Visas & entry
Greece is in the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can enter with a valid ID card or passport; US, Canadian, UK, Australian and many other visa-exempt visitors may normally stay up to 90 days in any 180-day Schengen period, while other nationalities need a Schengen visa. Check current rules, passport-validity requirements and the rollout status of ETIAS before travel.
Getting in
- Athens International Airport: The main international gateway and the right default for first trips: it serves Athens, connects to Piraeus for Cycladic ferries, and has frequent domestic flights to Crete, Rhodes, Corfu and other islands. Do not plan a tight same-day flight-to-ferry connection.
- Thessaloniki Airport: The useful gateway for northern Greece, including Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Macedonia and onward Balkan travel. It is far more sensible than backtracking through Athens for a northern itinerary.
- Heraklion International Airport: Crete's principal airport and the best arrival or departure point for central and eastern Crete, Knossos and Heraklion. Open-jaw itineraries using Heraklion and Chania avoid wasteful island backtracking.
- Chania International Airport: The gateway for western Crete: Chania, Rethymno, the White Mountains and west-coast beaches. Use it with Heraklion for a proper Crete trip rather than treating the island as a short ferry add-on.
- Rhodes International Airport: The practical entry point for Rhodes and the southeastern Dodecanese. Fly here when time matters; the ferry from Piraeus is long enough to consume much of a holiday day.
Getting around
Use ferries within a single island group, but treat every crossing as a transfer day rather than sightseeing time; schedules shrink outside summer and meltemi winds can disrupt the Cyclades. Rent a car for the Peloponnese, Crete, Epirus and most northern routes—these are road-trip regions, not rail itineraries. Athens–Thessaloniki is the principal rail corridor, but check live Hellenic Train operations because works can mean replacement buses; domestic flights are usually the rational link to distant islands such as Crete, Rhodes and Corfu.
Money
Greece uses the euro (€). Cards are widely accepted in cities, hotels and established restaurants, but carry cash for small tavernas, village shops, buses, beach kiosks and tips; contactless payment is common. Service is included, but rounding up or leaving roughly 5–10% for good table service is normal rather than compulsory.
Daily budget · EUR (€)
- Value
- €85–140
- Mid-range
- €180–320
- High-end
- €500+
- Bands are per person per day, excluding international flights, based on two people sharing a room; they include accommodation, meals, local transport, ordinary sightseeing and some intercity travel.
- €85–140: hostel or simple room, bakery breakfasts, souvlaki/gyros and tavernas, buses or slow ferries, and limited paid tours.
- €180–320: a good three- or four-star room or appealing guesthouse, restaurant meals, a rental car or several ferries/domestic flights, site and museum tickets, and an occasional guided activity.
- €500+: design hotels, caldera- or view rooms, private transfers or boats, fine dining and premium-island stays.
- The real price divide is island, month and room type—not the national average. A mainland trip outside July–August can sit near the lower mid-range; Santorini or Mykonos with a caldera-view room reaches high-end territory before meals.
- Biggest cost drivers: July–August accommodation, Santorini/Mykonos, private pools and caldera views, automatic rental cars, high-speed ferries, domestic flights, beach clubs and private boat tours. Crete, the Peloponnese, northern Greece and nonheadline islands usually give markedly better value.
Eating well
- Use a bakery for breakfast: cheese pie, spinach pie, sesame koulouri and bougatsa are better bets than a generic hotel buffet.
- Order several mezedes for the table rather than treating every meal as an individual main-course occasion.
- In Athens, move beyond Plaka for dinner; it is convenient, not where the city eats best.
- Ask whether fish is local and priced by the kilo before ordering it.
- Coffee is a lingering ritual, not a quick refuelling stop; do not expect to be hurried out.
- On islands and coasts, prioritize the day’s catch; inland, order pies, legumes, greens, cheese and slow-cooked meat instead.
Book before you land
Acropolis and Slopes timed-entry ticket, Athens—especially April–October · Acropolis Museum timed entry in peak season · Santorini sunset catamaran or caldera boat cruises in June–September · Samaria Gorge organised hikes/transfers in peak summer · Major summer Cycladic ferry sailings, especially high-speed departures—transport rather than an attraction, but they can sell out
- Keep your final night before an international flight in Athens or at the departure airport island; do not trust a same-day ferry connection, particularly in windy weather.
