Do you ever have the constant feeling of needing a getaway? Ever since going on my month-long European adventure for my college graduation, I constantly feel the need to plan my next trip. There’s just something about knowing that your next adventure isn’t too far away that helps keep you motivated and excited. Before booking my trip to Greece I was unemployed, applying to every job under the sun (without any success), and must have seemed very unhappy because my parents were actually the ones who told me to go on a trip. As you know by now, I ended up booking an eleven-day trip to the Greek Islands through my go-to trip planner EF Ultimate Break.
Athens
After traveling for almost seventeen hours, and sprinting to my connection, I arrived in the capital city. Athens was completely different than what I thought it would be. It had the busy city feel but looked like it had been neglected for years. My first night in the capital city was spent mingling with the other travelers on my trip over traditional greek food while enjoying the backdrop of the lit-up Acropolis from the quaintest rooftop garden restaurant. The perfect start to this unbelievable trip.
On our first full day in Greece, we walked and walked and walked while taking in years of Greek history. We started the morning at parliament and watched the unique changing of the guards and then made our way to the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Thank goodness the architecture and ruins in Greece are so captivating because they helped distract us from how incredibly hot it was. From the temple, we made the long, yet scenic, trek up to the Acropolis. This walk included gorgeous tree-lined streets, shops, and excellent smelling food. The Acropolis is located on top of a large hill that’s covered in marble. Which made walking very slippery. It’s an absolutely spectacular place to experience and cherish. It also gives you some of the best views of Athens.
We wrapped up our last night on the mainland by taking a cable car ride up a mountain top where we enjoyed greek yogurt while watching the sunset. We celebrated the night away and were surprisingly eager to catch our 4 am flight to Santorini.
Santorini
Oh Santorini…the place every girl who’s ever dreamed about visiting her travel Pinterest board wishes to go. We took an extremely early flight to this beautiful island and spent our morning in the coastal village of Perissa tanning on the black sand beach and going tubing with the locals. It was our first time swimming in the Aegean Sea which was an experience in itself. The water is so salty that you don’t even have to work on staying afloat, and at the same time is the perfect escape from the beating island sun.
That evening we spent our time roaming the capital of Fera where we indulged in gelato and shopping. I also had the pleasure of meeting up with a very good friend from college who I hadn’t seen in two years, and by some act of fate we both ended up being in Santorini at the same time. In Greece, I noticed that dinner was meant to be long and leisurely, which is exactly what my friend Peter and I did. We enjoyed a wonderful three-hour dinner that included the famous Santorini sunset. The perfect end to my first day exploring the islands.
My second day in Santorini consisted of finally getting to sleep in for the first time on this trip (thank goodness!), tanning and swimming with the girls, and then taking a coach bus out to explore all that Santorini has to offer. Our first stop was to the oldest village on the island where we walked through the alleyways and marveled at the traditional Greek architecture. We then made our way up to the highest point on the island to take in the breathtaking panoramic views before making our way to Venetsanos Winery. Now I’ve been to my fair share of wineries, but this one truly left me speechless. It’s located on the cliffside, has unbelievable views, and if that wasn’t enough their wine and cheese pairings are to die for. Needless to say, I never wanted to leave this picturesque haven and ended up bringing home three bottles. After the winery, we made our way to Oia where I got to experience the famous Santorini sunset from the castle lookout point. I waited an hour and a half to get the perfect sunset picture (yes it was most definitely worth it) and then enjoyed the best gelato from Lolita’s before making our way back to our hotel. Santorini, you met all of my expectations, and then some.
Paros
If there’s one piece of advice that I can give anyone who’s traveling to Greece it’s to spend a couple of days on a not so popular island. Not only are there hardly any tourists, but you also get to fully immerse yourself into the culture. That “off the beaten path” place for me was the island of Paros. As an island best known for its beaches and traditional villages it was the perfect place to truly fall in love with Greece and happened to be where one of the top three best days of my life took place.
When we arrived in Paros, everyone’s mindset was to tan, swim, eat, and tan some more. We spent our first afternoon and evening relaxing at Santa Marina beach until the sun went down, and then made our way to the seaside town next to your hotel where I fell in love with pork souvlaki at the quaint Hibiscus restaurant. Although our first night in Paros was amazing, nothing would compare to how perfect our next day was.
One of the top three best days of my life started off by boarding a pirate ship that would be sailing us around the island for the day. Usually, I would be terrified of sailing, as I get extreme motion sickness, but the water around the island was so calm that this was never an issue. We made our way to secret caves, unpopulated islands, and the blue lagoon. The best part was being able to jump in and swim in the bluest water one has ever laid their eyes on. For lunch was barbecued on a private beach where I no doubt ate more pork souvlaki and tried to grasp the fact that sailing around Greece was somehow my life. After spending the day out on the water, we went back to our hotel to freshen up before going shopping and to dinner. Fun fact: When I travel I like to buy things that I can’t get anywhere else in the world. So when it came to trying to buy myself something from Greece I learned that I had to get custom handmade shoes. I stumbled across the cutest mom and pop shoe shop where the wife helped me design two pairs of shoes and her husband then constructed them right in front of me. The entire process left me on a shopping high and to this day I get multiple questions and compliments on those shoes. The perfect day ended by having dinner at the same restaurant that I went to the night before. The waiters remembered my entire order, including my drink, and ended up visiting with my friends and me for hours. This little island left an impression on my heart that I often find myself thinking about. I can’t wait to be there again someday.
Mykonos
The last island on our Greek adventure was Mykonos, the island of luxury and parties. Mykonos was a short ferry ride away from Paros and we ended up staying at a hotel that had 147 steps for us to climb….sadly that number was true. Luckily for me, I was able to convince one of the guys on my trip to carry my 50+ lbs luggage up all those steps for me (still thankful for you Bradley!). Our first night we went and visited the famous windmills on the island and enjoyed a delicious three-hour Italian dinner with the girls. Is there anything better than a girls’ dinner party? I think not.
For our full day on the island, we once again went sailing around on a boat swimming, tanning, and eating. If I could sail around the Greek Islands my entire life I probably would, because you feel so carefree and at peace. Of course, we couldn’t go to Mykonos and not go to a giant beach club party. After a day of sailing around, we all went back to the hotel for a power nap and then drove out to a party in Paradise! The party in Paradise was a paint party theme (SO FUN) so when we walked into the club we all got painted in glow in the dark paint before making our way to the dance floor. To say that the paint party wasn’t one of the greatest nights of my life is an understatement. The DJ was playing hit after hit and my friends and I danced for four hours straight. Was it worth feeling like I got hit by a bus the next day? Absolutely. Mykonos was the best place to wrap up a trip of a lifetime.
Pro tip: Athens is for the city, Santorini is for the sunsets, Paros is for the beaches, and Mykonos is for the parties. All of these could not be truer and made for the perfect vacation where all of my Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants dreams came true.