🇬🇷 GREECE

Greece had always been at the top of my travel bucket list and in 2017, I finally had the opportunity to spend 2 weeks there to celebrate my dad’s 60th. A father-daughter trip, how amazing! It was all I expected and more. The views were postcard worthy and the food was simply…the best I’ve ever had while traveling! For this trip I’ve booked everything separately: flights, accommodations, ferries and activities. Don’t worry, I’ll give you all the details and useful tips below!

FLIGHTS ✈︎

International flights

Our flight to get to Greece was a direct flight from Montreal (YUL) and we landed in Athens (ATH). Since I travel a lot and use my TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card all the time with my groceries, gas and daily expenses I accumulated a bunch of Aeroplan points, my round-trip flights for two adults ended up costing me nothing. We flew with Air Canada and to give you an idea, a round-trip flight from Canada to Greece for one adult is usually approximately $1 200 CAD.

Domestic flight

Our itinerary was the following: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Crete (Agios Nikolaos & Heraklion) We took the ferry between each island and we booked a domestic flight at the end of our trip from Heraklion to get back to Athens to catch our international flight back home. We flew with Olympic Air and for two adults with each a checked baggage, it came down to $228 CAD. Which is pretty decent if you ask me!

FERRIES ⚓️

I highly recommend that you book your ferries in advance, especially if you plan on visiting during the high season as they sell out quickly. To give you an idea, I booked ours six months in advance! But it’s me, I like to plan ahead. I booked all of the ferries via this website and everything went according to plans: Direct Ferries. You have different times and vessels to choose from when you book. I personally chose Hellenic Seaways for all of my ferries. Here are the details:

→ Athens (Piraeus) to Mykonos: crossing time of 4h20 (€75 for two – $110 CAD)

→ Mykonos to Santorini (Fira): crossing time of 2h40 (€145 for two – $215 CAD)

→ Santorini to Crete (Heraklion): crossing time of 1h25 (€150 for two – $220 CAD)

On Crete Island, from Heraklion we took a bus to Agios Nikolaos and back which was pretty cheap. We got our tickets at the local bus station.

ACCOMODATIONS 

Athens

To be honest, our hotel in Athens was not the best, it was ok but nothing more. It was pretty cheap though: $242 CAD for three nights and it had a great view of the Parthenon and the Acropolis at night. Fun fact, or not, the elevator was one of the tinniest I’ve seen, we had all the trouble in the world to fit the two of us plus our backpacks, which was pretty funny! Our hotel was the Best Western Museum hotel. I booked our room via Expedia.

Mykonos

I really loved our hotel in Mykonos! Not only was it lovely and well located (walking distance to the beach and downtown), but they offered a complimentary pick-up and drop-off from the Port to the Hotel and back. The hotel contacted me a few days prior to our arrival to confirm the time of our arrival on the island. We stayed at the Hotel Jason, which I also booked on Expedia for three nights ($448 CAD total).

Santorini (Oia)

Our hotel in Oia was also pretty good. We could walk to downtown Oia and near our hotel we could catch a bus to take us to Fira. It had a pool and we had a great view of the ocean. Note that it is for adults only. Our hotel was the Galini Oia – Adults Only. I’ll sound like a broken record but it was also booked on Expedia for three nights for the modest sum of $278 CAD.

Crete (Agios Nikolaos)

In Agios Nikolaos, we stayed two nights at the Du Lac Hotel for a total of $170 CAD and we had a gorgeous lake view! I would highly recommend this hotel as it was really close to the ocean, the restaurants and the many shops.

Crete (Heraklion)

The final hotel we’ve stayed at was the Kastro Hotel in Heraklion. Nothing bad to say about this hotel, it was pretty decent. It cost us $222 CAD for two nights (on Expedia!). 

(Tip alert!) I know, I book most of my travels on Expedia but did you know that you can accumulate Expedia Points which gives you discounts on your future bookings?! That is why!

ACTIVITIES

ATHENS

1 – Plaka & Monastiraki

In the shadow of the Acropolis, hillside Plaka has narrow cobblestone streets lined with tiny shops where you’ll find treasures and many cafes. To be honest, when we arrived in Athens I was a bit taken by the repercussions of the economical crisis. The walls of some historic buildings were covered in graffitis which shocked me deeply. But as we walked in Plaka, I could finally see the beautiful Athens I had pictured in my head for so long! We had our first greek meal on the patio of The Greco’s Project and it was long overdue! The food was amazing!

2 – The Acropolis

The entrance fee to the Acropolis is about €20 ($30 CAD) per person and I recommend you get your ticket in advance online or that you go early when it opens because the waiting line gets long fairly quickly and you don’t want to be waiting there for a long period of time especially in the summer heat. Trust me, we waited for about an hour and it was approximately 42℃ and there was no shade! Don’t forget you still have to hike to the top after! Don’t forget to bring water! Once you get to the top it is so worth it! The ticket also includes the ancient agora, the theatre of Dionysos, Kerameikos, the Roman Agora, the Tower of the Winds and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

3 – The Hellenic Parliament & National Garden

Located neat the Acropolis, the garden is a big historic park with native and exotic plants and archeological remains. The Parliament is situated in the North West corner of the Garden. The Greek Parliament Building was erected between 1836 and 1842 as the royal palace for king Otto I, the first king of modern Greece.

