Travel to Greece on Your Own
Tips for booking your own trip to Greece
Greek Bible Tours facilitates groups of 15+ participants travelling together. What options do we offer for individuals or smaller groups?
In the off-season (October - February), we may be able to provide you with a guide for a private tour. In this case, you would book your own lodging and transportation. The guide would join you for day trip(s) to Athens, Corinth or Delphi. The flat rate for the guide is $300 USD per day. Admission to the venue is additional.
Typically, in high season (March - September), our guides are already booked with groups. We have self-guided biblical tours of Greece in development. Use our 'Contact Us' form to request free access to the beta version of the mobile app.
If you’re travelling to Greece on your own, here are some basic tips we can share from our years of travel planning.
Bookings & Hotel Reservations
The hotel rating system goes by letter in Greece. Here is a guide of general equivalency.
Greece does not have as many brand name hotels as the USA. Standards of quality vary even within ranking levels. Website photographs are not always an indication of the current status of a hotel.
Note that in-room smoking is common in Greece, so assume that you will have a smoking room unless you arrange otherwise. While cash will be helpful at most restaurants, hotels can be booked and paid for via credit card.
Hotel staff are usually very accommodating and helpful to patrons in regard to transportation arrangements and other tourist needs. Matt Barrett’s Guide to Greece is a helpful resource for hotel bookings as well (http://www.greektravel.com/.
The private vacation rental market in Greece is also robust. There are thousands of flats, cottages and villas available for personal rental on sites such as http://www.vrbo.com or http://www.booking.com. Booking through a reputable online vendor for these private rentals is a positive experience for most travelers. Often these vacation rentals are affordable and near to the beach or other tourist attractions.
Rental Vehicles & Travel by Road
Car hire pricing varies widely. Booking a rental car through a name brand vendor typically costs the same or more than a similar rental in the USA.
Booking through a local company is typically far less expensive. Here are some tips for using a local company.
- Determine the reliability/reputation of the company via personal or online references.
- Many rental companies have off-site storage for vehicles, so it is common for a driver to meet you at the airport to provide the vehicle and sign paperwork.
- Make sure that the company you hire from knows the time of your arrival and that you know the hours that the phone number for the company will be answered, in case your flight is delayed.
- Many times, vendors will ask that you call them upon arrival instead of monitoring flights on their own. Greeks rarely let a phone go to voicemail, so having a good number is key.
Fuel prices are expensive in Greece compared to the USA. The highway system is extensively tolled as well. Be sure to factor this into your budgeting. For instance, it is not uncommon to find airfare from Athens (ATH) to Thessaloniki (SKG) for half the cost of driving the same distance. Most island travel will require a rental car, as public transport is commonly underdeveloped on many islands. It can be much easier to rent a car on the island after flying or ferrying over than to pay for transport of your rental car by ferry.
Taxis are generally reliable. Pricing is standardized, so there is no need to negotiate rates. Occasionally there is a legitimate surcharge beyond the metered rate. Taxis queue at the airport, so you choose the next one in the line when exiting. There is no need to order or reserve a taxi at the airport (unless arriving middle of the night at SKG in which case there may be less options). If departing from a hotel, the front desk staff can arrange for a taxi. A tip is appreciated and standard for taxi drivers.
Island & Domestic Travel
The common way of traveling to islands is by ferry. You can check schedules and prices at the following website. Note that ferries do not run every day or all year. Check ferry schedules before planning your international ticket purchase.
https://www.ferriesingreece.com/
However, it is definitely worth checking flight options. Below are airlines that run domestic flights within Greece, including many the islands. Note that some airlines are budget carriers and may have additional fees for luggage, seating assignments, etc. Also check on weight/size allowances for luggage as they sometimes differ from standard allowances on international carriers.
Booking a separate domestic ticket does require claiming luggage after an international flight, rechecking and clearing security. However, this is not a complicated process in Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" (ATH). Allow about 1.5-2 hours transfer time to avoid stress. Consider an insurance policy that covers you in case of delay on an international ticket. When you book domestic flights separately, you are classified as a “no show” in the case of carrier delay.