When most people think of Greece vacations, they picture sitting on a beach sipping a cocktail, eating grilled lamb by the seaside and relaxing in the shade. You may picture white sand beaches and indulging in the local cuisine. Of course after looking at the beautiful photos of Greece on travel sites you probably realize that taking that dream vacation to Greece is not going to be affordable like a Caribbean cruise! The cost of traveling to Greece can be surprising, but it depends on what you do while there. For example, if you only stay at a resort would that cost be much more than say if you rented an apartment in Athens or visited one of the smaller islands?

The summer is here and people are planning their summer vacations. Many people look forward to the destination where they can spend a few days enjoying the warm weather while they relax on the beaches. If you are one of those planning on taking a holiday this year, you may have already started to look for a destination within your budget. One of the most popular destinations that tourists visit is Greece. It is known for the incredible archaeological sites and buildings, ancient traditions, incredible food, and spectacular white beaches.

How Much To Vacation In Greece

Thousands of people visit Greece every year to experience the beautiful scenery and the rich culture, but often aren’t sure where to stay or what to do. Fortunately, we’ve created a comparison of prices Itinerary Quick Quote Traveling to Greece? Whether it be on the mainland or one of the many Greek islands, you are in for a treat! Most will go with the season they find themselves in and either visit during the hot summer months or when it is a bit cooler out. Whatever you do, there will no doubt be a lot of questions that burn in your mind about how much you should (or shouldn’t) be spending

HOW MUCH DOES A TRIP TO GREECE COST? [2022 GREEK ISLANDS TRAVEL BUDGET]

Is a vacation to the Greek Islands on your bucket list? We started researching our trip to Greece cost over two years ago, but recent events caused us to postpone our trip until 2021. But after spending 10 days in Greece this summer for our special anniversary trip, we have a great handle on what you will need for your Greek Islands travel budget (hint: it depends on which island you visit!)

The Greek Islands have never been a budget destination, but these days if you want to go the luxury route for a special occasion trip (like our 20th anniversary trip!), it is downright expensive. So before you pull the trigger and book a Greek vacation, make sure you figure out your own trip to Greece cost.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO GREECE

Planning a trip to Greece can get complicated. Coming from the USA, it is easiest to fly directly into Athens (especially this year when travel rules vary by country), but then if you are visiting the Greek Islands, you need to figure out how to get to the various islands. You can also fly into one island and out of another, but you will need to connect somewhere in Europe and depending on the day you leave, there can also be long layovers. And, you still need to worry about getting ferry tickets or flights from place to place. Plus ferry tickets can book up early so you need to plan in advance.

Your first step in planning your Greek Islands vacation is to choose your destinations and figure out how long you want to spend in each location. Are you mostly interested in archeological sites and learning about the Ancient Greeks? Or do you want to relax by the beach for most of your holiday in Greece? Will you travel in high season and deal with the crowds, or opt for the less crowded shoulder seasons? Or maybe visit the mainland during low season and potentially navigate closures, cooler weather, and limited services on the islands?

Which islands you choose makes a difference too. Santorini is notoriously expensive. Mykonos is known as a party island so there are deals to be found, but is that the atmosphere you are looking for. Lesser visited islands like Naxos are much less expensive, but some may not have as much tourist infrastructure built out. Other islands like Crete are so large you need a week or more just for one island.

Want local tips and personalized advice for your trip to Greece? Connect with Luca from Go Ask A Local!  He’s a local guide and travel agent based on the island of Sifnos who specializes in island hopping and offers trip planning consultations on Zoom.

All of these factors make calculating what a trip to Greece costs a challenge. But to make your budgeting job a little easier, I’ve put together a sample travel budget for your reference.

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GREECE BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS

Our trip was a bit of a splurge trip to celebrate a milestone birthday and anniversary, but I’ve based this budget on a more moderate trip, with what it would cost for a family of four to travel to Greece during the summer months. However, if you are planning a honeymoon, anniversary, or another trip, just adjust the numbers for the size of your party. I’ve tried to provide some comparisons if you are looking to go a little more upscale to luxury properties. For simplicity, I’ve also US dollars and typically use xe.com to get up-to-date currency conversion rates.

In order to determine what a trip to Greece costs for most families, I’ve included approximate pricing for two adults and two children between the ages of 6-11. Let’s assume they are traveling from a major airport hub on the east coast of the United States (e.g. JFK) during high season in July and August, and staying for 12 nights, which is just enough time to see a bit of Athens and a couple of the more popular islands.

To create your budget and a general idea of what a trip to Greece costs, I’ve included the approximate price of flights (both international and in-country), the average cost of a hotel in Athens and in popular island destinations, general guidance around transportation and what it might cost your family to get around, what is considered peak season in Greece vs. shoulder season, and how much money to set aside for special experiences, like a day trip from Athens or sunset cruise around Santorini.

It assumes that your family would visit Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and Crete. These popular destinations were chosen as they might typically be included in a Greek vacation package.

Keep in mind that if you are traveling on a tight budget, a great way to reduce costs is to stick to the mainland and shorten your trip. You can also choose to visit some of the less expensive islands, like Naxos, Paros, and others. By making those adjustments, you can easily cut the cost of your accommodations practically in half.

The costs in this post have been organized by airfare, accommodation, transportation, food, and activities. As I mentioned, I included some of our actual costs as a comparison.

HOW MUCH DOES A TRIP TO GREECE COST?

AIRFARE TO GREECE

One of the reasons that airfare eats up a lot of money when budgeting for a trip to Greece is that there are a limited number of direct flights from the U.S. to Athens, and even fewer in the off-season and shoulder seasons.

If you don’t live near one of a handful of airports, you’ll have to connect elsewhere in the U.S. or Europe before arriving into Athens, and likely pay even more to do so. For our trip, we actually drove down to JFK to fly direct on Delta to Athens.

For daily direct service to and from Athens in July and August (peak season), the main options at present are American Airlines from Philadelphia, Delta from JFK and Atlanta, and Emirates and United from Newark. Average price during this time of year is $1,000 per person.

When we first booked our trip we were flying through Zurich direct to Santorini on Swiss Air and returning from Mykonos through Zurich and roundtrip with business class one direction and economy plus for the return was about $3000. Unfortunately, that flight was canceled and prices had increased substantially from when I booked in December (it was then May) and we ended up getting to use points to fly on Delta direct to Athens but it would have been about $3000 for economy. So book early if you are visiting Greece in the summer!

If $1,000 per person for the international flight is beyond reach, be aware that the price typically drops to $900 in low and shoulder season (fall, winter, and early spring). However, some resorts on the islands won’t be open November – April, and some ferry services will not operate on a daily schedule, so it will take some finesse in planning to still see everything you’d like to see.