10 Days in Greece: Itinerary with Athens, Delphi, Meteora and the Cyclades

Midway through the trip, a ferry eases into the port of Naxos Chora, and the stone and dust of the mainland give way to the smell of grilled octopus and salt. Before that come the streets of Athens, the sanctuary of Delphi and the rock towers of Meteora, and after it a last stretch on the caldera of Santorini. This is a ten-day route for a first visit to Greece, linking the capital, two mainland stops and two Cyclades islands.

Is 10 Days enough for Greece?

The route here gives each of those three things its own stop, and leaves the rest of Greece for a second trip.

Athens opens the trip with the Acropolis and the Parthenon, then the road leads to Delphi, which the ancient Greeks considered the navel of the Earth, and on to Meteora, where monasteries sit on top of tall rock towers. The second half belongs to the Cyclades: Naxos, the largest island of the group, and Santorini, the southernmost, with its drowned volcano and its caldera.

What the route leaves out is large. Crete is the largest Greek island by both area and population, with its own mountains, its own coastline and a kitchen of dakos, gamopilafo and kalitsounia that deserves more than a quick stop.

Rhodes is the fourth largest island and Lesbos the third, and Evia, the second largest, is separated from the mainland only by a narrow strait. None of them fits comfortably into ten days that already include Meteora and two Cyclades islands.

The logic of the plan is to move as little as possible. Each island you add means another crossing by sea and another set of luggage to haul, so the route keeps to two islands, which lets each one have a few full days. If you would rather swap Naxos for Mykonos, that works too, and the adjustments are covered further on.

A first-time itinerary also has to balance two kinds of days. Days in Athens, Delphi and Meteora are about looking: ruins, rock, stairs and stories.

Putting the sightseeing first and the lingering last gives the trip a natural arc, so that the most relaxed days come when you have seen what you came for.

The route below suits someone who wants to taste the mainland and the islands and decide afterward which of the two deserves a return visit.

The itinerary stage by stage

Days 1 to 3: Athens

Athens is the place to land, sleep and get your bearings. The first day is for the streets: Syntagma Square, the Plaka neighborhood with its narrow lanes, historic landmarks and lively shops (it gets crowded), and an early taverna dinner of souvlaki, moussaka, feta and a plate of meze, the small dishes shared across the table. Ouzo, the anise spirit, comes cloudy when you add water.

The second day belongs to the Acropolis and the Parthenon, and to the archaeological sites around them. Plan the day around them and leave the evening free for a kafenio, the traditional coffeehouse, where a Greek coffee comes slowly and nobody hurries you out. On the third day, pick one more thing: a museum, a market street or simply a longer wander through a different neighborhood.

Sleep near the center, in or around the Plaka or close to Syntagma, so that the metro, which runs from early morning until just after midnight, is within reach. Athens is also the departure point for the mainland road trip that follows.

Days 4 and 5: Delphi and Meteora

Day 4 is for Delphi, an ancient sacred precinct on the southwestern slope of Mount Parnassus in Phocis, in central Greece. It was a spiritual meeting place for the Greeks and the seat of the most important oracle of ancient Greece, and it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The modern town sits very close to the archaeological site and spreads across two streets lined with traditional small houses, hotels and tavernas, so you can sleep and dine within sight of the ruins.

Day 5 goes to Meteora, in Thessaly, near the town of Kalabaka and the village of Kastraki. Kalabaka is built at the foothills of the rocks, on the left bank of the Pinios river, and serves as the gateway to the monasteries that stand on top of the rock towers. Six of them are still standing, and the complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988.

Sleep in Kalabaka or Kastraki, where the rock walls rise right over the rooftops. The food here is the food of the Greek mainland: grilled meats, pies filled with cheese or greens, and thick yogurt with honey.

Days 6 and 7: Naxos

Naxos is the largest and most fertile island of the Cyclades, with an area of 170 square miles, and Zas is the highest mountain of the whole group. The island’s port at Chora is too small for cruise ships, which gives the town a different feel from islands that receive them. Spend the first day in Chora itself, among the lanes, the cafés and the waterfront tavernas, where grilled fish, fried zucchini and a salad with local cheese make an easy lunch.

On the second day, widen the circle. The island’s size and its mountain mean there are villages to visit, farmland to see and beaches to choose from. Pick a village for a long lunch and a beach for the afternoon. The sea is a draw in summer and early autumn, though the months differ from island to island. Sleep in or near Chora, so that dinner is a stroll away and the ferry port is close at hand for the move to the next island.

Days 8 to 10: Santorini

Santorini is the southernmost of the Cyclades and the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the caldera, about 120 miles southeast of the mainland. In ancient times it was known as Thera, and today it has an active volcano, a wild natural wonder that gives the island its look. Visitors can stay on the caldera rim, so the choice of where to sleep decides what you see from your balcony.

The second day is for the volcano and the sea, and the third is a slow last day, for a final lunch and a last look at the caldera before you leave. Take the days at the pace the island sets, and do not try to see everything.

Day 10 is the departure day. Keep the schedule loose so that nothing hangs on a single connection, and end the trip on a last meze plate and a glass of wine.

