Ancient Sites, Santorini & Mykonos: 13-Day Self-Launched Greece Adventure

Fly into Athens Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH). Skip the private transfer and take Metro Line 3 from the airport directly to Monastiraki or Syntagma (~€9/£8, 40–45 mins, runs until just after midnight). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Plaka, Monastiraki or Koukaki — all walkable to the Acropolis and full of cheap tavernas. Use the evening to wander Plaka's lanes, grab a gyros or souvlaki dinner (£6–8) and pick up a 5-day or 3-day combined archaeological ticket at the Acropolis ticket office (€30 for 5 days covering Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Olympieion and more) if you plan to hit several sites. Buy your intercity bus tickets for the Peloponnese tonight or first thing tomorrow.

🚌Airport Metro Line 3 to central Athens, ~£8

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Plaka/Monastiraki (~£20–28/night)

• →Metro transfer from airport
• →Evening walk through Plaka and Monastiraki
• →Buy combined archaeological ticket

The commercial tour bundles Corinth, Epidaurus, Mycenae and Nafplio into one long coach day. The self-launched version: take an early KTEL intercity bus from Athens Kifissou terminal to Corinth (€9/£8, ~1.5 hrs), hop off at the Corinth Canal for the viewpoint, then a local bus or short taxi to Ancient Corinth and the Temple of Apollo (entry €8). Continue by bus to Nafplio via Argos (€7–9) and base yourself there for two nights — it's a gorgeous Venetian-harbour town and a far better jumping-off point than a rushed Olympia run. In the late afternoon explore Nafplio's old town, Palamidi fortress viewpoint and waterfront. If you specifically want Epidaurus and Mycenae with commentary, a GetYourGuide or Klook day tour from Athens covers both (from ~£70) but that locks you into a coach — the independent bus route is cheaper and gives you more time in Nafplio.

🚌KTEL bus Athens–Corinth ~£8; local bus Corinth–Nafplio ~£8

🛏Budget guesthouse or hostel in Nafplio old town (~£25–30/night)

• →Corinth Canal viewpoint
• →Ancient Corinth and Temple of Apollo (€8)
• →Nafplio old town and harbour walk

Local buses from Nafplio run to Mycenae (€3–4, ~40 mins) and to Epidaurus (€4–5, ~45 mins, fewer departures — check times at the KTEL Argolidas office the day before). Start early at Mycenae: the Lion Gate, Cyclopean walls, Tomb of Agamemnon (Treasury of Atreus) and the citadel museum (combined entry €12). Return to Nafplio for lunch, then afternoon bus to the Theatre of Epidaurus — the acoustics test from the top tier is the highlight (€12 entry, or free on certain first Sundays). Back in Nafplio for dinner at a harbour taverna. If local buses don't line up, a shared taxi or a half-day taxi hire for Mycenae and Epidaurus is around €60–80 split between travellers.

🚌Local KTEL buses to Mycenae and Epidaurus, ~£10 total

🛏Budget guesthouse in Nafplio (~£25–30/night)

• →Mycenae citadel and Tomb of Agamemnon (€12)
• →Theatre of Epidaurus (€12)
• →Nafplio harbour dinner

Bus from Nafplio to Tripoli, then Tripoli to Pyrgos or Olympia (roughly €15–20 total, 3.5–4.5 hrs depending on connections — check KTEL Arcadia and KTEL Ileias timetables). Afternoon at the Archaeological Site of Ancient Olympia: the Sanctuary of Olympian Zeus, the Ancient Stadium where you can run the original track, the Temple of Hera and the excellent Archaeological Museum with the Hermes of Praxiteles (combined entry €12, or €20 including the museum's full collection). Olympia village is small and walkable; stay in a simple guesthouse and eat at a family taverna. The commercial tour's included hotel dinner is replaced by a cheap taverna meal (£10–13).

🚌KTEL buses Nafplio–Tripoli–Olympia, ~£16

🛏Simple guesthouse or hostel in Olympia village (~£25/night)

• →Ancient Olympia site and stadium (€12)
• →Archaeological Museum of Olympia
• →Evening stroll in Olympia village

Bus from Olympia to Patras (€7–9, ~2 hrs), crossing the spectacular Rio-Antirion Bridge over the Gulf of Corinth — the same landmark the coach tour stops at. Continue Patras to Delphi via Itea (€10–13, ~2.5 hrs). Arrive mid-afternoon and walk the Sanctuary of Apollo: the Temple of Apollo, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Ancient Theatre high on the slope, the Stadium and the Delphi Museum with the bronze Charioteer (combined entry €12). Stay in the small modern village of Delphi, where guesthouses are cheap and views over the Pleistos valley toward Itea and the sea are outstanding. Sunset from the village terrace is free and better than any dinner included on a tour bus.

