10 Days in Greece: Itinerary Through Athens, Delphi, Meteora, Naxos and Santorini

Halfway through the trip, the rock towers of Meteora stand over the town of Kalabaka, and the monasteries on their summits come into view long before you reach them. Behind you are the streets of Athens and the sacred slope of Delphi, ahead are the Cycladic islands and a volcano with a caldera you can stay in. The route is a loop of ancient sites, mountain monasteries and two islands, built around few hotel changes and a slower pace.

Is 10 Days enough for Greece?

Ten days is enough for one well-shaped loop of Greece, but not for the whole country, and this route is built for travelers who prefer to unpack a few times rather than every night. It gives three stretches of the country their own time: the capital, the mainland sites of Delphi and Meteora, and two islands in the Cyclades. Each stretch changes the scenery completely, so the trip never feels like the same place repeated.

Athens opens the trip because it explains the rest. Ancient Greece was a loose collection of culturally and linguistically related city-states and regions, centered on the northeastern Mediterranean, and that scattered world is easier to grasp once you have seen the capital and then the sacred precinct at Delphi. Meteora adds the Orthodox Christian side of the country, with monasteries built on the tops of rock towers.

The islands come last, and they are chosen with care. Naxos is the largest island of the Cyclades and the most fertile, so it brings farms, villages and mountains as well as shoreline. Santorini closes the trip with its caldera and its active volcano. Between them these two give a fuller picture of island Greece than a longer list of stops squeezed into the same days.

What the loop leaves out is large. Crete is the largest Greek island by area and population and deserves a trip of its own, with Rhodes and Lesbos, the fourth and third largest islands, and Euboea, the second largest, close behind in size.

Mykonos, which sits among Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos, is also left for another journey. The mainland beach regions of Chalkidiki, Epirus and the Peloponnese stay unvisited here as well, as do the pilgrimage sites of northern Greece.

Seen this way, ten days is a first chapter rather than a full survey. It covers the places that most first visits to Greece are built around, and it leaves an honest list of reasons to come back.

The itinerary stage by stage

Days 1 to 3: Athens

Three nights in one hotel let the first days unfold without a move. Stay in or near the Plaka, the old neighborhood of picturesque streets, historic landmarks and lively shops, which also gets crowded. The Acropolis and the Parthenon are the reason most people come, and the neighborhoods around them fill the rest of the days with squares, cafés and small museums.

Getting around is simple enough with the Athens Metro, which runs from early morning until just after midnight, and until later on Friday and Saturday nights on lines 2 and 3. On the buses, passengers do not use the front door to get on or off. Eat the way Athens does: souvlaki and gyros from a counter, moussaka and grilled fish in a taverna, and a plate of meze (small shared dishes) with a glass of ouzo as the evening goes on.

Day 4: Delphi

Delphi is an ancient sacred precinct on the southwestern slope of Mount Parnassus, and in antiquity it was considered the navel of the Earth. It was a spiritual meeting place for the Greeks and the seat of the most important oracle of ancient Greece. Walking the sanctuary, you follow a path up the mountainside past the remains of the treasuries, the temple and the theater, with the valley opening below.

The modern town of Delphi lies very close to the archaeological site and spreads along two streets of traditional small houses, hotels and tavernas. Sleeping here keeps the evening simple, since dinner is a few steps from the room. Order grilled meats, local cheeses and a plate of greens, and linger on a terrace after the ruins have closed.

Days 5 and 6: Meteora and Kalabaka

Meteora is an area in Thessaly, in Central Greece, and what makes it special is the monasteries on the tops of the rock towers. The complex has six monasteries still standing and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. Kalabaka, built at the foothills of the rocks on the left bank of the Pinios river, is the gateway and the place to sleep, with the village of Kastraki close by.

Two nights here allow the rocks to be seen from the town and from the monasteries, without squeezing everything into a single stop. Between visits, the tavernas of Kalabaka serve what mountain Greece does best: grilled lamb, feta baked with tomatoes and peppers, and pies filled with wild greens. The road back toward Athens begins on Day 7.

Days 7 and 8: Naxos

Day 7 is a travel day, from the mainland to the Cyclades, and the evening is for settling in on Naxos. The island covers 170 square miles and is the largest in its group. Zas, its highest mountain, is also the highest in the Cyclades. The port at Chora is too small for cruise ships, which gives the harbor town a scale that suits an evening stroll along the waterfront.

Day 8 can be spent in Chora or in the interior villages, where the island’s fertile land shows in its farms and its food. Naxos is known for potatoes, local cheeses such as graviera and a citron liqueur, all of which turn up on taverna tables. Sit down to a long lunch of grilled meat or seafood with a salad of tomatoes and capers.

Days 9 and 10: Santorini

Santorini is the southernmost of the Cyclades and the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It has an active volcano, and visitors can stay on the caldera rim. In ancient times the island was called Thera. Two nights here give room for a full day on the island between the arrival and the last morning.

