Best of Greece: Blue Domes, Ancient Ruins & Sea Views — Self-Launched

Fly into Athens Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH). Skip the private transfer and take Metro Line 3 from the airport straight to Syntagma or Monastiraki (~€9/£8, 40–45 min, runs until after midnight) or the X95 express bus to Syntagma (€5.50, 24h). Check into a hostel or small guesthouse in Plaka/Monastiraki (for ruins-on-your-doorstep views) or Koukaki (cheaper, 10 min walk to the Acropolis Museum). Spend the evening wandering Plaka's lanes, grabbing souvlaki or a gyros (€4–6) and catching the Acropolis lit up from Areopagus Hill — free and the best sunset viewpoint in the city.

🚌Airport Metro Line 3 (~£8) or X95 bus (€5.50)

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in a Plaka/Koukaki guesthouse

• →Evening walk through Plaka
• →Areopagus Hill sunset viewpoint (free)
• →Gyros dinner on Adrianou Street

Book an Acropolis combo ticket online (€30, covers Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Kerameikos, Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Library — valid 5 days) and go at opening time (8am) to beat heat and crowds. Join a small-group or pay-what-you-like Acropolis walking tour via GetYourGuide from ~£20–30 if you want the history explained, or download a free audio guide. Walk down to the Ancient Agora, then the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, and finish at the Panathenaic (Olympic) Stadium — enter the stadium for €10 or just view it from outside for free. Evening: optional Cape Sounion sunset tour to the Temple of Poseidon (~£35–45 on GetYourGuide, includes coach and entry) if you want the operator's Poseidon stop without the private car.

🚌On foot + Athens metro single ticket €1.20

🛏Hostel dorm or private double in a Plaka/Koukaki guesthouse

• →Acropolis & Parthenon (combo ticket €30)
• →Ancient Agora & Temple of Zeus
• →Panathenaic Stadium
• →Optional Cape Sounion / Temple of Poseidon sunset tour

Book a Blue Star Ferries conventional ferry from Piraeus to Mykonos directly (roughly €45–60 / £40–52 in economy, 3.5–5 hrs) — the slow boat is far cheaper than SeaJets' fast catamarans. Take the metro or a €12 flat taxi to Piraeus port in good time; foot passengers just need to be at the gate ~30 min before. On arrival, a local bus (€2) or short taxi (€10–15) gets you to Mykonos Town if you stay slightly out of town. Base yourself in a guesthouse or hostel in Mykonos Town (Chora) or a budget room in Platis Gialos/Ornos with a bus link. Evening: sunset at the Kato Mili windmills and a stroll through Little Venice — both free.

🚌Metro to Piraeus + Blue Star Ferries economy ferry (~£45) + local bus

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in Mykonos Town / Ornos

• →Little Venice
• →Kato Mili windmills at sunset
• →Mykonos Town lanes

Take the morning boat from Mykonos old port to Delos, the UNESCO-listed sacred island and birthplace of Apollo (~€25–30 return with a local boat operator, plus €12 site entry) — the closest self-launched equivalent of a guided antiquity day. Self-guided with the free site map and a podcast/audio guide works well; small-group Delos tours via GetYourGuide run ~£40 if you prefer narration. Afternoon back on Mykonos: bus to Paradise, Super Paradise or Elia beach (€2–3), swim, and eat at a beach canteen rather than the pricey beach clubs. Note Mykonos is Greece's priciest island — cook hostel breakfasts, use bakeries and souvlaki shops, and avoid the €20 cocktails.

🚌Local boats and KTEL Mykonos buses (€2–3 per ride)

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in Mykonos Town / Ornos

• →Delos archaeological site
• →Beach afternoon at Elia or Paradise Beach

A slow day on the island. Walk or bus to Ano Mera village for the 16th-century Panagia Tourliani monastery and a cheap taverna lunch, then hit a different beach in the afternoon (Agios Sostis and Fokos are quieter and free of beach-club minimum spends). Alternatively rent a scooter or ATV (~€30–40/day) to reach the island's north-coast beaches. Late afternoon, wander the Chora backstreets, buy a €5 gyros and watch the sunset from the windmills again. Book your Mykonos→Santorini ferry online today for the following day.

🚌Buses (€2–3) or scooter rental ~€35/day

🛏Guesthouse or hostel private room in Mykonos Town / Ornos

• →Ano Mera village & Panagia Tourliani
• →Agios Sostis / Fokos beaches
• →Chora backstreets

Take the SeaJets or Golden Star ferry Mykonos→Santorini (~€60–75 / £52–65, 2–3 hrs) — book direct online and keep luggage light. From Athinios port, the local bus to Fira costs €2.30 (or a shared taxi ~€10 pp). Stay in a hostel or budget guesthouse in Fira or Karterados — not Oia, where caldera-view rooms triple the price. Afternoon: walk the Fira-to-Firostefani caldera rim path (free, 45 min) and catch sunset in Fira or take the local bus to Oia (€2) for the classic blue-dome view. Skip the operator's optional sightseeing tour — a €20 bus day pass and your own feet cover the same ground.

🚌Ferry Mykonos→Santorini (~£58) + local buses

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Fira / Karterados

• →Fira caldera rim path
• →Oia sunset by local bus
• →Fira old town

Recreate the included caldera boat tour by booking a shared volcano-and-hot-springs boat directly with a local operator or via GetYourGuide (roughly £25–40 including volcano entry, hot springs stop and sometimes Thirassia) — the operator's version adds a boat lunch, so budget €10–12 for your own souvlaki or bring a picnic. Boats leave from the old port below Fira (cable car €6 down or 588 steps). Afternoon: swim at Red Beach or Perissa (cheap loungers, black sand), or visit the Akrotiri Bronze Age excavation (€12) if you want more ancient history. Eat away from the caldera rim — Fira's inland tavernas are half the price.

🚌Local bus to old port / Akrotiri (€2 each way); cable car €6

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Fira / Karterados

• →Volcano & hot springs boat trip
• →Red Beach or Perissa black-sand beach
• →Optional Akrotiri archaeological site

Spend the day your way. Options: hike the Fira–Oia cliff path (10 km, 3–4 hrs, free, start early to avoid heat); visit Pyrgos or Megalochori village for whitewashed lanes without the crowds; or join a €25–35 Santorini wine-tasting mini-tour if you want the local Assyrtiko. Pick up ferry or flight tickets for tomorrow — a Santorini→Athens flight on Ryanair/Volotea/Aegean often costs £30–55 and saves a long day, versus a €50–70 fast ferry. Pack, and enjoy a final sunset with a cheap supermarket picnic on the caldera edge.

🚌Local buses (€2–3) or on foot

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Fira / Karterados

• →Fira–Oia cliff hike (free)
• →Pyrgos / Megalochori villages
• →Optional wine tasting

Take the morning flight Santorini (JTR) → Athens (ATH) (~£30–55, 45 min) or the fast ferry if you'd rather sail. Metro Line 3 connects the airport to the city in 40 min (€9) if you have a long layover — perfect for a last souvlaki in Monastiraki or the Acropolis Museum (€15) before departure. Airport check-in for international flights from Athens is comfortable from early afternoon; book your homeward flight after ~1pm to allow buffer.

🚌Santorini→Athens flight (~£45) or ferry; airport metro €9

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional Acropolis Museum visit
• →Last Monastiraki souvlaki run