🚌Buses Olympia–Patras–Itea–Delphi, ~£18

🛏Budget guesthouse in Delphi village (~£25/night)

• →Rio-Antirion Bridge crossing
• →Sanctuary of Apollo and Delphi Stadium (€12)
• →Delphi Museum and the Charioteer
• →Sunset over the Pleistos valley

Morning at the Delphi site if you didn't finish it yesterday, then bus Delphi to Lamia and on to Trikala/Kalambaka (roughly €18–22, 4–5 hrs with a change — long but scenic through the Pindos foothills). Alternatively take a bus back to Athens and the direct Athens–Kalambaka service, but that adds time. Base in Kalambaka or Kastraki, the villages beneath the Meteora rock pillars. This afternoon, walk the lower paths toward Kastraki and watch the monasteries catch the late light — the classic photograph without a cost. Guesthouses in Kastraki are cheap, and dinner is grilled lamb or local sausages in a village taverna (£10–12).

🚌KTEL buses Delphi–Lamia–Trikala–Kalambaka, ~£20

🛏Guesthouse in Kalambaka or Kastraki (~£25–30/night)

• →Lower Meteora walking paths
• →Kastraki village evening
• →Sunset viewing of the rock pillars

The self-launched Meteora day: catch the local KTEL bus from Kalambaka up to the monasteries (€2–3 each way, first one around 09:00 in season) or rent a scooter/e-bike in town. Visit the Great Meteoron (largest, €3 entry), Varlaam and St. Stephan — the tour's included pair — plus Rousanou and Holy Trinity if time allows. Each monastery charges €3 and requires shoulders and knees covered (bring a light scarf/wrap). The Byzantine and Christian museum artefacts are inside the monasteries themselves. In the late afternoon, take the bus or train back to Athens (KTEL bus ~€25, 4.5–5 hrs; the direct train via Paleofarsalos costs ~€20–30 and is more comfortable) — an overnight arrival is fine, book a hostel bed near Monastiraki.

🚌Local bus to monasteries ~£5; return to Athens by bus/train ~£25

🛏Hostel dorm in central Athens (~£20–26/night)

• →Great Meteoron monastery (€3)
• →Varlaam monastery (€3)
• →St. Stephan monastery (€3)
• →Optional Holy Trinity and Rousanou

Book a timed Acropolis entry slot online in advance (€20 summer, €10 winter, plus €5 if you want the Acropolis Museum separately). Go at opening (08:00) to beat heat and crowds, walking up through the Propylaea to the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Temple of Athena Nike and the Areopagus viewpoint. Then the Acropolis Museum (€10, or free on certain days) — the caryatids and Parthenon gallery are worth two hours. In the afternoon do the free walking route yourself: Syntagma Square for the Evzones changing of the guard (every hour on the hour, Sunday 11:00 for the full ceremony), the Academy and University of Athens, and the Panathenaic Stadium (€5 to enter, or free to view from outside). Guided alternatives: a GetYourGuide Acropolis + museum guided entry is ~£35–45 if you want the context. Evening: rooftop bar in Monastiraki with a Parthenon view.

🚌On foot plus metro day ticket ~£4

🛏Hostel dorm in central Athens (~£20–26/night)

• →Acropolis and Parthenon timed entry (€20)
• →Acropolis Museum (€10)
• →Changing of the guard at Syntagma
• →Panathenaic Stadium and neoclassical trio

Book your Piraeus–Mykonos ferry in advance on Ferryhopper or the Blue Star / SeaJets sites. The conventional Blue Star ferry takes ~3 hrs 15 and costs €40–55; the fast SeaJets catamaran takes ~2 hrs 15 for €60–75. Sail from Piraeus around 07:30–09:00 (metro from Monastiraki to Piraeus, ~£2). Arrive in Mykonos Town, check into a budget guesthouse or campsite-style studio in the back lanes or at Paradise/Paraga (Mykonos Town hotels are pricey — budget £35–55/night even in shoulder season; book well ahead). Afternoon: walk to Little Venice, the windmills and the Matogianni shopping lanes, and swim at a town-adjacent beach. Sunset at the windmills is free; nightlife in Mykonos Town is famously expensive — pre-drink and choose bars carefully.

