Want to know how to plan a trip to Greece? This post explains exactly how my friends and I planned our trip to Greece from South Africa for R16000 ($1030) per person. I have included the details and prices of flights, accommodation, domestic travel and the VISA application. Though this trip happened in 2017, the links and prices in this post were updated in March 2020.
From my experience, you have more opportunity to reduce costs when you plan everything yourself. The other benefit of planning everything yourself is that you do not need to pay a lump sum of money all at once but instead will make payments step wise over an extended period.
Step 1: Pick a destination
Price is a major deciding factor when it comes to choosing a destination. My friends and I knew that we wanted a beach location. We then narrowed the list of options down to either Maldives or Greece. We ended up agreeing on Greece because it came out as the cheaper option after a quick browse of prices.
Step 2: Finalize dates
Select a date that allows enough time for planning and saving. Always consider the weather at that time of year. We chose the start of autumn (08 to 17 October) which is off-peak travel season. The weather was still warm and places were not overly packed.
Step 3: Finalize who is going
A lot of people will be keen at first because the sound of an island getaway is appealing to most. However, due to other commitments, finances or any other reason, people might pull out and that’s fine. You will never go on vacation if you try to synchronise 10 people’s calendars, finances and destination preferences. Since destination and dates are finalised at this stage, everyone should be able to confirm whether they are in or out. We traveled as a group of four. If you want to plan a trip to Greece in 2020 yourself without a guide, everyone you are travelling with needs to be on board to do the work. Read this blog post for more advice about planning a group trip that actually happens.
Step 4: Buy flights
We departed from Johannesburg, South Africa and chose to fly with Emirates which meant one stop in Dubai. Emirates is my preferred airline because of the comfort of their seats, their wide selection of movies and series on board, the USB connections available for charging your phone and I love the fact that they have WIFI.
Note that you don’t need a VISA to book a flight. All you need are your personal details and money. We booked our flights 4 months in advance. This was the biggest expense of the trip.
Price of return flight from Johannesburg to Athens, Greece: R8500
Step 5: Book accommodation
We decided on three destinations in Greece for our trip. We chose Athens (city), Mykonos island and Santorini island because these locations each offer a unique experience and are close enough to each other to fit into a 7 day trip.
- Athens for 2 nights – R1600 (R400 per person);
- Mykonos for 2 nights – R4300 (R1075 per person);
- Santorini for 3 nights – R8900 (R2225 per person)
For more information about useful accommodation tools, read my blog post titled How to Find Great Accommodation Everytime.
Total cost of accommodation per person: R3700
Step 6: Book domestic travel
You can either travel by ferry or by flight to get from one island to the next. We chose to predominantly travel by flight because this significantly reduces travel time and because if booked in advance can be well priced. For example, it takes 5 to 9 hours to travel by ferry from Santorini to Athens but 45minutes to travel by plane.
- Athens to Mykonos using Aegean Airlines for R950
- Mykonos to Santorini by Seajets ferry for R1050
- Santorini to Athens using Aegen Airlines for R500
Total cost of domestic travel: R2500
Step 7: Apply for a Schengen VISA
South Africans are required to have a Schengen VISA in order to travel to Greece. You can only apply for a VISA at this stage as you are required to supply proof of accommodation and flights. The list of VISA application requirements including the application form can be found on the Global Visa Centre website.
The application process can take as quick as 15minutes if you have all of your documents. Remember that you have to schedule an appointment before going.
It takes up to 15 calendar days to process your VISA application. They then notify you that your VISA is ready for collection. I recommend booking an appointment sooner rather than leaving it till the last minute.You are allowed to apply for a VISA as early as 90 days before departure. If you leave it till the last minute it is possible for no dates to be available and you won’t have time to re-apply if your first application is unsuccessful.
Cost of VISA application: R1300
Done!
The total cost is R16 000
Follow these steps to plan a trip to Greece in 2020. You can do it yourself without an agent! For those looking to spend less, note that you can by reducing your Airbnb accommodation budget or by booking your flights even earlier than we did. Alternatively you can choose to travel between locations by ferry or even travel to fewer locations to cut costs. For more useful travel information like this, stay connected with this blog (Gophari.com) – sign up to my newsletter and follow @Gophari across social media platforms.
