Family Bliss On The Go to Greece
We visited Greece in the summer of 2023, along with our two boys (then aged 5yo and almost 8yo). When we visited, it was through a Disney Cruise which went to a variety of different ports (started in Barcelona, one stop in France, 3 stops in Greece, 2 stops in Italy, and then ended in Rome). I never previously was a fan of cruises because it made the days on ports feel too rushed. That being said, we loved our Disney cruise, and it was great for the kids. We ultimately chose to do a cruise this time because I wanted to visit several different places in Greece, and logistically, it seemed to make the most sense. That being said, if I could do it over again, I'm not sure I'd do the cruise route and may spend more time slow traveling some of the Greek islands. There are definitely pros and cons either way, so I'd say just really to research and consider the pros and cons for your family to make the decision for yourself.
All that said, our cruise took us to the 3 Greek stops: Athens, Santorini, and Kefalonia. Obviously, we only had one day (or really, less than a full day) at each of these because they were port stops. Here is what we did at each and our thoughts on it/what we'd recommend to others:
Athens: We booked a half-day private Athens Tailor-Made city tour through Viator, which included Skip the Line access to Acropolis. Here is the link if you want to book the same tour: https://www.viator.com/tours/Athens/Half-Day-Athens-Private-Tailor-Made-City-Tour-Skip-the-line-of-Acropolis/d496-13498P26?pid=P00300712&mcid=42383&medium=link&campaign=Athens
We visited the Acropolis along with the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (our youngest son was VERY excited because his name is Atticus!), the Temple of Nike, the Belle Gate, the Parthenon, the Statue of Athena Promachos & Pedestals, and Erechtheion with views all over Athens. As a heads up, the stairs going up to the Acropolis were worn marble which can be very slippery. My older son fell very quickly on and hurt his knee, which fortunately he rallied around, but it's something to be mindful of. Then, after our official tour ended, we ate lunch and then visited Ancient Agora where the famous Greek philosophers gathered and walked around the Monestiraki area, including the flea market, before heading back to the boat. Being a parent means having stories like the fact that your 5yo urinated outside amongst ancient ruins because there were no toilets around!
Athens was awesome to see for the historical reasons, but it was probably my least favorite of our three Greece stops. It was also incredibly hot that day, and there is absolutely no shade around the Acropolis area, so the sun just beat down on us making for some irritable kids (and probably grown ups too!). I'd suggest maybe not going in the summer like we did. It was still early June, but it was HOT and crowded. I'm sure the shoulder seasons have better weather and perhaps fewer crowds.
Santorini: We booked through Viator a private classic Santorini tour aimed to visit the top destinations. I'd say these types of tours are somewhat of a must if you are doing a cruise because you don't have enough time to figure out navigating the place on your own and to see all the sights you would want to see in such a short amount of time, while adding the stress of ensuring you're back to the boat on time. We had an EXCELLENT tour guide here, and we were very happy with the tour. Here is the link if you want to book the same tour: https://www.viator.com/tours/Santorini/Private-Classic-Santorini-Panorama-Visit-the-most-popular-destinations/d959-69212P1?pid=P00300712&mcid=42383&medium=link&campaign=Santorini
Our fantastic guide's name was George, and he took us all around the island to see so many sights! Our ship had to set anchor offshore, so we took a ‘tender’ (ferry style boat) to the shore where the only way to access the island is to either hike up the steep/slick switchback steps for 40-60 minutes or to take a cable car. They do offer donkey rides up and down the steps as well, which sounds appealing because it’s the traditional way of carrying supplies up by locals; however, we have read that it is not good for the animals, so we opted out of this. Instead, we took the cable car. Be prepared to have a line for the cable car. When we researched in advance, it strongly recommended taking the cable car up the mountain and walking down, which is what we did. This is for a few reasons- the line to go up is shorter in morning than the line to go down at the end of day (it was a 2 hour wait when we were leaving!), plus it's obviously easier to walk down versus up.
Once we met our tour guide at the top of the island, he steered us around a roadblock to beat the crowds to the primary tourist area in Oia where the beautiful blue domed churches stand out amongst the cave homes.
He then took us all over the island, making stops along the way, and keeping the kids engaged throughout. We walked down beautiful cobblestone streets, went to a black sand beach where the kids dipped their feet in the water, went to a red sand beach where our guide explained the process of the red lava stone grinding into sand by the water through friction, and got ice cream. We saw the Bell tower of Megalochori, a memorial for the Balkan wars, and we toured a traditional cave house. The boys were able to climb around on some rocks on the cliff side while we were outside of a lighthouse.
Our guide left us at the top of the mountain where you can start your walk or cable car ride back down. Because all arriving people need to come through that area, it naturally has a variety of food places, tourist stops and it also has a place (Dr. Fish) where you can have the fish eat the dead skin off your feet. The boys insisted that Jon and I try it, and it was the weirdest feeling (not bad, just weird)! The boys had a blast watching us though and thought it was hilariously exciting. We then opted to walk back down the mountain instead of waiting for the cable car, which sounds easier than walking up, but I will say- it included slippery worn rocks. Between trying to walk on the less worn/less slippery parts, and trying to dodge the donkey droppings along the way, this was an interesting walk.
Santorini was my absolute favorite. I could also be biased since it was the place I had dreamed of visiting for years. Plus, the tour you are only really can make or break a place, and this tour/tour guide was the best of all three we took in Greece. We really were able to see so much in a short amount of time, and it didn’t feel terribly rushed, but this place is gorgeous and I could have spent much more time here too.
Kefalonia: We booked a group tour through Viator to visit the Drogarati Cave and Melissani Lake. Here is the link if you want to book the same tour: https://www.viator.com/tours/Cephalonia/Drogarati-Cave-and-Melissani-Lake/d25033-14101P9?pid=P00300712&mcid=42383&medium=link&campaign=Kefalonia
We rode in a comfortable large bus over gorgeous mountains and through twists and turns to reach the northern side of the Island. However, this translates to super motion sickness! If you are someone who gets car sick/motion sickness, definitely prepare with some ginger chews or the bracelets with pressure points. I was fine, and it was worth the drive, but it was definitely nauseating. Once there, we explored the Melissini Cave which had crystal clear brackish waters that filled the cave, so we took a short boat ride inside, followed by the Drogorati Cave which was more of a traditional cave with stalagmites and stalactites. The stay was short because we had to be back on our boat by 3pm, so it did feel a bit more rushed than we would have liked, but these caves are GORGEOUS and I’d definitely recommend a stop at Kefalonia if you are in Greece.
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