Well, I guess if something is meant to be, it will happen. Two years ago, we had confirmed tickets to Greece but you know, due to the pandemic, we had to cancel the trip. Although we got the full refund from the airlines, felt sad because not sure when will we able to get another cheap ticket again. But I guess this is life as it's always full of surprised when a friend of mine shared an unbelievable great fare to Greece. Even way more cheaper than we bought initially.
Flying From Singapore To Athens With Scoot
Thanks to my friend from Mytravelmatez for sharing this bug fare where we managed to grab a round-trip ticket for nearly RM650 per pax from a third party website (Bravofly). Not just that, the fare even included 30kg baggage allowance and in-flight meal too. This is absolutely a great steal that we'll be regret if we don't buy it.
#1: Flying with Scoot to Athens from Singapore
Day 1: Singapore - Athens - Santorini
We flew to Singapore a day earlier from Kota Kinabalu as our flight to Athens was scheduled to depart at 2.30am. The flight duration from Singapore to Athens took 11 hours and 30 minutes. Oh my butt! The downside of flying with Scoot is that there's no in-flight entertainment and we're pretty bored throughout the flight, as there's nothing else to do except for sleeping, sleeping and sleeping.
#2: Our flight included in-flight meal and 30kg baggage allowance
Since our flight to Santorini was at night, we decided to wander around Athens city centre first. From Athens International Airport, we took Athens Airport express to Syntagma and one-way bus ride costs €5.50 per passenger. You can purchase the ticket at the counter located outside the Arrivals between Exit 4 and 5 and don't forget to validate your ticket inside the bus.
- X95 to Syntagma Square (Subway Line 2 and 3)
- X96 to Piraeus (Subway Line 1)
- X93 to Kifisos (Long distance bus lines station)
- X97 to Elliniko (Subway Line 2)
#3: Athens Airport Express to town
#4: Monastiraki Square, a timeless and hotspot area of the Athenian center.
#5: Changing of guards at Syntagma Square
#6: Our first meal in Greece - Souvlakia, a grilled kebab of chicken, pork or beef.
#7: Then at night, we flew with Volotea to Santorini for €18 per pax including 10kg check-in luggage
Day 2: Santorini
There are several villages and towns on Santorini Island and the most popular that perched along the top of the crescent-shaped cliff of the caldera are Fira, Oia, Firostefani and Imerovigli. Though Oia is tends to be most favourite among the visitors, we chosen to stay in Fira because first, it's the capital of the island and it's much more nearer to the Santorini airport. And secondly, Fira is the main transportation hub for the entire island and this is where all the buses depart and arrive. Want to get to Oia? You need to begin from Fira. Want to go to the beach? Starts from Fira too.
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#9: Breakfast in Santorini
#10: The balcony of where we stayed in Fira. Perfect spot for sunset viewing
#11: We took public bus from Fira to Oia
#12: Though they said the best sunset view is in Oia, but for us, Fira ain't that bad too.
Day 3: Santorini
From Fira, we did a hike to Firostefani, a village that is about 10 minutes walk away. After that, we continued to Imerovigli for a brunch break. We personally think the hike was pretty easy and the view was amazingly breathtaking. Just make sure to wear a comfy shoe.
#13: Firostefani, a village that is about 10 minutes hike from Fira
#14: Imerovigli, an upscale village sits on the clifftop overlooking Santorini's caldera islands.
#15: A brunch break in Imerovigli
In the evening, we took the public bus from Fira to Perissa Beach which is well-known for its black sand and pebbles.
#16: Perissa Beach, popular for its black sand and pebbles.
Day 4: Santorini - Mykonos
After staying in Santorini for 3 nights, we moved on to the next island, Mykonos. The only way to travel between Santorini to Mykonos is by taking the high-speed ferry which it takes about 2-3 hours. It might be pricey but we would like to experience different mode of transportation when comes to travelling. You can check out the schedule and ferry price here.
