Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Greece in an incredibly beautiful country and one week is not enough time to see everything. If you are visiting Greece for the first time, it’s easy to get overwelmed with the number of islands and the options. This one week Greece itinerary is exactly what we did during our visit in the summer of 2024. I’ll also share other ideas we considered and I’ve also helped many people plan similar itineraries for their own vacation.
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An Overview of Greece
Greece boasts a history that dates back thousands of years. It is known for its contributions to philosophy, democracy, art, and architecture, with landmarks like the Acropolis, Olympia, and Delphi offering glimpses into its ancient past. Geographically, Greece features a diverse landscape of rugged mountains, islands, and a long coastline dotted with picturesque beaches along the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean seas. Its mainland is home to historical cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, and islands such as Santorini, Crete, and Mykonos.
When planning your visit, consider the Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters, making spring and fall ideal for comfortable exploration. Transportation is straightforward with ferries connecting the islands and an efficient domestic flight network. English is widely spoken in tourist areas, but learning a few Greek phrases can enhance your experience.
Quick Look at our Itinerary
- Day 1-3: Explore Milos
- Day 4-5: Explore Sifnos
- Day 5-7: Explore Athens
A few things to note about this itinerary (you can see full details of this itinerary below). This itinerary spends most of the time on the islands and just one full day in Athens. It is possible to balance this and do less time in the islands and more time in Athens. Since we visited during the summer months, we chose more island time to escape the heat.
There are SO MANY islands to choose from depending on what you are looking for. We selected these islands to balance some beautiful places I wanted to visit and the desire to get off the beaten path. We also looked at visiting Paros or Antiparos or you could substitute Santorini or another island as well.
Why These Islands and Athens?
The biggest question about our itinerary is why Milos and Sifnos? Why not explore the mainland coast or one of the bigger Greek Islands like Crete.
We chose Milos for several reasons:
- Milos is a popular island but not nearly as crazy as Santorini or Mykonos
- Milos has gorgeous white cliffs and shockingly blue water
- Milos has an airport
- Easy to connect to Sifnos
We chose Sifnos for several reasons:
- Sifnos is a small and less visited island
- Sifnos is known for its hiking trails and food scene
- Sifnos is on the ferry line that connects Milos to Athens
Athens:
- You can’t visit Greece without checking out the city of Athens
- We only spent 2 days (1 full day) in the city and made the most of our time visiting historic sites.
We selected this itinerary to get some time on the famous Greek Islands and see the best of Athens.
Details of our Itinerary to Greece
Milos
We started our week in Greece on Milos Island after flying from Boston to Athens, spending the night and flying out to Milos. It is a quick and easy flight. Since we were spending a few days we rented a car and they met us at the airport.
We rented an apartment in the main port on Milos in Adamantes. We were spending the first few days with Dave’s parents so we made the most of our time on Milos. On the first day we drove out to some of the beaches on the Southern part of the islandand hopped from beach to beach. We spent about 2 hours at the famous Sarakiniko Beach.
See more about the Best Things to do in Milos.
On the second day we chartered a sailboat and spent the day sailing around the island of Milos. I highly recommend doing this as you can visit some beaches and caves that can only be reached by boat. There are several different tours – some on motorboats and some on sailboats.
On our final full day in Milos, the wind was incredible and the waves across the northern part of the island were realyl big. This made going to the beach difficult as that sand was stinging our legs, so we spent the day exploring. In the middle of the day, we visited the pretty town of Klima to explore and eat lunch.
We have two incredible meals in the central part of the island in Trypiti and Plaka. Both towns offer incredible views and are a great stop in the evening for sunset and dinner.
The next day we hopped a short ferry to the island of Sifnos. This is just a short ferry ride and we were able to purchase tickets that morning without a problem.
Sifnos is a slightly smaller island but is mountainous and you still need a few days to visit the entire island. We stayed right in the port in Sifnos and there are plenty of small hotels in the area. See some of our favorite things to do on Sifnos.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the island. We rented a car on Sifnos and visited many beaches as well as the town of Apollonia. This is a great place to wander the streets and get a good meal. Sifnos is known for it’s food scene and we enjoyed every meal on Sifnos.
Sifnos is also known for the hiking trails that criss-cross the islands and we spent some time everyday hiking. It’s important to note that it is very hot and dry during the summer and you should only hike in the morning and bring plenty of water. Despite being less popular than Milos, we would have happily spent more time on Sifnos.
On day 5 we took the ferry to Athens. The ferrys run very consistently (except in poor weather). We booked our ferry tickets on the day of our trip, but you can easily book your tickets in advance if you are concerned about them selling out. There are several different ferry companies that service the islands.
From the ferry in Athens we took the Metro into the town. We rented an apartment for a few days and chose the location based on the Metro. We arrived into Athens in time to go explore the Ancient Agora in the evening before having a late dinner near our apartment.
The next day was hot but we made the most of the full day by starting the morning at the Panathenaic Stadium. If you arrive between 7:30 and 9 (make sure to double check the times) you can actually go for a run in the stadium.
After our morning run, we got some lunch. In the afternoon we visited the Acropolois and had a drink at A for Athens. The view is wonderful and we spent some time wandering through Monastiraki Square. In the evening we had dinner in the Plaka neighborhood.
On day 7 we walked around for a short time before getting a ride out to the airport where we continued our trip with a week in Montenegro.
You can see our suggestions on how to make the most of one day in Athens.
Things to Know about Traveling to Greece
How Long fo you Need in Greece
You need at least a full day to explore Athens and longer if you really enjoy history and ancient ruins. You could easily spent 3 full days just seeing the main sites.
When is the Best Time of Year to Visit Greece?
Summer is hot in Athens although more pleasant on the islands. If you can, visit in the last spring or early fall when temperatures are more comfortable but things are open. In the winter things on the islands are often closed.
How to Get Around Greece
We used a few methods to get around Greece. Ferries run often to many of the islands although it’s often cheaper to fly. In athens, you can rely on the Metro or taxis. Many towns and islands have bus systems, but you will need a car to get to the best beaches and more remote destinations.
Other Itinerary Options
In the process of planning this itinerary, we considered several other options. We weren’t interested in visiting the more crowded islands on Santorini and Mykonos, but we did look at going to Paros and Antiparos. We also considered the larger island of Crete, but liked the idea of island hopping.
Another fantastic option is to skip the islands and explore the Peloponnese area. There is a lot to see in Greece and no matter what you choose you will have an incredible trip.
Looking for more ideas? Check us out on Pinterest.
