Back in 2016, we took a two week trip to Greece that was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. From Athens, to Mykonos, to Santorini, to Crete, we will explore some of the amazing places we visited to help you determine how we spent 2 weeks in Greece.
Athens
In all honesty, we booked this trip through a site called Go-Today.com. The price included all flights, hotels, and transfers. First, we arrived in Athens, where we were staying at the Hotel Amalia. After checking into the hotel, we decided to walk around Syntagma Square to find dinner and take in the sites.
The next day we booked a tour with Private Greece Tours. We highly recommend (or at least at the time we went)! They were fantastic! We were taken all over the city to see the Acropolis, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Presidential Mansion (where we got to witness the changing of the guard), Lycabettus Hill (the highest point in Athens), the Temple of Hephaestus, and so much more! In fact, the tour guide even provided us with a cellphone to contact him whenever we were done exploring. Such a fantastic experience and wonderful service from the tour guide!
Mykonos
The next day, we checked out of the hotel to make our way to the ferry port for Mykonos. We arrived at the Porto Mykonos Hotel and excitedly explored the town of Mykonos. We were in love with Mykonos right from the beginning. The hotel was located overlooking the water, the small cobbled streets with the bright white and blues, the food, the sunsets, the cats!! Ugh… Can’t get enough, even thinking about it!
The next day, after exploring the night before, we decided to take a trip to Delos Island, an archaeological site near Mykonos. This, again, is a high recommendation when you only have 2 weeks in Greece. The site was a holy sanctuary for a millennium before Greek mythology made it the birth place of Apollo and Artemis. Delos was designated as a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1990.
On the following day, we rented a car and decided to go exploring the beaches of Mykonos. Mykonos is known for its party beaches; two of the most popular ones being Paradise and Super Paradise. Thankfully, we were there during shoulder season, so it was not yet filled with other tourists. In fact, at the time we went, we were basically some of the only people on the beaches.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to remember, but I think we visited 3 or 4 beaches that day. Afterwards, in the evening we walked around town and enjoyed a lovely dinner.
Santorini
After Mykonos, we again took a ferry to Santorini. Here we stayed at the beautiful El Greco Hotel in the town of Fira. This hotel was gorgeous! Unfortunately, we spent most of our time out exploring instead of enjoying the amazing pool.
The same day we arrived in Santorini, we decided to embark on the hike between Fira and Oia, in hopes of arriving in Oia just in time for sunset. The trail is about 6.5 miles one way. We were determined to do it!
The Fira to Oia hike is probably in the top 5 hikes we’ve ever done. Again, if you only have 2 weeks in Greece, this is definitely a must for anyone interested in hiking. It was incredibly breath-taking and one of my favorite pictures that Sean took of me is from this hike (see below).
Finally, we made it to Oia in time for the sunset, which was, of course, crowded. This is the famous sunset spot on Santorini with the white and blue domed buildings overlooking the Aegean Sea.
The next couple of days in Santorini we spent exploring the different beaches and areas. One day, after we were done exploring Red Beach, we decided to get lunch. On recommendation of a local, we went to Asterias Restaurant. The restaurant was right on the water front, we were 1 of about 3 groups of people there, and it was a gorgeously warm day. After eating lunch, Sean leaned down to his backpack and stated he had something for me. Immediately, he placed a beautiful wooden ring box on the table.
And that, ladies, gentleman, and non-binary individuals, is our engagement story. It was simple, sweet, and perfect. We had the server take some pictures of us and the rest is history.
Crete
So, how do you beat an engagement in Santorini? Well I’ll tell you…. You beat it with an incredible hike through Europe’s largest gorge.
We arrived in Heraklion, Crete; to our booked hotel; in the evening. However, we had a tour booked for the next morning to hike Samaria Gorge. That meant we had to get to Chania, Crete; which is where the tour picked up. Thus, checked into the hotel that was booked through our tour, ate dinner, and rented a car to drive to the hotel we booked separately.
Before renting the car, we were debating whether we should call the hike and hotel a loss and stay in Heraklion. We were exhausted from the rest of the trip that driving the 2 to 3 hours across the island to Chania did not seem appealing. Thankfully, we both agreed that this might be a once in a lifetime experience and we had to just grit our teeth.
Going from Heraklion to Chania
However, the decision to go would have been easier had it not been for the fact that getting the car rental took us wayyyy longer than it should have. After requesting an automatic car, they bring us a manual car. I do not know how to drive stick and Sean has not driven stick for far too long. Eventually, we got an automatic car (a tiny smart car that looked to be practically falling apart) and headed to our other hotel.
We arrived at the second hotel, Corinna Mare, at midnight. Then, we fell into bed to get about 4 to 5 hours of sleep before having to be up around 6 AM to meet our bus for the tour.
Samaria Gorge
If you’re someone who seeks and covets relaxation, this is definitely not for you if you only have 2 weeks in Greece. For the tour, we used Viator.com to book it. It was a small group tour and the guide was fantastic. The hike was around 9 miles and took about 8 hours to complete. But don’t worry, when you get close to the end, there is bus that can take you the rest of the way. However, Sean and I decided to skip the bus, determined to walk the whole way… even though our feet were killing us.
The Samaria Gorge hike is one way, so when you get to the end, you take a boat back to a parking lot, where the bus driver was waiting. Feeling accomplished, we dozed on the bus ride back to our hotel and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
When we got up the next day to drive back to our original hotel in Heraklion, we could barely walk. Despite that, we had a delicious breakfast by the pool at Corinna Mare, overlooking the sea. The drive back was much more relaxing than our drive there and we were able to stop and take some pictures of goats around an empty church.
Once we returned to the original hotel, the Albatros Spa & Resort, we opted to do absolutely nothing!
Return to Athens
In the end, after 2 days in Crete, we returned to Athens before flying back home. Once back at Athens we met up with some friends for dinner at a restaurant overlooking the acropolis. I wish I remembered the name of the restaurant to provide, but it’s just going to have to be a secret.
Sum it Up
Thus, to sum it up, in 2 weeks in Greece, with your destinations being Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete:
- Take a private tour of Athens with Private Greece Tours.
- Explore the Syntagma Square area and get a drink at a restaurant overlooking the acropolis.
- Walk the streets of Mykonos.
- Explore the beaches of Mykonos and grab an overpriced tropical drink by the water.
- Take the boat and tour of Delos.
- Hike Fira to Oia on Santorini.
- Hike down to Red Beach on Santoniri then get lunch at Asterias Restaurant (get engaged….or not, up to you).
- Do a small group tour of Samaria Gorge.
- Eat. Relax. Eat. Enjoy!
If you’ve been to Greece, what were some of your favorite places to visit or things to do? Leave us a comment below!
If you liked reading this, check out our other travels like our trips to Portland or Death Valley
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