Planning the perfect Greek Islands itinerary can be intimidating, but being the planner that I am, I’ve got the perfect Greece 1 week itinerary for you!
Greece has always been on my bucket list and I finally was able to cross it off my list (only took me 30 years) lmao.
I’ve been out of the country multiple times, usually to Brazil as that’s where my family is from, and I’ve also been to Spain with my sons father back in 2019. Growing up, my step father hated long flights (we were only able to convince him to go to Brazil a few times), so most of our summer vacations were in the Caribbean. Our go-to countries were always Mexico & Dominican Republic at an all inclusive resort. Then in 2015, my step dad purchased a time share in the Cayman Islands which I then visited every summer there after.
While I’ll always love my Caribbean beach vacations, after visiting Spain I know I wanted to see more of Europe. Because there are so many countries I’d love to visit in Europe, I knew I most likely will only be in Greece once. So of course, planning my Greece 1 week itinerary was a must- I had to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime trip!
In this blog post, I’ll be sharing the exact itinerary I used for my trip to Greece- visiting Crete & Paros!
Greece 1 Week Itinerary: Crete & Paros
I went to Greece in May and I found the weather to be perfect. It was a little too cold for the beach/pool, but perfect weather to explore during the day and go out at night!
If swimming at the beach or sunbathing by the pool is more your vibe, I suggest you visit between June – August. And if partying & beach clubs is your scene, then I suggest going during this time as well. I was in Greece from May 29 – 27 and unfortunately a lot of the beach bars & clubs opened for the season a week after.
We were rolling deep on this trip- I traveled with my mom, her friend, my aunt & uncle, my two cousins & my best friend. We all flew into Crete and took trips to different islands midway through our stay. Everyone went to Santorini for 2 days while my one cousin, best friend and I went to Paros for 3.
Arrival Day: Getting Into Heraklion, Crete
Flying in from New York, we had a connecting flight in Austria, then landed in Crete around noon on Saturday. Unfortunately, my best friend’s flight was arriving almost 2 hours after mine. So while the rest of the fam headed to our resort, I stayed back and waited for her.
The airport at Heraklion is extremely small and once exiting the baggage claim area, there’s barely anywhere to sit. There are no bars, no food stands, or any stores to kill time. The only thing welcoming you after baggage claim is about 6 seats and a bunch of car rental booths. There aren’t even any outlets by those seats so I had to charge my phone while standing. Nonetheless, I felt safe and comfortable standing there alone for two hours while I wait for my friend to arrive.
Heraklion is a port city and the capital of Crete. Both the airport and the ferry port is in this city. While it’s more common to stay in Heraklion or closer to the east side of the island, we were staying in the town of Skaleta, heading west of Heraklion.
Skaleta is kind of a rural town, so we knew we wanted to rent a car. There was a lot of sight seeing on our itinerary and I knew if we were trying to cut time and get the most out of our day, it was best to rent a car rather than rely on public transportation. I highly recommend renting a car! And if you get anxious about driving in new places- don’t be! I absolutely hate driving in places I’m unfamiliar with (even in NYC you wont ever catch me driving in the city) but had no issues driving in Crete. Getting out of the city was a little nerve-wrecking with all the cars and traffic, but once you pass that everything else was a breeze!
We rented a car from Carwiz and had a great experience! They’re located right outside of the airport but offer to pick you up/drop you off if needed by van (we didn’t realize that and ended up walking- short walk but not very pedestrian friendly, don’t recommend! lol). There are other companies you can rent from as well, you can search HERE. I recommend renting ahead of time and not doing it day of, just in case.
We rented the smallest car possible- the Fiat 5000 convertible but it was automatic and comfortable to drive around the island. It was perfect for my best friend and I with luggage.
From Heraklion, it took us about an hour to get to the resort we were staying at. Majority of the ride was coast side so we got to enjoy the views while blasting out favorite music. Jamming out with my best friend in a country we both have never been to will forever be a core memory.
