Greece: You’re Doing it Wrong
Greece is a perennial favorite among travelers to Europe, as well it should be. The food is unbeatable, the islands are stunning, that wine-dark sea goes on for days. But if you’re planning a visit there and your imagination extends no further than the vistas of Santorini and the clubs of Mykonos… you’re doing it wrong.
I’ve had the delightful privilege of visiting Greece many times since I met my husband, who was born there. Thanks to some local knowledge, I’ve learned a lot about how to enjoy this magnificent country - and how not to. Here are some of the biggest mistakes travelers make when they come to Greece, and how to avoid them.
Skipping Athens. Most tourists fly into Athens, check out the Acropolis, and book it out to the islands. Those dummies are missing out. Athens is a vibrant, fascinating city with at least two to three days’ worth of delights to offer (at minimum - we check out new museums, sites and restaurants every time we go back). In addition to the Acropolis and its incredible new museum, visitors should spend the day wandering Plaka and Monastiraki, check out the ancient entrance to the city at Kerameikos (it used to be lined with tombs!) and see some combination of the world-famous National Archaeological Museum and the less famous, but equally amazing, Benaki Museum and - my personal favorite - the Museum of Cycladic Art.
For years, Athens has reminded me of Oakland, CA - a city with a proud history, fighting back against waves of violence and poverty to forge something beautiful and well worth paying close attention to. It also boasts a hip food scene, with inventive chefs offering contemporary twists on classic Greek cuisine. Don’t miss Kuzina, right next to Kerameikos in Plaka, or Aneton, which started out in an unassuming residential suburb near my sister-in-law’s house, and is now a Michelin Plate awardee just around the corner from Syntagma Square.
Failing to eat at a bakery every day. Bakeries are fundamental to the Greek way of life. There is one approximately every other block. I remember asking my husband on an early trip how to ask (in Greek) “Is there a bakery nearby?” of the hotel concierge, so I could go out and get us some tyropitas. He told me to just ask where the bakery is.
”No, that sounds weird,” I said. “Why would I assume there’s a bakery nearby? Just tell me how to ask if there is one.”
He laughed at me for a while and then taught me how to say, at my insistence, something that translates roughly to “Does there exist a bakery?”
The hotel concierge very politely, in English, directed me to one of about three nearby bakeries, and my husband continues to tell this story to every Greek he meets. Every time he gets to “Does there exist a bakery,” they all start laughing.
The point is, bakeries. Visit them every day. Spanakopita is just the beginning, and for my money tyropita (spanakopita without the spinach) is where it’s at. Getting a carb crash from all that bread and pastry? Have another one. There’s a bakery just around the corner.
A photograph that, while magnificent, still does not capture what it’s like to be there. Credit: George Spanoudakis, CC BY-SA 4.0
Skipping Santorini because you’re too cool for all the cruise shippers and Instagram hordes. Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s expensive. Yes, it is also the most beautiful place I have ever been to in my entire life, and I have been lucky enough to go a whole lot of places. My husband took me there on our very first trip together, after I met his parents in Athens; I had seen plenty of stunning pictures and was sure it looked more normal in real life.
It blew my mind. Postcards and Instagram do not do Santorini justice. I have yet to see any image, no matter how perfectly shot or artfully rendered, that can capture the precise shade of purple that the water takes on in the late afternoon, or a sunset so stunning that people burst into applause when it’s over. (Even the one above. It’s better in real life.)
Now, a little advance planning will help you avoid those hordes a bit. Do not day trip to Santorini; stay there a couple of nights at least. (Four if you really want to soak it in.) Wander Fira and the other caldera towns after the cruise ships have left port - or, if you’re a plan-ahead type, schedule your visit when there aren’t any. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it in the off-season; Greek winter weather is pretty dismal and many of the shops and restaurants close up. But shoulder season, which used to be May and September and is now April and October, is pretty great.
On the busy days when the cruise ships have taken over Fira, get out to the other side of the island. One of Greece’s best archaeological sites, Akrotiri, is located here. It’s a nearly perfectly preserved city that was wiped out ~1450 BCE by the eruption of the volcano that turned Santorini into the caldera it is today (an eruption so big it triggered tsunamis across the Aegean sea and changed the climate as far away as China). Akrotiri often gets compared to Pompeii for that reason; it’s a phenomenal experience.
I also recommend a tour and tasting at Boutari Winery. It’s one of the most famous wine producers in Greece, and the tour offers some fascinating insight into how they manage to cultivate grapes in such an arid landscape. Buy a bottle or three, drink them on your veranda overlooking the caldera with a gyro from Lucky’s Souvlaki, and all is right with the world.
Ordering the house wine. Speaking of wine: despite its considerable head start, Greece is not well known for high-quality product. There are some fantastic exceptions, and the wine industry there has really taken off in recent years, particularly in the Nemea area between Athens and Nafplio. But at your average taverna - where the food is reliably fantastic - the house wine is plonk. Go for Boutari or Skouras if you see it, or just give up and get a vodka tonic if you’re somewhere with a full bar.
A word about retsina. This is, infamously, white wine flavored with pine resin. Legend has it that the Greeks started doing this so the Turks would stop drinking all their wine when they invaded. Now, a good glass of retsina is like drinking a fresh pine forest; it’s an unusual and delightful flavor that goes down easy. A standard glass of retsina is like drinking Pine-Sol. Only order Retsina at a fancy-pants restaurant, they’ll likely have the good stuff.
If you head down as far as Crete - and you should - you’ll encounter a complimentary digestif called raki, which in my opinion is like following up your amazing dinner with a shot of petrol. “Enjoy” at your own risk.
Honestly, how many places have you been where you get to look at the skull stack?
Skipping the mainland. The islands are all beautiful. You know what else is beautiful, and a much more unique experience than sun, sand and sea? A collection of monasteries and convents perched on the tops of glacial rock formations, where they neatly stack the skulls of their departed brethren in a pantry and the nuns will sell you handmade ointment for “Arthrities.” A Renaissance-era Venetian fortress overlooking the former capital of Greece. The Oracle at Delphi. (Although don’t drink the water there, trust me on this.) Mainland Greece gets neglected in favor of the islands, which is a boon for you: much less crowded.
All in all, Greece really requires many visits to truly enjoy everything it has to offer. I still have a long list of places I haven’t yet visited, including Rhodes, eastern Crete and the western Peloponnese. Whether you’re going for the first or fifth time, though, if you’re doing it right, it will always surprise and delight you.
