Best of Greece & the Islands — Self-Launched (12 Days)

Fly into Athens and take Metro Line 3 from the airport to Monastiraki or Syntagma (£8, ~40 mins) — far cheaper than a taxi (£35-40). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Plaka, Monastiraki or Psyrri. Spend the evening wandering the Plaka lanes below the Acropolis, grab a gyros or souvlaki dinner (£6-8) and pick up a 5-day combined archaeological ticket (£25) at any major site ticket office — it covers the Acropolis plus six other sites and is valid for five days.

🚌Athens Airport Metro Line 3 to Monastiraki (~£8)

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Plaka/Monastiraki — dorm from £18-22, private double £40-55

• →Evening walk through Plaka
• →Gyros dinner in Monastiraki
• →Buy the combined archaeological sites ticket (£25)

Get to the Acropolis gate for opening (8am, sometimes 7:30am in summer) to beat the crowds and heat. Walk the Propylaea, Parthenon, Erechtheion and Temple of Athena Nike, then descend to the Ancient Agora, Roman Agora and Kerameikos — all covered by your combined ticket. Book the Acropolis Museum separately online (£12, €5 in winter) or join a GetYourGuide skip-the-line combo. In the afternoon, do the free-ish city circuit on foot: Syntagma's House of Parliament and the Evzones changing of the guard, the National Garden, Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Panathenaic Stadium, finishing with the Trilogy of the Academy, University and National Library. Optional: a self-guided food walk through Varvakeios market and Psyrri tavernas in the evening.

🚌On foot; metro single ticket £1.20 where needed

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse in Athens

• →Acropolis & Parthenon at opening
• →Ancient Agora and Kerameikos
• →Acropolis Museum (pre-book online)
• →Changing of the guard at Syntagma
• →Hadrian's Arch, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium
• →Academy, University & National Library

Leave your big pack in Athens if you're returning to the same hostel, or carry it. Take the KTEL bus to Corinth (€9, ~1h20) and hop off to see the Corinth Canal — the bungee platform and viewpoint are a short walk from the old bridge. From Corinth, buses run to Nafplio via Argos (€9-11, ~2h). Base yourself in Nafplio for two nights — it's a gorgeous Venetian-era harbour town and a cheaper, calmer alternative to one-night tour stops. In the afternoon, take a local KTEL/ Argolidas bus or a short taxi (€15-20 one way) to the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus (£10 entry, magic acoustics) and Mycenae with the Lion Gate and Tomb of Agamemnon (£10). Evening: stroll Nafplio's old town and eat at a family taverna (£10-12).

🚌KTEL intercity bus Athens–Corinth £7, Corinth–Nafplio £8; local bus/taxi to Epidaurus and Mycenae

🛏Guesthouse in Nafplio old town — double £45-60, dorm £20-25

• →Corinth Canal viewpoint
• →Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus
• →Mycenae citadel, Lion Gate & Tomb of Agamemnon
• →Nafplio old town and Palamidi fortress views

Climb Palamidi fortress or take the morning swim at Arvanitia beach before leaving. Take an early bus back to Corinth or Argos and connect to Patras/Kyllini-bound services to Pyrgos, then a local bus to Ancient Olympia (total €18-24, 4-5 hours with changes — check ktelbus.com the day before). Alternatively, hire a shared taxi if you find other travellers heading the same way. Check into a guesthouse in the village of Ancient Olympia. Use the late afternoon for the Archaeological Museum (quieter at this hour) and have dinner at one of the village tavernas (£12-15).

🚌KTEL regional buses with a change in Corinth/Argos and Pyrgos (~£18-22)

🛏Guesthouse in Ancient Olympia village — double £40-55, dorm £18-22

• →Palamidi fortress or Arvanitia beach swim
• →Archaeological Museum of Olympia
• →Village evening in Ancient Olympia

Arrive at the Olympia archaeological site at opening — Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Stadium where you can sprint the original track, the workshop of Pheidias and the temples — before the coach crowds arrive (£12, or covered by a regional combo ticket). Midday, take the bus north: Pyrgos → Patras → Rio-Antirion bridge crossing → Nafpaktos (a lovely Venetian harbour town where you can stop for lunch) → Itea → Delphi (total €20-25, 4-5 hours). Check into a guesthouse in modern Delphi village with valley views. Sunset over the Pleistos gorge is excellent from the terrace of the museum café.

🚌KTEL buses Pyrgos–Patras–Nafpaktos–Itea–Delphi (~£20-24)

🛏Guesthouse in Delphi village — double £40-55

• →Ancient Olympia site at opening
• →Sprint in the Ancient Stadium
• →Nafpaktos harbour stop
• →Gorge sunset from Delphi

Start early at Delphi: walk the Sacred Way past the Treasury of the Athenians to the Temple of Apollo, theatre and stadium, drink from the Castalia Spring, then visit the Delphi Archaeological Museum (the Charioteer is worth the trip alone) — £12 combined. Then it's a long but scenic bus day: Delphi → Amfissa/Lamia → Trikala → Kalambaka (€22-28, 5-6 hours; buses are few, so confirm the first departure the day before and be prepared for a Lamia or Trikala change). Arrive in Kalambaka beneath the Meteora rocks in the late afternoon. Check into a guesthouse, and watch the monasteries glow at sunset from the town.