We stayed at Rimondi Grand Hotel & Spa Resort– but in the villas which was reserved for timeshares. Our villa looked like a regular home with a full kitchen, living & dining room, 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. There was also a personal swimming pool in our yard. By the time we were all checked in and settled into our place it was around 6pm. So we headed into a small town nearby to grab food.
We drove into the town of Rethymno for food and drinks. The main strip (Eleftheríou Venizélou is the street name) is filled with resturants and outdoor seating- it reminded me a lot of south beach Miami but more tame. We ate at Fraoules and enjoyed everything, from the food to the customer service to the prices. They even had hookah which I enjoyed.
Day 1: Crete- Chania
Day 2 started early for us- we were out of the house by 8am and grabbed breakfast at a nearby cafe called The coffee Stop Snack & More. Everything was extremely affordable here and the portions were great (BTW I’m extremely picky with my coffee and they have the best cover I’ve ever ordered out). We ended up getting breakfast here a few times during our trip and had a quick dinner here on our last night.
On our way to the town of Chania we stopped at Seitan Limani, a cute little beach filled with goats. The drive to this beach wasn’t difficult but once we got there, the drive up was a little frightening. Parking is high up on the cliff and in order to get to the water its a steep hike down. When parking, make sure to either place a large rock behind your tires so your car doesn’t roll back, or keep your parking break up. TAKE YOUR TIME DRIVING! This drive up and down can be extremely dangerous if not cautious.
I didn’t realize you had to hike down in order to get to the beach, so unfortunately we didn’t get to enjoy the water. Apparently the hike down wasn’t terrible and takes about 15 mins to get down. Regardless, the views were beautiful and it’s still worth the ride to see!
The town of Chania is super cute filled with lots of restaurants and shopping. Unfortunately majority of the shops were closed because we visited on a Sunday, so I’ve you’re looking to get some shopping done I suggest going another day during the week. Chania has a bunch of stores you’d find in the US like Zara, Sephora & H&M.
We didn’t do much in Chania besides walk around and grab lunch. We ended up eating at Kertos before heading back to the villa to get ready for our dinner plans. The restaurant is right on the water and surrounded by other restaurants, boats and people walking around enjoying their day. Food was excellent and service was great- they gave us a shot of “greek happy water”. Def recommend!
Dinner plans was all the way past Heraklion, in a town called Limenas. We were celebrating my 30th birthday and had reservations at King Scorpio. I love this place! The food was delicious, the service was great, and the vibes were immaculate. Sadly we visited Greece during off season so the restaurant was empty and we didn’t really need to make those reservations. After dinner my cousins, best friend and I stayed and grabbed a drink in their lounge area as the rest of the fam headed back to the villa. I highly recommend you check out this place but 1- make sure you’re visiting during busy season and 2- you either have a driver willing to make the drive back or crash at a local hotel/airbnb. The 75 min drive back (in the dark because there weren’t streetlights on some roads) was not fun.
Day 2: Preveli Beach, Kalypso Beach & Chania
Day 2 was spent beach hopping. I had saved a bunch of beautiful beaches I wanted to check out but didn’t realize how BIG the island of Crete is. The one beach I really wanted to check out was Elafonissi Beach, the famous pink sand beach but get this- it was almost a 2.5hr drive from where we were staying! We had to pick between going to that beach for the day or going to one closer and being about to stop at multiple different beaches along the way. Although the pink sand beach was the most talked about beach on social media, after doing my research I realized it’s not as “pink” as people make it out to be. I imagined the sand to be as pink as the images I’ve seen on Pinterest, but soon came to find out those images are extremely edited and the sand only has a hint of pink. We ended up going to Preveli Beach & Kalypso Beach instead and both were BEAUTIFUL.
