Travel Guide: 8 Days in Greece (Honest Review)

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Greece had always been a dream, with its beautiful architecture, crystal-clear waters, and sandy beaches. I yearned to live out my Mamma Mia dreams, frolicking on a Greek Island. However, when we initially researched, staying on the islands seemed impossible on a backpacker’s budget. Yet, with a lot of research, we made it work by finding slightly less touristy islands offering an authentic Greek experience at a fraction of the cost. Our Greek adventure averaged just 90 euros a day!

Here is how we managed to explore Greece on a backpackers budget.

Stop 1: Athens (1 Night)

With only one full day in Athens, we aimed to make the most of it. Arriving at 6 am after an overnight bus journey, we left our bags at the hotel since check-in wasn’t until lunchtime. Operating on just a few hours of sleep, we made our way to the Acropolis. Having pre-booked our tickets, we joined the queue at 7:45 am, and surprisingly, we weren’t the first ones there. We spent about a two hours at the Acropolis exploring around the Parthenon before it got way too hot and we became extremely tired. We headed back to our hotel for the rest of the arvo to get some rest before our ferry early in the morning. 

Honest Opinion:

Staying in Athens for more than a single night didn’t seem worthwhile to us. Our main goal was to visit the Acropolis, which we achieved. At times, strolling through Athens made us feel quite unsafe, and I wouldn’t have felt entirely comfortable exploring it alone. My advice is to stick to busier tourist areas and be vigilant with your belongings.

I’d consider returning to Athens only as a transit point to reach the islands; it didn’t leave a strong desire to revisit for its own sake.

Stop 2: Paros (3 nights) 

Following what felt like a marathon ferry journey, we finally arrived in Paros, Greece. I was so excited to finally be in the Greek Islands. We walked to our accommodation, the most budget-friendly B&B we could find. While it wasn’t perfect, it served its purpose. We stayed at Jimmy’s Cheap Rooms, as you can tell by the name the rooms condition and the overall service of the accomodation was ‘cheap’. During our stay in Paros, we ventured into various beach clubs, rented a scooter for island exploration, and simply relaxed. I highly recommend getting a scooter while you’re there; we spent an entire day touring the surprisingly large island, stopping at numerous beaches along the way. It was an excellent value for money and a fantastic way to discover the island.

Honest Opinion: 

We opted to stay in the town where the ferry docks, which is a tad quieter and less touristy compared to Naousa, the Instagram-famous spot. We did check out Naousa, and it’s the place to be for a lively nightlife scene and restaurants. However, we personally enjoyed the more relaxed and less crowded atmosphere of Paros town.

Stop 3: Andros (4 night)

After arriving at the port we realised that Andros town wasn’t actually at the port and we needed to catch a bus to arrive there (missed that one in the planning) Luckily there was a public  bus and some very helpful locals to point us in the right direction. 

After arriving in Andros town we were met by our airbnb host and shown the way to our accomodation. We were absolutely blown away by the stunning town and accomodation. I was definitely living my Mama Mia dreams. There were beautiful swimming spots around every corner with our favourite beach being Paralia Pismo Gialia. We got a little bit unlucky with the wind whilst we were there which made sunbathing on the beach a tad unpleasant but we still managed to have a few swims and explored as much of the islands as possible. 

Honest Review:

I can’t stress enough how much I’d recommend Andros. It easily became my favorite Greek Island out of the two we visited. If it weren’t for the wind, we would have spent our entire day at the beach and enjoying the fantastic swimming spots. Nevertheless, we had an amazing time. The town boasts great restaurants and charming little shops. If you’re looking for a Greek island that’s less crowded with tourists, I would wholeheartedly recommend Andros.

Relevant as of October 2023