Best Places to Visit in Greece for Australians
Updated July 2026
Every Aussie planning their first Greek trip Googles some version of “best places to visit in Greece” and gets back the same recycled top-10: Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, Meteora, Crete. Which is fine as far as it goes. It’s also the list of places most Australians are eventually a bit disappointed by, because it doesn’t account for the trip they have to do (24 hours of flying, jet lag, limited annual leave, a family group with different appetites).
This is the Cycladic Spaces version, ordered for how Aussies travel to Greece. Where to go, why, and who each place is right for. For the wider planning frame (flights, ETIAS, insurance, ferries), the Travel to Greece from Australia planning guide is the pillar version.
1. Athens
Not optional. Every Aussie route to the islands starts in Athens, and skipping the city because Instagram says the islands are prettier is the biggest mistake first-timers make. Athens rewards two to three days of real attention.
Best for: First-timers, second-timers, anyone interested in food, culture, history, real Greek life instead of postcard Greece.
Don’t skip: Acropolis and Acropolis Museum (do them on the same morning), a proper meze dinner in Koukaki or Pangrati, a rooftop bar at sunset for the Parthenon view.
How long: Minimum two nights, ideally three.
Aussie-specific tip: Fly into Athens, don’t fly straight through to the islands with only a two-hour transfer. Jet lag makes ferries brutal. Give yourself a night in the city to acclimatise. Our Where Not to Stay in Athens guide covers the neighbourhoods worth basing yourself in.
2. Paros
Our number one Cycladic island for Australians, especially first-timers. Paros has everything Santorini promises (white villages, calderas, beaches, food) without the overtourism, the €300 hotels, or the sunset queue.
Best for: First-timer Cycladic experience, couples, families, second-time Greece visitors who did Santorini and didn’t get why everyone raved.
Don’t skip: Naousa old town at night, the beaches at Kolymbithres and Santa Maria, a day trip to Antiparos, dinner at any taverna in Lefkes.
How long: Four to five nights minimum.
Aussie-specific tip: Rent a car. Paros is bigger than it looks and the best beaches are away from the ferry ports. Ferry logistics live in our Greek ferry companies guide.
3. Naxos
Naxos is the bigger, more residential sister of Paros. Better for families, better for anyone who wants a real Greek town to live in for a week rather than a resort.
Best for: Families with kids, longer stays, anyone who wants a bit more infrastructure (a proper supermarket, a real hospital, decent internet) with the island feel intact.
Don’t skip: Naxos Town waterfront in the evening, the Temple of Apollo at sunset (the Portara), the mountain villages (Halki, Filoti, Apeiranthos), Plaka Beach, the local cheese and citron liqueur.
How long: Five to seven nights easily.
Aussie-specific tip: Naxos is where Greek families themselves holiday. Which means real Greek food, real families, and much less English than Santorini.
4. Crete
Not one island, five holidays. Crete is huge (250 km long, 60 km wide) with wildly different feels between east and west. Western Crete (Chania, Rethymno, Balos, Elafonissi) is the beauty. Eastern Crete (Heraklion, Elounda, Agios Nikolaos, Knossos) is the history and the mountains.
Best for: Longer holidays (10+ days), road trip travellers, anyone combining history with beaches, first Cretan trips who don’t want to fly between regions.
Don’t skip: Chania Old Town, Knossos ruins, the Samaria Gorge hike (May to October), a night in a mountain village guesthouse, a proper Cretan feast (raki, dakos, apaki, gamopilafo).
How long: Seven days minimum for one region, ten to fourteen for two regions.
Aussie-specific tip: Fly into Chania if you’re doing west Crete, Heraklion if you’re doing east. Don’t try to do both regions in five days.
5. Milos
The Cyclades island that got its Instagram moment in 2021 and is still, somehow, undertouristed compared to Santorini or Mykonos. Volcanic coastline, 70+ beaches, the pink Sarakiniko rocks.
Best for: Couples, geology and beach obsessives, photographers, travellers who did Santorini and want something similar without the crowds.
