You Asked Me About Greece
My very subjective answers to the questions I get most often
After publishing Athens Through My Eyes, I started thinking about all the questions people ask me when they find out I grew up in Greece. When should I go? What should I eat? Do I need a car? Which island should I visit? Where can I swim if I'm staying in Athens? And what are the places I absolutely shouldn't miss?
I've answered some version of these questions many times over the years, so I thought I would finally put my answers in one place. This isn't a definitive guide to Greece. These are simply my answers, shaped by growing up there and now returning as someone who gets to see Greece both as home and, sometimes, as a visitor.
When is the best time to visit Greece?
My usual answer is June or September.
The weather is beautiful, the sea is warm, and things generally feel less crowded and less frantic than in the middle of summer. May and October can also be wonderful, especially if your trip is more about exploring than spending every day at the beach.
August is a different story. If you're heading to the islands, expect Greece at its busiest. August is when many Greeks take their summer vacations too, so ferries are full, popular islands are crowded, and prices can be higher.
But Athens is almost the opposite. If Athens is your main destination, I actually think August can be a great time to visit. A large part of the city seems to empty out as Athenians leave for their vacations. Traffic becomes lighter, the pace slows down, and the city feels strangely calm compared with the rest of the year.
The trade-off, of course, is the heat. Athens in August can be hot, so I would plan sightseeing early in the morning or later in the day and leave the afternoon for lunch, a museum, a nap—or better yet, the sea.
One date to keep in mind is August 15, the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and one of Greece's major public holidays. Many businesses and shops close, and even more people leave the city around that time.
So my answer really depends on where you're going:
For Greece in general: June and September.
For a quieter Athens: August can be surprisingly wonderful—as long as you can handle the heat.
What is summer in Greece really like?
Hot and sometimes very hot. But Greece isn't one temperature. Athens during a heat wave feels completely different from sitting beside the water on an island with the wind blowing. One mistake I see visitors make is planning summer days as though they're somewhere with mild weather: the Acropolis at noon, walking all afternoon, dinner at six, I wouldn't.
In summer, I prefer doing things early, disappearing somewhere cooler during the hottest part of the afternoon, and coming back out later. And dinner at 6:00? That's very early by Greek standards—and in summer, it's often still very hot. Wait until the temperature drops a little and the city starts coming back to life.
That's one of my favorite things about Greek summers. Tables fill, children are still running around late at night, and dinner stretches into drinks, conversation and maybe another walk. Don't fight that rhythm, enjoy it.
What food should I try?
Please don't spend your entire vacation eating Greek salad, souvlaki and moussaka, they're good I eat them too. But Greek food is much bigger than the handful of dishes that became famous outside Greece.
Look for ladera—vegetables slowly cooked in olive oil, often with tomato. Try gemista, tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice and herbs; dolmades, vine leaves wrapped around a filling of rice and herbs; and saganaki, cheese cooked until golden and served hot. Eat fresh fish when you're near the sea. Try grilled octopus, fried zucchini, horta, beans, local cheeses and the different pies you'll find as you travel around the country. And eat what belongs to the place you're visiting. Greece has strong regional food traditions, so what I want to eat in northern Greece isn't necessarily what I'd order in Crete or on a Cycladic island.
But my strongest recommendation isn't really about what you order. It's about how you eat it. Put the plates in the middle of the table and share. That's how we eat with family and friends in Greece. Order a salad, vegetables, cheese, a few appetizers, fish or meat—whatever looks good—and let everyone eat a little of everything. For me, that's a much more Greek way to experience a meal than everyone ordering an individual entrée and keeping it in front of them.
People around a table full of delicious food making vivid conversations and build memories. That's the point.
Where should I eat in Athens?
I could probably write an entire post answering this question, but I'll keep it simple.
Around Syntagma and Monastiraki, a few places I return to are ERGON, Ella, and Savvas. If what you want is souvlaki, go upstairs at Savvas and eat it on the rooftop with the Acropolis in front of you.
But here's another way I choose where to eat in Greece, particularly when I'm somewhere I don't know: Look around.
If a restaurant has a lot of Greeks eating there, that's usually a pretty good sign.
I wouldn't cross the entire city because the internet told me somewhere serves “the best” souvlaki in Athens. Walk around, look at what's on people's tables, see where locals are actually sitting, and choose somewhere that looks good to you.
Sometimes that's a much better system.
Do I need a car?
In Athens? No.
Actually, I would actively avoid having one unless there's a particular reason you need it. Between the metro, buses, taxis and walking, you can see an enormous amount of Athens without driving—and you won't spend part of your vacation wondering where you're supposed to park.
Outside Athens, my answer changes. If you're staying on an island with good transportation or spending most of your time in one town, you may not need one. But if you want to explore mainland Greece, smaller villages, remote beaches or places that aren't well connected by public transportation, having a car can completely change your trip.
So perhaps the question isn't: Do I need a car in Greece?
It's: What kind of Greece do I want to see?
Are there beautiful islands besides Santorini?
