Ultimate Greece Travel Guide: Must-Know Tips, Hacks & Resources!
Packing Light, Ferries/Island Hopping, Mistakes and a Ton of Resources!
This article focuses on resources, the mistakes I made and what I learned on my two week Greek vacation. Plus what I packed, and how I traveled light. (11 kilos)
As always, I’m striving to make your travel and living abroad experiences painless and budget friendly!
If you want to read about the actual trip (travel article), it will be available next week.
I do travel solo so this guide is great/helpful for solo travelers but still completely apropos for those not traveling solo.
I went to Greece in the shoulder season, the end of May. Though I’d recommend going at the beginning of May, or the first two weeks of October. If you go island hopping during the off season which begins around the third week of November and goes through February and often into March—many restaurants on the well-known tourist islands (ie: Santorini) will be closed.
What I did right—I’ll break some of these down further below:
Packed light. I used an 11 kilo (at its heaviest) rolling suitcase and a very small backpack for a book, a writing notebook, some snacks and my headsets.
Only spent 1 night on Santorini.
Went during the shoulder season as mentioned above.
Packing light:
I opted to leave my laptop at home and I’m so glad I did. I chose a spinner/rolly bag instead of a backpack because I have some back issues. I did take a very small backpack for a book and water bottle, etc.
I also packed an anti-theft fanny pack/bum bag which is what I used when going about my day or eve. My spinner is small, probably one size up from the ones that look like they only fit toiletries. And while it’s taken some getting used to, I have zero regrets.
My packing list:
Two pairs of very lightweight (quick drying) pants. While I did wear the second pair once on my trip, I could have gotten away with one pair. Three shelf-bra camisoles. Four pairs of underwear. Three pairs of socks. Three pairs of leggings. Two skirts. Three long sleeved “overshirts” and one jacket. On the plane I wore a pair of pants (one of the two I brought), one camisole (from my three), one overshirt (from my three) and the jacket. One of the overshirts was fancier than the rest and I’m glad I had it as I celebrated my birthday on the trip. I brought two pairs of shoes and only needed one pair. I wore my Ecco sandals and brought a pair of Xero tennis shoes that pack flat. While I wore the tennis shoes once, I didn’t really need them. The weather was mostly around 20-26 celcius (70-75 fahrenheit) but a few nights it dipped down to 15-17 (60/ish fahrenheit) and I wished I had packed one sweater or my puffy.
But I survived and bought no extra clothing.
What’s the trick to traveling so light, clothing wise? Hand washing nightly. I didn’t hand wash every single night, I probably skipped two or three nights altogether throughout the trip. For most of my trip I did wash nightly.
For handwashing, I mostly use the Scrubba bag. But in the past I’ve used a large plastic zip lock which works just fine. I sit the bag in the sink, fill with warm water, throw in a laundry detergent sheet and smoosh it all around, using my hand to agitate.
In the past, I’ve used hand soap to wash my clothes. I do not scrub/rub the fabric together (against itself as if washing out a stain) because I learned the hard way, this destroys your clothing rather quickly. I also learned, the hard way, not to wring out your clothing after washing. This also destroys them.
I skrunch each piece up into a wet ball and squeeze as much as possible and then press each piece between a towel. I brought two diaper pins to hang and while they came in handy, I didn’t really need them. In the past I didn’t have anything to use. I drape clothing over towel racks or hangers. But at most of the airbnbs I stayed in, there were drying racks on balconies.
Most of my clothing dried in a day but at one point I still had damp clothing and had to move from one airbnb to another so I rolled the damp clothes and put them in the Scrubba bag I use to house my dirty laundry. I rolled the dirty clothing and stored them inside the laundry wash bag, which I also roll for traveling.
Toiletries:
I think I’m probably weird in this but I don’t have a toiletry bag. It’s a long story but the short of it is that I think they take up too much room. I store everything separately in small zip lock bags. One bag for toothpaste, one for the toothbrush. Another for the rest of the liquid items (shampoo, conditioner, tea tree oil, etc.) I use one for jewelry. One for make up. Another for hair clips. I write in sharpie on each bag so I can reuse them in the future and so they’re easier to find.
Then I take out whatever bag I need. When I stayed in an airbnb where I had a share bathroom, I carried a single bag with face soap and toothpaste. Otherwise, some of the bags (make-up, jewelry) may remain in my suitcase while others may end up in the bathroom. I started doing this about a year ago and I like it so much, I don’t see a reason to stop. The bags are so much easier to pack too. I just find nooks and crannies to house them.
My favorite way of packing:
One side of the suitcase is for clothes only, the zipper pouch side. The other side is for toiletries, a small bag with cords, shoes, my laundry washing bag, vitamins or medication and anything I may purchase on my travels.