Don’t skip: Sarakiniko (early morning, before the tour boats), Kleftiko caves by boat, the fishing village of Klima, the medieval Plaka.
How long: Four to five nights.
Aussie-specific tip: Ferry from Piraeus takes 5 to 7 hours, so it’s a proper commit. Fly in via Athens and connect if you’re short on time. Milos also has an airport now with a couple of daily flights from Athens.
6. Lefkada
Lefkada is the Greek island without a ferry. A causeway from the Aktion airport near Preveza connects it to the mainland, so you drive on. Which changes the entire trip planning maths for Australians because it removes the ferry-cancellation risk on your last day.
Best for: Families with young kids, travellers who want to combine the Ionian coast with mainland Greece, anyone hiring a car and driving from Athens or Kalambaka.
Don’t skip: Porto Katsiki beach (the postcard shot), Egremni beach (better, less busy), the pretty windmill village of Agios Nikitas, a taverna dinner in Karya.
How long: Four to five nights, or add three days to a mainland road trip.
Aussie-specific tip: Fly Athens to Preveza (Aktion) airport, hire a car at the airport, drive to Lefkada in 30 minutes. Skip Athens ferries entirely.
7. Meteora (Kalambaka)
The monasteries perched on stone pillars in central Greece. Three-hour train ride from Athens (worth doing in itself) to Kalambaka, then a day or two exploring the monasteries.
Best for: History and religion travellers, anyone with a spare two days on the mainland leg, photographers, anyone doing an Athens-Delphi-Meteora circle.
Don’t skip: The main road drive between monasteries at sunset, one interior visit (Great Meteoron is the biggest, Varlaam has the best frescoes), a taverna dinner in Kalambaka.
How long: Two nights (arrive one day, monasteries the next, back the third).
Aussie-specific tip: Dress code is strict. Shoulders and knees covered, women wear a skirt (not pants). The monasteries hand out wrap skirts at the door if you show up in pants. Our What Not to Wear in Greece guide covers church rules in detail.
8. Thessaloniki
Greece’s second city and its best-kept culinary secret. Younger, edgier, more Balkan, more Ottoman-influenced. If you love food, you’ll love Thessaloniki more than you loved Athens.
Best for:Food travellers, second-time Greece visitors, anyone flying into Athens and out of Thessaloniki (or vice versa) for a full-country trip.
Don’t skip: The waterfront promenade, the White Tower, the Ano Poli (upper town) at sunset, Modiano market, a proper bougatsa breakfast, dinner in the Ladadika district.
How long: Two to three nights.
Aussie-specific tip: Athens to Thessaloniki is a 5-hour train ride or a 55-minute flight. The flights are cheap. If you’re combining, fly.
9. Hydra
An hour and a half from Athens by fast ferry. No cars, no motorbikes, just donkeys and stone stairs. The prettiest port town in Greece and the easiest weekend escape from the city.
Best for: Weekend trippers from Athens, couples, honeymooners, art and design travellers (Hydra has a small but serious contemporary art scene).
Don’t skip: A sunset walk to the Kamini fishing village, dinner at any taverna on the harbour, a boat trip to Bisti beach, the DESTE Foundation summer exhibition.
How long: Two nights minimum. Day trip works but two nights is the sweet spot.
Aussie-specific tip: Bring good shoes. The whole town is stone stairs. Wheeling luggage up to a hotel means paying a donkey or a young local €10 to lug it for you (worth every euro).
10. Sifnos
Small, quiet, food-obsessed Cycladic island. Nikolaos Tselementes (the man who wrote the definitive Greek cookbook in the 1930s) was Sifnian. The island still takes cooking seriously. Also stunning.
Best for: Food travellers, slow-holiday couples, second-time Cyclades visitors looking for less-tourism, anyone who prefers a real village to a tourist strip.
Don’t skip: Kastro at sunset (the fortified medieval village), Chrysopigi monastery on its rocky islet, a chickpea revithada slow-cooked in a wood oven for Sunday lunch.
