Today I’m sharing all of our tips for planning a trip to Greece with kids and our 9 day Geek islands itinerary.
On our recent 18 day trip, we spent 4 nights in London, 9 nights in Greece, and 4 nights in Scotland. Since we flew into and out of London, we book-ended the trip with stays in the UK, but Greece was the main focus of this trip.
In this post, I am going to cover it all: choosing islands, lodging, rental car, and ferries.
I’ll share some of the strategy behind planning our trip to Greece with kids and what all went into our decision-making process. Then, I’ll walk through our entire 9 day Greek islands itinerary. I’ll share our general thoughts on each island, where we stayed, and if we’d do anything differently.
I will also link my guides to each specific island as I publish them over the next month.
Greece With Kids: Our 9 Day Greek Islands Itinerary
Day 1-2: Santorini
Day 3-6: Naxos
Day 7-9: Paros
Is Greece kid friendly?
We found Greece to be incredibly kid friendly. For reference, our daughters were almost five and six-and-a-half at the time of this trip. They had a BLAST and absolutely loved Greece.
Like a lot of southern Europe (in our experience), the atmosphere was very laid back, and all of the locals we met were so kind to us and our kids. There weren’t a ton of kids on Santorini, but we met a bunch of other young families like ours over on Naxos and Paros. This was really fun for our girls, as they made little friends to play with everywhere we went.
The beaches in particular on Naxos and Paros were super kid friendly. The water was super calm, crystal clear, and very inviting. The girls played for hours and hours each day. We paid for spots at beach clubs at almost every beach we visited which was a great hack with kids. We’d have a little “home base” for the day and were able to order lunch or dinner as needed.
Lastly, we found the food in Greece to be very kid friendly as well. Our kids happily dined on Greek salad, chicken fillets, pita, and–curve ball–a lot of calamari (LOL). And where restaurants in other areas of Southern Europe may not open until 7pm or even later for dinner, we found Greek restaurants to be much more amenable to a kid-friendly schedule and didn’t run into any issues with this.
While 5 and 6 years old were GREAT ages to travel to Greece with kids, I would not hesitate to bring younger children or babies either. I think Greece is a great place to travel to with kids of all ages! The only thing to note is that navigating the ferries and such would be a little more difficult (any logistic hurdle becomes harder with toddlers!), but I wouldn’t let it deter you from planning a trip if you’re up for the challenge.
And one more thing to be aware of: in our experience, the Greek islands weren’t overly stroller friendly. All of the towns we visited had lots of steps, so just something to be prepared for.
Planning a trip to Greece with kids
Visiting the Greek islands was a major bucket list item for us. We wanted to strike a balance of experiencing the best the area had to offer while also having time to actually relax and enjoy ourselves. We did not want to be island hopping every other day just for the sake of seeing more places. After all, I was 27 weeks pregnant at the beginning of this trip, so we planned it all out knowing I wouldn’t be operating at full capacity.
Planning a trip to the Greek islands with kids (or without!) can be overwhelming. There are SO many islands and areas to choose from, to say nothing of navigating the ferry system and inter-island transportation.
After a LOT of back and forth, we decided to focus on the Cyclades for this trip, primarily because it was the easiest area to get to. We wanted to skip Athens and fly direct from London on this trip–waddling around Athens in the summer heat was simply not in the cards for me. We were able to secure direct flights between the Cyclades and London which was the final factor in our decision-making process.
Pro tip: If you are flying to the Greek islands, I highly recommend booking your flights as far in advance as possible. The prices rise each month as it gets closer to summer.
For what it’s worth, we also highly considered Kalamata on the mainland, Crete, Corfu, Kefalonia, and Zakynthos. I am very much looking forward to visiting these areas in the future!
Visiting the Cyclade islands in Greece with kids
The Cyclades island group is located in the Aegean Sea. Situated southeast of the mainland in Greece, the Cyclades are known for their crystal clear beaches, white and blue stucco architecture, ancient ruins, and rugged terrain. While each and every Greek island is different from the last, the Cyclades are what I, as an American, would picture as the “quintessential” Greek island. (Take that with a grain of salt, of course).
There are 220 Cycladic islands in total, 24 of which are inhabited. The Cyclades are home to some of the most visited Greek islands: Santorini and Mykonos being the headliners, followed by Paros, Naxos, Milos, Sifnos, and Syros.
After a lot of consideration, we decided to visit Santorini, Naxos, and Paros on this trip.
