Capycation

Greece holidays

6 destinations in Greece, with real fares from London Heathrow. Compare them in the trip search, or pick one below.

Highlights

Greece runs from Athens' year-round city break through the Cyclades' whitewashed islands to Crete's larger, longer-season landscape, several different trips under one flag.

Why go

  • Athens works as a city break through the months the smaller islands quietly close for winter.
  • The Cyclades deliver the postcard image of Greece in miniature: small, white, and built entirely around the sea.
  • Crete is large enough for a proper road trip, with a season that runs longer than the smaller islands around it.

Worth knowing

  • Ferries between the mainland and the islands are seasonal and can be affected by summer winds, so island-hopping plans benefit from some slack.
  • Mykonos and Santorini get genuinely crowded and expensive at the height of summer.
  • Thessaloniki sits apart from the islands in both geography and character: combining it with a Cyclades or Crete trip means real extra travel, not a shared itinerary.

Fares are one-way prices from London Heathrow, per traveller, checked regularly against Travelpayouts — indicative, not live quotes. See the packages page for real return windows with dates.

Choosing where to go

How Greece’s own destinations differ, and who each tends to suit.

  • AthensThe Greek trip that still works out of season — and the ferry gateway to the Cyclades, which makes it an easy first or last stop rather than the whole holiday.
  • ThessalonikiGreece's second city, on the mainland further north. A food-focused city break with none of the island feel, and noticeably less touristy than Athens.
  • MykonosThe livelier of the two headline Cyclades islands, built around beach clubs and nightlife. Small, and very busy through summer.
  • SantoriniBuilt around caldera views and sunsets rather than sandy beaches, and a romantic pick for couples. Small and genuinely crowded at the height of summer.
  • ChaniaCrete's old Venetian harbour town, on the island's quieter western side. A small old town, built for walking rather than driving.
  • HeraklionCrete's biggest city and main airport, and the practical base for visiting Knossos. A working city rather than a harbour town, and more central for exploring the rest of the island.

Regions of Greece

  • Athens and the mainlandAthens and Thessaloniki: city breaks that work most of the year, and the ferry and flight gateway to the islands.
  • The CycladesMykonos and Santorini: small, whitewashed islands built around summer, the sea and each other's contrast in pace.
  • CreteChania and Heraklion: Greece's largest island, big enough for a road trip and with a longer season than the smaller Cyclades.

When to go

Spring
Mild and green, with the smaller islands' hotels and ferries only gradually reopening through April and May.
Summer
Hot and at its busiest everywhere, especially Mykonos and Santorini; Crete's greater size spreads the crowds out more than the smaller islands can.
Autumn
Warm and quieter through September and into October, with many regulars' preferred window for the islands.
Winter
Quiet on the mainland cities and largely closed on the smaller islands, where many hotels, restaurants and ferries scale right back.

Weather across Greece

Monthly highs and rainfall averaged across Greece’s 6 published destinations — one place inside that set can run warmer or cooler than this. Gold months are the best weather fit by our formula.

Best overall
June · July · August · September
Hottest
July · 32°C
Wettest
December · 79mm

What it costs

An inexpensive restaurant meal runs around €15. A budget hotel room is typically around €63/night, €112 mid-range. These are Greece-wide estimates, not live listing prices.

Getting around

Ferries from Athens' port link the mainland to the islands, though flights are faster to Crete and the Cyclades if time matters more than the journey itself. Crete is large enough that a car earns its keep once there, unlike Mykonos or Santorini, which are small enough to cover on foot or by moped.

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