Greece packs more civilization per square kilometer than almost anywhere on Earth, and the Greek islands do the same with beauty. Ten days is enough to move through Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos without feeling rushed — as long as you respect the ferries, the heat, and the fundamental truth that a good gyros takes priority over everything.
This itinerary runs Athens (3 nights) → Santorini (3 nights) → Mykonos (3 nights), with ferry days that double as some of the most scenic sailing in the Mediterranean.
Quick Overview
| Day | Location | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athens | Arrival, Plaka dinner, rooftop drinks |
| 2 | Athens | Acropolis + museum, Monastiraki |
| 3 | Athens | Cape Sounion day trip, evening ferry |
| 4 | Santorini | Arrive Fira, caldera walk to Oia |
| 5 | Santorini | Akrotiri ruins, Red Beach, wine tasting |
| 6 | Santorini | Catamaran cruise or Perissa beach |
| 7 | Mykonos (ferry) | Arrive, Little Venice, windmills |
| 8 | Mykonos | Delos day trip, beach clubs |
| 9 | Mykonos | Free day — Psarou, Elia, or Super Paradise |
| 10 | Departure | Morning flight or ferry to Athens |
Best time to go: May–June or September–October. July–August is peak season — prices spike 40–70%, crowds at Oia are genuinely unpleasant, and temperatures hit 35°C+. Shoulder season means calmer seas, visible sunsets, and rooms that don't require a second mortgage.
Days 1–3: Athens
Athens has no natural reason to be underrated — it's one of the most historically dense cities in the world — yet somehow it gets treated as a stopover on the way to the islands. Don't make that mistake.
Getting into the city: Metro Line 3 from Athens International Airport (ATH) runs directly to Syntagma Square in 40 minutes for €10. Taxis to the center run €38–40 fixed rate. Pre-book through Beat app for transparency.
Where to stay: Monastiraki or Plaka for central access on foot to everything ancient. Exarcheia if you want a grittier, more local neighborhood. Koukaki for the Airbnb crowd — just south of the Acropolis, quieter and cheaper than Plaka.
Budget hotels: €60–90/night. Mid-range boutique: €120–180. Splurge: The Clumsies (also a legendary cocktail bar nearby) neighborhood around Syntagma.
Day 1: Land and Settle
Arrive, drop your bags, and immediately eat something. The gyros debate (rotating spit vs. souvlaki pita) is serious. Head to Thanasis on Mitropoleos Street or Bairaktaris on Monastiraki Square — both institutions, both around €3.50 for a full wrap.
Walk Plaka in the late afternoon when the light turns gold. The neighborhood wraps the north slope of the Acropolis Hill; tavernas spill onto the street, cats own the stairs, and everything smells of oregano and diesel in the best possible way.
Rooftop bars with Acropolis views: A for Athens (Monastiraki), Couleur Locale (Monastiraki), or the Galaxy Bar at the Hilton if you want a splurge with tourists and a better bar program.
Day 2: Acropolis + Museum
Buy your ticket online at the e-ticketing portal (odysseus.culture.gr) to avoid the gate queue. The €20 Acropolis combo ticket covers 7 sites including the Ancient Agora and Theatre of Dionysos.
Timing matters: Be at the Acropolis gate when it opens at 8 AM (7:30 AM May–August). Tour groups start arriving at 9 AM and it becomes a rugby match by 10.
The Parthenon is under ongoing restoration — scaffolding will be there for years, but the building's scale still lands. Walk around to the Erechtheion and the Caryatid Porch, then down the west slope through the Theatre of Dionysos (oldest stone theatre in the world, 17,000 seats).
Afternoon: Acropolis Museum (€15, closed Monday). Architecturally one of the finest museums in Europe — designed so galleries face the Acropolis through glass floors and walls. The Parthenon Gallery on the third floor is the centerpiece, with the frieze fragments that survived Lord Elgin's shopping trip alongside plaster casts of what's in the British Museum.
Monastiraki Flea Market runs every Sunday — a proper antique sprawl extending from the square into Ifaistou Street. Weekdays it's smaller but the record shops and vintage clothing are still worth an hour.
Day 3: Cape Sounion + Evening Ferry
Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion sits 70km southeast of Athens on a cliff above the Aegean. Lord Byron carved his name into a column in 1810 (reportedly). Buses from Pedion Areos Park, €6 each way, 2 hours. Get there early or late — midday light washes out the view and the heat is punishing.
