Greece was my favorite trip in Europe because of the beaches and party island vibes. Greece has iconic towns and beaches with a beautiful blue ocean backdrop. I love beach vacations, so Greece especially stole my heart. I think it helped I went with a large tour group because I was surrounded by a huge group of friends my entire trip. During the day I was always by a body of water or had views of a body of water, whether that be hiking, on a boat, or beach-side. At night I enjoyed multi colored sunsets and a fun ambiance of tourists out to have a good time. Don’t forget to get a Gyro and do the Greek tradition of dancing around and breaking a plate on the ground while yelling “Opa!”.

Athens

You will fly in and out of Athens so it is natural you will spend some time here. Do NOT go out by yourself if you are female. I just walked down the street to get to an ATM and I felt so unbelievably uncomfortable from my five minutes outside. It doesn’t help I am blonde, I stick out like a sore thumb. There are dozens of people on the streets that look dirty and homeless. They are mostly men and they just goggle at any female that passes by and yell remarks. I just kept my head down and didn’t give them the time of day. I did not feel safe at all. If you are with a male you will not get approached but people will still stare. I overall felt much safer in a group or with a male.

The only thing I would do in Athens is see the Acropolis. If you have been to Rome, the Acropolis won’t be quite as spectacular as that entire city because the ruins aren’t as well preserved. The Acropolis is still worth seeing because of the great view of the city and the history of the ruins. I don’t particularly like history, but Greece is especially interesting because of the ancient gods. The ruins are on top of a huge hill that overlooks the city. They are lit up at night to be seen by all. They have a big amphitheater and the Parthenon which has some columns still remaining from the building. You will be in awe of grandeur of the ruins.

Greek Islands

The highlight of a trip to Greece is of course the islands! The islands to me felt much safer. I was not uncomfortable walking around like I was in Athens. I could walk around by myself at 2am and there are so many other tourists out, I was completely comfortable. The economy of tourism is probably why the islands are safer. People would not visit otherwise. English is widely spoken. Ferry is the easiest way to get between islands. Some ferries took up to four hours so find yourself a comfortable seat and take a nap or enjoy the outer deck and the views. I suggest spending at least two nights on each island and picking three islands to go to. Each island has a different vibe so you will want to check out a few to get the full experience of the Greek Islands. I would also go in the summer to make sure the weather is nice and there will be a lot of people to party with.

Santorini

Santorini is the destination of the Greek Islands. If you have ever seen pictures of Greece, it was most likely of Santorini. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants was shot in Santorini! Think white buildings and blue rooftops with the setting of a deep blue ocean in the background. The colors are amazing. The island is so picturesque. You can spend one day out hiking a volcano and take donkeys back up the hill. I would spend at least one day in the main town, Oia, enjoying the cute village and a beautiful sunset that Santorini is known for. This is a great spot for any age to enjoy and an especially romantic destination if you are travelling with your significant other.

Everyone’s bucket list item was to ride a donkey, and I will say it was disappointing if not somewhat frightening. I grew up riding horses so I kept my head, but they basically throw you on a donkey and whip the donkeys up the hill. You have no control over the donkeys. They then let the donkeys loose back down the hill. They don’t look for people going up the hill so they let the donkeys loose from the group ahead of us down the hill right at us! A lot of the donkeys freaked out and started running. A couple people fell off, although they were fine. Not to mention they horribly mistreat the donkeys. They were rather mean to them and being an animal lover it was sad. You don’t really have a chance to get an insta worthy photo either unless one of your friends is brave enough to snap a photo of you while they are on their donkey or you are willing to pay a few euros for a picture. I doubt this will dissuade a lot of people from doing it anyways, but you have been warned.

Ios

Ios is a party island of the Greek Islands. Every night was spent bar hopping, dancing on tables, and singing your heart out to the latest songs. You can do what they call shot challenges to get a free tshirt. You had to take 10 shots and then they gave you the shirt. Granted you had to pay like $40 so you were basically buying it anyways but you got the added bonus of the alcohol. 10 shots you say!!! Yes 10, but trust me when I say it was 90% juice and 10% shots depending on the place. You will survive, just know your limits. You can also share a few of the shots, I didn’t find anyone that said no to free shots! At the end of the trip my friends and I all wore our matching shirts and now when I wear the shirt to the gym or something I am really happy remembering back on how I got the shirt.

When not out enjoying the nightlife, there are nice beaches to spend your days. You can relax by the beach, play sand volleyball, or sign up for a water sport. I did the intertube and you got a choice of a more relaxed ride or for them to try to throw you off. I picked the less intense one and even then they tried to throw me off the entire time! My friend flew off and to say the least wasn’t too happy when she got back on and made sure they slowed down. I have heard Mykonos is also known for partying in the islands so if you have the chance I’d check out both islands.

Paros

The island was a lot quieter and less touristy than its more popular brothers. The water was a beautiful hue of an aqua blue. I did a boat cruise to Antiparos that was a lot of fun. You can jump off the boat into the water and swim around. I personally took a pool floaty with me because I am not a strong swimmer. The island was still a lot of fun, especially with a big group. If I went back, I would probably replace this island with Mykonos though. Depending on your vacation style this may be the more relaxed island you are looking for.

Conclusion

Greece is a once in a lifetime destination. While the Greek Islands can be enjoyed at all ages, I would go while you are young and can party at Ios and Mykonos. Sometimes I am still in awe that I spent two weeks in such a dream destination. Before I studied abroad, Greece was some far off land I only saw in pictures or movies. Now I have two full weeks of memories that I will treasure for a lifetime.

I’ve had a lot of amazing trips, but these two weeks with my newly found friends from Contiki, I will try to top for the rest of my life and probably be unsuccessful! Greece is not only picturesque but it offers an experience that will put you out of your comfort zone by jumping off boats and dancing on tables. The Greek Islands empower you, yet keep you carefree. You’ll have this whole new mindset about you that you can do anything that you put your mind too. It is a laid back yet adventurous island lifestyle.

It is like they already saw my article and changed the trip to accommodate, but Contiki’s trip this year replaces Paros with Mykonos. You can find the trip I took here.