Classic Mainland Greece: Athens to Istanbul — Self-Launched

Land at Athens airport (ATH) and take metro line M3 into the centre (~€9/£8, 40 mins) or bus X95 to Syntagma (~€5.50). Check into a hostel in Monastiraki or Plaka — the historic centre, walkable to everything. Spend the afternoon orienting yourself: wander Plaka's lanes, grab a gyros or souvlaki dinner (€4-6) and watch the sun set over the Acropolis from Areopagus Hill (free). Pre-book your Acropolis ticket for tomorrow morning online at tickets.hhticket.com to skip the queue.

🚌Airport metro M3 ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm in Monastiraki/Plaka (e.g. City Circus or Athens Backpackers area), £18-25 pp

• →Metro into central Athens
• →Plaka and Monastiraki orientation wander
• →Sunset from Areopagus Hill (free)

Get to the Acropolis at opening (8am) to beat the heat and crowds — €20 entry in summer, €10 in low season, or the €30 combined ticket if you plan to visit several ancient sites. Walk up through the Propylaea to the Parthenon, then descend via the Ancient Agora (included in combined ticket). In the afternoon, do a self-booked Greek cooking class in the Psyrri or Koukaki neighbourhood — several small operators run 3-4 hour sessions making tzatziki, moussaka, dolmades and loukoumades, usually €50-70pp including the meal with wine. Book via GetYourGuide or Viator the day before.

🚌Walking / metro as needed ~£4

🛏Same hostel, Athens

• →Acropolis and Parthenon (€20 entry)
• →Ancient Agora (€10 or combined ticket)
• →Greek cooking class with dinner (~€60 self-booked)

Take the direct regional train from Athens (Larissa station) to Kalambaka — roughly 4.5-5 hours, about €20-25 one way, book on hellenictrain.gr or at the station. Alternatively a KTEL bus from Liosion terminal takes ~5 hours for a similar price. Kalambaka is a small, cheap town right beneath the Meteora rock formations. Check into a guesthouse, then take a late-afternoon stroll to the viewpoint at Agios Nikolaos or the Kastraki side for your first look at the monasteries on their sandstone pillars.

🚌Athens–Kalambaka train ~£20

🛏Guesthouse/pension in Kalambaka, £22-30 pp

• →Scenic train through central Greece
• →Evening viewpoint walk to Meteora rocks

Spend the full day at the monasteries. The local bus from Kalambaka runs up to the Great Meteoron area a few times a day (~€2 each way), but the best way is to hike: the marked path from Kastraki up to Varlaam and Great Meteoron takes about 45-60 minutes. Entry to each monastery is €3 — dress code applies (shoulders and knees covered; wraps provided at doors). Great Meteoron, Varlaam, Rousanou and Agia Triada are the showpieces. If you want a guide, book a local Meteora hiking tour through GetYourGuide (~€40-45pp) or the sunset tour (~€30). Back in Kalambaka for dinner at a taverna.

🚌Local bus ~£4 or hiking

🛏Same guesthouse, Kalambaka

• →Hike up to the Meteora monasteries
• →Monastery entries (€3 each)
• →Optional guided hike (~£40) or sunset tour (~£27)

Take a morning bus from Kalambaka toward Lamia (KTEL Fthiotidas, ~1.5 hrs, €8), then a connecting bus to Thermopylae — the narrow pass where Leonidas and the 300 made their stand. The battlefield site and information centre are free to visit and the hot springs are a fun 20-minute dip. From there, continue by bus toward Amfissa/Delphi (~2 hrs, ~€10) arriving late afternoon. Check into a guesthouse in the modern village of Delphi with views over the Pleistos valley, and walk the archaeological site perimeter at golden hour.

🚌Local KTEL buses Kalambaka–Lamia–Thermopylae–Delphi ~£18

🛏Guesthouse in Delphi village, £25-32 pp

• →Thermopylae battlefield site and information centre (free)
• →Hot springs dip
• →Delphi village evening walk

Get to the Delphi archaeological site at 8am opening — €12 entry, and the museum next door is €6 (or the combined €16 ticket). It's the setting that makes it: the Sanctuary of Apollo clinging to the mountainside above the valley. Mid-morning, take the bus down to Itea on the coast (~20 mins, €2), then connect to Athens or straight toward Corinth. Break the journey at the Corinth Canal (free to view from the bridge, a short taxi or bus hop from Isthmia) before continuing on a KTEL bus to Nafplio (~2.5 hrs from Corinth). Nafplio is gorgeous — Venetian and Ottoman layers, marble pavements, and a lively evening scene. Stay in the old town.

🚌Buses Delphi–Itea–Corinth–Nafplio ~£20

🛏Guesthouse in Nafplio old town, £25-35 pp

• →Ancient Delphi site and museum (€16 combined)
• →Corinth Canal viewpoint (free)
• →Nafplio old town evening

Climb the 999 steps to Palamidi Fortress first thing (€20 entry, free to walk the approach, great views over the Argolic Gulf). Alternatively, walk up the free Acronafplia for a quicker view. Then catch the local bus to Mycenae (~30 mins, €3-4) — the Lion Gate and beehive tombs are €12 entry and genuinely atmospheric with the mountains behind. If time allows, Epidavros' theatre is a further bus ride away (€12 entry). Return to Nafplio, then take an afternoon or early-evening KTEL bus back to Athens (~2.5 hrs, €15) and overnight near Monastiraki.

