Your Greece Honeymoon

Greece is one of the best honeymoon destinations in southern Europe. It’s a great place to mix the rest and relaxation with a sense of wonder. Enjoy luxury hotels with infinity pools, ancient ruins, stunning beaches, and the beauty of the Greek Isles on your Greece honeymoon.

Acropolis of Athens, Greece

Acropolis of Athens, Greece

Geography of Greece

Greece is the southernmost country on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. Three characteristics define Greece: the coastline, its lowlands and the mountains. Most people think of the Greek Islands when they think of Greece, which is not a surprise because there are over 2,000 of them! (About 170 are inhabited.)

An estimated one-third of Greece’s population lives in Athens, the country’s capital city. Major tourist areas, towns and islands in Greece, in addition to Athens, include Santorini and Mykonos (part of what is considered the Cyclades Islands), Crete, and Corfu (part of the Ionian Islands).  

Bordering northern Greece, from west to east, is Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Istanbul. The Ionian Sea, Mediterranean, and the Aegean Sea are the three water bodies surrounding the rest of Greece. Turkey, which is east of Greece, shares the Aegean Sea. The southernmost peninsula of mainland Greece is called Pelopónnisos.

Mýkonos, Greece

Language in Greece

The official language of Greece is Greek. You may be familiar with the Greek alphabet if you were in a sorority or fraternity, but unless you have Greek ancestry, it’s unlikely you know how to read it and speak it! Don’t worry though—Greece is very English-friendly, especially for tourists.

Street signs often feature both Greek and English, most people you encounter in tourism speak English, and even the subway announcements in Athens are in Greek and English.

Greece’s Time Zone

Greece is on Eastern European Time, which is GMT +3. They observe Daylight Savings Time. If it is 6 am in Los Angeles, it is 9 am in NYC, and it’s 4 pm in Greece.

Currency

Greece uses the Euro as its currency. One Euro is equal to approximately $1.20 USD, though currency rates often fluctuate even if ever-so-slightly.

Athens Pride Parade, Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece

LGBTQ+ Community in Greece

Though it isn’t legal for same-sex couples to marry in Greece, civil unions are recognized, and they also recognize same-sex foreign marriages. Notwithstanding, many Greek people are progressive when it comes to the LGBTQ+ inclusivity, especially in major areas including Athens, Crete and Mykonos. Athens hosts an annual Pride parade.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community should feel comfortable in large cities on their Greece honeymoon but may use discretion if traveling to smaller towns, which may not be as progressive in their beliefs about same-sex rights.

Perfkochori Beach, Greece

Perfkochori Beach, Greece

Weather and the Best Time to Go On Your Greece Honeymoon

June and September are ideal months to visit Greece. Avoiding July and August (peak season) means you’ll stay away from the high heat temperature during summer and also hoards of tourists crowding honeymoon destinations within the country. It also means that you’ll still have many options for ferries, private boat charters, and flights to travel between the Greek Isles. Scheduled flights and sailings tend to lessen in the shoulder season and even more in the off-season.

May and early October are also good choices. You may want to avoid winter, for instance, as some restaurants completely close for winter in touristy areas.

The weather varies based on where you’ll be, dependent upon islands or elevation. But generally speaking, Greece experiences a typical Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and wet winters.

Winter temperatures are typically in the 50s, and summers can be as warm as between 80° to 100°F.

Skiathos Bench, Skiathos, Greece

Getting to Greece

You’ll fly to your Greece honeymoon, and then, if you wish to island-hop (whether for a day trip or to visit other locations where you’ll stay overnight), you’ll either take a ferry, private boat ride, or short flight between the Greek Islands.

Flights

You can easily fly to your Greece honeymoon from the United States. Flying to Athens will put you in an excellent central geographic location within the country. That’s convenient if you want to fly to other places while you’re there.

Athens’ airport is called “Eleftherios Venizelos Airport,” in Greek (airport code: ATH).

Here are three flights from three major cities in the United States to Athens during the third week of September:

NYC to ATH: between 9 and 10 hours nonstop, for $800

IAH to ATH: approximately 15 hours of flying with one stop, for $700

LAX to ATH: about 16 hours of flying with one stop, for $650

Mount Olympus, Greece

Passport and Visa Requirements

A Greece honeymoon will require you to travel with a valid passport. They recommend that your passport have six months validity from the time you leave the country to head back home. You also need one blank page available per stamp. (It’s a good idea to have two pages, one per stamp upon entering and leaving the country.)

You do not need a visa to visit Greece if you are there for fewer than 90 days.

Vaccinations

Routine vaccinations are recommended for your Greece honeymoon, including the Flu, Chickenpox, Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), and Hepatitis A and B. Rabies is recommended only if you’ll be working directly with wildlife during your honeymoon.

COVID-19 Precautions in Greece

All travelers visiting Greece must fill out a Passenger Locator Form before they enter the country. You must also either be fully vaccinated (more than two weeks before your trip, with proof of vaccination) or provide evidence of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival or a negative antigen test taken within 48 hours of arrival.

