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With 227 inhabited islands to discover and one of many world’s most historical cities (only for starters), you may fortunately spend a lifetime discovering Greece with children.
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Massively family-friendly, with fantastic coast, unspoiled countryside, incredible meals and the prospect to pack a number of locations into one simple journey, I’ve been again time and again with my daughter.
So if you happen to’re questioning the place to start, this information to Greece with children offers you concepts on planning a household vacation in Greece, concepts for a metropolis break or an island hop, when to go, the place to remain and extra.
Sensible information
Attending to Greece
There are 15 worldwide airports in Greece. Solely 5 of those are on the mainland, whereas the remaining are positioned on the Greek Islands. An additional 20 regional airports assist join the lesser-visited areas and smaller islands.
Many low-cost carriers fly straight from European locations to Greece and the Greek Islands.
Should you’re coming from outdoors of Europe, most nationwide airways solely fly to Athens airport (ATH). Flights to different areas and the islands will embody a connection in a bigger metropolis similar to Athens, London, or Paris.
When to go
Greece has its deserves it doesn’t matter what time of yr you determine to go to. The perfect climate in Greece is from April to November. Wherever within the nation you go to throughout this time, you may anticipate to take pleasure in sunny days and little or no rain.
Throughout peak summer time, temperatures in Greece can soar to 35C+. That is nice if you happen to’re stress-free on a seashore on a Greek island (simply bear in mind to use loads of sunscreen) – however not supreme for exploring cities and wandering round historical ruins.
Keep away from visiting Athens in August until you take pleasure in heatstroke… and big crowds.
The shoulder months of April, Might, September, and October are the most effective instances to go to Greece for heat however bearable climate and smaller vacationer crowds.
Nevertheless, the Easter weekend can get significantly busy, and costs undergo the roof over this era – keep in mind that that is celebrated in accordance with the Greek Orthodox calendar, and is often barely later than in the remainder of western Europe.
Through the winter, you may discover the historical websites of Athens with out the crowds. Or head right down to the extra southerly Greek islands similar to Crete, Kos or Rhodes for a number of the mildest winter climates within the Mediterranean.
It gained’t fairly be sunbathing and swimming climate, however will probably be heat sufficient for sightseeing. There’s additionally extra open on these bigger islands through the low season than on the smaller islands that shut down after most vacationers go away.
What to see
From the world-famous archaeological websites and historical ruins of Athens to the gorgeous white sand seashores and luxurious vacation resorts of the Greek islands, there’s definitely no scarcity of incredible issues to see and do all throughout Greece.
And whereas Greece is greatest identified for its historical cities and delightful seashores, 80% of the nation is roofed in mountains so it’s even an amazing vacation spot for climbing holidays.
Fancy an island break? The nation contains 6,000 islands and islets, though solely 227 of those are inhabited.
Plus after all, extra historical past than you may shake an historical artefact at: not simply the Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens, you’ll find extra at Knossos on Crete, on Delos close to Mykonos, on Kos, in addition to elsewhere on the mainland similar to Sparta (though discovering historical Spartans is simply one of many issues to do in Sparta, Greece).
To begin you off, beneath is a quick introduction to the main cities, areas, and island teams, and their highlights.
| Metropolis/Area | Highlights |
| Athens | Capital Metropolis, The Acropolis, Parthenon, Temples and Historic Ruins |
| Thessaloniki | Ottoman White Tower, Roman Discussion board and Palace, Byzantine Church buildings |
| Halkidiki | Stunning Seashores, Seaside Resorts, Watersports |
| Peloponnese | Historic Olympia, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Archaeological Websites |
| Epirus | Parga, Mountains, Mountaineering, Seashores |
| Ionian Islands | Corfu, Kefalonia, Paxos, Zante, White Sand Seashores |
| The Cyclades | Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Luxurious Resorts and Resorts, Nightlife |
| Dodecanese Islands | Rhodes, Kos, Karpathos, Medieval Structure |
| Crete | Heraklion, Minoan Palace of Knossos, Seashores, Meals and Wine |
| Sporades Islands | Skiathos, Nationwide Marine Park of Alonissos and Northern Sporades |
| Saronic Islands | Salamina, Hydra, Aegina, Póros |
Detailed articles
For extra recommendations on visiting Greece with children, take a look at a few of my posts:
Visiting Athens with a child – a 2-day Athens itinerary
Island hopping in Greece – itineraries for the Ionian islands and Cyclades
13 causes to go island hopping in Greece with children
Ionian islands
The perfect issues to do in Kefalonia with children
Visiting Kefalonia’s Melissani Cave with children
The perfect issues to do in Corfu City with children
At some point in Corfu – misplaced and located
Sporades
The perfect issues to do in Skiathos with children
Dodecanese
The perfect issues to do in Kos with children
Crete
The perfect issues to do in Crete with children
Visiting Knossos with children – recommendations on exploring the traditional Minoan palace
The perfect issues to do in Heraklion with children
North Aegean islands
Travelling inside Greece
One of the best ways to journey across the Greek mainland is by street. Greece’s rail community is extraordinarily restricted and can solely take you between the primary cities.
