Gadding in Greece.

An ancient city, with more history than I will go into here, Athens is home to about 3.1 million people, but it feels like a lot more as due to the density of the city. The buildings are huddled together, knitted onto the landscape, as though even the modern-day houses are seeking safety in numbers lest they be invaded again. Puncturing the clusters of houses, rocky hills piece the horizon, each adorned either with some ancient archaeological marvel or an equally charming church.

I had heard mixed reviews about Athens, it seems to be one of those polarising cities, you either love it or hate it. I loved it. Perhaps it was because it was the first real travel I have done in years, but from the moment we landed in its dusty, beige haze, I was smitten.

We stayed at adorable the hostel, Athens Quinta, found on Hostel.com for 45 Euros per night. We had in a private room with a shared bathroom, so if you stay in the dormitories, it is even cheaper. On Hostel.com, Athens Quinta has a 9.4 satisfaction rate – and for good reason. It was clean and tidy with tiny rooms and antique furniture, giving the place the cheery charm of your grandma’s house. Included in the price was a substantial breakfast each morning of yoghurt (Greek yoghurt of course!) muesli and other cereals, bread, condiments, boiled eggs, tea, coffee and juice.

It also had a beautiful courtyard and rooftop terrace complete with cushioned chairs – and the pièce de resistance, a hanging swing chair!

Pros: clean, tidy, adorable, great breakfast included, helpful staff, free tea and coffee all day. Cons: small kitchen so if cooking meals is important to you, this might be a challenge.

Free: - Climb Mount Lycabetus: more of a hill than a mountain, Lycabetus is in the heart of Athens with great 360-degree views of the city. As with just about anywhere in Greece, it also has an adorable church on top and a place where you could buy a beer and enjoy the view (which we did).

- Explore the Street Art Downtown: adorning the walls, turning alleyways into galleries, the streets of Exarchia, Psyrri, Anafiotika and Gazi are full of street art, graffiti and murals. A fiery, colourful clash of culture, the art is an ode to the creativity, angst and anti-authoritarianism sentiment of Athens youth. If you’re staying at Athens Quinta, all you need to do it walk out your front door and let the adventure begin. You can also book Street Art tours through TripAdvisor or AirBnb.

- Plaka: A quaint, touristy neighbourhood in the heart of Athens, close to the Acropolis and other key attractions. Plaka is filled with cute, narrow walkways, eateries and many, many souvenir shops. It’s a delightful place to wander for the afternoon and maybe grab a snack or a pack of ancient Greek erotic playing cards.

-Walk through the National Gardens: A lush green oasis in a perpetually dusty, beige city. We enjoyed meandering through the gardens and having a picnic under the shade of the trees. - Changing of the Guards: This is one of my favourite things from our time in Athens. The soldiers, known as Evzones, guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Hellenic Parliament and the Presidential Mansion. There is a ceremony to mark the change of sentries when every hour on the hour, two Evzones Guards go off duty and two new guards go on duty. Despite being more ceremonial than useful, becoming an Evzone Guard is a huge honour (amongst many other requirements they must be 1.9m tall, must not make any face or eye movements and must not show any expression) and is a very cool tradition to witness. At 11am every Sunday there is a parade through the city which we unfortunately missed. It is very popular, so arrive early if you want good spots!

Paid: - Acropolis Tour: This is a MUST DO if you’re in Athens. Even if you’re not as much of a history nerd as I am, there is something awe-inspiring about wandering around buildings thousands of years old. We opted to do a guided tour with GetYourGuide through the Acropolis and the Museum, it was 37 Euros each and included entry to the Museum but not the Acropolis (which was 10 Euros each). Our guide was wonderful – knowledgeable, engaging and funny. Her passion for Athens and its history was infectious and I felt like I got so much more out of the experience for seeing it with an expert.

- Olympic Stadium: Of course this was on my list! The birthplace of the modern Olympics in 1896, the Panathenaic Stadium has enough grandeur to inspire and entertain even if you’re not an Olympic fan. Entry is 10 Euros pp and I am sure there are a number of tours you could go with as well.

-Museum of Cycladic Art: Again, if you love history, you'll enjoy this. An impressive collection of artefacts stretching back to as early as 1500 BC. Entry was pretty cheap at just 8 Euro pp. -A for Athens: If you’re after somewhere a little bit fancy to have a drink or dinner, A for Athens is a stunning rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis and other historical sites. I can definitely recommend the spicy margarita paired with a sunset – it’s a match made in heaven. Expect to pay about 15 Euro per cocktail – so not cheap, but not outrageous either.