Every decision we made for this trip was through the lens of me being pregnant. We chose three islands that were somewhat close together because I knew I would not be able to tolerate long, multi-stop ferry rides between destinations. And, in hindsight, this was the best decision we could have made.
The ferry from Santorini to Naxos took a little over an hour. The ferry from Naxos to Paros took about 20 minutes. And then we just had to ferry from Paros to Mykonos on our last day to catch our flight home–that ride took 45 minutes. All very doable, but I wouldn’t have wanted to do anything longer than that.
We also took into consideration how easy it would be to get around on each island. For example, we read that many of the coolest beaches in Milos are accessible only quad which also wasn’t going to happen on this trip.
Ferrying between Greek islands with kids
For better or worse, the ferry system in Greece is a traveler’s rite of passage. We found the ferry system relatively easy to navigate but a nuisance just the same. One ride, our seats were double booked. (Fortunately, the staff took one look at my baby bump and ushered us over to first class, but any other day we might not have been so lucky). On another journey, the notorious Cycladic winds made our ride VERY bumpy which was not ideal.
We purchased all of our tickets through FerryHopper. Again, going for ease, we chose the fastest (and most expensive) routes between each island. I paid the extra fee to make our tickets “flexible” which we didn’t end up needing. However, the very next day after we left Greece, every single ferry in the Cyclades was canceled due to bad weather which left travelers scrambling. Harrowing! I definitely recommend selecting the flex option when you book.
How much do ferries in Greece cost?
Here’s a quick breakdown of how much we paid for our ferries in Greece. These are the total fares which include 2 adults, 2 children, and 1 car. (You can use the search tool in FerryHopper to filter by car ferries).
Santorini → Naxos (70 min): 240 €
Naxos → Paros (20 min): 107 €
Paros → Mykonos (45 min): 185 €
Pro tip: As you can imagine, the rates vary greatly by month and day of the week. We purchased our ferry tickets about two months in advance which I would definitely recommend, as the better/faster routes are known to sell out over the summer.
Renting a car in Greece
Having a car on these islands was a necessity. There are so many cool beaches and little towns to check out on each island. You could rely on buses and such, but if you’re traveling to Greece with kids, you’re going to want to hop around and explore on your own schedule.
Another decision we made was to rent one car for the entirety of our stay in the Greek islands. We booked through Kayak and reserved a car for pick up in Santorini and drop off in Mykonos on our way out. This cost more than renting a car on each island but made things SO much easier when it came to packing up and switching destinations.
Another huge advantage of keeping the same car the whole time is we were able to drive it right onto each ferry. If you are traveling by car, you’ll be directed to your own separate line on the dock. The car line is the first group on the boat and the first off the boat at each destination–I can’t explain how much time this saved us. It really was so easy.
Pro tip: When booking your rental car, leave some room in your booking for travel delays because a lot of these rental companies will only hold your car for an hour from the booking time. Our flight was delayed by 2 hours coming into Santorini, and they gave our car away. We had to rent a car on site through another company which cost us a couple of hundred dollars extra…and we were lucky they even had a car left for us!
When is the best time to visit the Greek islands with kids?
We visited Greece in mid/late June. The “high season” for tourism in the Greek islands is considered to be July and August, so we technically snuck in right before the worst of the crowds. And while Santorini was quite congested, we found Naxos and Paros to be perfectly enjoyable.
Weather wise, we couldn’t ask for better: warm and sunny. I think it was in the low 80s each day we were there. The girls and Tyler swam every day. The water was a little cold for me personally, but that’s not saying much.
Are the Greek islands windy?
The famous Meltemi winds that rip through the Cyclades are most prevalent from June to September, peaking in July and August.
Of the nine days we spent in Greece, two were very windy. We adjusted our agenda slightly to account for this and used the windy days to explore the towns in the afternoons rather than lay on the beach.
Our 9 day Greek islands itinerary: Santorini, Naxos, and Paros
Santorini with kids
We read an overwhelming amount of advice to steer clear of Santorini and Mykonos if we were traveling to Greece with kids. These two islands in particular get VERY crowded and congested during the summer months, especially during the day when cruise ships come in and spill hoards of daytrippers onto the dock. Mykonos is also known as the “party” island which was not quite the vibe for our trip either.
That said, these two islands have the most accessible airports…so we booked flights into Santorini and out of Mykonos.
We decided to go ahead and spend two nights on Santorini upon flying in. Tyler and I have both always wanted to see it, and having two nights + one full day was the perfect amount of time.
