7 Best Places to Visit in Greece
So you’re going to Greece? Or dreaming of Greece? Either way we have the ultimate list of the best places to visit in Greece! After traveling around Greece for 3 weeks for our honeymoon and hopping around Greece here are our favorite places to visit in Greece!
In order from good to being obsessed with, these are our recommendations! Read to the bottom to find our favorite pick and what we would recommend as top picks if you have a limited time.
7. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Mykonos
Mykonos- Aww Mykonos, you’ve seen all the pictures of the white washed buildings and pebble painted streets and beautiful ocean views. And let me tell you it is just as beautiful as you imagine and then some! Simply stunning with phenomenal food, drinks, and the Greece you dream about.
Now you will hear how Mykonos is known for the nightlife but there is so much more to experience in Mykonos. From Little Venice and the famous windmills, the board walk along the water, the beautiful buildings, and being a foodie’s paradise Mykonos is an incredible destination in Greece.
Now as a budget traveler you must understand this is a tricky budget destination. The shopping has outrageous prices- like no normal person can shop here! It’s CRAZY! But hey, we did get a cool magnet. So for us budget travelers you can shop magnets and postcards but otherwise pretty pricey. Now that includes food and drinks as well.
Mykonos is a city made for those with deep pockets. Now you can still visit as a budget traveler but I would recommend a day or two or even a day trip to save on accommodations and general cost of daily expenses.
Now having said the cons of Mykonos, let’s go back to why it is a dream. It’s beauty is something that I can’t even find the words to describe. It is so lovely with Little Venice, the windmills, the gorgeous beaches, the white washed buildings and charming twisting streets that create the most incredible maze of stunning beauty at every turn.
In Mykonos I had the best meal of my life in Mykonos with waves literally crashing up against the white washed restaurant just feet away as we ate the most impeccable pasta with oysters. It is those moments that make Mykonos worth it.
6. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Chora, Naxos Town
Chora, Naxos Town- Chora which is also known as Naxos Town is the main town in Naxos. Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades. It is a lush island with Greek ruins, traditional Greek villages, the bustling port town of Chora, great food, drinks, and so much more!
Chora (Naxos Town) is the best place to base yourself in Naxos, it is a town that has it all from a great boardwalk right by the water, the Temple of Apollo, great shops, and restaurants all located in Chora to explore. Chora also has the best beaches to swim in or just get a great sun tan. We loved Chora because it was a lively and bustling town but not overly touristy either.
Don’t get me wrong the secret is getting out and it is a tourist destination for sure but it’s not going to be as busy as hot spots in Greece like Santorini or Mykonos. It is the perfect amount of crowd, with a great vibrant energy making Naxos so very special. It is a super walkable city where you can easily explore the Venetian Castle, Temple of Apollo, and all the shops, bars, and food you would ever want.
You can also head to many wonderful beaches that even in the busy season when we visited were very calm and not overly crowded.
To top it off there are great day trips from Naxos Town- Halki, Naxos being one of our favorites! And that brings us to our next best places to visit in Greece!
5. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Halki (Chalki), Naxos
Halki (Chalki), Naxos- Halki (Chalki) Naxos is a village located just 30 minutes from Chora (Naxos Town) and is such an easy drive. I would recommend renting a car and taking the drive yourself. It is such a neat drive through the Naxian hills and countryside driving past traditional Greek churches and cute little villages and olive farms.
For renting cars you can easily find a car walking around Naxos or for those planners you can rent in advance. Discover Cars is a great option for the budget traveler.
Once you arrive in Halki you will have see you are in the prettiest Greek village where everywhere you turn looks like a painting. Photo op at every turn! Read our complete guide for Halki for all our favorite places to shop, hike, and explore in Halki, Naxos.
This is an absolute must especially if you are wanting to visit a charming Greek village without seeing tourists everywhere! It felt like such an authentic and local experience that we just adored. I can’t promise it will always be like this, so head there before it gets too popular!
4. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Athens
Athens- Let’s talk Athens now! So often you hear people pop into Athens to see the Acropolis and the Parthenon and head to the islands without really exploring Athens and all it has to offer outside of the Greek Ruins! What a mistake that is!
Athens is all the things we love in a city- it is gritty, colorful, artsy, with great food, drinks, shopping, and of course friendly people! It is so much fun to explore.
Athens has some great neighborhoods that have huge markets to go shopping for the perfect souvenir or just people watch. It also has great street art and treasures at every turn from adorable book shops, great cocktails with trendy decor, and so many great food options. You will find great nightlife, food scene, and shopping.
And of course the reason it is famous- the Greek Ruins. Now prepare yourself for insane crowds walking up to the Acropolis if you don’t go early or late. If you find yourself in the afternoon god help you. There will be the sun roasting you while you literally stand waiting in line up the hill to the Acropolis. Yes, we were these people. Learn from our mistakes and go early to avoid the crowds.
It is worth every moment in line and in the sun, the Acropolis is simply incredible. It is surreal seeing it in person after reading and learning about this incredible place for so long. Outside of the Acropolis Athens has tons of other great Greek ruins to explore. Check out our 24 hours in Athens for all the best things to do in Athens!
3. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Santorini
Santorini
Santorini is probably one of, if not the most famous places in Greece and there is a reason for it. Yes there are tourists out the wazoo but hey were tourists after all too, and we all made the right call in coming to Santorini. It is just as beautiful and breathtaking as you think it is. With its blue domes, white washed buildings, gorgeous water and beaches, and one of my favorite hikes between the two main towns in Greece Oia and Fira in the Oia to Fira Hike!
Read more about Santorini in our Santorini Travel Guides:
Annddd drum roll please…..our top favorite places in Greece is….. Crete!! Crete is in my opinion the very best place to visit in Greece. I can’t talk enough about how I fell in love with. Crete is an island to swoon over with its beautiful architecture, Greek ruins, charming Italian like towns, gritty, affordable prices, and so diverse! It is the Greek Island that honestly has it all! Crete is the perfect destination for a budget traveler in Greece.
Read more about why Crete is the Best Island in Greece and our Ultimate Crete Guide for more details.
2. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Heraklion
Heraklion, Crete- Heraklion is the capital of Crete and a beautiful and gritty port city. It is known for the Palace of Knossos, the 16th century fortress that has a fascinating history and has a beautiful backdrop of the teal waters of the Aegean sea. It stretches into the sea making for incredible views, the inside of the fortress is incredible as well.
1. Best Places to Visit in Greece: Chania, Crete
Chania, Crete
Chania crete is such a charming beautiful Greek town with colorful homes and beautiful streets bustling with people, shops, restaurants, and ohh the food there is amazing.
If you looked at a picture of Chania you would think you were in some adorable village in Italy. Crete has Venetian influences since the Venetians controlled the trading fort from the 12th to 18th centuries in Crete. In all of Crete you will find beautiful Venetian architecture and wonderful Italian food.
Chania in particular has the most beautiful pastel buildings and amazing Italian food, as well as Greek food with tables and chairs on the cobblestone streets.
In order from good to being obsessed with, these are our recommendations! Read to the bottom to find our favorite pick and what we would recommend as top picks if you have a limited time.
Chania was my favorite city in Crete with its food, architecture, beaches, shopping, and an all around romantic vibes. You will still find tourists in Crete but not to the level you will in other places in Crete making it feel like we are in on some kind of secret. You must experience Crete, especially Chania and Heraklion. If you want to stay longer in Crete which I would highly recommend there are tons of beaches and Greek Ruins to drive to. Renting a car in Crete made it very easy for us to travel between Heraklion and Chania as well as the rest of Crete.
Our Crete Guide goes into more detail of all the wonderful things you can do in Crete! You can easily stay in Crete for a week or two, or even base yourself here for a more long term stay.
We hope you get the time to travel around to some of our picks for the best places in Greece! No matter where you end up in Greece you are sure to see beauty all around you from the incredible ruins to the teal waters and white washed buildings. Below we have tons of other Greek Guides! Happy Travels!
For those traveling around Greece check out our Ultimate 2 Week Greece Guide, Santorini Guide, Oia Santorini Guide, Should you stay in Fira or Oia Santorini Guide, 3 Day Naxos Guide, Halki Naxos Day trip Guide, Athens Travel Guide, and more Greece Guides to plan the perfect trip!
After traveling around Greece for our month-long budget honeymoon we are so excited to give lots of recommendations, itineraries, and tips to make your Greece trip an unforgettable one!
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Want to have a Naxos or Greece guide on your phone to take with you while on the go?
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The Ultimate Greece Guide includes Athens, Santorini, Crete, Mykonos, Naxos, and everything from this Halki guide. It includes map locations, hours, important key information all created by me!
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Our love list of Travel Resources:
Here are our favorite places to search and purchase all things travel from flights, rentals, accommodations, tours, and so much more!
Accommodations:
Booking– our favorite way to search for hotels, rentals, and hostels. When you book enough through booking you will earn a discount on all bookings which adds up quickly!
Hostelworld– our go to when searching for hostels
Vrbo– our favorite place to search for apartment and home rentals, it is usually cheaper than airbnb and has less hidden fees
Agoda– My new favorite for searching for accommodations, they have huge discounts making it a great place to search!
Tours and Activities:
Viator– book great tours and activities for your next trip, my favorite place for booking tours or travel activities. I love that they have such an easy app to keep all my tickets after booking.
Tripadvisor– Great place to buy and search for travel activities and tours
Get Your Guide– another great resource for searching for a huge variety of tours and attractions for your next trip
Tripadvisor– Great place to buy and search for travel activities and tours
We go Trip– Self guided tours you can access from your phone and explore on your own! A game changer. You can explore at your own pace but still have an informational learning experience of the places you visit, all at your fingertips.
Thatch– search for your own personalized and premade itineraries, with map locations, information for each activity, and your trip all planned for you that you can access through their app and take with you! Check out our thatch guides! There are tons of other great travel creators to explore too!
Rental Cars:
Discover Cars– Worldwide car rentals that allows you to compare different rental car companies to get the best price!
Flights:
WayAway– membership offering 10 % back on tickets, tours, and even hotels! Great way to find cheap flights.
Promo Code for 10% off membership costs: Seek Out Travel
CheapOair– great search engine for flights, hotels, and rental cars
Avisales– Cheap airfare through reliable agencies.