Holidays In Greece? My Recommendations
Yesterday @hrissm announced a contest asking for suggestions for his summer vacations (Please, check out his post here: ΕΛΛΑΣ (Greece) STEEMian Travel Itinerary - [contest]). Since Greece is a paradise, especially in summer, I could not just keep my suggestions in a simple comment, but I wanted to make a post for more people to see and see if I can talk some of you into coming for a visit sooner or later (cough, cough, @lemouth, I hope you're checking this out).
I have not been all over Greece, but I have visited lots of amazing places, including plenty of Aegean islands. Crete, Rhodes, Santorini, Skiathos, Thassos, all beautiful and with a very unique and distinctive personality.
Here is what I'd suggest...
Recommendation #1
Rhodes
A beautiful, green island of the Dodecanese, Rhodes has beautiful beaches, rich history and night life! It is a place that combines lots of tastes. A visit to the old town and the great palace are mandatory!
Just a warning, the seas are cold! Probably the coldest I have ever swum in.
A visit to Lindos is a must...
And so is a daily cruise to Symi.
Recommendation #2
Santorini
The island with the most romantic sunset in the world for many. The caldera vibes and the unique landscape, the dry summer air, the architecture, the food, wines and local delicacies...
You can go on a tour of the beaches and then for wine tasting in one of the many wine industries of the island. There are also daiy excursions on the caldera, where you can go hiking in the mouth of the sleeping volcano.
Views from Fira
And the sun going to sleep in Oia
The red beach
I must admit I didn't enjoy swimming that much there, the seas were deep and quite cold for my taste.
Recommendation #3
Volos and the Sporades
If you want to combine mountain and beach holidays, a good idea would be Volos with Pelion mountain and then a visit to one of the islands right opposite, Skiathos, Skopelos or Alonissos.
Some shots from Pelion
I have some shots form Skiathos to show you. A green island with beautiful beaches, the perfect place for young couples or groups of friends as you can both enjoy the sea, natural landscapes and night life.
The famous Lalaria beach
Kastro
And Koukounaries
Recommendation #4
Kavala and Thassos
If you want to have a taste of Northern Greece you could combine a visit to Kavala and then a trip to Thassos. Daily ferries make the access easy and Thassos is also a green island that combines the mountain and the sea. The beaches there are also very beautiful (too bad I don't have many shots to show you).
Kavala is one of my favorite destinations (along with Volos and Kastoria, probably because they share the combination of altitude and water!). A beautiful landscape, life and clear beaches within walking distances (if you don't want to explore any nearby beach villages like Peramos).
Kavala's castle
The view from the Castle
The Peninsula of Holy Mother
This town has many beautiful and quaint spots and easy access to other nearby beaches like Ammolofi to the West and Keramoti to the East. From the port of Kavala you can take to ferry to Thassos.
Most places have remarkable natural beauty. Rhodes and Santorini are more cosmopolitan and you can enjoy nature and cosmic life. There are plenty of places to visit if you have a means of transport, but even if you don't want to rent a car or motorbike, you can always rely on public transport, which during the holiday season is regular.
Volos has a warm and cozy atmosphere with its famous tsipouradika (places where you can drink tsipouro and dine on the super tasty tsipouro snacks). The mountain is right behind the town and you can do various activities like hiking or simply a tour of the small villages with the distinctive architecture, the churches and various folklore art museums. The Sporades islands are also very beautiful and lots of amazing beaches will guarantee you get the perfect tan and enjoy the beach at the same time.
Kavala is also a beautiful town, perfect for women (uphill roads will work out this booty, gals!). A place with rich history and sights, nearby beaches and various choices for entertainment. It is also the port to Thassos, another island famous for its natural beauty, tree-covered mountains and beaches.
@hrissm, I hope I got you covered. I tried to show you places easy to see within a 5-10-day stay.
The rest of you, when are you booking tickets for Greece?
*All images by @ruth-girl
Thank you so much for your time!
Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!
Wow. Speechless. First let me express my gratitude for providing such an in-depth eye watering post.
I’ll be looking into these further. They’re all very enticing!
Thanks again :)
I'm glad you liked those!
Can't wait to see your summer vacation posts in a few months! ;)
All look great to me.
Thank you!
παιδια Πηλιο....ειναι απιστευτο το μερος... ειναι αρκετα παρομοια τα νερα με Σκιαθο αλλα εχουν τη δικη τους ιδιαιτεροτητα... εαν δεν εχετε επισκεφθει το Πηλιο πηγαινετε δε θα το μετανιωσετε... Μυλοποταμος,Λαμπινου,Πλακα,Παπα Νερο....μερικες μονο απο τις υπεροχες παραλιες....η γραφικοτατη Νταμουχαρη.... ειναι παραδεισος σας δινω το λογο μου θα με θυμηθειτε...