Getting between stops

The mainland leg is a road trip, and the islands are reached by sea. Greece has several ferry companies serving the Aegean, among them Blue Star Ferries with a fleet of 12 ferries and more than 20 destinations in Greece, and Golden Star Ferries, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Andros, which runs from the Greek mainland to the Cyclades. ANEK Lines, founded in 1967 by residents of Crete, runs mainly on the Piraeus to Crete and Adriatic routes, which matters if you add Crete later.

In Athens itself, the metro runs from 5:30 a.m. to 00:30 a.m., and on Friday and Saturday nights lines 2 and 3 stay open later. That is enough for dinners in the Plaka and a return to your hotel after. On city buses, passengers cannot use the front door to get on or off, a small habit worth knowing before the first ride.

Santorini lies about 120 miles southeast of the mainland, which is why the island legs of this route are sea legs and why they shape the second half of the trip. Plan your days around the crossing, and treat each move between islands as a part of the day, not as an afterthought.

If you later extend the trip to Crete, note that Heraklion Airport, the second busiest in Greece after Athens, sits 3.1 miles east of the center of Heraklion, in the area of Alikarnassos. Crete itself lies about 62 miles south of the Peloponnese.

What to book before your 10 Days in Greece

Settle three things first: the sea crossings to the islands, the places you will sleep in each stage, and the sites you most want to see, such as the Acropolis, Delphi and the Meteora monasteries. Those three decide the shape of the trip, and the rest of the days can stay loose, with room for a longer lunch or an extra afternoon on a beach.

Adapting the route

The route bends with the seasons, and Athens shows the range. July in Athens is hot and almost dry, so sun protection and a pace that works around the heat matter on the Acropolis days. October is milder with a little more rain, April is mild with some showers, and January is cool with the most rain of the four months.

These are the figures for Athens only, not for the islands or the mountains of the mainland, so pack for the days you spend there: a rain jacket for the wetter months and sun protection for the hot ones. For Meteora and Delphi, which sit on rock and mountain slopes, pack sturdy shoes for the walking.

Shorter or longer

With fewer days, drop Naxos and keep Athens, Delphi, Meteora and Santorini, or drop the mainland stops and spend the whole time in Athens and the islands. With more days, the first addition is a third island, or Crete, which is large enough to fill a trip of its own: it has a coastline of 650 miles and an area of 3,260 square miles, so give it its own days and not a rushed stop.

Mykonos instead of Naxos

Mykonos lies in the heart of the Cyclades, between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos, and is nicknamed the island of the winds. The best time to visit is mid-May through June or September through mid-October, while July and August are extremely crowded.

The island is small, with an area of 33.0 square miles and a highest point of 1,119 feet, so a few days are plenty. Choose it over Naxos if you want a livelier island and travel in the shoulder months.

For families and a slower trip

A slower version keeps the same stops but gives each more days: three in Athens, one at Meteora, and the rest on a single island. Fewer moves means fewer packed bags, which helps anyone traveling with children, and a long lunch at a taverna can be the main event of a day. Meteora and Delphi can each stand alone as a single stop, and the islands reward days with no plan at all.

Good to know before you go

Prices in Greece are in euros, and the islands and the mainland towns each set their own, so keep a few euros in coin for a coffee at a kafenio or a pastry from a bakery. Santorini and Naxos each have a feel of their own, and Mykonos, the island of the winds, may bring a breeze to the afternoons.

Leave room in the schedule, since the best days on a first trip to Greece are often the ones with nothing planned. Delphi and Meteora both carry UNESCO World Heritage status, and both can be seen on the way from Athens to the sea.

Sources

• Wikipedia, Ancient Greece (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greece), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, ANEK Lines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ANEK_Lines), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Blue Star Ferries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Star_Ferries), checked October 12, 2026
• 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
• Athens Transport, public transport guide (https://www.athenstransport.com/english/), checked October 12, 2026
• This is Athens, the official Athens tourism site (https://www.thisisathens.org/), checked October 12, 2026
• Santorini official guide (https://www.santorini.gr/), checked October 12, 2026
• Visit Greece (GNTO), Santorini (https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/cyclades/santorini/), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Santorini (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santorini), checked October 12, 2026
• Visit Greece (GNTO), Mykonos (https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/cyclades/mykonos/), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Mykonos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mykonos), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikivoyage, Mykonos (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Mykonos), checked October 12, 2026
• Visit Greece (GNTO), Naxos (https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/cyclades/naxos/), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Naxos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxos), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikivoyage, Naxos (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Naxos), checked October 12, 2026
• Heraklion airport information (https://www.heraklion-airport.info/), checked October 12, 2026
• Visit Greece (GNTO), Crete (https://www.visitgreece.gr/islands/crete/), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Crete (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crete), checked October 12, 2026
• Meteora, official information (https://www.meteora-greece.com/), checked October 12, 2026
• Visit Greece (GNTO), Meteora (https://www.visitgreece.gr/mainland/thessaly/kalabaka/), checked October 12, 2026
• Wikipedia, Meteora (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteora), checked October 12, 2026
• 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
• Wikivoyage, Delphi (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Delphi), checked October 12, 2026
• 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