Apr 3, 202312 min read

10 Days in Greece

Updated: May 18, 2023

With warm weather just around the corner, it is perfect timing for my 10 day Greece travel itinerary! This is one of my favorite trips I have ever been on, and one of my most requested itineraries to share. We went to Mykonos, Paros, Naxos and Athens. I would make Paros a must-visit place on your itinerary. The Greek islands definitely live up to the hype and will not disappoint. This was my first time to Greece, but definitely not my last.

When to Go

I went in May 2022 over Memorial Day through the first week of June and traveled with my mom! (You will likely see her in many of my travel blogs/stories because she is one of my favorite travel buddies). The Greek islands' “tourist season” goes from May to September. Outside of these months, the islands are mainly shut down and most of the locals go back to the mainland in the colder months. Given there is such a short travel season, it can tend to be busy, but we were fortunate to travel early in the season and miss the crowds. I would highly recommend missing the peak of the season in June-August if you want to avoid the crowds. It is also cheaper! I have read that in September/October it can get very windy on the islands, so be weary of that.

Tip: We spent at least 3 nights on each island and I would not recommend staying shorter than that in each place. My travel philosophy is: I would rather see less places and really get to know them, rather than packing my bags every day to see every stop and not fully enjoying any of them.

How to Get There

We flew from LAX to Mykonos with one layover in Vienna. I was eager to get to the islands, so I was very excited when I found a flight directly into Mykonos. Most people fly into Athens and then take a ferry or short regional flight to the islands from there. I personally was not super enthusiastic on visiting Athens and wanted to only stop through there once.

Mykonos

In Mykonos we stayed in Platis Gialos at the Petinos Hotel. I could not recommend this area or this hotel enough. The hotel was beautiful, so close to the water and the free breakfast every morning was 5-stars -- you even got your own waiter with an ocean front view. There are so many amazing hotels in Mykonos, so it was tough to decide where to stay and in what area. Platis Gialos beach was a 10 minute drive to Mykonos town, which you could take a taxi for about 15 euro, or the public bus which runs every 30 mins right outside our hotel for 2 euro (we did this a few times and it was super clean/safe!).

I personally liked staying in Platis Gialos because you wake up right on the water and can be on a beach lounger within an hour of waking up. We would sun tan all day and then head into Mykonos town around sunset for dinner and shopping. To me, this was perfection!

Day 1

We arrived to the Mykonos airport at 5pm. Another great perk of the hotel is free airport transfer from the airport to the hotel in a very nice van!
Once we checked into the hotel I had to pinch myself a few times because it was so freaking gorgeous and literally felt like I was in a movie.
We walked a few steps out our hotel door down to the beach for sunset and dinner. Along Platis Gialos beach there are a slew of restaurants. We had dinner at Yialo Yialo and it was a great welcome meal! It was a super great beach front restaurant with 10/10 service. This is great for traditional Greek food and one of the best spots we went to in Mykonos! I would recommend trying the dip trio.

Day 2

We woke up and had the first of many amazing breakfasts at the Petinos. In addition to the great food and stunning view, we had the most delicious, hot Greek coffee!
After breakfast we walked down once again to the Platis Gialos cove to get a sun tanning chair. There are many different vendors but we chose to go with Yialo Yialo after our great dinner experience! Beach loungers range from 5 to 20 euro and all include full food and drink service on the beach. The Yialo Yialo ones were on the cheaper side (5 euro each), so more money for us to spend on food and drink!
We had lunch at Alvi, another restaurant in the same cove. This was an amazing restaurant with another great view. The risotto and greek salad were to die for.
After cleaning up after the beach, we took the bus in to Mykonos town. The bus picked us up just outside our hotel, and was only 2 euro each way. It is a short 10 minute ride!
We stopped at Jackie O for sunset. It was much less crowded than some of the other more "instagrammable" spots and had just as great of a view! Our server was fabulous as well.
Before and after dinner, we walked through the picturesque winding white streets for some site seeing and shopping. You could spend hours getting lost in Mykonos town!
Last stop of the day was dinner at Vegera. This was a cute boho spot with good people watching. We had traditional greek food here. It was great but not one of my life changing meals on this trip (more to come on that later).