On the way to Preveli Beach, we stopped at Gefyra Taverna Cafe for a quick bite to eat and a drink. It’s a very small, family owned cafe serving food, drinks, coffee and everything was absolutely delicious. The staff was extremely friendly and prices were great for the portions. We all shared a feta appetizer and a hummus plate.
From this cafe. it was about a 10 minute drive to Preveli beach. As an FYI, if you’re using waze, make sure you put “Preveli Beach” instead of just “Preveli”. We made the mistake of looking up just Preveli and it took us to a parking lot where you have to hike down in order to get to the beach. The road past this parking lot to the actual beach is very narrow and difficult to see, but if driving carefully can be easy to navigate. You can also look up “Tavern Snack Bar” for directions to the beach, as it’s a small restaurant located on the beach (we didn’t eat here but from the looks of the reviews of this place it doesn’t look so great lol). There was plenty of parking along the beach and it wasn’t crowded at all however I’ve heard during peak season it can get very packed. The water was calm and the view was stunning but as a fair warning: this beach welcomes nudists.
After Preveli we went to Kalypso Beach and I must say this was one of the prettiest beaches we’ve been to in Crete. Unlike most beaches, this one is all rock, no sand. It has it’s own secret cove and is also part of the Kalypso Cretan Village Resort & Spa– a very beautiful and affordable hotel, just far from the other towns. Although it’s a beautiful location I wouldn’t recommend planning for this to be a whole day thing. A few hours is more than enough time to spend here.
We headed back into the Old City Of Rethymno for dinner and drinks to end day #2. We went shopping down the main strip for souvenirs to bring back home and ended up getting one of those fish pedicures at Kiss Fish (I’m not sure if it actually did anything but I’ve always wanted to give it a try). Ending our day with dinner & drinks at Lux Cafe, we walked around the town along the venetian harbor and saw the Rethymnon Lighthouse. Since we got into town around dinnertime and had to be up early the next day to go to Paros, we didn’t have much time to see the other fascinating landmarks in the Old City Of Rethymno.
Day 3: Paros
We traveled to the Greek island of Paros of day 3 of our 1 week Greek vacation! Our crew split up for the next few days- my mom & her friends, aunt, uncle and younger cousin all went to Santorini for 2 days while my best friend and other cousin went to Paros for 3. When we first started planning our trip we were considering visiting Santorini or Mykonos. While those two islands are the most heard of, I also heard that they were the most expensive. After talking to a few Greek natives I’ve met in the past year and people who have previously visited Greece, they all mentioned Paros being the “affordable” version of Mykonos. In Paros you can also find a great nightlife scene, delcisious restuarants and the beautiful white walls and cobblestone streets. So we settled for spending 3 days, 2 nights in Paros.
We all left our villa at 6am to make the 8am ferry. The port is located in the city of Heraklion which was about an hr away from our villa and check in started 45 mins prior. There were multiple parking lots with ample parking and it cost no more than 4 euros a day- so it was definitely worth driving to the port rather than taking a taxi for us. Our ferry was a SeaJet and we purchased tickets through FerryScanner.
The ferry was very similar to a bus with multiple stops. Santorini was actually the first stop (roughly 2 hrs from Crete) and Paros was 3rd (about 4 hrs). There was assigned seating even though they didn’t really check to see if you were in your assigned seats on the way there, and there was also a full service bar where you can purchase breakfast, lunch, coffee or alcoholic beverages. We got to Paros around 1pm at their very small port.
Once we got to Paros the first thing we did was drop our luggage off at our Airbnb. We were torn between staying in two towns- Parikia which is where there ferry port is, and Naoussa which is on on the east side of the island. What interested us in Naoussa was the restaurants there. Naoussa is about 15 minutes from the port and is known for it’s luxury restaurants and more”high end” vibes. While Naoussa is absolutely gorgeous, we decided to get an Airbnb closer to the port (a 6 minute walk to be exact) in Parikia its was cheaper and close to many great shops and restaurants. The Airbnb was a 1 bed, 1 bath with a full kitchen, pull out couch and a cute little private terrace in the backyard.