The day on the island belongs to the caldera and the volcano, which the island’s own tourism site calls a wild natural wonder. At the table, try fava (a puree of yellow split peas), tomato fritters and the white wines of the island. The final day is for the journey home, so keep it free of plans.

Getting between stops

The mainland legs are the ones to think about first. Athens, Delphi and Meteora lie on the mainland, and the legs between them are made by road.

Anyone planning to drive must carry a valid U.S. driver’s license, and insurance companies may require an international driver’s permit. The U.S. Embassy in Greece does not issue the permit, so travelers get it in the United States from AAA or the American Automobile Touring Alliance.

The islands are reached by sea. Blue Star Ferries provides services between the Greek mainland and the Aegean Islands and serves more than 20 destinations, while Golden Star Ferries operates from the mainland to the Cyclades. Santorini lies about 120 miles southeast of the mainland, which explains why the island feels like a separate trip rather than an extension of the mainland loop.

In Athens itself, the metro is the backbone for sightseeing, and the buses run alongside it. Schedules, crossing times and fares change from one operator and one season to the next, so the route is shown by mode only.

What to book before your 10 Days in Greece

Three things shape this trip: the two sea crossings to the Cyclades, the lodging in the places where you spend the nights (Athens, Delphi, Kalabaka, Naxos and Santorini), and the sites of Delphi and Meteora. Drivers also need the international permit before leaving the United States, and driving without a U.S. license and permit can bring fines of 1,000 Euros or more, or responsibility for all expenses after an accident. The mail-in option from AAA will likely take days or weeks.

Adapting the route

Season changes how this loop feels, and Athens shows it clearly. The islands and the mountains each have their own weather.

In July the capital is hot and nearly dry, so the days in Athens are the ones to approach with sun protection and a slower pace. In January the days are cool with frequent rain, which calls for a rain jacket and warm layers. April and October fall between the two and suit a loop that mixes city, mountains and islands.

A season also changes the islands. Mykonos is best from mid-May through June or from September through mid-October, and July and August are extremely crowded there. Known as the island of the winds, it is a possible swap for Naxos if the dates fit.

A shorter or a slower trip

To shorten the loop, drop either the Meteora stage or the Naxos stage and keep the others as they are. Without Meteora, the days after Delphi go straight back toward Athens and the sea. Without Naxos, Santorini follows the mainland directly. Either cut removes a hotel change and a travel day.

For a slower trip, keep Athens and Santorini and give each an extra night. The caldera and the volcano reward unhurried days, and Athens has more neighborhoods than three days can cover. Another option is to stay in the Cyclades only, adding the Naxos days to Santorini and leaving the mainland for another time.

A longer trip: Crete

With more days, Crete is the natural addition, and it is large, with 3,260 square miles and 650 miles of coastline. ANEK Lines operates passenger ferries mainly on the Piraeus to Crete route, and Heraklion Airport, 3.1 miles east of the center of Heraklion, is the second busiest in Greece after Athens.

At the table, Crete adds dakos (barley rusk with tomato and cheese), gamopilafo (a rich wedding rice) and kalitsounia (small cheese pastries). The island also has beaches that include naturist stretches. Give it a separate trip rather than a stop in this loop.

Good to know before you go

Plan the money side around the euro, which is the currency in Greece, and keep some small bills for cafés and bakeries. Heat is the main habit to plan around in summer, with sun protection and water on the days at the ancient sites, while the Cyclades are known for their winds, and Mykonos even carries the nickname island of the winds. In busy places such as the Plaka, crowds are part of the scene, so keep belongings in view and pace the days so there is time to sit down.

Sources

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• Wikipedia, Fast Ferries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Ferries), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Golden Star Ferries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Star_Ferries), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Greek islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_islands), checked October 12, 2026
• OASA, Athens urban transport (https://www.oasa.gr/en/), checked October 12, 2026
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• Visit Greece (GNTO), Delphi (https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/central-greece/delphi/), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Delphi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphi), checked October 12, 2026
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• U.S. Department of State, Greece travel information, travel and transportation (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Greece.html), checked October 12, 2026
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• Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS), climatological normals 1991-2020 for Elliniko station (https://www.emy.gr/climatic-data), monthly mean daily maximum and minimum; rain from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis, 1991-2020, grid cell of Athens (Open-Meteo), checked October 12, 2026
• ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis 1991-2020, grid cell of Athens (Open-Meteo), checked October 12, 2026
• Plan de the (duree choisie by the redaction)

To plan your stay

• Best Time to Visit Greece: September and Late May to Early June
• Arachova: Parnassus Mountain Town, Formaela Cheese, Ski Season and Saint George's Day
• American Airlines Flights to Greece: U.S. Cities, Athens Arrivals and Onward Island Flights
• Greece on a Budget: Cash Machines, Cards, Beaches and Ferries