How Much Does A Trip to Greece Cost?
How much does a trip to Greece cost? This post breaks down the average costs involved in a trip to Greece to help you budget. We like to say Greece is where we fell in love, and it remains one of our favorite places to travel. We make the effort to return every summer to explore a different part of Greece, and last year we even tied the knot on Paros Island.
It’s hard not to fall in love with a country famed for its hospitality, rich heritage, fresh seafood, whitewashed villages, ample supply of beaches, and the deep blue Aegean sea. Greece deserves every bit of its fame. With all that fame, you might expect to pay top dollar, but you’ll be surprised to find Greece is actually an affordable destination. Of course, Greek islands like Santorini and Mykonos can make your eyes water due to their extravagant prices, but elsewhere Greece is actually pretty cheap.
Greece has long been known as an affordable beach destination for Europeans, so you can find some great value on the islands. Let’s break down how much a trip to Greece costs.
How Much Does a Trip to Greece Cost?
Transport in Greece
Since Greece has hundreds of islands scattered across the Mediterranean, it can be tricky to navigate. Similarly, prices for transportation vary a lot in terms of distance, destination, and mode of transportation.
Most people head to one of Greece’s many gorgeous islands that require flights or ferries within Greece and then transport on the island. Flight routes connect a handful of islands, but Greece’s primary way of travel has always been by boat. Mainland Greece is much more straightforward to navigate with a few train lines, long-distance buses, and a decent road network. The islands and mainland are great for renting a car in Greece and driving around.
Our biggest tip in Greece is to visit one to three islands in a particular region on your first visit. It allows for more exploration over each island and saves you some time with transport because it can be exhausting to travel from island to island. Our first few times in Greece, we traveled the Cyclades. Last time we traveled the Saronic Islands and then the Ionian. Next year we will be traveling the Sporades!
Ferries in Greece
The ferries in Greece are the primary mode of transport if you want to do some island hopping. It’s also possible to use them for day trips to neighboring islands. However, those limited on time or who don’t like the risk of plans changing should stick to mainland Greece or fly direct to a major island like Paros, Crete, Corfu, Naxos, or Santorini.
Greek ferries are a tremendous way to travel around Greece but can also be a pain. It’s common due to the rough sea and maintenance of the boats for ferries to arrive late or not at all. On top of that, the schedules between the smaller islands are often not daily occurrences, so it’s possible to be stranded for a few days. It has happened to us on multiple occasions. Ferry ports similarly can be pretty unpleasant with no information or signs, crowds, and nothing in the vicinity.
Several different ferries and passenger boats operate between the Greek isles. You can pick the large slow ferries that carry cars, trucks, and goods, but they’re often the most stable at sea and can have private overnight cabins, restaurants, and sun decks. Large ferries in Greece are almost like small cruise ships.
Then you have the smaller passenger ferries that are much faster but often only have a small bar for drinks, no access to the outside, and rock a lot more in rough seas. Last is the most limited, but smaller islands and neighboring islands may use a more standard small car ferry that costs few euros. Unless it’s a massive difference, we almost always opt for the slow ferries as they’re cheaper.
However, the most popular Greek islands are often serviced by multiple ferries a day, and in the worst-case scenario, you can always hop on a flight back to Athens. To best combat, look up ferry schedules online and book your ideal schedule rather than waiting to book on the islands. They provide the name of the boat when booking, so do a quick search to see the type of ship.
Of course, if you have time to explore, we’ve taken many trips to Greece in the shoulder seasons and booked ferries on the islands. Expect to pay around €100 to €200 euros in ferry tickets for the average trip to Greece, visiting a handful of islands in the summer. The faster the route, often the more expensive the ticket. If you are taking a car on the ferry you must pay for that car, often that costs between €30-€50 in addition to the passenger tickets.
Fare Examples
| Route | Avg. Price |
| Athens > Mykonos | €60 – €80 |
| Mykonos > Santorini | €45 – €65 |
| Santorini > Crete | €65 |
| Paros > Naxos | €10 – €20 |
| Milos > Paros | €55 – €60 |
| Rhodes > Kos | €25 |
| Paros > Mykonos | €20 – €35 |
Search For Your Ferry Here
Cruises in Greece
This is our least favorite way to travel, and we highly advise against cruises. However, they remain an incredibly popular way to travel around Greece as they allow you to see a nice selection of islands and remove the stress associated with travel in Greece. It’s particularly helpful for people with limited mobility or seniors.
The majority of Greek cruises depart from Venice, Italy, and have the option to select extended cruises that stop in Croatia and Montenegro. It also simplifies what a trip to Greece costs as it’s a simple price. So, we do understand the appeal.