Day 3

Another rough day in the life. Similar to the day before, we had breakfast at our hotel and went down to grab sunbeds!
We headed into Mykonos town for sunset (again) and found this cute hidden gem- Rhapsody. This is a quaint hidden gem for sunset. There are only about 4 tables though, so get there early! We went back here later in the night for dancing and drinks. It has a super fun and friendly staff!
For dinner we went to Kadena. We had the shrimp Sagnaki (a local dish), and I still dream about this dish. It is to die for and one of the best things we ate on on trip. The food and the ambiance of the restaurant was fantastic!
After a night of dancing and drinking at Rhapsody, we got some late night munchies at Jimmy’s Gyros. I cannot express how AMAZING they were. They are very cheap and open 24/7. One of the best gyros of my life (and this isn't the drinks talking). If you are traveling on a budget, this is a great, cheap food option!

Day 4

We had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then headed for our 12:30pm Ferry.
Warning: Ferries can often time run late, and in our case it was 2 hours behind! It is a very comfortable, cheap and efficient way to travel around the islands, just be wary of delays.
The ferry from Mykonos to Paros is only 30 mins! The ferry is a huge, almost cruise-ship like boat, so it is very comfortable to sit in and not very bumpy if you have motion sickness.
Tip: For short ferry rides, it is not worth it to upgrade to business class! It is honestly pretty similar to the regular, so save your money.

Paros

Our next stop on the trip was to Paros! It is still a popular place to visit, but much less touristy and cheaper than Mykonos. It still has a very boho feel and the typical Greek aesthetic, but without the crowds and more of a local feel. We decided to stay in Naoussa at the Saint Andrea Hotel. I could not recommend this hotel more. It was so reasonable and it felt like I was at a high end resort. It is well located between town and the beach with an incredible on-site pool.

This is a bold claim, but Paros was one of my favorite places I have ever visited. It had the perfect amount of old charm, warm local people and reasonable prices. I would go again in a heartbeat. Paros is a must-visit for any Greece trip!

Day 4

Arrive at 3:00pm

Luckily, even after our delay, we had a lovely transfer waiting for us upon arrival which I confirmed through the hotel. It cost 25 euro total and was a nice van.
We then checked into the hotel and had a lovely lunch on property at Anastasia. The restaurant overlooks the pool and the ocean. The staff at this property is so attentive and cares deeply to make sure you are comfortable!
We then went into town, to get a rental car so we could explore the island the next day. Our hotel arranged the car and even took us to the rental car. It was very cheap for a 2 day rental (about 70 bucks if I can recall). We did not need an international drivers license to do this rental.
Afterward, we spent hours just getting lost in the streets, shopping and walking along the water! Definitely spend time just wandering all the little streets.
We had dinner at Yemeni. This is a quaint restaurant with a hand written wine list. The seabass here is one of the best things I have ever had. I seriously still think about it. This restaurant was 10/10. It fills up, so I would recommend a reservation.

Day 6

The St Andrea, also has free breakfast with a lovely ocean view which we enjoyed.
We then hopped in our rental car to make it to our all day boat tour. It was about a 30 min drive from the hotel. I drove and honestly felt pretty comfortable so don't be afraid to rent a car here!
I booked our tour with Michael Zeppos tours. I COULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS MORE. It might have been one of the best days/experiences of my life. The tour went from 10am-5pm, with a fresh lunch (not disgusting, I am a foodie and was impressed). They take pride in keeping the groups small and intimate. There were only 6 other people on the boat with us, which we made friends with.
We spent the entire day boating around Paros and Antiparos. We would stop to swim and the water was the most clear, insane thing I have ever seen in my life.
After a day of fun in the sun and swimming we stopped by Cuore Rosso on our way back to Naoussa. This is a great stop if you want a break from Greek food! Also a great excuse to see the town of Parikia if you have only spent time in Naousoa. This little pizza garden is the cutest thing ever and the food was to die for!
This was one of the best days of our trip and I would repeat it if I could!

Day 7

We enjoyed another hotel breakfast and then went on an adventure to Kolymbithes beach. We were able to walk there from our hotel in about 30 minutes. It was one of the coolest beaches ever, and I highly recommend! It is known for its unique rock formations and the water is calm to swim in. There are beach loungers you can pay for that are set up on the sand.
We spent another evening shopping and eating in the town of Naoussa. The highlight was an amazing local jewelry shop we found called Artisun. The owner was so kind and knowledgeable. Their prices were fair and the best stop for a souvenir for yourself or loved ones! I still love my pieces from here.

Day 8

Time to pack up and catch our 1:30 ferry. Next stop Naxos!

