How Long to Spend in Greece: First-Timer Itinerary.

The ideal number of days to spend in Greece depends on your travel preferences, interests, and the specific destinations you wish to visit. To explore multiple regions and get a taste of different aspects of Greece, a recommended duration would be around 7 to 10 days.

Best of Greece for First Time Visitors

-Best Places to Visit: Athens • Santorini • Mykonos • Naxos • Paros
-Best Tours: Santorini Wine Tours • Santorini Boat Tours • Mykonos Boat Tours • Athens Historical Tours
-Best Ancient Sites: Delphi, Meteora, Delos (near Mykonos), and the Peloponnese are some of the historical highlights of Greece.

Strogly recommended a visit of 10 to 15 days. This allows for a few days in Athens; a day or overnight trip to Nafplio, Delphi, or the Meteora; and a few nights on 2 or 3 Greek islands. Of course, trips of more or fewer days are great too. If possible arrive into one airport and fly out of a different airport so you don’t have to retrace your steps (e.g. Fly into Greece to Athens, and fly out of Greece from Santorini).
Can you visit Greece for only two or three nights? Yes, it’s possible, but in this case limit your visit to either Athens or just one Greek island and arrive and depart from the same airport.

Greece in 4 Days
With a long weekend in Athens, you can explore more than 2,400 years of history at the Acropolis and Acropolis Museum, check out the Athens Riviera, and — of course — eat all the flaky spanakopita pastries you can at the local food markets. It’s worth joining a food tour while you’re in the capital to hear the stories of Greece’s culinary history and to get an introduction to local producers.

Greece in 7 Days
Delicious as they can be, Greek food goes far beyond gyros and feta salad.
If food and drink are an important part of your vacation, how about joining a gastronomy tour of Athens and Crete? Starting in the capital for wine tasting at a hip local bar before traveling to Crete, taste and eat your way through olive groves, vineyards, and local farms as you explore the history and culture of the country.

When traveling around Greece’s largest and most southerly island, the beautiful city of Chania is a great base. On your first day in the Aegean, head to the village of Vamos to tour its famous olive oil factory and meet the local olive oil producers. The next day, you could set off early to hike the Samaria Gorge. It’s the longest trekking canyon in Europe, and it ends at Agia Roumeli village by the sea where you can grab food and a cold beer before heading back to Chania.

Greece in 2 Weeks
If you have a couple of weeks in Greece, there’s time for a real adventure — like joining a small-group tour that’ll see you hiking the tallest mountains in the Peloponnese range, canoeing off the coast of the Mani Peninsula, heading up ancient Sparta’s Mount Taygetus, and checking out the southernmost point on the European mainland.

Most flights land in Athens, so with this itinerary you’d start off in the Greek capital before getting your adventure on: think whitewater rafting on the Louisos River, trekking in the nearby mountains around Dimistana, visiting local monasteries like Prodromos, hanging out at the tavernas of Kardamyli, and kayaking in the Mediterranean Sea. Oh, and with a full week in the area you could also hike in Viros Gorge, wander around the ghost village of Vathia, and visit Cape Tenara (it’s the southernmost point of mainland Europe).