However, why do we not recommend cruises? They’re terrible for the environment, add infrastructure strain on destinations, contribute almost nothing to the local economies, are hated by locals, leave no room for exploration, and you’ll always be in a crowd of other tourists. We love Greece for the hospitality of the Greeks, charming, quiet towns, and the food. You can kiss those things goodbye on a cruise ship, though the plus side is not having to think about much in terms of planning and navigating.
If you’re cruising around Greece, it’s a challenge to escape the waves of tourists. You’ll arrive in a small port town at the same time as the other 2,000 visitors sometimes, even more, when multiple boats are in port like Venice, Dubrovnik, and Santorini. The main streets and attractions are often congested and miserable during these times in normally peaceful and quiet towns.
Cruise Prices
These are some prices per person for one-week cruises to Greece in the summer. The room selected is an exterior view room. It is possible to get a cheaper price for the interior. Of course, these factors like the usual high-priced activities, amenities, or alcohol. It all depends on how you travel on the islands, but we find cruises to cost more than the average trip to Greece.
| Company | Avg. Price Per Person |
| Royal Caribbean | €900 – €1,200 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | €1,325 – €1,850 |
| Princess | €1.500 – €1,800 |
Trains in Greece
Trains in Greece are limited, but you can arrive in Greece via a train and use the rail network to travel mainland Greece. The Greek rail service is so limited that you’ll likely only use it once or twice if you’re traveling mainland Greece.
Fare Examples
| Route | Avg. Price |
| Athens > Thessaloniki | €45 – €55 |
| Athens > Kalambaka (Meteora) | €25 – €30 |
Buses in Greece
Buses are a reasonable option for travel around the Greek Islands and mainland Greece. Most islands have buses that cross the islands and stop all over the islands. These local buses often only cost a few euros outside the mainland and Crete, where you can find long-distance buses.
Boat Rental in Greece
On our most recent trip to Greece, we found a new favorite thing to do on the islands, rent a small boat. It not only doubles as a thing to do but can also be used for transportation visiting small bays, ports, beaches, and islands.
You can even rent them in the local marina for extended periods. It’s not a super common mode of transport for tourists and not the place to learn to drive a boat, but it can be hugely rewarding. If you’re not comfortable driving the boat, many come with the option to charter a captain, but that will cost you quite a bit more. By Greek law, anyone can drive a motorboat up to 30HP without a license or prior verified experience.
Boat Rental Average
| Route | Avg. Daily Price |
| Private Boat Rental for the Day | €100 – €300 |
| Captained Boat Rental | €400 – €800 |
Car Rentals in Greece
Renting a car in Greece is the easiest way to get around the mainland and the islands. It can also be super affordable. For car rentals, it’s best to rent for individual sections of the trip. Rent a car to explore individual islands or the countryside.
They can be affordable on the islands where there are no toll roads and distances are short, so you won’t spend much on fuel. That being said, we did find an affordable car rental in Crete to get around.
Not every island requires a car rental, and the same goes for Athens, where a car might simply be a pain. Although Greek ferries allow for cars, it’s best not to take cars on the ferries as not every island has a car ferry, and you’ll still have to return the car to the original location. Most islands also have a selection of car rental agencies once you step off the boat, making picking up a car easy.
Car Rental Averages
These are average prices for summer rentals booked three-four months in advance out. If you travel in the offseason, rates are much lower, with averages under €100 a week! Rates tend to be a little higher than elsewhere if you are on the islands. We’ve also found the smaller and less popular the island, the more expensive the car rental.
| Car Type | Weekly Rental Price |
| Economy | €150 – €200 |
| Standard | €200 – €250 |
| Full Size | €250 – €400 |
| Van | €500 – €600 |
Total Cost of Rental Car
This is just an average guess of what the total cost of a car rental for a week would cost in summer. It’s based on previous trips where we rented a car in Greece. It’s possible to go over or under these estimations.
| Estimation | Avg. Cost |
| Low | €150 – 200 |
| Median | €200 – €400 |
| High | €400 – €500 |
Search and Compare Prices for Rental Cars
- DiscoverCars.com – We use them to search and compare rental car prices around the globe.
- Auto Europe – Compares the best rates!
Alternative Transport in Greece
One of the islands’ most popular means of transport is small vehicles like ATVs and mopeds. They’re so popular that they often fetch a higher rate than a small car rental, particularly ATVs. They are fun and super effective on small islands with rough dirt/gravel roads leading to the best beaches.
It can be a fun way to get around the islands, but we typically prefer the safety and comfort of a car unless the island is very small.
Daily Averages
| Style | Avg Daily Price |
| Moped | €15 – €30 |
| ATV | €40 – €75 |
| Buggy | €85 – €200 |
Flights to Greece
Of course when thinking about how much a trip to Greece cost you have to consider flights. Flights are reliable and an affordable way to travel around Greece. With budget airlines such as RyanAir servicing Athens, getting to Greece from elsewhere in Europe has never been cheaper.