🚌Metro to Piraeus ~£2; Blue Star ferry to Mykonos ~£45

🛏Budget studio or guesthouse room, Mykonos (~£40–50/night)

• →Little Venice
• →Kato Mili windmills at sunset
• →Matogianni street shopping
• →Town beach swim

Two ways to do the tour's Delos-and-Rhenia boat day. Cheapest: the public Delos boat from Mykonos old port (€22–25 return) plus the Delos archaeological site entry (€12) — you get the sacred island, the Terrace of the Lions, the theatre quarter and Mt Kynthos climb, but no BBQ and no Rhenia. If you want the full experience, a GetYourGuide or Klook Delos + Rhenia sailing/BBQ cruise with lunch runs roughly £80–110 and covers the swim stops at Rhenia and the onboard lunch the tour includes. Either way be at the old port by 09:00 — boats return mid-afternoon. Evening free in Chora; cheap souvlaki and a walk out to the windmills again if the light's good.

🚌Delos public boat return ~£22

🛏Budget studio or guesthouse room, Mykonos (~£40–50/night)

• →Delos archaeological site and Terrace of the Lions (€12)
• →Mt Kynthos climb
• →Optional Rhenia BBQ cruise (~£80–110)
• →Mykonos Town evening

Fast ferry Mykonos–Santorini takes about 2 hrs (SeaJets ~€55–70) or about 2.5–3 hrs on the slower conventional ferry (~€35–45). Book ahead — summer sailings sell out. Arrive at Athinios port and take the local KTEL bus up to Fira (€2.20) rather than a €25 taxi. Base in Fira or nearby Karterados/Firostefani for cheaper rooms (budget guesthouse £35–50/night; book early — Santorini's mid-range is the single biggest cost risk on this trip). Afternoon: walk the rim path from Fira to Firostefani and Imerovigli, swim at a caldera-side pool bar with a minimum spend if you fancy it, and shop the narrow lanes. Dinner at a non-caldera taverna in Fira or Karterados keeps costs to £12–15. Sunset view tip: Oia is the postcard but packed — the Skaros Rock area of Imerovigli is nearly as good and far quieter.

🚌Ferry Mykonos–Santorini ~£50; port bus to Fira ~£2

🛏Budget guesthouse in Fira/Karterados (~£40–48/night)

• →Fira to Imerovigli caldera rim walk
• →Fira old town shopping lanes
• →Sunset at Skaros Rock / Imerovigli

Replicate the tour's semi-private caldera cruise yourself. The classic option is a Santorini boat tour booked on GetYourGuide or Klook — half-day volcano and hot springs trips from the old port run £25–40 with a traditional kaiki boat (swim at the hot springs near Nea Kameni, walk the volcano for the €5 entry, and often a stop at Thirassia). The full-day catamaran version with BBQ lunch, Red Beach, White Beach, Akrotiri and Indian Rock snorkelling stops and Oia sunset runs £90–130 per person — the direct equivalent of the tour's included excursion. Cheaper do-it-yourself version: local bus to Akrotiri for the Red Beach and the Akrotiri Bronze Age excavation (€12 entry, roofed site), then bus back and out to Oia for sunset (crowded but free). Whichever you choose, keep the evening flexible — Oia sunset requires arriving 45+ mins early for a spot.

🚌Local KTEL buses ~£4

🛏Budget guesthouse in Fira/Karterados (~£40–48/night)

• →Volcano and hot springs kaiki boat (~£30)
• →Red Beach and White Beach swim stops
• →Akrotiri excavation site (€12)
• →Oia sunset

Take the morning conventional ferry Santorini–Piraeus (~5 hrs, €40–50) or the faster SeaJets (~4.5 hrs, €60–70) — check times against your flight. If you have an early departure, consider flying Santorini–Athens instead (often £35–60 on Aegean/Sky Express if booked ahead, and it saves a day). From Piraeus, Metro Line 1/3 to the airport (~£8, 60–70 mins) with a buffer of 2.5–3 hrs before an international flight. If your flight is late, drop bags at a Monastiraki locker and spend a final couple of hours at the Ancient Agora or the excellent Acropolis-adjacent cafés. The commercial tour's included hotel-to-airport transfer is easily replaced by the metro for under £10.

🚌Ferry to Piraeus ~£45; metro to airport ~£8 (or flight £35–60)

🛏None — depart

• →Ferry back to Athens
• →Optional last stop at the Ancient Agora
• →Depart from ATH