Όντως είναι απίστευτο μέρος! Το γύρισα πέρσι και πρόπερσι. Έχω πάει σε μερικές απ' τις παραλίες που είπες, αλλά δεν ήθελα να κάνω spoiler, γιατί μάλλον θα τις δούμε σε ποστ από κάποιον άλλον εδώ μέσα ;)
Συμφωνω απολυτα φιλε μου. Οπως και Αγιοι Σαραντα. Επαθα πλακα με το μερος
Η παραλια αυτη απλα ειναι ονειρο
Ok, Check for the first two - The rest has still to be enjoyed.🤗
But Holidays? Mhmmm when? 🙄 Next free time i will have after my Defensio in Autumn. I guess Greece isn't the place to go at that time of the year? :-P
Oh, autumn is nice, but too melancholic I think. Rain and fallen leaves. Trips to the mountain are nice for this time of year, but summer is always better! There are just so many choices to pick from...
Θελω διακοπές τωραααααααα...
Με σκότωσες... Ποιός θα πάει αύριο για δουλειά με τα από αυτά που ποσταρες;;;
Άσε Νίκο! Με βαριά καρδιά θα πάμε και θα κάνουμε όνειρα για το καλοκαίρι!
Oh, no ruth-girl.. Why are you doing this?
Now I am most definitely split in half between going on vacation in Turkey or Greece.. A couple of years ago I was in Didim and I had great time.
I live in Bulgaria, so I am really tempted by how close our countries are and now thanks to you sharing your personal experience I am back to square one.
I have always wanted to visit Greece and this year I would most definitely do.
Please do more posts like this one. Resteemed:)
Hehe! I was commissioned by the ministry of tourism to bring more visitors this year! :P
I'd love to visit Turkey some time! It has some beautiful sights too!
Other than Kavala, you can visit Chalkidiki in Northern Greece, imagine three peninsulas with beautiful beaches and clear waters. Just keep in mind that Agion Oros (one of the three peninsulas) cannot be accessed for tourism, it is a holy place with monasteries and only men are allowed to visit and be hosted in some of the monasteries. There is also a casino in Chalkidiki.
Thank you for the resteem! :)
Yes I have heard about this place. Really interesting stuff!
@ruth-girl you are the beauty! Your information came to me very timely. Can you advise an option for recreation with children?
Thank you!
How young are the children? Like I wrote to dysfunctional, you can also visit Chalkidiki, it has beautiful beaches, but you would need a car there.
Do you prefer islands? Or do you want something in the mainland? And also, beach holidays or would you like some mountain landscapes? And what about museums or historical sites, are you interested in those?
The youngest daughter is 5 years old so important factors are a nice beach, warm sea and food. If she is taken to the museum, she will certainly drop something or break it. )))
I like to climb high, jump high, swim deeply. I would really like to enjoy all the options you described, but with a small child it will be difficult. :(
Holidays are difficult with so young children, it's true. I don't know what would work better for you. You can try Crete or Thassos I guess..
My recommendation: go by car! :)
Everything is good in Greece:
Meteora
Mycenae
Delphi
...
We (Serbs) are usually choosing the North, or Corfu/ Zakynthos.
Thanks again for WWI
My favourite is Mykonos (yes, yes, I know it's not the most popular among the Greeks) and the nearby Delos. It's "posh" but you don't have to be. You can have perfectly normal and calm holidays there. The town is the most romantic place for me (narrow streets, true labyrinth) and it's so concentrated that you can't see everything although the island is very small.
If you have a car and a reliable GPS you can go everywhere, it's true!
We have a lot of Serb tourists in my area (Pieria) too. My mum works in a "rooms to let" facility in the summers and she has made some good friends (I keep making fun of her when she tries to speak your language, so far I only learnt a few words like hvala and cerka).
Mykonos, yes! It is a really beautiful place, haven't been there yet, but a friend of mine who visited it some years ago told me the exact same thing: you can choose the type of holidays you like, party-time or relax-time.
I was at (or behind?) the Pelion already, but not on Rhodos or Santorini. Should definatly visit Greece again (It's been more than 10 years now). Atm, lots of friends go to Kreta - would you include it in your list as well?
And btw: If you think the sea at Rhodes is cold, you definatly never visited the Atlantic before. :P
Crete is a top destination, a big island with stunning beaches (Elafonisi and Balos were the places I loved) and the mountains hide lots of beauty too. I didn't put it in this list because hrissm alredy visits the island often...
Pelion has many hidden beaches and romantic spots, perfect for camping holidays, where did you go?
Yes, never swum outside the greek seas ;)
We were camping, and I forgot the name of the exact location. Somewhere mid-north of the peninsula, I think. But I remember a trip to Argalasti, it was like 30 min by car, and a very nice beach.
Re-checked it on google maps. I'm quite sure we were at Agios Ioannis.
That's ok... I have been at Agios Ioannis only I didn't put any photos here :P
Greece is really wonderful. Last year I first visited Kavala (less) and Thassos (my favourite). I'm taken alive! I do not see to go elsewhere for the rest of my life. So September is already reserved for Thassos. Thanks for the great presentation!
Another island (I haven't visited yet) is Samothraki. It is quite near to Thassos (a few hours longer from Kavala by ship). I have been told it is perfect for free camping, but I don't know if you are into such kind of activities. And I don't think it is as "lively" as Thassos.
Thank you for this information. I heard of Samothraki, but I did not know it was still approachable to me. This year I will not be there because I booked in Thassos. I'm not a fan of camping but there is probably another kind of accommodation in Samothraki, I'm looking to inform myself. Thank you very much!