ITINERARY SUMMARY 

Athens – Delphi – Meteora (Kalambaka) – Thessaloniki

We spent a week in Athens and didn’t get bored but three clear days is probably enough to see all of the major sights. Bus is the only form of public transport that heads to ancient Delphi, but make sure you know the schedule as there aren’t that many each day. Overnighting in Delphi gave us the opportunity to visit the site as soon as it opened – this was brilliant and we had the place almost to ourselves for the first hour or so. Travelling on to Kalambaka, the main town for visiting Meteora, involved two changes of bus – one in Lamia and the other in Trikala. There are plenty of tours  you can join to see the astonishing monasteries of Meteora but it is also pretty easy to visit them independently and that is what we decided to do. We had a fantastic time hiking from one monastery to the next before taking a train to Greece’s second city, Thessaloniki, a likeable city that had enough to occupy our time for a day or so.

Number of countries: 1

Number of UNESCO sites: 3

Best time to travel: Although you could undertake this journey year-round, we think Spring and Autumn are the optimum times – it can get bitterly cold in winter and stifling hot in the summer months. March is a great month for travellers watching their budget – see our travel tips below!

Recommended duration: 10 days

Best places to slow the itinerary down:  If you have more time, we recommend an extra day in Athens to soak up the cafe culture, seek out more street art or visit some more museums.

Mode of transport: Mostly bus plus train

HIGHLIGHTS

Street art in Athens

Cafe culture in Athens

Having Delphi almost all to ourselves by staying overnight and visiting first thing in the morning

Hiking from one monastery to the next independently at Meteora

OPTIONS FOR EXTENDING THE ITINERARY

From Thessaloniki, there are direct buses to Sofia (Bulgaria) Tirana (Albania) and Skopje (Macedonia)

You can also travel overland to Istanbul in Turkey via Edirne

If you’re doing our suggested itinerary in reverse and ending in Athens, then there is the entire Greek archipelago to explore

Also, don’t forget to look at budget airlines like Wizz and Ryanair for interesting multi-country combinations. We flew from Malta to Greece with Ryanair for 20 Euros each

TRAVEL TIPS & ADVICE

Acropolis has free entry on the first Sunday of every month

Save on entrance fees and avoid the crowds: Between November and March, most of the government-run historical and archaeological sites offer reduced entrance fees.

Save on transport costs: Buy train tickets 48 hours in advance and get a discount of 15%

WHERE TO STAY

We found it quite challenging finding budget accommodation outside of Athens. There are places for all budgets in Athens and we booked a great apartment via HomeAway. Not surprisingly, there are options for all budgets and styles in Athens, but hostel recommendations from friends and fellow travellers include City Circus Athens, Acropolis Dream View, and Pella Inn Hostel.