#17: The cruises between both islands were quite bumpy. So if you have seasickness, remember to have medicine first before the cruise.
#18: Mykonos, another notable island of Greece
Day 5: Mykonos - Athens
We had like almost full day to explore and wander around Mykonos before catching our flight back to Athens at night.
- Windmills
- Little Venice
- Old Port
- Matogianni Street
- Petros (Pelican of Mykonos)
#19: Exploring Mykonos. Plenty of Instagram spots
#20: Goodbye Mykonos. And hello Athens again
Day 6: Athens - Kalambaka & Meteora Sunset Tour
We woke up pretty early to catch the train to Kalabaka/Kalambaka from Athens Larissa Train Station. Basically, you can purchase the train tickets on the spot, or online here. The reason why I wanna go there is because I wanna visit Meteora, a holy site of Greece. We booked a Meteora Sunset Tour from the local operator once we arrive in Kalabaka town for €25 per person.
#21: Catching train from Athens Larissa Train Station to Kalabaka/Kalambaka
#22: The journey from Athens to Kalabaka takes approximately 4-5 hours train ride.
#23: One of the monasteries in Meteora that is open to public for visit
#24: Sunset in Kalabaka - not our day as it's quite cloudy but overall, I really enjoyed this tour
Day 7: Kalambaka - Athens
Our trip to Kalabaka was pretty short and brief. We took train back to Athens again as the town of Kalamba is kinda small and nothing much to explore, apart from Meteora. One-way train ride is quite pricey (€30 for one way) but at least I had ticked off one of my bucket lists.
#25: The train ride from Kalabaka to Athens
As age is catching up, our trip was kinda free and easy. Unlike previously where we will try and cover as many places as we can, now we just pick 2-3 places to visit and that's it. So when we back to Athens, we leisurely wandered around Monastiraki Square for souvenir shopping.
#26: Plenty of shops, restaurants and cafe at Monastiraki Square
Day 8: Athens
Of course, a visit to Athens is incomplete without visiting Acropolis. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the most striking and complete ancient Greek monumental complex that still exists until today. It's best to come early before the crowd flock in around 9am onwards.
#27: Acropolis of Athens, must visit when in Athens
#28: Panoramic view of Athens from Acropolis
Day 9: Athens - Singapore
It's our last day in Greece. Due to our flight to Singapore from Athens was in the afternoon, we need to leave our accommodation pretty early in the morning to catch the almost an hour bus ride to the airport. You can grab your breakfast in the airport as there are few cafes such as Everest and Veneti inside the airport. There is even a post office for you to buy stamps for your postcards.
Accommodation
Throughout our 9 days and 8 nights trip in Greece, we stayed in 6 different accommodations, with a mixture from the hostel to boutique hotels. Well, this is kinda subjective cause it depends on your preference, budget as well as your preferred locations. For example in Santorini, we prefer to stay in Fira instead of Oia due to the convenience of the public transportation.
Santorini
1st Night: Deluxe Rest Boutique (1 Night)
We chosen to stay in this hotel because we arrived Santorini nearly midnight and just merely for sleep only. And because there is no more public bus from the airport to Fira city center (operates up to 9pm only), we have to hire a car from the hotel for €25.
Second & Third Night: Sofi Rooms (2 Nights)
Then on the second day in Santorini, we changed to second accommodation which offers better view, especially during the sunset time. Initially we plan to book a stay with jacuzzi but somehow the price is way over our budget. After searching high and low, finally we chosen to pick Sofi Rooms which has a balcony overlooking the breathtaking sunset, volcano and Aegean sea in Santorini.
Mykonos
Poseidon Hotel Suites (1 Night)
We only stayed in Mykonos for a night and among all the accommodations we booked, this is the most expensive one but definitely worth it cause not just that it comes with wide spread of breakfast, they even provided a complimentary transfer to/from hotel.