Not cheap. But not expensive either. Be prepared for the little added costs - 4 Euros for a coffee here, a 5 Euro entry fee there. As always, the greatest cost is drinking out, if you can pick up something from the Supermarket and sip it somewhere picturesque, you'll be saving a lot.

Athens is quite spread out, with reasonably limited public transport. The airport has a train which will take you into the city, but if you are traveling to ferries in either the early or late hours (like we were) public transport options are limited. We ended up booking a transfer (45 min ride cost 30 Euro), make sure you book beforehand to avoid unnecessary stress.

Narrow streets with even smaller or no footpaths, it can be difficult to manoeuvre suitcases. Not impossible, but easiest to limit wandering the streets with a suitcase in tow.

Tipping is appreciated but not mandatory or expected. Usually if tipping is part of the payment there will be a note on the menu which says something like: 'prices include tax but not service or gratitudes'.

4-5 Days would be ideal to explore Athens and take advantage of the day trips which leave from Athens. I wish we had an extra day or two to keep exploring it and to head out on a day trip to a monastery or archeological site.

Currency: Euro

Mykonos. The notorious party island, an Instragramer's delight, supposedly overwhelmed with tourists - or so I thought. Mykonos, quite simply, took my breath away. Not being a massive party animal myself - shock horror, I know - I was a little apprehensive about spending so much time on this infamous island. However, from the moment I stepped off the ferry, I was entranced. Hypnotised by the impossibly clear, blue water of the Mediterranean and charmed by the completely disorienting, winding, whitewashed alleys in the Old Town. April is very early in the tourist season, and therefore the usually heaving streets were pleasantly calm, almost empty.

The weather was too cool to fully enjoy everything the Mediterranean has to offer - namely sun-baking, swimming and drinking on repeat - and some of the bars and restaurants weren't open yet. However, far from detracting from the experience, in a way it added to it. Exploring the island was a more intimate, personal affair. We were able to have beaches to ourselves and enjoy exploring the streets of Little Venice without hoards of holiday makers choking the alleyways, bars and restaurants.

We stayed at the family run Morfoulas Studios, located just outside Old Town, halfway up one of the many hills on Mykonos. Upon arrival, we were greeted by ‘Mama Morfoula’, your stereotypical Greek lady with kind eyes and thick accent. She showed us to our room – it was small, but perfectly functional, complete with bed and tiny ensuite. It had a little bar fridge, a kettle, basic utensils, mugs and plates. The view from the common balcony area is simply stunning - it looks out over the bay and has a spectacular view of the sunset.

Pros: Reliable WIFI, own bathroom, location, sunsets from the courtyard were unbelievable.

Cons: was a bit difficult to get to from the ferry port, we caught a water taxi from the new port to the old port, and then had a 20min walk from Old Town - unfortunately a lot of it was uphill! In summer I imagine this wouldn't be as much of an issue as the town buses run more frequently. There are no cooking facilities if that is a priority.

Free:

- Wander the streets of Little Venice: Get lost in the whitewashed-walled, blue-doored alleyways of Little Venice, an easy walk from Morfoulas Studios. I could literally spend hours meandering through the wiggly-windy streets - sometimes I didn't have a choice as I have a terrible sense of direction and the streets purposely turn you round and round and they all look alike.

- Lie on a (sheltered) beach: As previously said, if you are out of the wind and in the sun, it was pleasantly warm. There are beaches scattered throughout the island, so find a sheltered nook and lay there with a good book. If you are very brave, go for a quick, invigorating dip.

- Watch the Sunset: There are so many places to sit and watch the sunset over the ocean. My favourite spot was the courtyard of Morfoula's Studio, we often took some drinks and had a picnic dinner while watching a kaleidoscope of colours drench the darkening sky.

Paid:

Hire a Quad-bike: By far the easiest (and funnest) way to explore the island. Mykonos is surprisingly big, and has little hidden coves and rocky hills with stunning views. After a bit of searching we chose Quality Rentals - some of the hire places have some veeerry dodgy reviews, but this place was great and reasonably priced. The bike cost us for 55 Euros for the day, and it was worth every penny. We roamed all over the island and even made friends with an escaped donkey. **A little word of advice**: do yourself a favour and get the bike with at least 170cc, the 50cc bikes often struggled to make it up the hills - especially if there were two people riding them. Ours was a 450cc engine and between two tall humans over 6' we didn't have any issues. So treat yourself, you're worth it.