- Santorini and Mykonos are expensive outliers, not the Greek baseline. Crete, the Peloponnese, northern Greece and less-hyped islands usually buy far better rooms and meals for the same money.
- Summer heat is serious at exposed sites: visit the Acropolis, Delphi and similar ruins at opening time, carry water, and avoid building a noon-to-4pm itinerary around walking.
- On islands, confirm which port your ferry uses and arrive early; Athens has several ports, while Piraeus is the key one for most Cyclades routes.
- Dress modestly for monasteries and active churches: shoulders and knees covered; some Meteora monasteries require skirts or provide wraps.
- Tap water is generally fine in Athens and much of the mainland, but many islands rely on desalinated or transported water and locals commonly buy bottled water. Check locally rather than assuming.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
March–April
Green landscapes, wildflowers and comfortable walking weather make this prime time for Athens, Delphi, the Peloponnese, Crete and Rhodes, though the sea is often cold and smaller islands may still be half-open.
archaeological siteshikingmainland road tripslower-cost shoulder-season travel
Rain remains possible, ferry schedules are thinner than summer, and Orthodox Easter can sharply tighten rooms and transport.
May–mid-June
Warm, long days and near-full ferry schedules make this Greece's most balanced period; May is better for walking and June for swimming.
first visitsAthens plus islandsmixed city-site-beach tripsCyclades ferry itineraries
The Aegean can be windy, swimming temperatures are not guaranteed in May, and Santorini, Mykonos and other headline islands are already expensive.
Late June–August
This is hot, dry peak season, with Athens, exposed sites and inland drives often brutal at midday; coastal breezes help, but the Cycladic meltemi can roughen crossings and disrupt beach plans.
reliable swimmingbeach-focused tripsfamily summer holidayslate-night island life
Expect the year's highest prices and heaviest crowds, especially in the Cyclades and Ionian islands; reserve accommodation, rental cars and essential high-speed ferries well ahead.
September–mid-October
The sea is still warm, the worst heat has passed and ferries generally remain frequent, making September the strongest single month for a first Greece trip; early October is especially good on the mainland, Crete and Rhodes.
beach plus cultureisland hoppingroad tripsfood and hiking trips
Santorini and Mykonos remain busy and costly, while smaller seasonal islands start reducing services later in October.
Late October–February
Athens and Thessaloniki remain lively year-round, and Crete and Rhodes retain more life than small resort islands; mountain and northern areas are colder and can see snow.
city breaksmuseums and foodlow-cost mainland drivingwinter hiking between weather systems
Ferries are less frequent and more weather-vulnerable, many beach resorts close, site hours shorten, and dependable swimming is off the table.
Events worth planning around
Greek Orthodox Easter · Usually March or April; dates vary annually. · Nationwide, especially towns, islands and family-oriented destinations.
A genuinely rewarding cultural period, but domestic travel surges: book ferries, rental cars and rooms early, particularly around the Easter weekend.
Dormition of the Theotokos public holiday · August 15. · Nationwide, with the greatest effect on islands and coastal resorts.
One of the summer's biggest domestic-travel peaks; island ferries and accommodation tighten, so avoid last-minute plans.
Patras Carnival · Usually January–March, culminating before Orthodox Lent; dates vary annually. · Patras, western Peloponnese.
It gives Patras a real winter reason to visit but fills accommodation and transport around the main parade weekend.
What to eat
Do not eat Greece as a checklist of moussaka and Greek salad. Use bakeries for breakfast, share mezedes at lunch or dinner, and let the region decide the order: seafood on the coast and islands, pies and pastoral cooking in the mountains, and local wine or tsipouro where it is made.
Horiatiki (Greek salad)Grilled octopus or locally caught fishDolmadesGigantesFavaSpanakopita and other filo piesKeftedesMoussakaStifadoSouvlaki or gyros for fast food and late meals
Athens: Market-driven tavernas · Contemporary Greek cooking · Freddo espresso or freddo cappuccino
Peloponnese: Kalamata olives · Mani pork and cured meats · Lalagia fried dough · Mountain greens and local cheeses · Citrus products and Nemea Agiorgitiko wine
Epirus: Handmade filo pies · Sheep and goat dishes · Regional cheeses · Slow-cooked meats
Pelion: Apples, chestnuts and mountain herbs · Tsipouro with mezedes
Greek Macedonia / Thessaloniki: Florina peppers · Prespes beans · Halkidiki mussels · Kozani saffron · Xinomavro wine