Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through Greece can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Greece itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
No vaccinations are required to enter Greece. Make sure routine vaccines are up to date (measles-mumps-rubella, tetanus-diphtheria, polio and flu), and many travel clinics also recommend hepatitis A and hepatitis B. Rabies shots are only worth considering for long stays involving animal contact or remote hiking, and a yellow fever certificate is not needed.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Greece, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
Greek social life revolves around long, shared meals, so expect dinner at 9 or 10 p.m., order plates for the table and never rush the waiter for the bill, which you usually have to request. Cover shoulders and knees in churches and monasteries, speak quietly inside and avoid sitting with your back to the altar. Don’t make the open-palm “moutza” gesture toward anyone, as it is a serious insult, and be aware that a quick upward head tilt means no. Don’t touch or climb on ancient ruins, and expect guards to whistle at you if you pose disrespectfully. In most of the country, used toilet paper goes in the bin beside the toilet because the plumbing cannot handle it. Topless sunbathing is common on many island beaches but less acceptable near villages or family beaches, and same-sex couples will find big cities and Mykonos relaxed while discretion is wiser in small rural communities.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Greece.
- Moussaka: Layers of eggplant, spiced minced lamb or beef and a thick béchamel topping, baked until golden. It is the classic taverna oven dish, often served lukewarm, which is how Greeks prefer it.
- Souvlaki and gyros: Grilled pork or chicken skewers, or meat shaved from a vertical spit, wrapped in pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki and fries. This is the everyday street food of Greece and the cheapest filling meal you will find, usually €3 to 5.
- Horiatiki (Greek salad): Tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives and green pepper topped with a slab of feta and olive oil, with no lettuce. It shows off the quality of summer produce and appears on nearly every table.
- Fasolada: A simple bean soup with tomato, carrot, celery and olive oil, often called the national dish. It is traditional fasting food tied to the Orthodox calendar.
- Spanakopita: Flaky phyllo pie filled with spinach, feta and herbs. Bakeries sell it by the slice all morning, making it the go-to breakfast on the move.
- Kleftiko: Lamb slow-cooked with garlic, lemon and herbs, traditionally sealed in parchment or a clay oven. Its name recalls the mountain rebels who cooked hidden meals during Ottoman rule.
- Loukoumades: Small fried dough balls soaked in honey syrup and sprinkled with cinnamon or walnuts. Often described as one of the oldest desserts in Greece, they are a favorite late-night treat.
Tap water is safe to drink in Athens, Thessaloniki and most mainland towns, and locals there drink it without a second thought. On many islands, including Santorini and parts of the Cyclades, the supply is desalinated or very hard, so locals buy bottled water and travelers should too. Ask your host when you arrive, and carry a refillable bottle with a filter to cut down on the plastic bottles that pile up in summer.
The main language in Greece is
Greek. Backpacking is way more rewarding if you know a bit of the local language, so I'd suggest brushing up on the basics just in case your Greek skills have become a bit rusty.
Want to understand locals better?The complete Travel Guide for Greece includes 52 essential words and phrases — greetings, thank-yous, ordering food, transport, numbers, and common local expressions you'll actually hear.
Get your local basic phrases 👉
Get the Travel Guide - is widely spoken in Greece wherever travelers gather, from Athens and Thessaloniki to the Cyclades and Crete, where hotel staff, waiters and ticket clerks handle it with ease. Younger Greeks and hostel staff are usually fluent, partly thanks to subtitled TV and a strong school focus on English. In mountain villages and on small, quiet islands, older people may speak little, though menus often come in English. Learning to read the Greek alphabet helps most for bus signs and timetables, and a few words like “kaliméra” (good morning) and “efcharistó” (thank you) plus an offline translation app cover the rest.
Money & Payments
The local currency of Greece is EUR (€).
ATMs are easy to find across Greece, in every town and on all but the smallest islands, but standalone machines from Euronet and similar operators often add €3 to 5 in fees plus poor conversion rates, so use ATMs at Greek banks like Piraeus, National Bank, Eurobank or Alpha Bank, which typically charge €2 to 4 to foreign cards. Always decline the machine’s offer to charge you in your home currency and choose euros instead. Cards and contactless payments are accepted in most hotels, supermarkets, restaurants and shops, as businesses are legally required to offer card payment, but small family tavernas, kiosks, beach bars and village rooms sometimes still prefer cash. Bring euros or simply withdraw them on arrival rather than carrying US dollars, which almost nobody accepts. If you need to exchange cash, use banks or reputable exchange offices in city centers and avoid the poor rates at airport counters.
Tipping in Greece is appreciated but not obligatory, and service charges are rarely added to the bill. In restaurants, leaving 5 to 10 percent in cash for good service is normal, while at cafés and bars rounding up or leaving €1 to 2 is enough. Taxi drivers expect you to round up the fare, and leaving a few euros for hotel cleaners or tour guides is a kind gesture.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.