The nation’s in depth bus community is operated by KTEL and connects most cities, cities, and main points of interest. Buses in Greece are trendy, comfy, and inexpensive. You should purchase tickets on the stations or on board.
Alternatively, hiring a automobile on your journey offers you extra freedom to journey at your personal tempo and go to off-the-beaten-path areas. Automobile rent is pretty low cost and roads are simple sufficient to navigate. UK license holders don’t want an Worldwide Drivers Allow to drive in Greece.
For hopping across the Greek Islands, boat is the most well-liked strategy to journey – the Ferryhopper web site is an effective strategy to examine routes and costs.
Pedestrian and automobile ferries join the mainland with most of the islands, and repeatedly run between the islands. The farther away islands could be reached by in a single day ferry or regional planes.
Flight assets
Skyscanner is the web site I have a tendency to start out with to check charges for my flights.
Cash-saving tip: Don’t enter any dates to scan the most effective out there instances to go OR merely enter ‘Greece’ as a substitute of a selected airport – you might get a less expensive flight!
For extra methods to save lots of on a metropolis break with children, take a look at my high suggestions
Lodging assets
Once I journey, I usually want to ebook a villa to offer me loads of area whereas exploring Greece with children, in addition to all of the services together with a kitchen (though you’re lacking out if you happen to don’t go to a number of native tavernas).
Try James Villas which have properties throughout Greece, together with the mainland and the islands, in addition to corporations like Prime Villas.
Plumguide additionally has a spread of lodging that’s been individually vetted, and which you’ll filter if you happen to’re travelling with infants or children, together with some nice locations to remain in Athens with children.
There are some nice motels to decide on in Greece with children too – we’ve stayed on the beautiful all-inclusive Ikos Dassia in Corfu in addition to the luxurious Elivi Skiathos and Lagas Aegean Village in Kos.
Or take a look at a number of the large bundle vacation operators like TUI which has a mixture of self-catering residences in Greece proper as much as all-inclusive motels.
Jet2Holidays additionally has a spread of locations to remain in Greece with children, together with lodging on a number of totally different islands and flights included.
For traditional lodge stays, Reserving.com often provides the most effective offers, together with free cancellation, or take a look at motels.com.
Security suggestions
Greece is mostly a really protected vacation spot to go to. Crimes towards vacationers are extraordinarily low and the nation is welcoming in the direction of households.
Petty crimes similar to pickpocketing typically happen in busier locations like Athens. Take primary precautions and take care of your belongings, particularly when strolling by way of crowded areas, visiting touristy landmarks, and travelling on the metro.
There have been some latest reviews of minor scams towards vacationers at seashore resorts on the Greek Islands, similar to overcharging at eating places.
To keep away from scams, do your analysis upfront, search for menu costs earlier than sitting down, and examine the invoice earlier than paying.
Cash saving suggestions
Greece has shifted from a finances backpacking spot to a luxurious vacation vacation spot over the previous couple of many years. However there are nonetheless methods it can save you cash in your journey.
- Go to throughout low season to save lots of on flights and lodging.
- Get off-the-beaten-path fairly than heading to widespread vacationer locations.
- Usually, the mainland is cheaper than the Greek Islands.
- When island-hopping, ebook the older, slower (typically in a single day) ferries fairly than the high-speed catamarans and hydrofoils.
- Go for Gyros and different tasty road meals fairly than consuming at costly eating places.
- Discover free actions to do, similar to stress-free on the seashore or climbing.
For extra recommendations on methods to save lots of on a metropolis break with children, together with metropolis passes and discovering low cost (or free) excursions, take a look at this publish.
Packing for Greece
Should you’re visiting Greece through the scorching summer time months, ensure to pack sunscreen, aftersun, solar hats, and water bottles. Until you wish to return residence with a household of lobsters that’s!
Free, light-weight clothes might be your greatest buddy on sticky, humid days, though if you happen to’re visiting in shoulder season, it’s price together with a light-weight umbrella.
When swapping between the mountains and seashores in some areas of Greece, layers are a should. Temperatures can change considerably relying on the terrain and time of day.
And undoubtedly don’t overlook your digicam. The traditional ruins and delightful whitewashed island cities make incredible backdrops for household pictures.
Try my full household vacation journey planner right here, together with packing lists and extra
E-book record
Lonely Planet guides are at all times my favorite place to begin – the Lonely Planet Information to Greece & the Greek Islands covers the entire nation or strive the Pocket Athens information if you happen to’re visiting the capital.
Should you’re more likely to be exploring historic websites, there are additionally some nice books for youths on Historic Greece to carry the traditional stones to life, together with So You Assume You’ve Obtained It Dangerous? A Child’s Life in Historic Greece, whereas the Horrible Histories vary contains Groovy Greeks.
My daughter additionally has this attractive Usborne E-book of Greek Myths, good for youths who love tales of gods, heroes and monsters.
Covid assets
Earlier than making any journey reservations, you’ll want to examine the COVID restrictions at present in place in Greece.
Disclosure: This publish comprises affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I could obtain a small fee
Boat at Skiathos/Symi/Lagas Aegean Village/Issos seashore copyright MummyTravels, all different Iiages courtesy of Depositphotos
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