How long: Four to five nights.
Aussie-specific tip: Getting there is the pain (5 to 7 hours from Piraeus by ferry, no airport). Pair with Milos or Paros to make the journey worth it.
What we quietly leave off
Santorini. Beautiful, obviously. It’s now a case study in overtourism, and August at Oia is a slow-moving human traffic jam. If you must go, go in April, May, October or November, and stay two nights, not seven. Our full argument on why is in the Why we don’t recommend Santorini or Mykonos editorial.
Mykonos. Fine if you’re specifically going for the beach club scene. Miserable for anyone else. Prices in high season are punishing (€500 rooms, €30 cocktails, €25 sunbeds). Skip unless clubbing is the actual point of the trip.
Aussie itinerary combinations that work
10 days, first-timer, one island: 3 nights Athens, 6 nights Paros, 1 night Athens. The full version lives in our 10-day Greek islands itinerary from Australia.
14 days, first-timer, two islands: 3 nights Athens, 4 nights Naxos, 4 nights Milos, 3 nights Athens.
14 days, second-timer, mainland and islands: 2 nights Athens, 2 nights Meteora, 4 nights Lefkada, 4 nights Sifnos, 2 nights Athens.
10 days, food obsessive: 3 nights Athens, 3 nights Thessaloniki, 4 nights Crete (west).
14 days, older travellers, easier pace: 4 nights Athens, 4 nights Naxos, 4 nights Crete, 2 nights Athens.
Practical planning tools
Ferryhopper. For working out which islands connect to which and how long each hop takes. Use before you book flights so you know your itinerary is physically possible.
Google Flights alerts. Set alerts for Athens (ATH), Chania (CHQ), Heraklion (HER), Thessaloniki (SKG), Preveza (PVK) so you catch price drops on your target dates.
Rome2Rio. For working out mainland transport (train, bus, flight) between Athens, Meteora, Thessaloniki, Delphi.
Smartraveller for Australians. Register your trip at smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/greece before you fly.
FAQs
What are the best Greek islands to visit for Australians?
Paros and Naxos for first-timers wanting the classic Cyclades experience. Milos or Sifnos for couples wanting less tourism. Crete for longer holidays. Lefkada for families with kids. Hydra for weekend trips from Athens.
Is Santorini worth visiting?
Beautiful but suffering from overtourism. If you go, choose April, May, October or November. Two nights is enough. In peak summer we recommend other Cycladic islands instead.
How many Greek islands can I visit in 10 days?
Two islands plus Athens is the sweet spot for a 10-day Aussie trip. Three islands is possible but rushed. One island plus Athens works well if you want a slower pace.
What’s the most underrated place in Greece for Australians?
Thessaloniki, Naxos, and Lefkada consistently underperform in Australian search but overperform in real-world traveller reviews. Better food, fewer crowds, more authentic than the standard headline islands.
Where should I go on my second trip to Greece?
Second-timers should think mainland (Meteora, Delphi, Thessaloniki), lesser Cyclades (Milos, Sifnos, Amorgos), the Ionian (Lefkada, Zakynthos, Kefalonia) or a proper Crete road trip.
What’s the best Greek island for families?
Naxos for the wide sandy beaches and family-friendly infrastructure. Crete for older kids and teens. Lefkada if you’re driving from mainland Europe. Skip Santorini and Mykonos for family trips.
What’s the best Greek island for a romantic trip?
Hydra for old-world charm. Milos for dramatic coastlines. Paros for classic Cycladic beauty without the crowds. Sifnos for food-focused honeymoons. Santorini works too if you go in shoulder season.
How do I combine Athens with the islands?
Fly into Athens, spend two to three nights, then ferry or fly to your island of choice. End back in Athens for at least one night before your flight home. Never stack an international flight straight after a ferry arrival.
Do I need to book Greek accommodation in advance?
For June to early September, yes, at least three months ahead for the popular islands. For April, May, October and November, one to two months is fine. Winter is very quiet.
