Greece tours

This really depends on which regions you’re choosing to visit, as they vary greatly, weather-wise and booking-wise. For our northern Greek trips in the Pindos Mountains, for example, our holiday window in these Hellenic havens is between March and October for Zagori, and between June and October for the Pindos hikes, as you can still get snow on high ground at the end of May. If you want to explore the Pelion Peninsula, however, the ancient trails are open for hiking from the end of April to September. There can still be snow on the range’s highest peak, Stavros, at 1,624m in late March or early April, with local people heading to the ski resort of Agriolefkes when it starts to fall. In general, temperatures range from 20C in April to 25C in May, leaping up over the 30C mark between June and August, and going down to around 28C in September. 

If you’re heading to the Cyclades islands (and why wouldn’t you?), we offer walking holidays on Santorini, and Naxos between May and October and on Amorgos between March and October. The small island of Kea welcomes walkers between January and October/November, combining it with some time in Athens, as it is the Cycladic island that is closest to the capital. For walking on Crete, we offer holidays between March and November, although our East Crete holiday takes a break during the busy and boiling summer months of July and August. Even though you do get snow on the White Mountains between November and May, it’s rare for temperatures on lower elevations to dip into single figures on the centigrade scale at any time throughout the year. However, it’s worth noticing that if you want to go Walking the gorges, Samaria Gorge doesn’t open until 01 May. For more information, see our blog Walking on Crete. 

The Corfu Trail is one of the best walking holidays in the Ionian Islands, a 200km adventure into the heart of the archipelago’ main island. It has two walking windows: April to June and September to October. You can walk it in segments or do the whole thing in two weeks. With some exposed, albeit exquisite sections on the trail, we don’t take bookings during July and August when temperatures soar to over 30C. Maximum temperatures during the shoulder season range from 19C in April or 23C in May, going up to 28C in June and then down a degree to 27C in September, dipping down to a still glorious 22C in October. For more information on all of these Greek destinations, see our blog, Best time to go to Greece. 

Greece is both epic and ethereal. It can also be mercurial, weather-wise, and although each region has its quirks, they all have their qualities. The northern Pindos Mountains are a world apart from the Cyclades Islands and the largest island of Crete has a climate all of its own. Corfu isn’t open for hiking adventures until after Easter but, from then on, you can expect temperatures of 18C in spring, 30C in summer and 22C in autumn. You can ring in the new year by walking the Menalon Trail on the Peloponnese Peninsula, when temperatures are in their early teens, or celebrating the start of spring by walking on the Saronic Islands of Poros and Hydra when the temperature gauge hits 20C. It’s because of all these variations that we’ve written a bespoke blog on the subject, Best time to go to Greece.

Travelling by train to or within Greece isn’t as easy as other European countries as their network isn’t widespread, but it is definitely possible. Consequently, we don’t categorise any of our Greek holidays as being reachable by rail, but you can get there travelling overland. The Greek guru on all things train, is Mark Smith, the train guru at Seat 61.

Family life is at the heart of Greek culture and so you will always be welcomed with open arms. Although we only have one specific family-friendly tour in Crete, albeit for keen walking families, it’s worth checking out our easy/moderate level walking or easy/moderate cycling holidays, to see if they appeal to all family members. If you have older teens, for example, who have walking experience, you may want to explore more moderate level hiking or cycling holidays. Our adventure specialists are here to cater for your needs, and we can often adapt a day’s itinerary if you think it’s going to be too hard or too easy.

One of the best ways is to break it down into archipelagos. The word archipelago comes from Ancient Greek, combining arkhi, meaning chief, and pelagos, meaning sea. In Ancient Greece, Arcipelago was actually the name for the Aegean Sea, where many of the islands lie, and the name was adapted with time to refer to a group of islands. In order to help you work out where to go walking on the Greek Islands, we have broken it down into archipelagos for you, namely the Cyclades, Dodecanese and North Aegean, Ionian and Saronic Islands. As well as Crete, which sits proudly outside an archipelago all on its own. You can read about them in our specialist Greek Islands blog. 

Most definitely and we welcome solo travellers on many of our tours, one of the most popular being the Naxos Strada Trek where you can blank out the rest of the world while blissing out on the 52km coast-to-coast hiking trail. Similarly, our Corfu and Ionian Islands walking holidays are safe havens for solo travellers, and you won’t go mad on the Menalon Trail if you’re walking alone. The opposite actually, as this Peloponnese trail is popular with many like-minded independent travellers. You can find all of our solo trips in Greece here, but please remember that a supplement will be charged as the cost of rooms and also luggage or private transfers (when applicable) is not shared. 

Yes, the tap water is drinkable here and, although it may taste more chlorinated than you’re used to, it is safe, meeting EU standards. On some smaller islands, water may be desalinated seawater, which can have a different taste compared to mainland water, but it’s still safe to drink. Islands often use ground wells too, and you may well spot taps in public areas where you can refill your bottles.

It’s strange how many people who would never normally buy bottled water at home feel a need to buy it when travelling, so please think twice about it. If you ask for water in a restaurant they often bring you bottled water, but you can ask for mia kanata nero, which means a jug of tap water. And Greek law requires for restaurants to have access to drinkable tap water on their premises, so don’t feel embarrassed about asking. If you are hiking in remote or mountain areas, and want to drink from streams, where there can be a risk of harmful runoff, we recommend investing in a filtered water bottle to ensure water is free of any toxins.