Return to Athens by early afternoon, collect your bags, and head to Piraeus Port for your overnight ferry. Hellenic Seaways and SeaJets run Piraeus–Santorini routes; Blue Star Ferries is slower but cheaper. Book the overnight "deck" or a cabin — cabins run €30–60 extra but are worth it for the 8-hour crossing.
Or fly: Athens→Santorini (JTR) takes 50 minutes on Aegean Airlines for €70–140 each way, but you lose the experience of watching Santorini's caldera materialize as you sail in.
Days 4–6: Santorini
Nothing prepares you for the caldera. Even knowing the photographs, even being slightly over the whole "Instagrammers on white walls" thing — the scale of the volcanic crater with its navy-blue sea and the white villages stacked on the rim is genuinely staggering.
The ferry port at Athinios is 12km from Fira. Buses to Fira run every 20 minutes (€1.80); taxis are rare and €15–25.
Where to stay:
- Oia: Most photogenic, highest prices, worth it for a splurge. Boutique hotels with caldera views: €200–600/night. Book months ahead in peak season.
- Fira: Capital, most transport connections, busier. Mid-range hotels: €120–250.
- Imerovigli: Between Fira and Oia, quieter, equally spectacular views, slightly cheaper.
- Perissa / Kamari: Black sand beach towns on the east coast. Budget options €70–120, no caldera views.
Day 4: Arrival + Caldera Walk
Drop your bags and walk the caldera footpath from Fira to Oia (9km, roughly 3 hours). The path passes through Firostefani and Imerovigli, both offering progressively better views as you climb north. Oia at sunset draws crowds so thick the walkways become immovable — get there 45 minutes early, find a perch, and let the choreography happen.
Dinner in Oia: Skiza (excellent mezze), Roka (grilled octopus, local wine). Budget €25–40 per person with wine.
Day 5: Ancient Akrotiri + Beaches
Akrotiri Archaeological Site (€12) is a Minoan Bronze Age city buried under volcanic ash in 1620 BC — the "Greek Pompeii." Frescoes, multi-story buildings, sophisticated drainage systems. Often overlooked by island tourists chasing sunsets; it shouldn't be. Open 8 AM, allow 2 hours.
Red Beach: 10 minutes' walk from Akrotiri. Rust-red volcanic cliffs, black pebbles, turquoise water. Small, crowded midday — visit before 10 AM or after 4 PM.
Santo Wines or Venetsanos Winery: Santorini grows Assyrtiko grapes in basket-trained vines that resist the island's winds. Wine tasting with caldera views runs €18–30. The island produces some of the most interesting dry whites in Greece.
Day 6: Catamaran or Perissa
Catamaran cruise (~€80–120/person, half day): Sails around the caldera, stops at the hot springs, White Beach, Red Beach. Includes snorkeling gear, BBQ lunch, and free wine. Book through Santorini Sailing or similar.
Alternatively: Base yourself at Perissa (black sand, longer beach, more tavernas and sunbeds, €10–15/day) or Perivolos for a more relaxed day. Tavernas on the black sand beach serve fresh grilled fish for €15–20.
Getting Between Islands: Ferry Logistics
| Route | Operator | Duration | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piraeus → Santorini | Blue Star / Hellenic | 7–9 hrs | €35–65 |
| Piraeus → Santorini | SeaJets (fast) | 4.5 hrs | €60–100 |
| Santorini → Mykonos | Various | 2–3.5 hrs | €40–75 |
| Athens → Santorini (air) | Aegean | 50 min | €70–140 |
| Mykonos → Athens (air) | Aegean | 45 min | €65–130 |
Book on Ferryhopper (ferryhopper.com) for all Greek ferry routes in one place.
Days 7–9: Mykonos
Mykonos has been two things for fifty years: a place artists, writers, and free spirits came to escape, and a place the superrich came to party. Both things are still true. The windmills on Chora Hill have witnessed all of it.
Getting there: Ferry from Santorini takes 2–3.5 hours depending on the route. Fast ferries (SeaJets, Minoan Lines) cost more but save time. Arrive at New Port and take the shuttle bus to Chora (€1.80).
Where to stay:
- Chora (Mykonos Town): Best for nightlife, restaurants, Little Venice. Mid-range: €150–300. Maze of marble alleys — half the adventure is getting lost in them.
- Ornos / Psarou: Beach hotels, more resort-like. Quieter evenings.
- Elia: Southern coast, longest beach, fewer tourists.