For lunch we went to Greco to finally have a gyro and it was SO good! Greco is right on the water so we got to enjoy the views of the boats passing by while sipping on wine. If Andreas is there make sure to tell him Kat from USA says hi 🙂
We didn’t really have anything planned for the rest of the day besides exploring the island of Paros. There’s a lot of shopping in the town of Parikia so we stayed there, but if you’re looking to explore another town, Lefkes is great. Although we didn’t get the chance to visit Lefkes, I hear it’s beautiful and only 15 mins away from Parikia and Naoussa. Lefkes is the the most traditional Greek township in Paros and was once the medieval capital of the island.
Our first night in Paros was one for the books. Since I was the driver in Crete, this was the first night I was really able to drink and not worry about driving… and boy did I drink lmao. We started our night with a drink at a rooftop bar overlooking the water just as the sun was setting. It was the rooftop above Oasis Hotel called Salair Paros. The views were beautiful and the place was surprisingly empty. Since we visited right before their summer season (last week of May and summer season starts in June), majority of the places we went to were empty.
We lost track of time and was late to dinner. Unfortunately we didn’t plan dinner ahead of time and just grabbed something to eat at a random restaurant- Hibiscus. It’s known to be one of the oldest restaurants in Paros but in our opinion, it wasn’t the best. We all wanted to try authentic Greek cuisine and ordered kabobs, but weren’t “wowed” by them. By the looks of the reviews, pizza is their best dish they serve.
After dinner we obviously needed a night cap so we stopped at La Diablita for a drink. And by drink I mean drinks. The bar was small but the atmosphere was very cozy. The staff was extremely friendly and we got to know the bartender Vicky, and the manager Kostas. We exchanged socials and until this day still keep in touch. Ironically our server, Andreas, from Greco stopped by for a drink so we spent the rest of our night hanging out and taking shots with our new local friends.
Day 4: Boat Day in Paros
Day 4 was spent mostly on a boat then dinner in the town of Naoussa. The boat tour was such a great experience, but I must say it was not the best idea after a night out drinking lol. I came across a tik tok that shared this boat tour- it was 35 euros each, stopped at 3 locations for a total of 4 hours and included fruit, salad and drinks. The company was called Rofos Boat Tours and pick up was in the town of Alyki, 15 mins from Parikia.
The boat left at 10:30am so we took a taxi there around 9:15am to grab breakfast before we took off. We had breakfast at Cafe Marina for the perfect hangover breakfast- bacon with pancakes and coffee! Once we took off the boat stopped at three locations; Panteronissi Blue Lagoon, Pirate’s Cove and Agios Miron, St. Myron. We were able to get off the boat and swim/snorkle in each location however the water was way too cold for my liking. I’m sure during the summer months the water is warm enough to swim in.
There are almost no taxi’s in the town of Alyki and we were pretty much stuck there. Uber was not available there and of course our cell phones were having issues calling out. After 30 mins of waiting for a taxi to coincidently drive by, we were finally able to call for a taxi from Parikia. I HIGHLY recommend getting the contact info of the taxi that’ll drive you into Alyki so you can coordinate a ride back.
For dinner we made reservations at Barbarossa in Naoussa. While reservations are recommended, we absolutely didn’t need them- the place was pretty dead. Again, I think this is because of it being off season so I’m sure reservations are definitely needed during busy season. We sat outside by the water and got the perfect view of the sunset- it’s a very romantic setting if you’re looking for a nice dinner with your partner. Barbarossa was a little on the pricier side but the food was delicious! We had salmon tartare to share, my cousin and I each ordered sushi and my friend had seafood pasta. All amazing.