If you are traveling from a different continent, you will most likely need to be routed through Athens before you go anywhere. You can also sometimes score a cheap flight to Crete or Corfu – two larger Greek islands.
Airfare Examples
| Route | Avg. Cost (no luggage) |
| Athens > Santorini | €40 – €100 |
| Athens > Corfu | €50 – €120 |
| Athens > Crete | €65 – €120 |
| Athens > Lemnos | €80 – €150 |
Cost of Greek Accommodation
Any Greece vacation cost needs to account for accommodation. There are a ton of tourist beds in Greece, and it’s pretty easy to find a place to stay almost anywhere in Greece. However, in the most popular areas during the summer, prices can be sky-high and limited in availability. In Athens and mainland towns, it’s easy to find more traditional hotels. However, the resorts on the islands and large holiday complexes are typically booked and sold through package holiday companies.
The most prevalent option in Greece is a standard room, apartment, or small studio. These standard rooms can be super spartan, and we not so lovingly joke about their fantastic “Greek comfort.” In reality, they’re not comfortable at all, with small beds draped by a single sheet to compliment bare-bones furnishings.
We stayed at many of these when we first backpacked Greece on a budget. These rooms vary a lot according to price point, and it’s possible to find beautiful modern, and comfortable apartments.
Even further, if you seek out four to five-star hotels in the summer, expect to pay a high premium of around €500 a night! Something to keep in is prices vary drastically by location and season.
To score a nice place in Mykonos or Santorini in August is ridiculous, while the same on islands like Paros or Crete goes for a quarter of the price. So, it’s tough to budget until you know where you’ll be heading. As a hint to our money-saving tips later, skipping those busy places will save you a ton of money.
One of the best options for accommodation in Greece is the classic villa. However, to score a good one requires planning in advance and possibly going through a management company. These villas can fetch top dollar but often live up to the hype. We love these as they can be split between family and friends to a point where it’s €150-€200 a night per person. We search for European villas on CV Villas and TheThinkingTraveler.
Greek Hotel Price Averages
| Style | Avg. Price Per Night |
| Hostel | €12 – €25 |
| Budget Hotel | €30 – €50 |
| Airbnb/Apartment | €50 – €200 |
| Mid Range Hotel | €100 – €200 |
| Luxury Hotel | €200 – €800 |
| Villa (Weekly) | €3,000 – €8,000+ |
Food Costs in Greece
Greek food, for the most, is delicious and cheap! It doesn’t take a crazy high budget to eat well in Greece. You’ll find amazing seafood, cheap gyros, local ouzo, heaps of olives, and fresh fruit like watermelon and pomegranates. Like the accommodation, the islands of Mykonos and Santorini are outliers and, on average, charge double the price for half the quality.
Dining
A two-course meal with wine will set you back on average €30. Of course, it’s easy to spend on either end of that for dinner. It’s easy to find a place for dinner at around €10 a meal. In contrast, you could go all out on a fine dining establishment for €100. It’s easy to eat affordably in Greece, and it’s even cheaper if you shop locally and cook your own meals. We always like to have some local cheese, grapes, pita and tzatziki, and olives in the fridge for snacks! You can buy olives in bulk for around €6 a kilogram (2.2lbs)!
Breakfast
Breakfast is best at a hotel or guesthouse as you’ll have a hard time finding much for breakfast. However, it is common for locals to head to the bakery for a fresh-baked goodie and a frappe or freddo cappuccino. Frappes are whipped milk, instant coffee (the classic is Nescafe), and ice — they are super delicious on a hot Greek day and typically cost €1 to €2. We’d do fresh fruit, greek yogurt (just yogurt there) with honey, and a pastry for a typical breakfast.
Lunch
Gyros are a street food staple in Greece, typically costing around €5 or less. If you’d like a nice meal for lunch, it will typically set you back €10 – €15 for an entree with sides.
Daily Food Costs
| Price Point | Cost |
| Budget | €10 – €20 |
| Median | €30 – €60 |
| High End | €100+ |
Cost of Activities in Greece
Activities in Greece, for the most part, are reasonably priced. However, it all depends on when and where. In our opinion, one of the best things to do in Greece is to explore. Free activities can mean hiking in Greece, relaxing on the beach, walking around a quaint town, cliff jumping, or exploring Greek ruins.
Greece has been catering to visitors for decades, and there are lots of great tours and activities to enjoy in Greece. Things like bike tours, kayak tours, star gazing, cultural experiences, diving, boat cruises, fishing, or winery tours. Generally, prices range from about €15 up to €100.
Greece is filled with ancient ruins, medieval ruins, and buildings that easily date back to the turn of the century. No matter where you step, you will find some piece of history. Take it in doses because it can overwhelm you.
