Greece: Dos and Don'ts

Greece: the place of dreams! The gorgeous never-ending white buildings with blue domes were truly like something out of a movie. We had three days to dedicate entirely to Greece after flying into Santorini the night before.

Santorini:

In all honesty, Santorini was not the swoon-worthy island that social media had made it out to be. The views and cliffs were beautiful, but the island was overcrowded, stores were overpriced, and we encountered some sketchy situations. We stayed in the town of Thira in order to stay near the ferry port, and the town was nice enough with plenty of scenic views, especially along the walk along the cliff by the Three Bells of Fira Church. We ate our first authentic gyro in Santorini, which was surprisingly well-priced and very delicious! The bus system in Santorini was interesting. Once we found the bus station, the buses were irregular, and we had to ask each bus where it was heading, since the bus schedule was inaccurate. In hindsight, I’m glad to say I’ve been to Santorini, but I wish we had dropped our day in Santorini for another day in Mykonos or a day on another less-touristy island.

Mykonos:

After ferrying to Mykonos, we took a local ferry from “New Town” to “Old Town” Mykonos. Old Town Mykonos is the place to visit and stay! We immediately noticed a huge change from the atmosphere in Santorini. Everyone we encountered was incredibly kind and welcoming, and there were very few other tourists around us. Mykonos featured lots of narrow, winding, passages of white buildings with colorful accents and flowers. There were so many unique shops around every little turn, and the white buildings were even more picturesque than in Santorini, in my opinion. The beach is also easily accessible from Mykonos in many places, including a beach with interesting old windmills. We went to Megali Ammos Beach, which boasted beautiful teal waters and was empty except for our group for the majority of our time there! It was only about a 15 minute walk from where we were staying in Old Town Mykonos, and I would recommend that beach (it’s for sure not a nude beach… other beaches we weren’t so sure about). Finally, the Old Town port itself was our favorite place to be. Just down from it, we stumbled upon the ruins of an old castle right on the sea, which was fun to explore. There are also lots of delicious restaurants right on the shore facing the port. We ate at Kadena, which had absolutely incredible Greek food with a beautiful view of the night lights of Mykonos! Overall, Mykonos was the definition of the Greece we had imagined in our minds. I would recommend it to anyone looking to spend time on a Greek island.

Athens:

Our time in Greece ended in Athens, a historical city that I believe everyone should visit once in their lifetime. The city itself was comparable to any other regular city, but the Acropolis and surrounding area was surreal to actually see in real life. The Acropolis was very crowded, but also very spread out so that it didn’t feel too cramped while we were there in September. There is also free luggage storage at the Acropolis, which is very nice! The Acropolis included so many more ruins than just the Parthenon, and it also included another site that I wasn’t expecting: the Areopagus, the hill where Paul preached to the Athenians in Acts 17. For Christians, it is a powerful and can’t-miss location! From the Acropolis, we continued walking around the ruins to the Prison of Socrates, which was also very historically interesting. Our day in Athens ended at the Acropolis museum, which boasted archaeological digging sites and multiple floors of ruins, statues, and artistry from ancient Greece. Visiting historical Athens, Greece should be on everyone’s bucket list!

Transportation:

We learned the hard way that the Aegean Sea has rough waters. We took a Sea Jets ferry from Santorini port to Mykonos. My advice to anyone ferrying in the Aegean Sea would be to ensure that you are on the largest ferry you can book. Our first ferry was probably mid-size, and we were all jostled around and sea-sick. However, when we later ferried from Mykonos to Athens, we were on a large ferry that kept us very balanced and feeling healthy. I would recommend Sea Jets for ferrying between Greek islands and the mainland, but make sure it’s a large vessel!