ielle Tschinkel went to Greece for nine days in September of 2021.
I went to Greece for the first time in September and it was a surprise.
The waters were very cold and the weather was amazing.
Guided tours were awesome and there were many stray cats and dogs.
People say the weather was great.
It was sunny and not too hot.
Greece has more than 250 days of sunshine a year, or 3,000 sunny hours.
Traveling during the country's shoulder season, which runs from April through mid-June and September through October, is ideal for someone who dislikes heat and humidity. I have to avoid crowds and soak up the Greek sun at a nice 70 degrees. There was no cloud in the sky for a while.
You might think that seaside locations are more breezier than they are, but temperatures can drop after sunset.
I packed light to avoid carrying a heavy suitcase along the narrow, cobblestone streets and up steep hills, but I would definitely recommend bringing at least one sweater, jacket, or sweatshirt and a pair of long pants or jeans.
The beaches in Greece were very cold.
The waters are supposed to be warmer in September.
My husband and I were surprised at how cold the waters of the Aegean sea were when we traveled to Greece.
The boat captain in Milos told us that September was the warmest month of the year, but he could have just been telling us to jump in. Swimming was comfortable once you made it in, and we found that diving headfirst without thinking about it helped.
The hotels we stayed in had pools and hot tub that were quite cold. A fellow traveler told us that the hot springs of Santorini were cold. This made a quick dip quite refreshing after a long day under the sun.
Greek residents were very friendly.
The people I met in Greece spoke English.
One of the joys of traveling is meeting new people, and I found that everyone we met was friendly and happy to chat.
It was easy because nearly everyone we met spoke English, but I always recommend learning a few basic phrases.
I was immediately put at ease by the friendly people I met, making for some great conversations.
There were animals outside.
There were many animals.
There was an abundance of stray cats and dogs when we arrived.
Stray animals can be a problem in many places around the globe, and they often rely on tourists and locals for food and shelter during busy seasons, but are often homeless on off-seasons.
I fed any strays I saw during meal times, even though experts disagreed on whether or not it was safe for visitors to interact with them.
I have a pipe dream to retire someday and help create safe rescues and resources for the cats and dogs on the streets of Greece.
Guided tours were the way to go.
It was a plus to meet other tourists.
I was inspired to book several small group tours after talking with a friend who had been to Greece before.
I enjoyed a guided walking tour of the Acropolis, a guided food tour in Athens, an all-day sailing cruise in Milos, and a group wine tasting in Santorini.
If you're a person who feels overwhelmed by the thought of being on a boat with a small group of strangers for 10 hours, I think you'll feel at ease once you try it. The guides we had were friendly and helpful, giving us historical feedback and information about the landmarks we visited.
Meeting fellow tourists from all over the world was a treat.
We were able to learn so much from each experience and see so much more than we could on our own, creating amazing memories along the way.
The under-the-radar islands should not be overlooked.
Milos was a pleasure to visit.
My friend encouraged me to swap Mykonos for Milos because Santorini and Mykonos are popular with tourists.
I couldn't pass up the chance to visit Santorini, so she recommended Imerovigli, a quieter part of the island.
We didn't regret overlooking Mykonos, which is known for its epic party scene, and we found Santorini to be filled with tourists even in the quieter spots.
Milos, famous for its colorful fishing villages and jaw-dropping beaches, made for a perfect respite between Athens and Santorini.
If we returned to Greece, we would only visit some of the more obscure islands, as there are plenty of hidden gems to discover no matter where in the region you are.
It took a lot of time to travel between islands.
There are tons of islands in Greece.
There are hundreds of islands in Greece and there are many stunning places to visit. Traveling from one airport to another can be time-Consuming and Unpredictable.
We were delayed over an hour on the flight from Athens to Milos, with little information from the crew. We took a ferry from Milos to Santorini, which had more than an hour's worth of holdups.
You can find plenty of flight and ferry options, but the latter can take several hours and can be a bumpy ride, depending on the conditions of the waters.
Many spots were not accessible for people who have difficulty navigating steps.
A lot of the spots had stairs.
I was surprised to find that even the most popular locations and attractions in Greece are not accessible for those who can't safely navigate steps and steep terrain by foot.
Many hotels, restaurants, shops, and attractions are only accessible by climbing hills and steps, including the Acropolis of Athens.
I saw people using hiking sticks for support along the steep terrain in Santorini's main areas, and there are resources available to help tourists find accessible travel options. Renting cars and ATVs is a popular option, but on some islands, they are only accessible by boat or foot.
It is worth noting that if you're not able to walk long distances, some of the biggest island destinations are not for you.
The food was better than I expected.
The food was great.
The food in Greece is even better than you've heard. We ate every meal that we had and the room service was great.
Just as you'd find anywhere, there are also cultural differences.
The traditional breakfast for locals in Athens is coffee and a cigarette, unless they're on holiday, according to our food tour guide.
The hotel breakfasts we enjoyed were delicious and the continental breakfasts we found in the US were sad. Each morning I ate scrambled eggs topped with local yogurt and honey.
In Greece, a bottle of wine costs the same as a cocktail in NYC.
A bottle of wine cost us a lot.
I'm used to paying a lot of money to eat and drink out in the suburbs of New York City, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the prices in Athens and Milos were very affordable.
My eyes were bigger than my appetite, and my husband and I ordered a few Appetizers along with Entrees for each of us at our first dinner in Athens. We took our meals to-go before they even got to the table because we were so full.
In Greece, it is cheaper to order an entire bottle of wine for the table than it is to buy a single bottle.
The food and drink prices in Santorini were likely higher due to the heavy tourist presence.
The safety precautions were missed.
We made sure to follow the safety protocols.
I was concerned about contracting the coronaviruses in Greece and potentially spreading it to other people, as the Delta variant is still a major worldwide threat.
There were a lot of people wearing masks in the airports and on the ferries, which were full of tourists from other countries.
Most people wore them correctly and kept their distance on the metro in Athens.
We found that workers were always willing to put a mask on immediately when they noticed us approaching, and that hand sanitizer and wipes were readily available at almost every turn.
We made sure to do everything we could to protect ourselves and others in our travels, which seemed to pay off, as we enjoyed an unforgettable trip in good health, a much-needed respite from 18 months of life at home.
The original article is on Insider.