MYKONOS

1 – The Mykonos Windmills & Little Venice

The Mykonos windmills are an iconic feature of the Greek island of Mykonos. Next to it, you will find Little Venice. This area is very popular as it is a scenic district with many eateries & bars right on the water. We also had a wonderful Italian dinner meal at the “Casa Di Giorgio Ristorante”.

2 – Downtown Mykonos

Downtown Mykonos is so picturesque, I recommend you have a stroll in its narrow streets to take in all of its beauty. You will find many shops, restaurants, bars and cafes. If you like the nightlife, downtown Mykonos is the place to be!

3 – ATV around the island (Beaches and Armenistis Lighthouse)

The streets in Mykonos are so narrow that you will rarely see motor vehicles. Most often, people will walk or rent ATVs and Scooters. We rented an ATV for 24h and it cost us €35 ($50 CAD). The rental only required our Canadian driver’s licence. The rental place was located at a walking distance from our hotel (Hotel Jason) and we also had a grocery store and a great restaurant nearby.

Back to this activity, it was great to just drive around the island and to stop wherever we wanted. We stopped at two different beaches: Platys Gialos Beach and Panormos Beach (where we had a great meal). We also went to the Armenistis Lighthouse which was built in 1861, it was beautiful!

SANTORINI

Fun fact: Did you know that Santorini hasn’t always had the crescent shape it has today? Nowadays, the volcanic island is just the eastern edge of an ancient crater that sunk into the sea after it erupted about 4000 years ago!

(Tip!!) Important notice, upon your arrival and departure, the only way in and out of the Port is to catch a bus or a taxi. You can’t walk as the way up and down the mountain is too steep and hazardous.

1 – Oia

Oia is a coastal town on the northwestern tip of Santorini. The town has whimsical whitewashed houses carved into the rugged clifftops, and overlooks a vast caldera filled with water. Oia’s caldera is known for its sunset views. Oia has affordable restaurants with amazing ocean views!

2 – Aphrodite Volcano & Sunset Cruise

The clerk at the front desk of our hotel talked to us about a volcano and sunset cruise and we were immediately sold on the idea. And gosh was it amazing! The cruise lasted for about 6 hours and cost us approximately $100 CAD per person and it was worth every penny!

We boarded a pirate looking sightseeing boat from the old port and admired Santorini’s cliffs as we cruised to Nea Kameni, a still-active volcanic island to the west. We had enough free time to walk around its volcanic crater and swim in the warm springs. After, we enjoyed a typical Greek dinner on board and enjoyed the sunset on the ocean. It was the highlight of my trip!

3 – Fira

Fira is the capital of Santorini. Fira affords views of Nea Kameni and is known for its vineyards and famous donkeys. I personally was against riding a donkey to go up and down the mountain so I decided to go see them on foot.

Funny story, don’t stand too close to their rear-ends as they like to poop a lot! My dad actually witnessed a tourist get pooped on, and apparently I missed quite the show!

4 – SantoWines – Vineyard Tour & Tasting

Cool Factor: The vines are not irrigated artificially and the rainfall is rare in Santorini. Therefore the grapes’ watering is dependent on the natural humidity and the sea mist which are absorbed by the volcanic soil.

The Union of Santorini Cooperatives, SantoWines was founded in 1947. Today, it consists of the largest organization of the island representing all the cultivators and counting 1.200 active members. 

The new winery was completed in 1992 and is located in the village of Pyrgos. In the cellars of the winery, they reserve the largest collection of wines, white, red and Vinsanto which are ageing in oak barrels.

With stunning views of the Caldera from edge to edge and background the volcano, visitors can enjoy a tour of SantoWines winery, a visit to the cellars and a wine and food tasting. There’s also a Deli Shop for you to purchase all of their products.

The Winery guided tour is €12 per person. The whine tastings range from €33.50 to €49.50 depending if you take 6, 10 or 16 Wine Flight. The food menu as a wide variety. We personally took the guided tour, the 6 wine flight tasting and shared the Cycladid cheese plate (€24). So for the two of us it came down to €115 (170$ CAD). Note that we had skipped a meal and had planned to eat and drink there. It was a great experience!

CRETE

1 – Agios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town in Crete, lying east of the island’s capital Heraklion. The town has three faces to the sea: The Lake and port, Kitroplatia beach and the Marina. Shopping is fun in Agios Nikolaos, there are shops with original items to offer, from woven fabrics, to house decor and local food products and delicacies. That’s where I purchased most of my souvenirs.

2 – Heraklion

Like I’ve previously mentioned, Heraklion is the capital and largest city of Crete. It has a lot of history to offer. We enjoyed walking around the city.

We visited the Venetian fortress of Koules which was built between 1523-1540 and guards the inner harbor of Heraklion. You can also visit the Palace of Knossos, just outside the city.

Our last meal was in Heraklion… it was delicious and the staff was very friendly! We ate at Amalia’s Kitchen. Yummy!

Greece was amazing and like I said, so was the food! The foodie in me wants to leave you on mouth watering photos I’ve taken in the Greek cuisine heaven: souvlaki, tzatziki, feta, pita, olives, fresh seafood, gyros, spanakopita, baklava, moussaka, dolmades…

αντιο σας

XX

Mlle Wanderlust

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