This was really eye opening ..thank u
I am so glad! It’s a pleasure 🙂
Eye opening and a great post Fari
Thank you 🙂 🙂
Thank you Smanga!
Wow. Thanks for sharing that piece. Greece is on my list for a while now but due to cost factors i always pushed it back. Maybe settling for Air BNB is a better option to hotels. Thanks so much @Gophari❤
Airbnb is a really great alternative. I prefer it! You get to have the whole apartment/house to yourself and live amongst the locals. I hope that you get to make your Greece trip happen! It’s a pleasure 💛
Yes girl! How I love you. So real. Anyway,yes,Greece has been on my list as well. Been budgeting around that figure,glad to see that should be fine. ALSO I wanna know how you do the saving? Can’t wait for next post. I always move my savings to other things unintended(commitment issues…lol!).Mwa
You’re the best! Thank you for your support 💛 Ok that’s great that you have been working around the same figure. Savings can be tricky hey lol. Will share soon!
Thank you very much Fari,this is very helpful.
It’s an absolute pleasure Ntombi 😊
Thank you so much for sharing… very detailed. I’ll have to give Air BnB a try. Have you ever tried using DreamTrips for your travel/experiences? I would love to hear your thoughts. Where to next?
It’s a pleasure 😊 I haven’t used DreamTrips but I have heard all about it. I’m going to explore South Africa for a while before my next international trip.
Thanks for sharing! This post couldn’t have come at a more perfect time as we’re planning for Greece with friends as well.You’ve really narrowed it down. Love your pics, very interesting blog. ❤️
It’s a pleasure! I’m so excited for you. Have the BEST time 😊 And thank you!!
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This is incredibly helpful!!Thanks for breaking it down so well.
It’s an absolute pleasure 😊
OH MY 🙂 This couldn’t have come at a better time…I was browsing Instagram, then I saw a photo you posted and saw all other beautiful pics your posted and immediately followed your instagram account…wow!!! Then clicked on your bio…and viola…I have am celebrating my 40th in June and I thought of going to Bali, but now I am definitely going to Greece, thank you for these exquisite photos… Have you ever traveled. I want the experience and have never done it…your thoughts on solo trip to Greece…
Hi Mangi 💛😁 Thank you sooo much! I am super happy that you found this post useful and am so excited for your trip. I haven’t travelled solo before but I really admire other women that do. It’s still something I need to try and when I do I will definitely write a blog post about it.
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Thanks so much for this! Planning a trip to Greece with friends in October this year, i believe that’ll be Autumn. How was the weather for you? Did it get cold at any point? Also, you promised to do a post on the pro’s & con’s of travelling outside of peak season. Hope that post will be up soon!
Loving your blog!
Hey! The weather was good. I was a bit worried that it would be cold but it was sunny everyday and only needed to add a layer in the evenings. And thanks for keeping me honest! Will get that post up soon 😁
Your blog is so insightful my gosh. I’m glad I came across it. I just wanna find out when it comes to money do I have to exchange my Rands to the currency of the country I’m visiting and at what point do I exchange it.
Hi Tshepang, you can either exchange your Rands in South Africa or at the destination. Or you can withdraw at the destination.
Thank you so much, this was super helpful. The R16 500 doesn’t include food or any activities hey? I guess that also person specific but i im curious is food is generally South Aftican or Anerican prices? US food is hella expensive, we were shocked when we arrived. And did u do any nice activities? Thanks Again. Mpho Zim
It’s a pleasure 😁 I have a separate post on how much I spent in Greece and what activities I did. Will send you the link
Thanks for sharing
I am planning to go in March
Any tips on the itinerary based on your 3 suggested locations?
Hi Karabo check out my blog post about how much I spent in Greece it shows what I did each day and how much it cost.
Thank you for sharing these tips. We are planning a trip to Greece.
It’s a pleasure! Have the best time
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Thanks a lot this is so eye opening, saw it through your thread on Twitter
It’s a pleasure! Thank you for reading
Hey Fari, thanks for the above, I’m planning a trip to Greece in October and I will use your guidelines.
Thanks to your Greece posts, I managed to successful plan a trip to Greece.
I’m so happy for you!