I’ve gotten more than a few messages asking about the cost of traveling to Greece, so I thought it warranted a blog post.
The good news: compared to most European countries, Greece is cheap.
The bad news: if you’re American, you’re still getting about €.60 to $1
Timing is everything. Prices go down by as much as half if you travel outside of July and August. Prices start their steep climb in July and reach their peak sometime around the middle to end of July. The peak lasts a full month and prices drop again on September 1st. Athens may be the exception, in that prices don’t change quite as much, but on the islands timing makes a huge difference.
So here’s the nitty gritty on traveling to Greece:
Airfare
Airfare is dependent on where you’re flying from, so I’ll use the U.S. as an example that’s familiar to me. When I was searching for decent airfare last year, prices from the east coast averaged about $1,100. A good travel agent or a thorough internet search will pay off. A good friend who visited me last summer in Greece was able to get a ticket for about $700. Europeans are lucky — they have a plethora of budget airlines operating around the continent.
Some sites to check out:
Accommodations
First things first: if you’re going through Athens and care about location and cleanliness, book early. Book early. Athens fills up fast, no matter what time of year you’re traveling. This is especially true of rooms around the Acropolis, Plaka and Monastiraki. If you’re like me and just want something cheap and are not averse to walking 15 minutes to reach the Acropolis, I would still recommend booking early. I’ve shown up in Athens without a reservation after a long trans-atlantic flight and have always vowed never to do it again (even though I do).
On the islands, forget about hotels and go for private rooms instead. Most private rooms are just as good, if not better than hotel rooms, and you get the added bonus of getting to know a Greek family.
When I arrived in Kythnos, I found a room for 30 euro, which turned out to be a bit higher than I paid on the other islands for the month of June. The average cost for a single room in June and the beginning of July was 20 – 25 euro. The price last August for a room in the Cyclades was about 35-50 euro.
Some things to keep in mind:
1. Mykonos, Santorini, and to some extent Folegandros, are always more expensive. Try to book a room before you arrive or you’ll end up paying a premium. If you show up in Mykonos in August and someone offers you a room for €70, take it — it’s not going to get any better.
2. Rooms on some of the least visited islands can actually be a bit more expensive than average because there are fewer rooms on those islands.
3. Americans, keep in mind that European room prices vary depending on how many people are in the room. This worked out in my favor since I was mostly traveling alone.
It’s perfectly OK to show up on most any island (caveat: Mykonos, Santorini, Folegandros) without a reservation. Most people do this when traveling through Greece. Your ferry will be met by a group of locals who will offer you all sorts of rooms. You can bargain, within reason. Don’t expect the price to drop by more than €5 or so. Also, almost every island has a tourist office near the port and they’re a big help when it comes to locating rooms. Just go with the flow and remember that things move at a different pace in Greece.
Car Rental
In the beginning of the summer, I was able to rent a car on the islands for about €20 a day. Mind you, I always asked for the cheapest and smallest car. In the middle of August, I rented a jeep for about €50 a day. On September 1st, the jeep price dropped down to €30.
The great thing about renting a car in Greece is that there are no hidden costs. The price includes everything. That means no extra costs for taxes or insurance. Americans will especially appreciate this, since we get shafted on a regular basis by car rental companies in the States.
I was almost always able to get the price lowered just by asking if there was a better price. I think I brought up the dismal dollar to euro exchange rate once or twice. Feel free to look around for the best price — you might be surprised by how much prices vary from company to company.
Ferries
Ferry prices are dependent on how far you’re traveling. I paid about €12 for a one hour ferry between islands, and €45 for a trip of a few hours to one of the more remote islands. To save money, skip the fast boats and stick to the slower ferries, which really aren’t much slower. To save even more money, stick to steerage and don’t reserve a specific seat. Most greek ferries don’t have classes, per se, and so-called steerage fare will give you access to the entire ship unless it’s a ferry with pullman seats or sleeping berths, which cost extra. Use common sense though — if you’re on an overnight ferry, it gets fairly chilly on the open sea and you can save yourself a lot of discomfort by booking an interior seat if one is available.
Food
Food in Greece is reasonably priced and very filling. Greeks don’t skimp on portion sizes, and most entrees are sized for two people.
I spent, on average, between €15-20 a day on food. On one especially thrifty day, I only spent €6, so it can be done!
Over the coming weeks and months, I’ll try to do specific posts on rooms throughout the islands. It’s information I really could have used before my last trip, so hopefully it will help someone else out.
If you’re interested in keeping your travel costs down, yet still want a fantastic holiday in a breathtakingly beautiful country, I highly recommend Greece.
© 2010 – 2011, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved.
