Honeymoon in Greece

My husband, Brett, and I decided to do our honeymoon in Greece! Greece has always been high on my bucket list, and now this trip is our favorite to date. Here are my top travel tips for Greece (or a honeymoon in Greece), focusing on the mainland.

First things first, we spent three days in mainland Greece and four on Santorini. This blog post is dedicated to the first half of our honeymoon in Greece in the mainland. We spent the second half of our trip on Santorini. Be sure to check out my other post for my travel tips for Santorini, Greece!

Where to Stay in Greece on the Mainland

We are Airbnb fans, so we always find an Airbnb when we travel internationally. I recommend staying Athens near the Acropolis so you can walk or take the metro to local sites. Then, we rented a car to help us get to other sites in Greece we wanted to see. Here is the Airbnb in Athens we stayed at. The hosts were top-notch!

Find an Airbnb near a metro stop. The metro was super easy to navigate in Greece (especially if you have experience with other train systems). Otherwise, another popular lodging options is to get a hotel in the Plaka. This is more expensive typically, but is more convenient and allows you to stay in the lively part of town.

Traveling in Athens

In our opinion, you really only need one full day in Athens. Otherwise, I recommend renting a car or taking excursions outside of Athens to explore other archeological sites.

Visiting the Acropolis & Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis is definitely the main tourist site in Greece. I recommend getting there around opening or go in the late evening. You really only need about 2 hours to explore thoroughly. Backpacks are allowed in, so I recommend packing snacks and a lot of water! There are two ticket options. Get the 30 Euro ticket if you plan to go to the Agora. If you just want to visit the Acropolis, get the cheaper ticket.

The Acropolis Museum recently opened, and it’s beautiful! If you like museums, I recommend! The museum is built over other ruins, and the floors are glass, so you can look down and see an excavation site. Make sure you do the excavation walk below the museum after exploring inside.

Athens City Walk

While you explore Athens, we highly recommend doing the city walk by Rick Steves. It brings you through adorable neighborhoods so you can get a great feel for Athens. The walk ends at Monasteraki Square. Our best travel tip for Athens is to stop and get a drink on a rooftop in Monasteraki Square to watch the Acropolis light up at sundown. We went to A for Athens, and it was great. Be sure to make a reservation so you can ensure you get a view of the Acropolis!

Agora

The Agora is another fascinating historical stop on your Athens tour. Use the 30 euro ticket you purchased for the Acropolis to swing in for about an hour. I recommend using the Rick Steves audio tour to guide you around!

Delphi

Take a day trip from Athens to Delphi. I believe these are the most impressive ruins we saw. This site is made all the more impressive by the view. The site is nestled on a cliffside, and the views are stunning. Wear comfortable shoes here, because the walk is all uphill! Your ticket to Delphi gets you in to both museum and archeological site, but you could skip the museum if you want.

On your way out of Delphi, I highly recommend stopping in Arachova. It’s an adorable small town with a lot of charm. Just know, almost everything is closed in the afternoon during summer. This makes it nice and quiet, but just know there may not be much to do. Just stop at least for some gelato and photos!

Corinth

Corinth is a must-see in our opinion. The ruins are impressive, and Acrocorinth is a highlight of our whole trip! After exploring the main archeological site, drive up to Acrocorinth. You get an absolutely amazing aerial view! Also, wear comfortable shoes here too, because it’s a solid hike!

Mycenae & Epidaurus

If you’re sick of ruins by this point, you could skip Mycenae. However, I still found it beautiful and fascinating! Epidaurus is nearby and also very cool! Epidaurus is the site of an old theater with perfect acoustics. You can stand in the center and whisper, and someone can hear you in the back row! Such a cool experience! This is a quick stop, so pair it with something else!

We stopped in Nafplio this day as well, and it is a must! It’s a gorgeous coastal town with lots of cute shops and restaurants. Stop and have a drink right along the sea. It’s amazing relaxing – exactly what you would want for a honeymoon in Greece!

Driving in Greece

We rented a car in Athens so we could explore more of the country. Here are some tips for driving in Greece:

Drivers drive on the right side just like in the US
There are gas stations everywhere, and they pump your gas for you. Just tell them the type of gas you want and how much (or say full) and they’ll take care of it!
There are various tolls you may pass through. They take cash or a card, so its easy to get through these.
Drivers are somewhat aggressive in the city limits but not too bad on the highway