Planning a Trip to Greece?
Greece is really two decisions: the mainland and the islands. They travel very differently, and the islands in particular are far more seasonal than most first-time visitors expect. Deciding which one the trip is built around, before picking dates, avoids most of the common problems.
The islands run on a season. Through the warmer months they are fully open and busy, with peak summer bringing the heaviest crowds and the strongest heat. Outside that window many hotels, restaurants and some ferry routes reduce their service or close altogether, and smaller islands can go very quiet indeed. Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spot: warm enough for the sea, open enough to be practical, and calmer than midsummer.
Ferries are the constraint that catches people out. Island connections are not a fixed grid — schedules thin considerably outside the main season, some routes do not run at all, and not every island connects directly to every other. Island-hopping plans are best built around the actual sailings rather than around a map, and a weather day is worth leaving in the schedule.
Greece is in the Schengen area, so for most visitors from outside Europe the number of days permitted across the whole zone in a rolling period is the limit to plan against, particularly if Greece is one part of a longer European trip. It is also worth remembering that the mainland is far less seasonal than the islands, and holds many of the country’s major archaeological sites — which makes it the more practical choice outside summer.
Greece Travel Articles
We are still expanding our Greece coverage. In the meantime, our full library covers the planning decisions that apply to any destination — choosing where to go, timing the trip, setting a realistic budget, and getting ready to book.