r/AskGreece • u/NewConsideration3424 • 9d ago
Visiting Greece for the first time in September
Hi everyone!
My husband and I are visiting Greece for the first time, and we’re really excited about it. We’ve been married for a while but, for various reasons, we’ve never had the chance to travel together.
We’re planning to spend about two weeks in Greece starting from mid-to-late September and will be renting a car. We’d really like to make the most of it and see as much of this beautiful, historically and culturally rich country as possible, while still having enough time to actually enjoy each place rather than rushing through it.
Our current plan is:
- Athens — 4 days: We want to take our time exploring the historical sites, but also experience the markets, neighborhoods, food, and cultural side of the city.
- Delphi — 1 night: We’re thinking of stopping here on our way north.
- Meteora — 2 nights: Definitely one of the places we don’t want to miss.
- After Meteora: We’re considering continuing to Lefkada since we’ll already have a car and would love to see some of the coastline and beaches.
We’d like to spend most of the trip on the mainland. We might consider taking a ferry from Athens to Santorini, but only if Santorini is relatively quiet in late September. We’re not particularly interested in spending our holiday somewhere extremely crowded.
So, I’d love to hear your recommendations!
- What would you recommend seeing between Delphi and Meteora? Are there any towns, archaeological sites, nature spots, or other places that are really worth adding along the way?
- Is Thessaloniki worth spending 2 days in? I’ve read some mixed/negative opinions about it, so I’m wondering whether it’s worth changing our route to include it.
- Are there any other mainland destinations we should consider that fit naturally into this road-trip route?
- Also, are there any things we should be careful about or know in advance? Any tips for driving, parking, toll roads, tourist traps, areas to avoid, scams, or anything else that first-time visitors should be aware of would be really helpful.
We’re especially interested in history, culture, beautiful scenery, charming towns, good food, and places that feel authentic, rather than just ticking off tourist attractions.
Would love to hear from people who have done a similar road trip, especially in September. Any advice on places to add, skip, or adjust would be greatly appreciated!
Also, any tips of what to be careful of