Day 7: Chora + Little Venice
The famous windmills on Kato Mili hill catch the afternoon light best — every travel photographer in Greece has been to this exact spot. Walk the Kastro (castle) quarter behind them for the original medieval settlement.
Little Venice is a row of centuries-old fishing houses cantilevered over the sea, now bars and restaurants. Swim in the Aegean off their terraces, then watch the sunset with an Aperol spritz while boats bob in the harbor. Sunset Bar and Caprice are the perennial favorites.
Dinner: M-eating on Kalogera Street (contemporary Greek, €35–60/person), or find a taverna on Agia Anna beach (€20–30).
Day 8: Delos Day Trip
The island of Delos, 30 minutes by boat from Mykonos (€20 roundtrip + €12 site entry), was the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis in Greek mythology. More importantly, it was the commercial and religious center of the ancient Mediterranean — at its peak, 30,000 people lived on this rocky island.
The ruins include a full ancient city: the Terrace of the Lions (marble lion guardians from 600 BC), a theatre district with private houses whose floor mosaics are intact, and an Apollo sanctuary. Allow 4–5 hours including transit.
Boats leave from Mykonos Old Port at 9 AM and 10 AM; last boat back at 3 PM. Bring water, sunscreen, and walking shoes — no shade on the island.
Afternoon: Beach clubs. Psarou Beach is Mykonos's celebrity party point (sunbeds €30–50, bottle service for the committed). Super Paradise is wilder, louder, more fun if that's what you're after. Elia Beach is the long, sandy, sunbed-lined option for those who want beauty without the performance.
Day 9: Free Day
Sleep in. Walk the back alleys of Chora — the pelican Petros (there have been many Petroses, it's complicated) still patrols Matogianni Street. Eat bougatsa (custard-filled pastry) from a bakery on Florou Zouganeli Street for €2.50. Shop for Mykonot ceramics or linen.
Or rent an ATV (€40–60/day) and loop the island — Panormos Bay on the north coast, Fokos Beach (no sunbeds, no tavernas, just sea), and the agricultural interior that tourists miss entirely.
Costs in Greece: Realistic Numbers
| Category | Budget (€/day) | Mid-range (€/day) |
|---|---|---|
| Accommodation | 60–90 | 130–250 |
| Food | 25–40 | 50–80 |
| Activities | 15–25 | 30–50 |
| Transport | 8–15 | 15–30 |
| Daily total | €108–170 | €225–410 |
A gyros costs €3.50. A sit-down lunch with salad and wine costs €25–35. A beach club sunbed in Mykonos peaks at €50. Greece can be done on a genuine budget if you eat locally and avoid the Instagram spots.
What to Know Before You Go
Currency: Euro. ATMs are everywhere; Euronet ATMs charge high fees — use bank ATMs (Piraeus Bank, Alpha Bank). Credit cards accepted widely.
Language: English is spoken everywhere tourists go. Greek is appreciated; even "efcharisto" (thank you) and "yamas" (cheers) go a long way.
Power: EU standard 2-pin (Type C). Voltage is 230V.
Getting around islands: Buses exist but are infrequent. ATVs and scooters (€30–60/day) are the default on Mykonos and Santorini. Car rentals work for Santorini's larger road network.
Tipping: Not mandatory, but 10% is appreciated in sit-down restaurants. Round up on taxis.
What to pack: Comfortable walking shoes for cobblestones (Chora in Mykonos is entirely marble-paved), lightweight sun protection, a small dry bag for boat trips.
Planning with Faroway
A trip like this — multi-city, island-hopping, with ferry timing that has to connect to flights — has a lot of moving parts. Faroway is an AI trip planner that maps out your full itinerary including ferry schedules, hotel neighborhood recommendations, and day-by-day logistics so the routing works before you arrive.
If you want to swap Mykonos for Naxos (bigger, less touristy, great food), or extend to Crete, Faroway rebuilds the itinerary around your preferences instead of making you start from scratch.
Plan your 10 days in Greece → faroway.ai
The Short Version
Athens is not just a transit hub — it's one of the world's great cities and deserves its three days. Santorini's caldera view is not overrated, the black sand beaches are genuinely different, and Akrotiri is criminally undervisited. Mykonos has earned its reputation for both beauty and excess; Delos is the quiet corrective.
Ten days moves quickly. Eat the seafood, take the boats, and don't spend your sunset hour looking at Oia through a phone screen.
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Faroway Team
The Faroway team is passionate about making travel planning effortless with AI. We combine travel expertise with cutting-edge technology to help you explore the world.
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