White washed buildings with pops of blue, everyone’s mental image of Greece! Right?! Seeing it in person feels like checking something major off that list of things you hope you’ll get to do but don’t think you ever actually will. Anyone know what I’m talking about? The deep joy and satisfaction to see that it’s real and it’s just like the movies and I’m here!! When we picked Greece for our honeymoon we had never taken a big vacation together. As a couple who chose to save sex for marriage, we were still getting used to spending our nights together; our only trips together at this point in our relationship were a short mini-moon post wedding and a trip to meet Michael’s family on the east coast. So the tension in the balance of “relaxing vacation” and “adventure vacation” was still a line we didn’t know how to walk very well yet. Not as a couple at least. I’ve always said though, if you want to get to know someone really well, travel with them! (Equally as revealing, build a shed together! But that’s a story for a different day)
Here’s the scoop on our 10 day Honeymoon in Greece:
- When to visit
- Driving in Greece
- Picking your Islands
- Day 1: Athens
- 4 Days on Mykonos
- 4 Days on Santorini
- Day Trip to Naxos
- Tour of Delos
When to visit
We went in May because it worked out the best for our childcare arrangements, but this is kind of shoulder season and I think for a reason. We were too early for the heat, and just in time for the wind. Which feels negative and is not meant to be but just worth noting in case May is the month you plan to travel. That being our experience, it is said to be one of the better times to go: May-June or September-October. Knowing what I know now I’d go just a smidge later into the summer. You’ll run the risk of more crowds but may get a little more heat.
Driving on Greek Islands They drive on the right side of the road in Greece so we recommend renting a car! It can be intimidating to drive in a new country but it was easier than we expected and we were able to see so much more of the island with our own set of wheels. We did, however, follow the recommendation to get an “International Driving Permit” just in case we had any issues on the road. You can apply through AAA for about 20 bucks, a small step to take for a little extra security.
Picking your islands The best advice I can give you: know what you want. When picking your islands you can really choose your own adventure based on your goals. We were shooting for a mix of adventure days and relaxation days, we’re not huge party-ers but we do like to be out and about, and we wanted to see those iconic sights. So with all that in mind we had a pretty good idea of what islands we wanted to see. That did mean that we were moving around a lot which can be exhausting. So thinking that through before you book will help! Mykonos and Santorini will get you to those iconic sites, but will also be a little more crowded. Santorini and Naxos had a much slower pace than Mykonos so if you’re someone who likes a lot of action, may not be your best stops.
1 day in Athens
Land, dump your bags, and hit the street! Our hotel was right in the city of Athens which was great for walking! We were surprisingly energized when we landed so we tried to stay up as late as possible and go to bed on Greece time to adjust to the time change right away. We walked into the Old Town District and found the most beautiful stretch of shops and restaurants, Plaka. This would turn out to be a place we’d return to several times. Our first meal in Greece included a Greek Salad that would literally change our lives. The produce is so fresh, the feta whipped creamy and fluffy. No Greek Salad has ever compared to the first one from Greece (but we try a lot!)
Acropolis
Wake up and hit the Acropolis! Book your tickets in advance (from here) and get there right when it opens at 8am. You don’t want to get stuck in the line of people buying tickets at the gate, or trapped behind the tour groups. We got in right at opening and bee-lined straight for the top! By beating the tour groups you get to view the Parthenon and the Erechtheion essentially by yourselves. On our way back down we stopped to see the things that we missed on our first pass, such as the Odeon of Herodes Amphitheater and the Pandroseion. When you leave, walked to the Stairs of Athens and stopped for a bite to eat before heading back to Plaka for more shopping and gelato.
Dinner in Athens
We knew that we had to do a rooftop dinner but didn’t know where to start. During our shopping we got a local tip: A for Athens! This was another convenient walk from our hotel. Make a reservation. We didn’t and thankfully they still seated us but we did have to wait a while. Worth the wait though, we got the perfect table, enjoying a front row seat to the Parthenon lit up on the mountain, the most beautiful evening skyline.
Next up, your first Greek Island!
4 Days in Mykonos
The ferry structure in Greece has really been dialed down to an artform. Once you shake off the alarm of how animalistic it feels to be herded through the belly of a ship like a group of livestock, you stand watching the transom door open and get your first glimpse of the Aegean Islands. Mykonos, in my opinion, is the absolute must first stop for your honeymoon in Greece. But! As I said before, know what you want! Everything you dream of when you think of Greece: the white washed buildings, the blue flags, the gorgeous water, it all greets you immediately. We stayed at two different resorts: Katikies Hotel and Katikies Villas. They both had their pros and cons and truly we didn’t know what we would want. In hindsight I probably would have picked just one place to stay rather than pack up and move half way through our time. But even after it’s all said and done, I still don’t know which one I would choose if I could only pick one. For more detailed descriptions of these resorts check out ourMykonos Resort Guide.
