Trip planning is an artform. Weave in airplane crying fits, weaning feeding frenzies, mid-swim poo changes, and the stroller-mangling sidewalks (if any) of Greece, and it takes extra guts and grit. So how do you go from surviving, to enjoying the holidays with kids? At the risk of overgeneralising, we’ve whittled down eight years of hard-fought wisdom into nine quick tips to get you started:
1. Avoid summer
The most popular months of July and August are actually the worst times to visit, with soaring afternoon temperatures limiting outdoor activities between 11am and 5pm. Climate change has also led to the increasing prevalence of heatwaves pushing daily highs to over 40 degrees Celsius, along with wildfire risk. All conditions that are especially brutal in a country that grapples with investment in infrastructure, and has yet to construct sufficient shade at its busiest ferry port. If the beach is still a key feature in your planned itinerary, aim for the last 2 weeks of June or the first 2 weeks of September.
2. Get a beach house
Is anything better than a villa meters from the shore for families with kids under two? Perhaps only if that seaside location also happens to be in the vicinity of a mid-sized village (e.g. Platis Gialos in Sifnos, Livadi in Serifos, Panormos in Skopelos, Mylopotas in Ios, Myrina in Limnos). When baby slips into a snooze, snag a chance to swim, wander village shops, and even linger for a Greek coffee. You might have to compromise on the beach’s dreamy factor, but the convenience of doorstep proximity is priceless.
When you’re looking for beach houses, like the coveted ski-to-door accommodation set-up of a winter vacation, don’t downplay the need for the shore to really be at your doorstep. If you’ve ever had to herd multi-level bubs and beach toys in the blazing sun through a 200 metre dirt path to the shore, you’ll understand why.
3. When selecting an island, small (and less busy) is beautiful
Unless your kids love lengthy car rides, anywhere you can drive from one end of the island to the other in 30 to 40 minutes is ideal (e.g. Milos, Paros, Skopelos, Alonissos, but not Mykonos for other reasons). Too large (e.g. Crete, Kefalonia, Evia), and you might have to suffer hour-long road trips to get to key attractions (and back). Small is simple, and simple, oftentimes less stressful. Just remember that small islands are limited with fewer accommodation options, so it’s critical to book early (more than six months ahead, ideally) to secure star finds.
4. Research your beaches
Even lazy beach days require pro-planning prowess. A little foresight and some research goes a long way: Are the waters calm and shallow? Where should you go on windy days (check wind strength and direction here)? Is it organised (i.e. with sunbeds and umbrellas) or without shade? Where will you go for food and drink? Is parking right behind or do you have to descend 300 steps to get there? And then, there’s what to bring. If you like to pack light, make sure you select an island with enough organised beach options for you.
5. Apartment rental vs hotel? The aparthotel is the real ideal
While I’m generally weary of Airbnbs because of the lack of consistency in how they are run, in Greece, many are managed professionally. Appreciating all the space we can get, and extra free time while the kids are preoccupied with bug hunts in the garden, it’s usually our preferred type of accommodation. Better equipped, breakfasts, snacks and the occasional home-cooked meal are easier to prepare in a full kitchen. And of course, there’s the benefit of having additional bedrooms so we don’t have to tiptoe around the kids in the dark after bedtime.
For short-term stays of 3 days or less, I am inclined to say hotels are the least stressful way to go. Especially after a disaster 2-night trip in a highly-rated Athens Airbnb, when we found ourselves waiting until 10pm on Christmas Eve for hosts to provide complete bedding (the duvets were missing duvet covers in winter) and clean towels (the ones provided were soiled). Hotels are more predictable in terms of what you’re going to get. You also don’t have to worry about loathsome details like taking out the trash (often especially messy business in Greece where you can’t flush toilet paper down the bowl), and cleaning up the constant trail of crumbs on the floor.
Which leads us to the real, often elusive, ideal – apartments with the full service of the hotel. Combining the benefits of an apartment with daily cleaning services, this is where you are in parent heaven. Please tell me when you find this.
6. Pack light (especially if you’re travelling by ferry)
As first-time parents, we took flight with all our best arsenal – travel cot, portable high chair, inflatable bath tub, towels and linen, feeding equipment, a week’s supply of frozen purees …So silly. We now drop the cot and portable feeding chair thanks to well-equipped holiday rentals. Linen for baby cots was never needed (strangely absent in our US and UK Airbnb rentals, in our experience). Don’t forget to check the amenities section (a washing machine helps to lighten your load) in Airbnb listings and contact your host for requests and clarifications. An inflatable tub is low on the list. Instead, we ask our hosts for a plastic wash basin (“lakani” in Greek) to use as a baby bath tub (or get one from a mini mart for €5) and for handwashing swimsuits. We go light on pampers, wipes, and snacks, since the supermarket is always a first stop when we arrive to stock-up on bottled water (tap water on most islands is not drinkable).
7. Rent a car
Greece is for exploring. Secret beach paradises down dirt tracks, tranquil tavernas perched by the sea, untouched mountain villages, the precious ruins of ancient monuments strewn along the way … With or without kids, without a car your destination would be limited to bus terminals (smaller islands may not even offer bus services).
But if you have a strong preference for travelling without a car, find accommodation within the Chora (main village) or a seaside village, and pick an island with established bus routes (e.g. Skiathos, Skopelos, and Naxos).
8. Take it slow
Island hopping with kids is more like a laboured leapfrog crawl. With luggage spilling over with assortments of packing cubes, and new spaces to adapt to with little ones, spend at least five to seven days on a small to medium-sized island.
9. Skip the Athens stopover
Athens is a beautiful, hot mess. Unmissable, but probably best left until they can walk without whining, see beauty in ancient ruins, and enjoy the stillness of museums. Stopovers in general tend to be stressful for families (mine at least), so we suggest skipping Athens entirely unless it’s a starting point for a road trip. Trading in flights or ferry transfers for a continuous car journey, once you’ve filled your boot for a road trip, you’re set until your final stop. From Athens, you can still experience island living on the glorious shores of southwest Peloponnese (e.g. Voidokilia and Elafonisos island near Mani), or Lefkada and its stellar beaches, connected to the mainland by bridge.