🚌KTEL buses Delphi–Lamia/Trikala–Kalambaka (~£22-26)

🛏Guesthouse in Kalambaka — double £40-55, dorm £18-22

• →Temple of Apollo and the Sacred Way
• →Castalia Spring
• →Delphi Archaeological Museum
• →Sunset view of Meteora from Kalambaka

Hire a scooter or e-bike (£15-20/day) or take the local Kalambaka bus (£2 each way, a few departures daily) up to the monasteries. Entry is £2.50 per monastery; dress code requires covered shoulders and knees (wrap skirts are loaned at the door). Hit Great Meteoron (largest, opens 9am) and Varlaam first, then add St. Stephen's or Roussanou if time allows — the walk between them is spectacular. Note monasteries close on rotating weekdays, so check before you go. Late afternoon, take the direct KTEL bus back to Athens (€25-30, 4.5-5 hours) and check back into your Athens hostel or a cheap hotel near Monastiraki.

🚌Local bus/scooter to Meteora (£6-20); KTEL bus Kalambaka–Athens (~£26)

🛏Athens hostel or budget hotel — dorm £18-22, double £40-55

• →Great Meteoron monastery
• →Varlaam monastery
• →Roussanou and St. Stephen's if time allows
• →Scenic Meteora walking between monasteries

Take Metro Line 1 to Piraeus (£1.20, 20 mins from Monastiraki) in time for the morning Blue Star Ferry to Santorini (7-8 hours, £35-45 in economy booked in advance on Ferryhopper or Direct Ferries; the fast SeaJets option is £55-70 and 5 hours but rougher). Book early in high season — the cheap decks sell out weeks ahead. Arrive at Athinios port and take the local KTEL bus up to Fira (£2), then onward to your base. Skip the pricey caldera-view hotels: stay in Karterados, Perissa or Fira's back lanes where guesthouses and hostels run £25-40 for a double, £15-20 for a dorm. Evening: walk the Fira cliff path toward Firostefani and Imerovigli for sunset, and eat at a non-caldera taverna (£12-15).

🚌Metro to Piraeus £1.20; Blue Star Ferry Piraeus–Santorini £35-45; local KTEL bus port–Fira £2

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Karterados, Perissa or central Fira — dorm £15-20, double £30-45

• →Blue Star Ferry through the Cyclades
• →Fira to Firostefani cliff walk
• →Santorini caldera sunset

Take a local bus to Oia early (£2, and before the cruise crowds) to walk the blue-domed lanes and the castle ruins. Later, visit Akrotiri's Minoan excavation (£12, covered partly by the island combined ticket with Ancient Thera) and the Red and Black beaches, all reachable by KTEL buses (£2 each leg) or an ATV rental (£20-25/day, bring a licence). Optional: join a GetYourGuide half-day catamaran or sunset caldera cruise (£70-100 including lunch and hot springs stop) — the biggest optional splurge on the trip but the best value thing to do here. Alternatively, hike the 10km Fira-to-Oia caldera trail for free (3-4 hours, bring water).

🚌Local KTEL buses £2 per leg; or ATV rental £20-25/day

🛏Same Santorini guesthouse

• →Oia at sunrise/early morning
• →Fira–Oia caldera hike (or bus)
• →Akrotiri archaeological site
• →Red Beach and Perissa/Perivolos black sand beach
• →Optional: Santorini catamaran sunset cruise via GetYourGuide (£70-100)

Take the local bus down to Athinios port for the ferry. SeaJets or Golden Star ferries run Santorini–Mykonos in 2-3 hours (£35-50 booked ahead; afternoon departures are most common). Arrive at Mykonos New Port and take the KTEL sea bus or local bus into Mykonos Town (Chora) (£2). Stay in Mykonos Town itself or, better value, Fabrika/Paradise Beach hostels or an Ano Mera guesthouse — Mykonos is the priciest island, so budget hostels run £30-45 dorm and £55-75 double even out of town. Afternoon wandering: Little Venice, the windmills of Kato Mili, Paraportiani Church and the labyrinth of whitewashed Chora lanes. Evening drink at Little Venice (cocktails are pricey — £10-14, so pace yourself).

🚌Local bus to port £2; SeaJets/Golden Star ferry Santorini–Mykonos £35-50; sea bus into town £2

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Mykonos Town/Ano Mera — dorm £30-45, double £55-75

• →Ferry through the Cyclades
• →Mykonos windmills and Little Venice
• →Paraportiani Church
• →Chora back-street wander

Take the morning boat to Delos, the UNESCO-listed birthplace of Apollo, departing from the old port near Little Venice (£20-25 return with site entry, 30-min crossing, book at the kiosk a day ahead or via GetYourGuide). Go early — there's almost no shade, so bring a hat and water, and give it 3-4 hours to see the Terrace of the Lions, the mosaics and the small museum. Back in town, spend the afternoon on a bus to Platis Gialos or Paradise Beach (£2) for a swim, and eat dinner in Mykonos Town away from the port frontage (£15-18).

🚌Delos boat from old port £20-25 return; local beach buses £2

🛏Same Mykonos hostel/guesthouse

• →Delos archaeological site and Terrace of the Lions
• →Platis Gialos or Paradise Beach swim
• →Mykonos Town dinner

Take the morning ferry back to Piraeus (£35-45, 5-6 hours) or, if your flight is early, a short Aegean/Sky Express hop to Athens (£40-70 booked ahead — often worth it for a same-day departure). From Piraeus, Metro Line 1 to Monastiraki and Metro Line 3 to the airport (£9). If time allows before your flight, a last gyros in Monastiraki or a quick walk up to the Areopagus for a free Acropolis view. Buffer at least 2 hours before an international flight, and if your flight leaves early, add an extra night in Athens.

🚌Blue Star Ferry Mykonos–Piraeus £35-45; metro to airport £9

🛏None (or an extra Athens night at £18-22 dorm if needed)

• →Morning ferry back to Athens
• →Last gyros in Monastiraki
• →Areopagus viewpoint