Spending one night in Santorini:
I go into my full Santorini (and the rest of the trip) in detail in another post. But here’s my quick breakdown for the resources section. I didn’t have enough time to fully research this trip before booking it and thus I didn’t know that Santorini is a major hub for cruise ships. I did research enough to find that, while the island is not small, the main tourist attraction is the town of Oia. It’s what you see in most of the movies featuring Greece.
And, being from Los Angeles, one would think I would know that the movies are completely fake/staged/not real. After all, I’ve told countless people in Portugal not to believe what they see in the movies when so many have said, “Los Angeles is my dream”.
—But I’m completely guilty and fell for it too, in Greece. While I do not regret going to Santorini, I was disappointed and here’s why.
I expected it to be pricey but the prices were even higher than California. €50 for dinner for one person with no alcohol. €30 for a tiny breakfast with two coffees. €50 in transportation each way to Oia from the ferry. Can you avoid spending this amount on food in Oia? Yes!!! I met a backpacker who purchased fruit and nut butter from the grocery store in town and ate that.
I did not realize Oia is on the top of a large mountain, which makes several things challenging.
I expected it to be crowded but it was so crowded (starting at 10am and continuing through sunset) that you had to wait in line to walk down the street.
I didn’t expect that the main part of old town would have buildings and walls so high that you cannot see the ocean.
I didn’t expect that both sides of the narrow streets in the main part of the old town would be lined with shops trying to sell you overpriced items.
I didn’t expect that 95% of the streets that lead down toward the ocean are pay to enter—meaning you have to be staying at one of the expensive hotels to even walk down one of those streets.
I expected more blue domed buildings, in reality there are only two in the main part of the town.
I didn’t expect you would have to pay to view the two iconic blue domed buildings. In reality you have to enter a restaurant and pay for food or drinks in order to see the view.
I didn’t realize you may have to pay to see the sunset or wait in line for 1-2 hours. In reality you can book a reservation at a very pricey restaurant to view the sunset but you must book far in advance. I did end up eating at this restaurant and the food was some of the best I ate in Greece, so there’s that.
I didn’t expect that the “free” sunset view I found without waiting in line or paying was from an unpicturesque (aka: ugly) parking lot.
Touted as the “best sunsets in the world” it was not true the night I was there. The sunset I viewed (from the icky parking lot) was lacking. The best sunsets I’ve seen were in Hawaii. But I am NO sunset expert and I’m sure there are gorgeous sunsets seen from Santorini, I just didn’t get to see one.
If you want to walk outside of Santorini, there are no sidewalks, the streets are narrow and winding and you must walk downhill and then back uphill plus the area surrounding the idyllic town of Oia is not picturesque.
If you want to go to the water, I was told there was an amazing fishing villiage and beach area, you must walk down and then back up 500 stairs.
What I did wrong overall:
Didn’t plan well, which is very rare for me, but I was in finals for an intensive Portuguese course and I didn’t have the bandwidth.
Bought all the ferry tickets before I left for my trip.
Didn’t match up check out times from airbnbs with ferry times.
Didn’t check the distance from the ferry port vs. the airbnbs I booked.
Didn’t look at transportation from the ferry to hotel/airbnb.
Didn’t wait in line for 30 minutes to ask which ferry to take and thus missed a ferry.
Didn’t realize how expensive everything was, especially the ferries.
Didn’t realize the high cost of getting from the ferry port in Santorini to Oai.
Spent two nights in Mykonos. I only needed one.
“Island hopped” too quickly (dichotomy).
Tried to save money by purchasing the cheaper ferry tickets for ferries that took significantly longer to get from point A to point B.
What I recommend in the future:
You don’t have to buy your ferry tickets beforehand but at least find out where the ferry you need is, on the day you need it. Figure out where it’s arriving to and leaving from, before you book your airbnb or hotel.
Pick some of the lesser known islands and stay at least three, or better yet four or five nights on each one.
If you’re interested in the Cyclades Islands, as I was… I recommend you stay on Paros, Naxos or Milos (they’re close to one another) and do day trips from these. For the day, you can go to Delos which is an archaeological site. You can check out Koufonisi and some of the smaller surrounding islands, like Antiparos.
The Ferries
Make sure you know the exact name of your ferry, not just the name of the company. For example Sea Jet, Blue Star, Golden Star, etc. are the company names. There will also be another specific identifying name for your ferry such as “Blue Star Delos”. In the Ferry Hopper app, both names will appear. You can also see where your ferry’s real-time location is on the map in the Ferry Hopper app.
