The perfect one-week getaway to this iconic destination! Keep reading to plan your trip to Athens and Santorini.
Itinerary Overview
- Day 1: Fly into Athens, train from airport to downtown
- Day 2: Parthenon and Acropolis tour + Acropolis museum
- Day 3: Explore Athens in the AM, then fly to Santorini
- Day 4: Explore island
- Day 5: Santo Wines tour + sunset cruise
- Day 6: Beach day
- Day 7: Fly back to Athens
- Day 8: Fly home
Where to Stay
We love staying in hostels to help stay on budget! For this trip, we also stayed in an AirBnb and a hotel.
- Athens: Selina Athens Theatrou Hostel (we got a private suite with a balcony and views of the Acropolis and Parthenon!)
- We LOVED this hostel. It was in a very walkable area (<5 min walk from Klimataria, see below) and had incredible views.
- Santorini: AirBnb in Oia (we got one with a private jacuzzi and included breakfast.)
- Oia is the part of Santorini with the classic whitewash buildings and blue domed church that you’ve likely seen all over socials.
- Athens: Ramada by Wyndham, Athens Club, Attica Riviera (we chose this one to get out of the city and onto the coast for our last night in Athens!)
What To Do
Athens
Obviously, you have to visit the Parthenon and Acropolis. For the Acropolis tour, the first tour is at 8 AM. Buy your tickets ahead of time and arrive early!!! We arrived at 7:45 AM and there was already a long line, and that was just for those who already had their tickets.
Similarly, purchase the Skip the Line tickets for the Acropolis Museum. The museum opens at 9 and you can arrive at any time. The line for these tickets will be to the left of the general entrance line, and despite what the name suggests, you likely will still have to wait a bit to enter, but it did move quickly!
Other Pro Tips: Make sure you go to dinner at Tavern Klimataria. This restaurant has been operating since the 1920s, is still standing despite a fire in 2005, has live music, and delicious wine and food. For just $40, we got two Greek salads, fries, stuffed peppers, baked feta, and a liter of wine (we were famished after a day of travel, don’t judge us!).
Santorini
For transportation around the island, we recommend renting a car. We rented a buggy, which was fun to drive around, but had very minimal storage and did little to protect us from the heat/sun. A small car would have also meant we didn’t have to carry everything with us at every stop.
Once you’ve got your car, head for Santo Wines. We did the winery tour, movie, and 8-wine flight + cheese plate option and went during the day. If you can book this for sunset to avoid the heat/sunburn, we highly recommend that. The winery tour was interesting, but the view is the real reason to go, so decide what is best for you!
The sunsets in Santorini are to die for. If you’re willing to ball out a bit, make a dinner reservation at Oia Gefsis for sunset and request a table with a view. Otherwise, plan a sunset walk around Oia or on one of the iconic beaches. There’s really not a bad view on the island!
For the best beach days, we really enjoyed lounging on a beach cabana in Yalos and the adorable beach town in Kamari.
Budget
Greece is an iconic destination, so can be tough for budget travelers. We found that Athens was much more affordable compared to Santorini, especially when it came to eating out.
Santorini also had much more expensive lodging and activities. For example, our sunset cruise was $300 and our Santo Wine tour + meal was $173. For comparison, we spent <$100 in Athens going to the Acropolis and Parthenon and the Acropolis museum, including meals.
To save money, you could try for a cheaper stay in Santorini. AirBnbs tend to be more expensive, especially those right on the water in Oia. Instead, you could try a hotel or some other areas (Fira, Megalochori, or Akrotiri). Also minimize your meals out in Oia to save your wallets!
Here is what we spent on our flights, lodging, and more.
| Flight DIA<->Athens | $3,648.32 |
| Flight Athens<->Santorini | $420.40 |
| Lodging | $2,010.86 |
| Other Activities | $612.12 |
| Buggy Rental | $214.92 |
| Food | $916.70 |
| Total | $7,823.32 |
Excluding the cost of flights and some of the optional/more expensive activities (sunset cruise), we spent about $100 per person per day (on lodging and food).
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We had a beautiful time in this iconic, historic, and romantic country! We hope to get back to explore more of the islands – so drop your recommendations below!
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We hope this helps you get out there!
Summer & Jackson
OutThere Travels
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