Poseidon Hotel Suites (1 Night)
We only stayed in Mykonos for a night and among all the accommodations we booked, this is the most expensive one but definitely worth it cause not just that it comes with wide spread of breakfast, they even provided a complimentary transfer to/from hotel.
Kalabaka
Toti Boutique Rooms (1 Night)
Athens
Elikon (1 Night)
On the night we back from Mykonos, we booked this Elikon which is pretty close to the metro (Omonia Metro Station). It's just a simple and basic room with all we need like mini fridge, kettle and ensuite with private bathroom.
On the night we back from Mykonos, we booked this Elikon which is pretty close to the metro (Omonia Metro Station). It's just a simple and basic room with all we need like mini fridge, kettle and ensuite with private bathroom.
Bedbox Hostel (2 Nights)
Love the location as it's pretty close to Monastiraki Square. I can easily walk out to shopping and back to hostel to put my stuff, and go out again. They do have private room ensuite with bathroom and we managed to book that room on our final night. We even have our own private balcony too.
Love the location as it's pretty close to Monastiraki Square. I can easily walk out to shopping and back to hostel to put my stuff, and go out again. They do have private room ensuite with bathroom and we managed to book that room on our final night. We even have our own private balcony too.
Greek Food
When comes to Greek Food, my favourite are souvlaki and gyros. These two mentioned earlier are the well-known fast and street food of the nation but it's pretty affordable and cheap too. The difference between both souvlaki and gyros are earlier is marinated pork, chicken, beef or lamb grilled on skewer whereas the latter is made with stacked meat that has been cooked on a vertical rotisserie (pretty similar like kebab I can say). The price for gyros normally range between less than €3 to €5 (depending on the location; like €2.80 in Kalabaka, €3 in Athens and €4.50 in Mykonos). As for souvlaki, the price is like €2-3 for one skewer and some even gave us the pita for free.
Cash vs Card
We brought along both of our BigPay and Wise cards but to our surprise, quite number of shops rejected these two cards. Therefore, it's wise to get ready some cash and the official currency for Greece is Euro (€). We noticed that most of the shops prefer cash than card, though some do accept cards too.
TOTAL EXPENSES FOR 2 PAX
|
PARTICULARS |
NOTES |
AMOUNT |
|
|
€ |
RM |
||
|
Air Fares Scoot
Singapore-Athens-Singapore Volotea
Athens-Santorini Volotea
Mykonos-Athens
Accommodation Deluxe
Rest Boutique (Santorini) – 1 night Sofi
Rooms (Santorini) – 2 nights Poseidon
Hotel Suites (Mykonos) -1 night Elikon
(Athens) -1 night Toti
Boutique Rooms (Kalabaka) -1 night Bedbox
Hostel (Athens) 2 nights
Ground
Transportation Athens
Airport Buses & Metro Santorini
Airport to Hotel Santorini
Public Buses Santorini
to Mykonos Cruise Athens-Kalabaka-Athens
Train
Tour &
Admission Fee Meteora
Sunset Tour Monastery
Entrance Fee
Food and
beverages
Others Luggage
storage 10GB
Travel Prepaid Plan (Sim Card) |
1 2 3
4
5 6
7 8 |
- 36 71
- - - - - -
54 25 19 178 122
50 6 40
-
18 - |
1,256 171 321
206 1,058 740 162 140 332
249 115 87 811 561
230 28 184
1,590
83 148 |
|
|
|
TOTAL |
8,472 |
Exchange Rate €1 = RM4.60 as at October 2022
In a nutshell, the total spending for our 9 days and 8 nights Greece trip is RM4,236 per person. If this includes my round-trip ticket between Kota Kinabalu - Singapore, then my final total damage is RM4,880.
So that's pretty sum up my maiden trip to Greece. Trying my best to complete this post in summary instead of doing separate post as I'm currently on another trip to Europe again. Check out my Instagram if you want to know of my current location.