By Kayle Passmore
Greece was my absolute favorite trip out of the 35 countries I have visited! We traveled with our 18 month old on this trip and I can not recommend it to families enough. Greece is an amazing country and I would live there in a heartbeat. I am a history fanatic so I packed in as many cities and sights as I could into this trip.
We landed in Athens, walked around the city and saw the Parthenon, and then hired a car and drove to Corinth, followed by 11 more cities in 5 nights! Below are the stops we made (and the reasons we made them!)
1. Corinth:
The Corinth canal is very cool and has a lot of history. Pictures do not do it justice!
2. Sparta:
If you’ve ever seen the film 300 and know of King Leonidas, this is a must-visit. We found an Airbnb for accommodation.
3. Olympia:
We came here to visit the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Although the statue is no longer there exactly, the grounds and ruins are still definitely worth a visit. The atmosphere is awesome. We did not stay overnight here.
4. Patras:
We chose Patras as a stopping point on our journey and to break up the long drive. We found a beautiful little place on booking.com where the beach was a stone’s throw away from the porch. The sunset we experienced here was really beautiful
5. Thermopylae:
This is the location in the battle featured in the movie 300. Everything is still intact and there is even a thermal hot spring. It’s practically on the side of the road, just a little bit hidden, and was great.
6. Lamie:
This is the birthplace of Achilles
7. Mount Olympus:
We tried to drive as far up as we could, but the higher we went, the more snow and ice there was. The scenery was fantastic, but there are wild dogs all over the mountain that are not friendly at all and will bark at and chase your car quite viciously.
8. Meteora:
This was one of my favorite parts of the trip and felt like stepping onto another planet. The scenery, twisting roads and monasteries practically reaching the sky are definitely not to be missed. The hotels here were the most expensive, but completely worth the price. In the mornings you can hear the bells chiming and monks singing which, coupled with the scenery, is so peaceful. Like a mini spiritual retreat!
9. Loutraki:
This was a cool little town where we were able to find genuine Greek taverns and mingle with locals. We saw elderly couples dancing, plate smashing in its original form and met the kindest people ever. It was like a big party with happy strangers!
10. Pella:
This is the birthplace of Alexander the Great. You can visit his birth town and statue.
11. Macedonia:
We didn’t get much time to explore here, but I would definitely like to go back!
12. Thessaloniki:
This busy town had a large city center so everything was a little more polluted and crowded. Apart from visiting museums and cafes, I didn’t really think there was much to do here.
There is so much to see and do in Greece, so unless you’re planning on a relaxing beach holiday and sitting by the pool the entire time, staying in one place in Greece would be completely wasted. We were able to travel to so many places, with a toddler in tow, so I definitely think it’s possible on a family trip! Is this how you would want to see Greece, or would you prefer the beach version of this trip? Let me know below.
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