Day Tour to Delos: A short boat ride from Mykonos is the small island of Delos, home to an archeological site of the ruined Helenistic City dating back to 4th century BC. We booked at tour through TripAdvisor which cost 55 Euros each which included the ferry ride over (20 Euros pp) an accredited guide and entry to the archeological site (12 Euros pp). The ferry ride and entry can be bought independently of a guided tour if you just want to explore the island at your leisure.

Monastery of Panagia Tourliani: While roaming around the island on our quad bike, we stumbled across this little Monastery hidden in the heart of Mykonos. Its situated in the quaint village of Ano Mera - complete with local bakery (can definitely recommend getting a treat from there) and a village square. Entry was 3 Euros each which included entry to the Monastery, church and small museum.

https://mikonu.gr/

Drop by Mikònu Brewery: Established in 2016 the Mykonos Brewing Company has opened up a micro brewery specialising in craft beers. They have a range of beers to sample, including my favourite, the prickly pear ale, made from the fruit of the cactuses found on Mykonos island. The founder are super friendly and knowledgeable and they also offer tours of the brewery for 20 Euros pp and a tasting paddle of 5 beers will set you back 15 Euros pp. After our tasting we bought a bottle and headed back to our favourite sunset spot.

Not Cheap. Again, Mykonos is a tourist destination and therefore charges tourist prices - there are not many local places to eat (at least not during tourist season). It is relatively inexpensive to buy groceries and alcohol from the small supermarkets, but there are very limited grocery options. To give you and idea of the cost, to have a beer at a bar overlooking the water will set you back 8 Euros. You can buy a 4 pack of the same beer in a supermarket for 6 Euros.

Consider hiring a car. If you're staying out of the main town (Old Town), definitely consider hiring a car, the island is very spread-out with Villa's dotted everywhere so if you don't have an easy means of transport it could be quite isolating.

There is no drinkable tap water on Mykonos. You are fine to shower and rinse your toothbrush under the taps, but you'll need to stock up on bottled water for drinking and any tea or coffee you want.

Currency: Euro

We set off for Santorini from Mykonos on a SeaJet boat alongside 400-odd eager passengers. Unlike the boat trip from Athens to Mykonos, this was a bumpy ride. Thankfully there was no unexpected hurling over the side however, sea sickness tablets are absolutely recommended for those even slightly prone. After 3 hours of stomach-churning lurching we rounded the corner and caught our first glimpse of the iconic whitewashed walls of Santorini.

The cliffs loom, impossibly high and steep, almost imposing above the port which is connected to the gleaming city above by a narrow, windy road, snaking its way up to the clifftops. As this port is responsible for bringing in the majority of the people, goods, equipment and supplies to the island, this road is never empty. Buses, taxis, trucks and even the odd quad bikes and pedestrians constantly wending their way up and down its hair-pin corner turns. A transfer will set you back at least €20, and so unsurprisingly there are the odd backpackers braving the trek to save their pennies. However, this not for the faint of hearted, with no designated pedestrian pathway, it would take at least an hour or two to make it up the top depending on your level of fitness. It's well worth splashing the euros on this and saving money in the town with cheap food instead.

We stayed in a comfortable little place called Villa Stella Santorini. It's a brisk 10 minute walk from the centre of Fira, where you will find buses which can connect you to other part of the Island, shops, car rental places and restaurants. It cost us around 43 Euros per night so, for the location, it's great value for money.

Pros: Good location. Good value for money. Great view of the sunrise. Own bathroom. Air conditioning. Fridge for storing food and snacks.

Cons: Patchy Wifi. Intermittent hot water. No kettle, basic utensils or cups and bowls which makes it difficult to prepare packed lunches and have breakfast at home. Fortunately it's a pretty easy fix, a couple of large takeaway cups and €1 spoons, easily substitutes as a bowl for cereal. The only real downer was no kettle - homemade coffee is an easy way to keep your expenses down.

Free:

Explore the town of Fira: Pretty as a postcard, Fira is the capitol of Santorini, situated in the middle fo the island it faces west across the ocean. Full of tourist shops, cafes, bars and restaurants - try no to succumb to decision fatigue. But in good news, with so many delicious options, its nigh impossible to make a bad choice!

Watch the Sunset: Santorini is famous for its sunsets; they are on just about every postcard you'll see of the place. The best places to watch the sunset are Oia (pronounced ee-a), Fira or the Akrotiri Lighthouse. Be sure to get there early, particularly in summer as sunset locations are hugely popular!

**TOP TIP**: we found a shop , Good Mood Food, which sold 3 Euro gyros (try saying that 3 times faster!). Freshly toasted pita bread wrapped around your choice of falafel, chicken, pork or lamb, complete with fresh tomato and tzatziki all for 3.10 euros - you absolutely can't go wrong. Grab one and a few drinks from the local supermarket and go watch the sunset for next to nothing!