🚌Local buses + Nafplio–Athens ~£18

🛏Hostel/hotel in central Athens, £20-28 pp

• →Palamidi Fortress (€20) or free Acronafplia walk
• →Mycenae archaeological site (€12)
• →Optional Epidavros theatre (€12)

Morning KTEL bus from Athens to Volos (~4.5 hrs, €25-28), a lively port city on the Pagasetic Gulf. Settle into a guesthouse near the waterfront and take an orientation wander — the tsipouro tavernas on the seafront are the local speciality: you order a spirit and get a spread of meze plates, often several rounds, for very little money. In the evening, do your own 'meze crawl' hitting two or three different tsipouradika (each round of meze with a tsipouro is roughly €8-12pp two rounds = a light dinner).

🚌Athens–Volos bus ~£24

🛏Guesthouse/hotel in Volos, £22-30 pp

• →Volos waterfront orientation walk
• →Self-guided tsipouradiko meze crawl (~£15)

Take the local bus or the Pelion narrow-gauge train (the 'Moutzouris' from Ano Lechonia, runs seasonal weekends — check timetables) up into the Pelion peninsula. Base yourself around Milies: hike the short trail to the Centaur Cave (about 30-40 minutes up, free), then explore Milies' stone village square and old library. Take a local bus or taxi to Vizitsa and Pinakates to wander the mansion-lined lanes, and finish with a swim and a slow afternoon at Kato Gatzea beach before heading back to Volos. Bring cash — ATMs thin out in the villages.

🚌Local buses/taxi in Pelion ~£10

🛏Same guesthouse, Volos

• →Milies centaur cave hike (free)
• →Vizitsa and Pinakates village wander
• →Beach time at Kato Gatzea

Take the bus from Volos to Litochoro at the foot of Mount Olympus (~45 mins, €6) and do a short walk in the national park — the Enipeas gorge trail from Litochoro toward Prionia is the easiest access, and even 2-3 hours up gives you the mountain scenery. Continue by bus/train to Katerini or Veria, then a local bus to Vergina for the Polycentric Museum of Aigai (~€12 entry) — the royal tombs of Philip II are genuinely astonishing. From Vergia/Veria catch the bus or train north to Thessaloniki (~1.5 hrs, €10-14). Stay centrally near Aristotelous Square.

🚌Buses Volos–Litochoro–Vergina–Thessaloniki ~£20

🛏Hostel/guesthouse central Thessaloniki, £22-30 pp

• →Mount Olympus National Park walk (free)
• →Museum of the Royal Tombs at Aigai (€12)

Free day in Greece's food capital. Do the Roman Forum and Galerius Arch, the Archaeological Museum (€8) or the Byzantine Culture Museum, and the White Tower waterfront. For lunch, head to the Modiano and Kapani markets and graze — bougatsa, koulouri, olives, cheese, and the famous patisseries in the market lanes. In the evening, a self-booked Thessaloniki walking food tour (GetYourGuide, ~€50pp) is a good way to hit the local spots, or simply follow suit yourself and eat at a Ladadika taverna.

🚌Walking / city bus ~£4

🛏Same hostel/guesthouse, Thessaloniki

• →Roman Forum and Galerius Arch (free)
• →Modiano and Kapani market graze
• →Optional food walking tour (~£42)
• →Ladadika taverna dinner

KTEL bus from Thessaloniki to Kavala (~2.5-3 hrs, €18-22) along the coast road. Kavala's old town climbs a headland above the harbour — the Ottoman-era Panagia quarter, the Mohammed Ali house, the Imaret, and the castle walls. Walk the old town in the afternoon, then climb to the Byzantine fortress for sunset views over the sea and the island of Thasos in the distance. Dinner on the harbour front is cheap and fresh — try local grilled fish and a bottle of Assyrtiko.

🚌Thessaloniki–Kavala bus ~£20

🛏Guesthouse in Kavala old town/harbour area, £22-30 pp

• →Kavala old town (Panagia quarter) walk
• →Byzantine castle sunset (small entry fee)
• →Harbour-front fish dinner

Head east: KTEL/local bus from Kavala to Alexandroupoli (~2 hrs, €12), then a bus to the Turkish border at Ipsala/Kipi (~2 hrs, €10). Note border formalities add time — leave early. Once through, take a local bus or dolmuş to Keşan, then a bus on to Istanbul (Esenler or Alibeyköy terminal, ~4 hrs, ~£12-15). Total travel day is long — about 8-10 hours. In Istanbul, take the metro from the bus terminal to Sultanahmet or Karaköy and check into a hostel. Evening: a first wander through the Hippodrome and a cheap balık ekmek (fish sandwich) on the Galata Bridge.

🚌Buses Kavala–Alexandroupoli–Ipsala–Istanbul ~£30

🛏Hostel dorm in Sultanahmet/Beyoğlu, £15-25 pp

• →Land border crossing at Ipsala
• →Galata Bridge fish sandwich evening
• →Sultanahmet evening wander

If your flight allows: Hagia Sophia (free to enter the mosque, ~€25 for the upper galleries experience), the Blue Mosque (free), Topkapı Palace (~€40) and the Grand Bazaar (free) are all within walking distance in Sultanahmet. The Basilica Cistern (~€30) is worth it. In the afternoon, take the T1 tram or the ferry to Kadıköy for a livelier local lunch scene, then head to the airport via metro/Marmaray (SAW ~£3, IST ~£5). If you're staying on, the Chora Church and Balat's lanes are the next-best stops.

🚌Trams/ferries and airport metro ~£6

🛏Departure day — no accommodation included

• →Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque
• →Grand Bazaar browse
• →Optional Topkapı Palace (~£34) and Basilica Cistern (~£25)
• →Ferry to Kadıköy