Greece is a country in southern Europe and enchanted me with its beautiful sunset on Santorini and the ancient relics such as the Acropolis in Athens.
Santorini
Santorini is a small volcanic island in the Mediterranean, known for the blue-white houses built on the cliffs and the beautiful sunset in Oia.
Athens
The capital Athens offers sights of the ancient Greeks, which were one of the best developed civilizations. Highlight was the Acropolis, which stands majestically on a mountain in the middle of the city. There are ancient things to explore from Aristotle to Zeus.
Planning
- I flew on budget with Ryanair from Frankfurt in the morning to Athens and in the afternoon to Santorini. I stayed in Fira and the next morning I took a bus to the archaeological site of Akrotiri and the Red Beach. Then a bus back and I explored Fira. Then I hiked the panoramic path from Fira to Oia, which took about 3 to 4 hours. In Oia I enjoyed the sunset and took the bus back to Fira. The next morning the plane went to Athens. The rest of the day and the day after I visited sights like the Acropolis.
- Sights are closing earlier on off-season, such as in November, when I was there. The advantage are fewer tourists.
Food
- I can recommend a Greek salad, it tasted better than I remembered from Germany.
- Typical dishes are Tzatziki and olives. I had French fries with Tzatziki sauce.
Transport
- For transport between the cities I can recommend Rome2Rio.
- The islands are either connected by ship or plane. I've learned that flying with Ryanair to Santorini would be better than taking a ship. Note that out of season ships are less frequent
Santorini
- I stayed in Santorini in November and the hostels were all closed, so I had to stay in a slightly more expensive guest house.
- There is a camping site right next to Fira, which is open in the summer and is a cheap place to stay.
- I can recommend staying in Fira as it is directly connected to the airport and the rest of the island by bus.
- Restaurant and even fast food are relatively expensive, there is a supermarket in Fira with normal prices, in which the locals shop.
- On Santorini, there is a good bus system that cost around 1.80 € to 2 € per trip. The central point is Fira (Thira), where the bus has to be changed to get to the other places on the island.
- For several people, renting a car is cheaper than taking public transport.
Athens
- All sights are in the center and are within walking distance.
- The entrance to the Acropolis costs 20 €, I can recommend the combined ticket for 30 €, which also includes entry to 6 other attractions. The combined ticket is valid for 5 days.
- Transfer from the airport to the city center took over one hour. I took the metro, which only runs every half an hour. Round trip by metro costs 20 €, I have taken a 3-day ticket for 22 €, which includes transport by all means of public transport.
- In my view, 1-2 days are enough to visit Athens.