Naxos

Naxos is another lovely, smaller island only a 30 min ferry from Paros and Mykonos. It is definitely the least touristy of the three and therefore the cheapest. It was still just as gorgeous and had lots of cute shops & restaurants. It was very laid back and uncrowded. There were many quaint and modest restaurants here. It also has well-known mountain villages if you want to adventure inland for hikes or a different feel. We stayed at the Antony Suites. It was well located and reasonably priced, but not my favorite place we stayed. It was small, clean and no-frills, which did the job, but I would recommend exploring other hotels if you want more of a resort feel. We stayed near St George beach, which I would recommend, and there are many cute hotels in this area! Staying in Naxos, you feel like one of the locals, and not a tourist.

Day 8

We arrived to the ferry port at 2pm and our hotel kindly arranged transportation.
After checking in, we made a quick 5 minute walk to St Georgios beach where we spent the afternoon on loungers and got lunch on the beach at Naxaki. This was one of the best quality food sunbed places we went to. The staff was lovely and the fish and chips to die for.
For sunset we went to a small rooftop bar with an ocean view called Oniro. They also offer food, but I would recommend just doing drinks here. Keep in mind Naxos is pretty hilly, so you will encounter a steep uphill walk to get here.
We capped off the night with a late dinner and just getting lost wandering in the cute streets!

Day 9

Our hotel provided us breakfast and then we left for a little half-day excursion! We took the public bus to Plaka beach which was only two euros. The bus is very safe, clean and easy to navigate!
This side of the island is a very different vibe, so I recommend checking it out. It feels almost Cabo/Mexico-esqe, and we really enjoyed it! The beach clubs here are very well maintained and aesthetic. We spent the day at Picasso, and the margs were so good. I would skip the food, but the ambiance and drinks were well worthwhile.
After making it back into Naxos town we had dinner at La Vigne. This was one of the best meals and experiences on the trip, and I could not recommend this more! It is a 10 table French restaurant with the most amazing fish entrees and creative flavors. The owners are a couple from France and they are so lovely. We were lucky to walk up and get a table, but I would recommend a reservation. It is a little hard to find but it was worth every bite!

Day 10

This was our last day on the islands, so we wanted to enjoy the beach and sun one last time! We went back to Naxaki and had another lovely experience. We spent hours on the beach, reading, swimming and napping. Doesn't get better than that!
We went to Avaton for sunset. It has a 360 view which was amazing for sunset and to see the city. It was a little pricier, relative to the rest of the town, but by US standards still very reasonable. I would highly recommend coming here!
After one last stroll through town, we ended the night with dinner at Scirocco. This restaurant was amazing for traditional Greek food and we had the best fresh seabass that was fileted in front of us!

Athens

This was our first time to Greece. My mom really wanted to see Athens for the history (even though I was against it), so we only spent 2 nights here! I think that was plenty of time, and for me, Athens is a one-and-done. It is worth a visit to see the sights, but the experience pales in comparison to the amazing Greek Islands! We stayed at a little apartment we found on bookings.com and we really enjoyed it! It was very cute and the deck was nice. If I were to do it over again, I would try to get accommodations in the Plaka neighborhood.

Something to note: Athens city center is fairly far from the Athens airport (about 45 mins). Many people just stop through Athens on their way to the island, but it is quite far out of the way and expensive to get into the city.

Day 11

Our apartment-stay organized an airport transfer for us.
We took a stroll around the city. First we checked out Kolonaki neighborhood. This is a high-end neighborhood with lots of luxury shopping. Next, we went to the National gardens for a little walk! We checked out the surrounding areas as well.
After checking in, we explored town and had dinner at somewhere I can't remember.

Day 12

We woke up early before the heat to do a tour of the Acropolis. We booked a skip the line walking tour, which I would highly recommend! Our guide was fantastic and you get a lot out of the excursion by having a guide. I would recommend to go earlier in the day as it gets very hot and crowded.
Thea rooftop for sunset and drinks, amazing! This was the highlight of Athens for me. I think we each had 3 drinks here-- clearly we were enjoying it! For a rooftop bar, the prices were reasonable and we got a beautiful sunset view. It was fun to go to after touring the Acropolis because there was such an amazing view of it.
After eating tons of Greek food over the past week, we were craving some Italian. We went to La pasteria and enjoyed it! It was a good pasta joint for Italian and served healthy portions.

Note: I am sure there are many more restaurants, bars and excursions to do in Athens, but we kept it pretty low-key since it was the last leg of our trip. It was also very hot during the time we were there.

Day 13