Yes. So many that this is almost impossible to answer.
Greece has around 6,000 islands and islets, although only a little over 200 are inhabited. So the islands I'm mentioning here are exactly that—a few suggestions, not a list of the “best Greek islands.”
Before I recommend an island to someone, I usually want to know a few things:
How far do you want to travel from Athens?
How many days do you have?
What time of year are you going?
Do you want beaches, villages, hiking, food, nightlife—or to do absolutely nothing?
Do you want somewhere lively or somewhere quiet?
Are you willing to rent a car?
Change one of those answers and I might suggest a completely different island.
If you love green landscapes, look at Skyros or Skopelos. If you're dreaming about the whitewashed villages and architecture of the Cyclades, consider Syros, Tinos, or Paros. Paros can give you a little of both worlds. There's nightlife and energy, but there are also quieter places where the experience feels completely different.
If you're primarily a beach person, I'd put Milos high on the list. It’s unusual landscape means one beach can look completely different from the next.
Then there's Crete, which really deserves a trip of its own. I particularly love the Chania area. If you don't mind driving, rent a car and explore. Some of the beaches, villages and landscapes away from the city are what make Crete so special.
And don't automatically assume you need an island. If you don't mind driving, the Peloponnese gives you mountains, archaeological sites, villages and some spectacular beaches without ever getting on a ferry.
These are just a few places I happen to like. With so many possibilities, I don't think “What's the best Greek island?” has a useful answer.
I'd rather ask: “Which Greek island makes sense for this trip?”
I'm staying in Athens for five days. Where can I swim?
Please go swimming.
One thing that's sometimes lost in the way Athens is presented internationally is that Athens is right beside the sea. And if you have five days, you have two very different options.
Stay in Athens and head south
For an easy beach day, I would head toward Vouliagmeni or Kavouri.
You can swim, spend the afternoon by the water and stay until evening. This part of the coast feels completely different from central Athens, even though you haven't actually gone very far.
There's also Lake Vouliagmeni if you'd like something different from a conventional beach. It's a natural thermal lake surrounded by limestone cliffs.
And don't rush back downtown after you swim. There are plenty of bars and restaurants around Vouliagmeni where you can have a drink or dinner overlooking the water. Some can get very expensive, so check the menu before sitting down. You certainly don't need to spend a fortune to enjoy an evening by the sea.
Or... go to an island
Yes, even if you're only staying in Athens for five days. Agistri is a great option. Ferries leave from Piraeus, and the fastest crossings take around an hour. You can go in the morning, swim, have lunch and return to Athens in the evening.
Or choose Hydra. It's a little farther, but it's still possible as a day trip by fast ferry from Piraeus. Hydra also gives you something quite different from simply spending a day at the beach. You leave the city behind and get to experience a Greek island, even if only for a day.
So if I had five summer days in Athens, I wouldn't necessarily choose between Athens or an island.
You can have a bot of both.
What should I absolutely not miss in Greece?
This might be the hardest question of all.
My first reaction is: How much time do you have?
If this is your first visit to Athens, I would start with the obvious—but do it in a way that makes sense. Go to the Acropolis early in the morning, before the heat and the crowds really build. Then walk down toward the Acropolis Museum and spend some time there. Seeing the objects after standing on the Acropolis gives them a completely different context. If you love jewelry—as I do—then I would also make time for the National Archaeological Museum. The ancient jewelry alone is worth the visit. The craftsmanship, the detail, the goldwork—it is extraordinary, and every time I look at it I am reminded how sophisticated ancient Greek makers were. And when you're done, head down to the museum garden and have a freddo cappuccino. That part matters too.
After Athens, I would go to Delphi. This recommendation is personal for me because my father is from a village nearby, and I've been going to Delphi since I was born. In the ancient Greek world, Delphi was considered the center of the world and was home to the famous Oracle of Delphi. People traveled there from across the Greek world seeking guidance from Apollo. At the heart of the Oracle was Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, who delivered prophecies that could influence everything from personal decisions to matters of war and politics.
But Delphi is not only about the ruins. The setting is part of the experience. It sits on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, looking out over the valley, and once you're there it's very easy to understand why the ancient Greeks considered this place sacred.If you have the time, I would sleep in Delphi or nearby and come back the next day instead of rushing there and back in a single afternoon.
Then give yourself time to experience the sea. You can take a ferry from Piraeus to an island close to Athens, spend a day at a beach along the Athens Riviera—or, if you have enough time, do both.
If there's one piece of advice I'd give someone traveling to Greece, it would be this: Don't try to conquer it. You don't need Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Delphi, Meteora, Crete and three other islands in twelve days. Choose less.
Stay longer. Walk, swim, order something you don't recognize, sit somewhere without checking what you're supposed to see next.
Greece will still be there if you decide to come back. And you probably will!
Vicky,
the artist behind Porpe Artifacts, grew up in Greece and now lives in the Seattle area. In her Bothell studio, she creates jewelry by hand using sterling silver, 14k gold-filled, and 24k gold applied through keum-boo—one piece at a time.