I am SO glad we included Santorini on our itinerary. It was, as expected, absolutely packed during the day, but it is, hands down, one of the most unique and stunning locations I’ve ever traveled to. It is popular for a reason, and I’m so glad we were able to see it.
The reason our stay in Santorini with kids was such a success, in our opinion, was due to two crucial decisions: staying only two nights and staying at the Blu Bianco Cave House in Oia.
Any longer than two nights, and I think we would have felt claustrophobic. One full day was all we needed to explore and “get the gist.”
And our stay at the Blu Bianco Cave House, a traditional white cave house, was just perfect. The property is located just off the main alleyway in Oia but felt totally tucked away and completely private. The view from our patio was INSANE. All four of us loved it so much. Our mornings and evenings were so peaceful and beautiful, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Besides the crowds, the only other knock to mention about Santorini is how pricey the restaurants were. We knew this going in, but it’s worth mentioning.
Naxos with kids
After two nights in Santorini, we packed up and moved on to the island of Naxos. In many ways, Naxos is the antithesis of Santorini. The island is much more low key, rugged, and not what I would consider glamorous really at all. That said, Naxos has an infectious, laid back charm that welcomed our family with open arms.
Another reason we chose Naxos is because the island is known for its ancient ruin sites. We thought this would be a great way to make up the history we’d miss by skipping Athens on this trip. Seeing the Temple of Apollo in Naxos town was definitely a highlight.
Where we mapped out our time in Santorini almost to the hour…we kept our Naxos itinerary scant on purpose. We wanted to relax and enjoy the beaches as much as possible. We spent hours at the beach every day, leaving only to venture to Naxos town one afternoon and up to the mountain towns for a few hours on our last day.
Naxos was the most affordable island we visited by far. This worked out great that we spent the most nights here, giving us a chance to even out after ritzy Santorini.
We stayed at the Kavos Hotel Naxos. This property was amazing. We had our own, standalone two bedroom villa. The villa was super spacious, and we even had a private rooftop deck to watch the sunset from. The staff here was incredible. The restaurant onsite was amazing, and the girls loved the pool. The property was a ten minute drive from Naxos town and less than a five minute drive (or a 10 minute walk) to the beautiful Agios Prokopios Beach. I would definitely recommend this property.
If you’re planning a trip to Greece with kids, Naxos is an amazing option.
Paros with kids
If Naxos and Santorini are on opposite ends of the spectrum, Paros is right up the middle. And while I hate to play favorites…if I had to rank the Greek islands we visited, Paros might just take the lead.
Paros has it all: gorgeous beaches, picture-perfect villages, and incredible cuisine. It has some of the glitz and glam of Santorini while still feeling laid back like Naxos. I had read that Paros has become overly crowded too, but that was not our experience at all.
The beach clubs and restaurants in Paros were more expensive than those in Naxos but not quite on the level of Santorini.
We stayed at an incredible villa called Vast Blue Paros. We had the apartment closest to the water, so we enjoyed sweeping views of the Aegean from our patio. Our apartment had its own private pool which was SO fun. (I would not recommend it if you have children who are not water safe though!).
The property was a ten minute drive from the unbelievably charming town of Naousa which ended up being my favorite spot we explored in Greece. The waterfront and quaint alleyways in Naousa were so beautiful, and everywhere we ate in town was amazing.
Our Greek islands itinerary with kids: overall thoughts
This doesn’t always happen, but I have to say we nailed the itinerary on this trip. Tyler and I both said so many times how glad we were that we visited all three of the islands we chose.
Between the staggering views of Santorini, the rugged, crystal beaches of Naxos, and charming, picturesque Paros, we felt like we experienced a great “sampling” of the best the Greek islands have to offer.
The only thing I would potentially change is instead of 4 nights on Naxos and 3 on Paros, I’d swap the two. Paros did have more to do than Naxos, so it would have been nice to have another full day to explore. However, this was by no means a deal breaker, and you can’t go wrong either way.
Our kids have already been pestering us about when we are going back to Greece which is the sign of a good trip.
Overall, if you are considering planning a trip to Greece with kids, I would say GO FOR IT! We had such a great experience, and I’ll cherish the memories we made forever.
Thank you for checking out my guide for visiting Greece with kids and our 9 day Greek islands itinerary. If you’re planning a trip this year, let me know how it goes!!
On that note…
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Our 2 week Spain and Portugal itinerary
3 weeks in Europe: France, Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia
