book with Expedia and pay all upfront. That way I didn’t have to worry about paying as I went.
Accommodation:
Athens :
Athens Backpackers
Cost : Low. $35.00 ish CAN a night. Would totally stay there again.
Room type : I slept in 6 all female room. They also had mixed and mens. Beds were comfortable and there was air conditioning.
Tip: When sleeping in a Greek hostel, sleep with the remote to the air conditioner. That way nobody can turn it off in the middle of the night. Its very very hot, please do not be the person to turn the AC off. People will hate you. I hate you.
Overall : I would give a 8 outta 10. They have a bar on the roof, a cheap walking tour, and a GREAT location to the acropolis ! There sister hostel is just down the street and tons of people I met were staying their ! They had a sports bar and chilled wine.
Santorini:
Kykladonisia Traditional Settlement
Cost: Medium. $ 65.00 ish CAN a night.
Room Type: Well let me tell you, I decided to sleep in a 8 bed room for one night and then a more expensive single room for the rest of the time their. I figured I would get it in-case I needed to cry myself to sleep. Which I did not. Well in Santorini that is. The room was AMAZING ! Well for a backpacker. It came stocked with a mini fridge and your own bathroom ! (I should note that toilets on the Greek islands cannot handle flushing items, even toilet paper. So when you do 1 or 2, use the waste basket next to you. Don’t you worry nice Greek ladies clean it out daily)
Tip: Stuff your Mini fridge with litres of rose wine from the super market. While your there also get some peaches. While you eat the peaches drink some wine. I call it sangria in your mouth.
Overall : This place was amazing ! It was located a 4 minute walk from Fira, had a pool, a great selection of rooms and the workers were super nice ! They will even book you trips, help you when you are lost, and talk to you when you get lonely.
Mykonos
Mycocoon Hostel
Cost: Low.
Room Type: I slept in a 10 person mixed dorm during my time in Mykonos. But get this. This accommodation either has 10 room dorms or like 25 ppl dorms. I would not be caught dead in those bigger dorms but if you book early enough that wont be an issue.
Tip: When you are sleeping in a mixed dorm sleep with your back facing the person next to you. Because a situation could occur when a drunk Brazilian man decides to sleep naked and you get a good eye full. I’m not saying it happened mom, I’m just saying it could.
Overall: Place was good to stay in as long as you got a smaller accommodation. Otherwise Mykonos is small so it was easy to find, had security at night, had an affinity banging pool, and was super clean !
Transportation:
Well the cheapest is obviously walking….. I think you can figure that one out. Each place within Greece will have their own ways to get around. In Athens it was taxi, and on the Islands charter bus’s. What you really need to know about is flights and ferries. They are also the 2 most likely to leave you stranded all alone.
Flights: When I decided to go to Greece I priced out all of the ways I could get there and what was the cheapest. Flying into Athens was the cheapest way to get into the country.
Tip: BOOK ONE WAY TICKETS. Don’t be scared. Its not hard and it can save you tons of dolla bills. I booked one way to Gatwick and then Gatwick to Athens ! I paid under $400.00 to London and then under $100 to Athens. Just check it out. Trust me.
Flying was easy, and the airlines in Greece are awesome ! Don’t believe anyone when they tell you that Santorini and Mykonos don’t have airports. Because they absolutely do and you can definitely fly in and out of them. I found it was cheapest to fly from Athens to Santorini and much quicker than taking a ferrie.
Ferries: Riding a ferrie in Greece is like a episode of True Detective. You will have absolutely no idea what is going on and you kinda just sit around waiting for things to happen. The ferries do whatever they want. You may have a ticket saying it will be at the port at 7:00 am but I wouldn’t expect to much, It might show up at 12:00 pm if you are lucky. If you are on a tight schedule, I highly suggest flying.
Tip: If you are being a budget friendly traveler and don’t care about time, take a Ferry and book a student ticket. Lets me honest this is Greece, nobody’s gonna check to see if you are actually a student. Tip also works for all museums and paid attractions.
From there have fun, don’t let your plans get in the way of you have some misadventures and meeting some stellar friends. If you need help planning your Greek vacation or need someone to convince your mom its safe let me know !
missadventure.travel.blog 