Many of these archaeological sites are very well protected and restored in Greece; tourism is a big factor in this, and you should expect to pay some €€€ to see the most famous sites. For example, the Acropolis costs €30 and if you want a guide in a group expect to pay €50.
Popular Activities/Tours in Greece
| Athens Full Day Private Tour | €65 |
| Santorini Catamaran Tour | €95 |
| Private Athens Food Tour | €60 |
| Santorini Private Tasting Tour | €120 |
Additional Expenses in Greece
Flight to Greece
Like most travel, your flight to Greece will be your number one expense. It’s best to book in advance if you know your travel dates. If you have flexibility with your schedule, you stand a greater chance of scoring a deal. We like to use Google Flights and Skyscanner’s open search feature to find good deals to Greece. This can drastically determine what a trip to Greece costs.
The summer can hurt when it comes to flight prices to Greece. Even with advance booking, it’s common to spend $1,500 USD RT per ticket from the states. While in Europe flight prices can be found for a bargain of less than €100 regularly. When we fly from North America, we typically look for flights into a larger European hub like London, Milan, or Paris and then grab a cheap Ryan Air flight to Greece to save money.
Luggage for Greece
You’ll need to decide if you want a backpack or suitcase for your Greece Trip (see our list of what to wear in Greece here). I personally like to travel with a hard shell suitcase for my clothes and use a carry-on backpack for my important electronics. See a few of our posts here for recommendations:
Get Travel Insurance
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How Much Does a Trip to Greece Cost?
So how much spending money per day should you have in Greece? Asides from the pre-trip expenses like airfare, luggage, and any Greece packing list items you’ll want to buy, I believe you can get by in Greece for under €60-€75 per day.
That’s if you’re staying in cheap accommodation, not drinking much alcohol, cooking your meals and eating paninis, and not partaking in costly activities. If you want to travel on a more modest and comfortable budget, I will plan on spending €100 per day.
Total Two-Week Trip to Greece Cost (pp)
| Budget | Cost |
| Backpacker | €500 – €750 |
| Basic | €800 – 1,400 |
| Mid Range | €1,400 – 2,000 |
| High End | €2,000 – €4,000+ |
Money-Saving Tips For Greece
Skip the “Highlights”
How much does a trip to Greece cost? Well it all depends on where you go and your activities. In saying that none of our favorite moments traveling Greece come from major destinations. We have traveled to over 20 different islands, and are most favorite moments are not ones you would expect. Watching the sunset over Tinos, swimming for over an hour on Sifnos, and exploring the hilltop Chora in Serifos all come to mind first – and they were all free experiences on less busy islands.
On our last trip, we spent two days in Mykonos and were appalled by the island’s prices. It’s not our cup of tea, to say the least. So our biggest piece of advice is to skip Athens and avoid Mykonos and Santorini like the plague. Your wallet will undoubtfully thank you, and you’ll walk away thinking Greece is an affordable destination to spend a holiday.
When saving money, consider free activities, like going on a hike in Greece instead of paying for things like a jet ski tour or entering the Acropolis.
Cook Your Own Food
If your accommodation has a kitchen, it’s best to use it. We save money this way when traveling around Greece. Grocery stores in Greece are amazing and well-stocked.
The grocery store provides great value, especially Greek food like cheese, prosciutto, olives, and grapes. Don’t worry about eating local either, as they’re often stocked with tons of beautiful Greek products; most Greeks eat at home anyways!
Travel During the Offseason
I think traveling in Greece, particularly shrines, in the offseason. I don’t like crowds or high prices, so I love traveling between September and May. We highlight the best time to visit Greece in this post.
Book Overnight Ferries
If it’s a long ferry ride we will aim to book an overnight ferry so that we can sleep on the ferry, thereby saving money by avoiding a hotel room for the night.
Plan For Your Trip
- Protect Your Trip: We don’t travel without travel insurance, nor should you. You never know what can happen while traveling, so it’s best to be prepared. HeyMondo provides excellent short-term and long-term travel insurance plans.
- Find Cheap Flights: Sign up for Going (formerly Scotts Cheap Flights) to get notified when prices get low.
- Book a Rental Car: We use Discover Car to book all our rental cars! You can also read our top tips for renting a car abroad here.
- Travel Adapter: Make sure you find a good adapter to keep your personal electronics charged. Otherwise, you may be paying for a cheap one once you land. Purchase one here.
- Travel Backpack: We like the Nomatic Travel Backpack for our travels. Check the price here.
- Our Favorite Travel Shoes: Our answer to this question is always Allbirds! Check them out on their site!
- Get a Travel Credit Card: We travel worldwide for free because we have leveraged our spending into points. See how you can do the same with our favorite travel credit cards.
READ MORE GREECE TRAVEL TIPS
I hope you enjoyed this guide on what a trip to Greece costs! Hopefully, you found it useful. Here are a few relevant articles for more travel around Greece!