Parthenon, Athens, Greece

Things to Do On Your Greece Honeymoon

Greece is known for its crystalline blue waters, picturesque harbors, beautiful beaches and a history dating back thousands of years with landmarks to go with it. Your honeymoon can be a mix of all of these things, no matter what islands or mainland area you visit. (Be sure to spend time in Athens, which has some historic landmarks you’ll want to see if you’re into history.)

Here are some key things you can do on your Greece honeymoon:

Enjoy delicious meals tasting the local food, which is an essential part of the culture. (Read on for information on what to try!) You can also sign up for a cooking class or partake in a wine tasting for a guided taste of some local wine.

See ancient ruins. Sites of note are 1) the Acropolis, the Agora and Hephaestus Temple, all in Athens, 2) Knossos in Crete, and 3) the archeological sites of Sparta and Olympia on the Peloponnese peninsula.

Enjoy some fun nightlife. Mykonos is particularly known for its party scene after the sun goes down.

Fall in love again, with each other and Greece, as you walk around Little Venice in Mykonos.

Take a sunset cruise, whether in Santorini, Thasos or elsewhere. You can book a private sailing, just for the two of you, or opt to take a group cruise.

Go hiking! If you love adventure, get off the beaten path with a 2-day guided hike of Mount Olympus on the mainland or hike the Corfu trail—in part or whole—on the island of the same name.

Psathopyrgos, Greece

Food to Try During your Greece Honeymoon for an Authentic Experience

You don’t have to go to Greece to know that Greek food is renowned around the world. But while you’re there, why not seek out some traditional cuisine for an even more authentic experience during your honeymoon?

Below are suggestions for savory and sweet foods to try, either in Greek taverns or fine restaurants.

Horiatiki

Horiatiki

Savory Greek Food

Horiatiki: a traditional Greek salad consisting of cucumber, tomato, feta cheese, red onion and olives without any lettuce

Moussaka: a layered dish (like a Greek version of lasagna) with ground meat cooked in a tomato sauce, with layers of eggplant and a creamy béchamel sauce

Pastitsio: similar to moussaka, but the meat is cooked in a cinnamon-wine sauce, and the eggplant is subbed for pasta, like macaroni or ziti noodles. The creamy béchamel sauce remains. (Think of it as a meaty Greek baked ziti.)

Saganaki: fried cheese (and oh-so-good)

Tzatziki: a yogurt sauce containing cucumbers, garlic and oil

Yemista: Greek stuffed tomatoes and peppers, usually with rice or meat

Pastries, Amorgos, Greece

Sweet Greek Food

Baklava: flaky phyllo dough is layered with chopped nuts and soaked in a honey and lemon simple syrup

Kataifi: named after the dough used to create the dessert (which is like thin angel hair pasta) that is rolled with a nut mixture inside, baked and then soaked in simple syrup with honey and spices

Revani: a semolina cake soaked in orange syrup

Pasteli: sweet candy made with sesame seeds and honey

Ios, Greece

Romantic Hotels to Consider for the Perfect Greece Honeymoon

There are many possibilities for where to travel during your Greece honeymoon. Still, we have named a couple of hotels to consider in the frequented tourist destinations below at different price points:

Athens: Coco-Mat Athens and King George both offer rooftop views of the Acropolis. 

Santorini: Nearly every hotel in Santorini has infinity pools and cliffside views of the whitewashed villages on the island. Kaitikies Santorini features luxury suites and an onsite spa, while the Volcano View Hotel is a little further south on the island and very close to Santo Wines winery.

Crete: Stella Island Luxury Resort offers swim-up rooms and private pools along with multiple onsite restaurants, while Almyrida Resort is closer to a beach and maybe a better option for honeymooners on a smaller budget.

Mykonos: Adel Private Suites offers semi-private pools for each room and overlooks the town of Mykonos. Another option is Mykonos Waves Beach House & Suites, which is adjacent to the beach.

Corfu: Locandiera is a small boutique hotel incredibly close to the island’s Old Venetian Fortress, while Acanthus Blue is a little further south and built on an official heritage site in an 18th century Neoclassical building.

Santorini, Greece

Santorini, Greece

Honeymoon Registry with Honeyfund

Sure, you can pay for your Greece honeymoon yourselves, but why not let family and friends be a part of the fun and adventure from a distance? They can contribute to your honeymoon with the help of a Honeyfund registry. Start by adding to our Greece sample registry.

Mikkel Woodruff

Mikkel Woodruff owns two travel sites, Sometimes Home and Sometimes Sailing, which she operates with her husband, Dan. Her photo business, Mikkel Paige Photography, allows her to bring a unique perspective to Honeyfund as she has been a part of the wedding industry for over a decade. She calls the east coast of the United States home and travels domestically and internationally multiple times a year hoping to inspire others to travel.

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