Hi, I am solo traveling this May 22–26. How do I maximize 5 days in Greece? My point of entry and exit is Athens. Should I stay in Athens or make a side trip to a nearby place or island? Any hacks, tips, suggestions, or recommendations? Thank you in advance.
Dude I did 5 days in Greece w a day/night in Athens (on the way to Egypt), a day/night in Santorini, a day/night in Mykonos, and then another day/night in Athens on the way to Tel Aviv (that was kinda the point of it - to break up the flight between Egypt and Israel since they’re not always the best of buddies) and forget what anyone says about ‘it wasn’t long enough’ or ‘that was waste for that amount of time’ or whatever - it was just awesome man. Had my brother there w me - we got to see just enough of it to get a feel for the area, what we want to come back and see in the future (he’s going on his honeymoon there this year now) and just have a good time chillin on the boat, cold drinks in hand, walking around some scenery. It really sounds short but it was perfect for us.
I would 100% recommend the way we did it - a day, and overnight in Athens (plan to be there first thing in the morning at the Acropolis - i mean very first thing cause it’s a crap show if your not) and spend half your day there - get a short haul flight to Santorini and make it there by 5:00 so your guaranteed not to miss the sunset (we kinda did cause of an airport delay in Cairo), take late in the day boat from there to Mykonos or Naxos or wherever the next day (what they say about Mykonos is very true - it’s very, very unaffordable - but if you’ve only got a day and want to ‘get a survey’ of the area and don’t have the time to R&R proper at a less touristy island then just say whatever - you can justify the cost w the convenience and timetable you have IMO), and then the next day just take the SLOW cruise boat (that’s the more laid-back, enjoy the warm breeze / see all the islands pass by while having drinks on the deck type experience), and back to Athens and you’ll 1. Be close to your takeoff point, 2. Already know where you want to go cause you been once, 3. Have one more beautiful night there to experience again and have one heck of a high note to leave on.
That’s my advice at least from doing the same amount of time as you and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. Hope this helps!!
Thanks for the suggestions!