Greece has good healthcare with no major health risks and is rabies-free. No vaccinations are required, but the WHO recommends routine vaccines such as tetanus for all travellers. There are some dangerous snakes, however, such as vipers, coral snakes and adders, so wearing boots, socks and long trousers is advised when out and about in rural areas. Mosquitoes are also an issue of course, so always wear protective sprays and clothing.
One of the main health and safety issues is around overheating and dehydration, during the summer months. Never underestimate the impacts of heat when on a natural adventure, along with many other weather issues that you might come across. This is a useful blog for understanding how to prevent being affected by weather-related dangers.
 
Although medical training is good in Greece, the public health service is notoriously underfunded, and so it’s often best to seek private healthcare. Always make sure that you have suitable health insurance to suit your adventure travel. As with all international travels, it’s always worth getting up to date information at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for UK travellers or similar foreign office advice in your home country.

The climate crisis has whipped up many parts of the world with forest fires, and unfortunately Greece has been hit. Local authorities monitor the situation carefully but always take precautions by never discarding cigarette butts or glass bottles (which cause dangerous reflections) and, if there is a warning, always take it seriously. The European Forest Fire Information System has excellent forest fire monitoring services. It’s also advised to put the ‘emergency alerts’ settings in place on your iPhone or Android. For iPhones, for example, go to Settings > Notifications and enable the Emergency Alerts options. This allows the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service alerts to reach you in the case of an emergency.

Of course, this depends on the region that you are visiting but as with most of our adventures, you may be exploring remote terrain where weather conditions may be unpredictable. For that reason, we have some detailed blogs on packing, which may be of help: What to pack for a cycling trip and What to pack for a hiking trip. As well as that, don’t forget to pack your sense of adventure, plenty of sunscreen and a phrase book. The Greek love it if you try to say a few words in their language, even if it’s just efcharistó (thank you).

Overtourism is an issue in many parts of the world, and although we are all for people having adventures, we’re aware that some places just need to put the brakes on. Which is why we aim to take you off the beaten path, and also encourage travel outside of the peak seasons. In Greece, Athens gets very busy at Easter and in summer. As do many of the islands with cruise ships and their passengers taking up a lot of space. In addition, the islands of Skiathos and Skopelos have attracted influencers and Mamma Mia fans in their droves. You can avoid these busier spots by visiting early in the morning or late in the day, but also by travelling out of season. And our Greek Islands holidays take you far away from many of the busiest spots. For details of when the cruising is bruising, see this excellent Cruise Timetable where you can see all their Greek Islands arrivals and departures. 

Greece isn’t a winter sports destination, however, we have lots of options for winter sun holidays there, where you can put enough Vitamin D into your energy banks to get you through the sleepy season. Our endorphin-inducing idylls include walking on Kythira, the southernmost Ionian island, tucked off the Peloponnese Peninsula, where temperatures range from 12-17C in winter months, and the sea is still around 18C in December. Similarly, our Menalon Trail walking holiday is available between January and November, taking a quick break over the Christmas holidays. But it’s also a perfect place to ring in the new year. During October and November, you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures that fall between 20-25C. The coldest month is February, with an average maximum temperature of 15C, but still double figures. 

We always endeavour to ensure that your accommodations are aware of any dietary needs when we book your trip. However, Greece is a foodie nation with strong traditions, so although your needs will be catered for in bigger towns and cities, it’s not always the case in more remote areas. But being gluten (chorís glouténi) or dairy free (chorís galaktokomiká) is certainly not unheard of in Greece and you won’t be looked at strangely for requesting something different off the menu. Greek traditional food also has plenty of dairy-free options, with olive oil, spinach and tomatoes forming the bases for many dishes.

It’s the euro, or €, the same currency that’s used across most countries in the European Union. 

Greece is great value for money, compared with some of its European neighbours. Especially if you eat or drink locally-produced treats. Most of our adventurers aren’t looking for fine cuisine anyway, and just want a good three course meal at the end of the day, and some great picnic food for their backpack. Look out for sumptuous local delights such as meat souvlaki,ladera vegetable stews, pastitsio or Greek lasagne, tyropita cheese pie and spanakopita spinach pie. A souvlaki from a local shop usually costs between €2 and €5, a meal at a taverna is between €8-15 per person for a meal, while a mid-range restaurant dinner will typically cost between €15-30 per person. Never go on a hiking or cycling day out without stopping at a local foúrnos or bakery first, where you can buy bread, pastries and sandwiches and savoury pies like spanakopita (spinach pie) or tyropita (cheese pie), from between €2-4. 

A service charge is not usually included in the bill, but the local tradition is to leave an extra tip of between 5-10% in restaurants, or just round it up. It isn’t expected in bars, but having some coins to round up the bill is very much part of the culture. In addition, you may see a small cover charge (kouvert) on your restaurant bill. This usually ranges from €1-3 per person and covers things like bread, table setting, and sometimes bottled water placed on the table automatically. It’s not a scam, just usual local practice. 

Generally it has excellent coverage, but it’s not the speediest, especially in rural areas. Fibre optic technology had reached about 40% of households in 2024, but it is on the up, according to its National Broadband Plan 2021-2027. One of the aims of this plan is to achieve 50% of households having an internet connection with download speed of at least 100mbps. Many European countries are surpassing that already. Having said that, Crete is one of our most popular workation destinations. For more information on speeds and providers, see here. And, the most useful wifi phrase you can have on your travels in Greece is ‘Poios eínai o kodikós prósvasis tou wifi parakaló?’ or ‘What is the wifi password, please?’ For pronunciation, check out this short video.