Locations: Santorini, Crete, and Athens Greece
In June of 2017, we visited Greece and here is a summary of things that I enjoyed the most, one for each location that we visited which are Santorini, Crete, and Athens.
Highlights
Fira to Oia Hike (Santorini), with clear signage and it being the #1 thing to do in Santorini on TripAdvisor (as of September 2017), you aren't really go wrong here. The hike itself is free, no money required, however, there is no shade on the way, so bring some sunscreen or stay covered and there are also no stops for water, so make sure to bring enough of that as well. There will be plenty of people along the way (at least when we went in June), so don't worry too much about getting lost and just enjoy the hike which takes roughly 3-4 hours. Try to start early, that way you avoid the high afternoon sun (unless you like hiking in the heat).
Samaria Gorge (Crete), a great and quite strenuous hike which does have an admission cost, but it was pretty low for us when we went at roughly 25 euros per person and this included all the transportation as well as a guide for the entire trip. You have the option to go from the bottom to the top or the top to the bottom which is what most people do. The hike itself will take all day with a start time of roughly 6:00am to an end time of roughly 8:30pm. There are plenty of water refill stations here, but do bring some hiking poles if you don't like going down. Make sure to enjoy the nice views!
Meteora (Athens), a long day trip from Athens, we did it as a 2 day trip and it was wonderful. Meteora is a collection of monasteries that appear to have just dropped from the sky and landed on top of mountains that literally just appeared out of nowhere. You'll have to see it to believe it. What's even more impressive to me was once I went inside one of them, it was like I was in a normal monastery on land. A must see if you are in the area and you have time to do this.
Lowlights
Nothing was particularly disappointing on this trip. The only part that was disappointing was that we started in Santorini, did Crete and then ended up in Athens where the environment and vibe completely changed. Depending on where you are, you can see that the city has/is undergoing some difficult times.
Food Suggestions
Lucky's Soulvaki (Santorini), a tourist favourite (or local, I can't tell). We ordered the pitas on several occasions and the plate and every one that we have tried were excellent. Bare in mind, this is compared to what we have in Toronto, Canada which I think is already quite good. The food here is great, quick, and fairly inexpensive. The only downside would be that it lacks seating. There are mainly just bar stools, no real sit down tables.
Paralia (Crete), a restaurant right by the water where they serve freshly caught seafood. Enjoy the food, the sights, and the sounds while here.
Tips
While in Santorini, rent an ATV. You may worry about the safety, but Santorini in the main areas seem to be littered with ATVs, so don't worry about being run over by cars. With ATVs, it also is a lot easier to park since most people just park on the side of the road and you don't require as much space as a car.
Final Thoughts
I can see why Greece is a place for tourists to visit. There is plenty of variety of things to see and do and it really is just an island hop away. I liked the food variety that was available and was shockingly not bored by the end of the trip which is a common issue that I noticed while travelling.
Until our next trip!
