Greece

Greece - Athens, Poros, Hydra, & Spetses

On my Top 5 Beach Vacation Destinations in the World list! Watch my video here!

HOW TO TRAVEL AROUND GREECE AFFORDABLY

My favorite part about Greece that makes it the perfect country to vacation is how accessible it is to get from one island to another through their ferries! I booked all of my mine on Let's Ferry and it worked out great every time! We took day trips to other islands closer by but you can transport to your next island for the next few days!

Poros, Greece

Flying to Greece for Cheaper!?

If you do not mind more adventure, you do not have to fly straight to Greece on some super expensive flights! We flew into Paris from NY for under $490 ROUND TRIP! (can't beat that in the summer!) We spent a few days in Paris both on the way to Greece and on the way back that way we can see the city. From Paris to Athens, Greece round trip was under $75.00!

Find a city in Europe that has cheap flights during your desired dates and then fly to Greece from there! Almost ALWAYS a cheaper option plus you get to see more of Europe :)

We went in June for cheaper rates as well. The second July & August roll around, prices increase.

Athens

Parthenon

We flew into here as this is Greece’s main international airport. It was clean & safe like most major airports. We only had two one day, one night, stays here in Athens as it was our network to ferry to the islands.

Piraeus is the major port of Athens to take the ferries to most of the Greek Islands. It is pretty, but no need to book your stay in this area as not as much to see and visit in my opinion.

MUST DO

Seeing the Acropolis was my favorite part about Athens. We spent the morning there until it was time for lunch. You can spend hours exploring this historic site.

For the perfect view of the Parthenon, visit the rooftop bar, 360 Cocktail Bar. Aesthetically pleasing drinks that tasted delicious as well!

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at the Marble House for one night the first time. It was a quaint little hotel which was perfect for our layover here. It was a close enough walk the the beautiful Parthenon as well. The walk was gorgeous to explore the streets of Athens.

We stayed at the Attalos Hotel Athens the second time for one night where the staff was accommodating and friendly. This was closer to the city center to really explore Athens’ city.

360 Cocktail Bar

Poros

I fell in love with this small island on the Aegean sea. We stayed in a villa right across from Poros for two weeks (1 euro, 1 minute boat took us across to our place). Our villa has the most beautiful view of Poros. This island is not very touristy so it is awesome to see how the Greeks really live.

The View of Poros from our Villa

BEACHES

There are many small beaches on Poros so there are lots of options as they all are pretty similar. The waters are blue, warm, & refreshing to swim in. They are not walking distance away from the center so you must take a taxi or rent a quad for the day. My favorite beaches were Aliki Beach, Askeli Beach, and Love Bay. Only cons to the Greek Beaches is you need to pay for a bed and towel (which is like most of Europe) & the sand is rocky.

GETTING AROUND

In Poros, walking or quads! We rented quads our first day here to explore and see what the island was all about. FUN FUN FUN!! We parked at different beaches throughout the day and went up to the top of the island to see crazy views of Greece!

In Galatas, where our villa was, we took a taxi to Aliki Beach but walked to Askeli Beach.

Aliki Beach

MUST DO

+ Climb up the many stairs up to the Clock Tower for a beautiful view of the rest of Poros and Greece.
+ Spend the night jumping from bar to bar to meet locals and maybe a few tourists.
+ Explore the local shops.

Top of the Poros Clock Tower

RESTAURANTS

Love Bay

There are so many small family-owned restaurants in Poros right at the port. They are all great and are so friendly!! The authentic Greek food is not like America. It was so delicious & fresh that it is difficult to not love it.

Apagio and Gia Mas are my favorites. The Greek Salads have no lettuce in Greece by the way- this made them even better though. I finally tried Gyro’s for the first time and loved them.

Hydra

This was such a cute island. It is small and there are no cars- only donkeys! Walking around the island, you can find these gorgeous cliffs to dive from all along the shores.

MUST DO

+ Mikro Kamini Beach for the picturesque Greece beach you always wanted
We found this adorable boutique beach by accident and ended up staying there all day. We climbed the tall rocks to view Hydra at a different perspective.
+ Explore the small streets with local boutiques and to watch the Donkeys.
+ Dive into the beautiful blue waters!

GETTING AROUND

Walking!

Spetses

This is the island I want to retire to! The beaches were my favorite in Greece so far that I have been to.

The shopping was also great here! Little shops with everything! Higher end and low cost.

MUST DO

+ Ayia Anargyri beach. The water was shallow enough for a while that you can walk and swim so far out! It is also crystal clear! We were skipping rocks, sitting on the shore, and playing around the beach all day. There is a restaurant on this beach but it was not the best Greek food I have had.
+ Shop and eat around the port.

Ayia Anargyri Beach

GETTING AROUND

This is a larger island than the others so you do need to take a taxi when you get off the ferry. They are also not the sweetest and the driving is frightening because it is all small roads on cliffs with no fences! I just kept my eyes closed. There are buses too but they only run at certain points of the day.

Greece is amazing and I haven’t even seen a portion of it! I can not wait to go back and explore more of their islands