Akrotiri Lighthouse: Speaking of Akrotiri lighthouse, it's well worth the trip down the end of the island to check it out. The drive is spectacular and the view out over the ocean is nothing short of sublime.

The Black Beach: This is also well worth visiting. Pebbles of black basalt, smoothed and polished by years in the ocean, form the coastline along the east side of Santorini. Conducting heat much better than white sand, definitely make some time here and enjoy soaking up the heat from the pebbles. The ocean will also be slightly warmer at this beach than other white sandy beaches - but not by much, it's still pretty chilly!

Amoudi Bay: Breathtakingly beautiful, Amoudi Bay sits at the bottom of the cliff of Oia. A small harbour where many yacht tours leave from, Amoudi Bay has a short track you can scramble along the ocean shoreline, or, as I did, simply sit on a rock, mesmerised by the shades of blue Mediterranean water. There are numerous restaurants perched along the water's edge, but like any water-view venues, you pay first fro the view and then again for the food - for those budget conscious travellers, I recommend a packed picnic.

Paid:

Volcanic Islands and Thermal Waters Tour: A full-day trip, inclusive of hotel pick up and drop off, we boarded the immaculate, renaissance-style ship, Captain John. Setting us back only 26 euros each, this trip is one of the best value outings we have done. It comprises of three stops:

-First is Nea Kameni, an active (but sleeping) volcano. A 25 minute walk up to the top evoked scenes akin to Frodo and Sam climbing Mt Doom, ending, however, with stunning views of the rest of the islands instead of the plains of Mordor. Dada, our Italian guide who was fluent in Italian, English, French, Spanish as well as Greek, put everyone to shame and managed to make to the top of the island first, despite stopping to give us information (in 4 different languages!) on the way up.

-Next up: thermal waters for a swim. Do not be fooled: this was not hot-springs! There was absolutely nothing hot about them. Geothermal heat warms up a shallow area of a small island which requires a 30m swim from the boat to reach. This is not for the faint hearted, in April the ocean waters barely reach 18 degrees and the thermal springs only heat the water to a tepid 25 degrees. I’m sure it would be much nicer in the summer months. However, one of my life mottos is: you never regret a swim, and I can assure you, I didn't regret it.

-The last stop is the tiny island of Thirassia. Almost a mini version of Santorini, the water here was crystal clear punctured only by the odd sea urchin perched between the rocks. Again, a winding track connects the dock to the main township up on the cliffs. This one is a bit more forgiving than the main island, taking those with moderate fitness around half an hour to traverse. The top holds a much quieter and sleepy town, with only a few establishments open for business in this early season. Nevertheless, the view from the top is breathtaking: azure blue oceans to one side, and cheery fields of daisies to the other.

Hire a Car: Again, like Mykonos, Santorini is surprisingly large. Hiring a car allows you to see all the vastly varied island landscape. We hired a smart car for 55 Euros, which was comical considering we are both over 6 feet, However, it was great for navigating the little laneways and squeezing past trucks.

Venetsanos Winery: I can't recommend this place enough! The food: amazing. The staff: delightful. The location: unbelievable. And best of all, the wine: superb! This is a MUST DO if you are in Santorini. We managed to snag a table overlooking the water without a reservation, but I imagine you will have to book during peak season. A tasting paddle of 4 wines and an antipasti plate to share will set you back 35 euros pp, but it's worth every penny. Make sure you stop either on the way in or the way out and check out their little wine museum.

Not cheap. Like Mykonos and Athens, Santorini is a tourist town, and it has been hit hard in the two years. Up close, it's possible to notice, what the carefully curated Instagram and travel brochure photographs omit: the lingering scars of Covid. There are almost as many construction workers as tourists on the island in mid-April, with repairs and refurbishments being completed tirelessly to get things up and running for the impending summer season. However, seeing how happy the locals are to welcome tourists back to their shores, makes me only too happy to pay an extra few euros for my meal.

Consider hiring a car, even if it's just for a day. It is by far the best way to get around the island and you will be able to see a lot more of it, at your own pace.

Tap water is undrinkable, there is not drinking water on the island so you will have to stock up on bottled water. You can brush your teeth under the tap water, but it tastes mildly salty and isn't suitable for drinking.

3-4 Days Should be enough to see the main attractions on the island and fit in a tour or two. However, it is so beautiful that if you are after a more laidback holiday, you'd be hard pressed to find a more picturesque setting for endless twilight hours spent sipping cocktails and watching the sunset.

Currency: Euro