We wanted to see Mykonos primarily for the iconic Little Venice. But we were warned a lot that it’s the “party island”. We weren’t perturbed by this per se but we did make arrangements with that in mind. Mykonos became kind of a launch pad for us. We took a tour to the island of Delos (which was incredible, more deets on that here) and also did a day trip to Naxos (also incredible, also more deets here). Our one full day on the island we spent driving around. It looked like this:
Wake up slow at the hotel, enjoy a massive breakfast and Café Fredo overlooking the Aegean Sea. Load up the car and head north. We got a tip about Kiki’s Tavern which would be our north star but we wanted the freedom to see whatever there was to see along the way. We stopped at a couple random beaches we found on our drive (Ftelia Beach and Agios Sostis) and because we were off the beaten path we shared the sand with maybe 2-3 other couples. Lunch was a hilarious experience. A little restaurant, with no sign above the door, nestled into a huge Carob tree. When I say nestled I mean literally tucked into a tree, the branches were wrapped in padding, evidence that patrons have a history of hitting their heads. Was it the greatest meal we’d ever had? Maybe not. But the experience was so worth it. “Remember that time on our honeymoon when we ate at that weird restaurant?!” On your way back to the hotel, park at the public parking here and walk into the confusing, winding narrow streets of Little Venice. I could talk about the shopping, the gelato, the food, but let’s be real. People come here because it’s exactly what we envision Greece to be. As much as we love to find the undiscovered locations, there is still something so rewarding about going to those places that we dream about because we saw it online. If you walk up to the Windmills you’ll get a great view of the town stretched out across the water, forever living rent free on everyone’s Pinterest boards. And you were there! We finished off the night at Scorpios which is a hint of the famous “Mykonos Night Life”. Whether or not you like to party, how many people do you know who can say “we went to a famous beach club in Mykonos”. Make a reservation late in the day so you can enjoy sunset with your dinner, after you eat watch how the restaurant transitions to night club! What’s nice about having your own wheels is we got to stay as long as we wanted and leave when things got to be too much. Again, neither of us are super into the “club scene” anymore. But it’s still fun to be out! Back to the hotel for a night cap and, honestly, one of my favorite things about the day: in the evenings we would sit somewhere beautiful, with my husband and a glass of wine, and edit the pictures that we took throughout the day. Reliving silly moments, talking about things we’d like to do tomorrow, being present in the moment with my guy. Nothin’ like it.
4 Days in Santorini
As much as Little Venice defines Mykonos, you can’t think of Santorini without thinking of Oia. (pronounced “EE-yah, thankfully someone corrected us before we went!) The city cascading down the side of the hill at the top of the “C” shaped island, possibly the most famous image of the Greek Islands. Santorini is a much slower vibe than Mykonos, which at this point I was glad for. We’d been on the move and seeing the things and that’s great! But it was a welcome change to slow down the pace. Our first day on Santorini it rained! Which I wasn’t expecting! But thankfully this was a day we had spa plans at our resort, Vedema. We slept in late, hit the spa, and then got ready for an incredible experience at the 400 year old Canva Wine Bar where we had booked a private wine tasting in the cellar (which was also thankfully indoors so we could avoid the rain). Our waitress was knowledgeable and goofy making the wine tasting enjoyable even for my husband (not much of a wine drinker… I know, right?)
Our first day adventuring on Santorini looked like this:
First stop, visit the red sand beach. Because Santorini is a volcanic island they have beaches with three different colors of sand! Red beach in Akrotiri is about 15 minutes from Vedema in the opposite direction of Oia but with the day ahead of us that wasn’t a deal breaker. This was a beautiful stop and worth seeing but be advised it’s too dangerous to hang out here. You can walk to a view point but it’s not recommended to actually walk to or spend time on the beach due to risk of falling rocks from the cliff face. So this made for a nice stop on our drive but we didn’t stay long. From here it’s just under an hour to get to the other side of the island to Oia (or 45 minutes if you had gone straight from Vedema to Oia). There’s actually several public parking options up North, we opted to pay in a lot rather than try to find street parking. Warning about Oia (you might think “duh” but we didn’t think about this ahead of time): it’s CROWDED! The streets are narrow and packed. The buildings block the wind and without that breeze the streets and walkways are very hot. Grab an ice cream at Hassapiko to cool off and get a break from rubbing shoulders with strangers. Walking down to Amoudi Bay is a tad strenuous but worth it! We suggest walking shoes because the stairs really do add up, but we did see one ambitious gal make the climb in cowboy boots and a net-dress… so… to each their own. (Very curious about the state of her heels and inner thighs but that’s really none of my business I suppose.)
Vedema
Our resort, Vedema, is tucked tightly into the village of Megalochori. The beautiful village is packed with options within walking distance: restaurants, local wineries, and the very important gelato that we’ve now become a little bit addicted to. Olio restaurant served me my first moussaka (now a favorite) and gave us the tip to walk up the street and find Gavalas Winery which was such a great stop! They gave us a tour of their cellars with our tasting so we got to learn more about how Greek wine is made on islands where agricultural space is limited! (Spoiler: the vines grow in bushes on the surface and the cellars are dug underground!)
Black Sand Beach
The black sand beach, Perivolos, is a great place to spend the day! They’ve developed a great boardwalk with restaurants and shops, there are affordable beach chair rentals and paddleboard rentals for husbands like mine who get bored reading a book in the sun. Vedema has a shuttle every day that goes back and forth so we were able to enjoy the trip without needing to worry about parking the car. Be aware the sand gets VERY hot so bring shoes that can get wet, you’ll need them coming in and out of the water.
For those of you keeping score, I DID mention three colored beaches. The third is the White Beach. This beach is only accessible by boat so we didn’t see this one ourselves but there are sailing tours available or water taxis from Akrotiri if you’re interested.
I know I said at the beginning that May was pretty windy, implying that shoulder season was not great. But! One really wonderful thing that we experienced was the staff everywhere we went! I don’t know if this is because they were all fresh at the start of tourism season but everyone we interacted with was kind, welcoming, enjoyable.
We were sad to leave the honeymoon bubble. Nothing in the day to day quite compares to 10 days with your husband in a dream location. But the wonderful thing about a honeymoon is it’s just the beginning! And although a normal Thursday isn’t the same as a Thursday in Greece, we still get to wake up together and choose what kind of adventure we’ll have today.