Day 5: Leaving Paros / Heraklion
Day 5 we left Paros and spent the evening in Heraklion after getting back to Crete. We were so sad to be leaving Paros. In fact I think I can say that I like Paros more than Crete. We couldn’t do much since our ferry back to Crete was at 2pm, so we just did some last minute shopping and grabbed a bite to eat at Oasis.
We got back to the port in Heraklion, Crete around 6pm. Since we only had a full day left in Greece, we wanted to explore the city of Heraklion since we didn’t get the chance to. From the port, it was about 15 minutes into the town of Limenas Chersonissou, and parking was easy to find. The main road (Eleftheriou Venizelou) is lined with stores, restaurants and tattoo shops. We wanted to get dinner with a view so looked at restaurants along Machis Kritis- the road along the coast. Kahlua Beach Bar was one I had pinned when I first started planning our Greece Trip so we ended up there.
The vibe was super cute and was giving Tulum. Drinks and food were well priced and also delicious. They also had hookah and light music which i loved. I would have loved to come here on a weekend when it was busier for a nice night out. Def recommend coming to this area and going bar hopping if you ever get the chance!
Before leaving Heraklion we wanted to do something spontaneous, so we got tattoos (that counts as a souvenir right? haha). There are many tattoo shops in the area but the two we found that did the style of tattoos we were looking for (dainty fine line) was Yaya Tattoo and Mike Tattoo Heraklion. We ended up going with Mike because Yaya closed earlier and were extremely happy with the outcome.
Day 6: Gorge Kakoperatos & Sunset ATV Tour
Our last full day in Greece was spent “going with the flow” with a scheduled ATV tour at the end of the day. We’ve heard about Gorge Kakoperatos or the “Big Waterfall” and actually tried to see it on day 2 on our way to Preveli Beach. On the drive to Preveli, you’ll pass through the rocky mountain first with a an area to pull over and take pics. Because so many people were out of their cars taking pictures (it really is a beautiful view), we thought this was the Gorge Kakoperatos- it’s not! If you keep driving down a little further, you’ll see what looks like a little brick house with a corss and a stairway going all the way down. These stairs will take you to the infamous waterfall- just make sure you’re mentally prepared for the many stairs down, then back up (highly recommend sneakers for this).
After, we went back into the town of Rethymno for dinner (yes, we clearly liked this little town). Because we were staying away from Heraklion, Rethymno was the closest town that had multiple stores and restaurants. Each time we went into this town it felt as if we were in a different place. This time we ate at Bourou Bourou for a light meal. We ordered tzatziki w pita, calamari and drinks. Everything was delicious.
We booked a sunset ATV tour through Quad Safari Peninsula and had such an amazing experience! Our tour guides were so nice and extremely patient with everyone. It’s a 3 hour tour ride stopping at multiple locations while watching the sun set over the horizon. I had no ATV experience prior to this but thankfully they did a quick “crash course” on how to operate one. Not going to lie, I was nervous at first but quickly got used to it. The three stops included the 16th centry town of Modino in Rogdia, a mysterious ghost village in Achlada and a traditional cage for a free tasting of home made local jam, honey and olive oil. We paid 80 euros for this tour and in our opinion was very worth it and a great way to end our Greece vacation.
Day 7 was spent packing, returning the car and heading to the airport. Although we made the best of this trip, there was still so much we wanted to see in Crete & Paros. 7 (technically 6) days is just not enough!
We purchased our flights almost 6 months before the trip and out of those 6 months, I spent 4 months researching everything about Greece and planning out our trip. You know those TikToks about how theres always the one planner in the friend group? Yea, well that’s ME. lol.
I created a powerpoint and broke down each day with time stamps and everything. I also found back up restaurants and activities to do in both Crete & Paros in case anything fell through. Since so many of my close friends loved my Greece travel guide (and even asked me to help plan their vacations), I’ve decided to offer it as a digital download! You can get a copy of my Greece travel guide HERE! My travel itinerary is also available as a canva template, you can get that HERE.
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