Seats:
Some ferries will assign you a seat. If the ferry is relatively empty you can usually sit anywhere. If the ferry is crowded and your ticket says “Deck-lounge” you’ll have to find your own seat. One ferry I boarded, that was a six hour ride, did not offer any good seats and it was very uncomfortable. But many did have seat assignments which will be listed on your ticket, and these were more comfortable rides.
Comfort:
In retrospect I would not skimp on the ferries. I would not take the longer ferry to save €20. There are places to save €20 and in my opinion, the ferries are not one of those places. Spending an extra two hours, or even one hour on an uncomfortable ferry where you cannot walk into a bathroom without dry heaving (more on that below) is not worth it to me.
Lines:
You usually have to queue in a long line to board the ferry. People are very impatient and most are traveling with extremely large suitcases. Some people’s luggage is half their size and body weight. People want to push ahead and may physically shove you to get on the ferry first. There is zero reason for this. (See luggage below for more information). There is always room to leave your luggage and there are always seats to sit in if you’re not assigned a seat. If you push and shove with all the other people, you are in a throng of noise, confusion and maybe covid. But everyone gets on and everyone gets a seat. The same when exiting, though I was guilty on every occasion of waiting in the long exit lines of pandemonium to get off each ferry. However, if you wait and let most people go ahead, you will still get off the ferry.
Luggage:
When you enter the ferry there are luggage racks on both sides at the ground level. Some ferries have luggage racks on the first level as well. I didn’t know to leave my suitcase on my first ferry and carted it with me. This was fine until it was time to disembark and there was no way I was going to try and carry my suitcase down multiple flights of narrow stairs with people pushing me. And they DO push! So I ended up waiting almost thirty minutes for an elevator.
If the luggage racks are full, you can leave your luggage on the ground, behind the racks. This is an easier place to retrieve your luggage from anyway. I was worried my luggage would be stolen, it wasn’t but I wouldn’t leave a laptop unattended, etc.
Bathrooms:
The bathrooms on two of the five ferries I took were the most disgusting I’ve ever encountered in my entire life. And I’ve been to massive concerts in the US including seven years of Burning Man. The grossness of those facilities were nothing compared to the ferries in Greece (during shoulder-season mind you). I literally dry heaved at the stench of urine. I didn’t know it could smell that bad!! I quickly learned to wear a mask in the bathrooms because I literally could not enter without one. In retrospect I would not have drunk any liquid so I wouldn’t have had to use them. They were that bad. I tried other levels/floors, it didn’t matter.
Not all the ferries were like this but the two that were, ruined it for me and made me very weary and leery.
Conclusion:
Was it worth going to Greece? Yes and no. Overall yes, I’m glad I went because it was a dream I had.
Will I go back?
Absolutely but I will do it very differently. Next time I will spend 1-2 weeks on a less-touristic island like Paros, Naxos or Milos and then 1-2 weeks on Crete. I loved Crete! Or I will skip the Cyclades and focus on another island group.
This first trip cost significantly more than I can afford to spend on a vacation, about €3,000 and my plane tickets were “free” from frequent flyer miles. This is not only unsustainable for me, it’s not budget friendly, which as you know, I am.
—For the next two weeks I’ll post my travelogue on Substack (and newsletter). For now, please check out my list of resources below.
Resources:
Athens solo travel (as a single woman).
Athens solo travel with an itinerary.
Athens neighborhoods - another guide.
Is Athens safe for a solo female traveler?
Island Information from Santorini Dave - how to get from island to island, places to visit and fantastic overall advice about Greece!
Twenty beautiful white villages in Greece.
The most beautiful towns in Greece.
47 of the most beautiful Greek Islands.
Ten islands to visit instead of Santorini.
Ten days in Greece - itinerary. (This is the one I used and imo it was far too pricey.)
The towns of Santorini guide.
14 things to do in Santorini.
Best sunset viewing spots in Santorini (I should have read this one prior to spending 3 hours looking for a spot)
Where to stay in Crete.
How to get from Heraklion to Chania in Crete.
Chania youtube video.
Pack for a Crete road trip.
Guide to driving in Crete.
Crete car rental booking.
Greek ferries guide - super helpful!
Ferry Scanner or Ferry Hopper - I used Ferry Hopper and love their app which shows you in real time where your ferry is. While I would recommend this during the summer/high season, I found it more of a hinderance during shoulder season. A well-traveled couple I met suggested purchasing your ticket for your next destination when you arrive in the new port. So for example once you arrive in Mykonos, purchase your ticket for Paros if you’re going there next.
Another ferry option.
Welcome Pickups App - to book ahead for airport pick up or drop off.
Bounce Luggage Storage App - safe and affordable places to store your luggage.
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Silk is lightweight and multiuseful, so I tie toiletries in a silk cloth, furoshiki style