Expansive Greece Itinerary: Athens, Rhodes, Crete, Santorini

We had a wonderful and memorable trip to Greece, thanks to the Zicasso travel specialist’s excellent planning. In addition to exploring Athens, she designed a seamless road trip across the Peloponnese Peninsula that took us to beautiful beaches and ancient castles in Messinia, Voidokilia, Pylos, Methoni, Monemvasia, and Nafplio. She also provided clear directions and recommended great stops to break up our drives, including Mystras Castle and the beautiful Polylimnio Waterfalls.

Our hotel accommodations were excellent throughout the trip and we really enjoyed our stay in beautiful Santorini. We also appreciated her restaurant recommendations, which saved us from having to search for places to eat and always led us to great food. She stayed in touch via WhatsApp the entire time, checking in on us and answering our questions whenever they came up. There is so much to see in Greece that we’ll definitely need to go back for another visit.

The itinerary is not the best for the price we paid and for a family with two children. We thought we could come back to Greece, but after this trip, we might not come back or even use Zicasso again. Here are the reasons: 1. The hotels are subpar for the price we paid for this tour. Our hotel in Athens felt like a 2-star. Our hotel in Santorini has a great view, but it's just a view, no pool, etc. nearby. Our hotel in Crete is not near a beach, a 20-minute walk. 2. Too much time was wasted on travel from one location to the next (Santorini to Crete and Crete to Athens). 3. Four nights in Santorini with two children is overkill since there is not much to do other than take photos, hike, and that's basically it. 4. Some of the tours are okay but nothing special, i.e., the hiking tour in Crete where they call the "little forest" is merely just for the name. It has nothing to do with the tour guides. All tour guides are great. However, we feel the tour company is crafting ordinary tours, labels it special, and calls it private. 5. In Delphi, we could have had more time to look around after the two hours. If any of the tours were great, it was the tours we had in Athens and Delphi. If we had known this type of tour we received, we could have done an all-inclusive resort in Greece and done our own without having to go through Zicasso and the tour company.

Excellent! Everything was meticulously planned. All of our tours were very interesting and the drivers were courteous. We went to Athens, Naxos, and Santorini during our 11-day trip. Overall, I think our favorite place was Naxos, with Athens and the Acropolis being second, although the weather that morning was not the best. But our guide was excellent and kept us engaged while fighting rain and wind. As I mentioned, all the drivers and guides were excellent and I would highly recommend this trip. Santorini was beautiful too and the wine tour was extremely interesting. We highly recommend Zicasso.

Our trip to Greece was exceptional, thanks to the careful planning by our travel company! They had every detail planned out and made sure we were well taken care of.

I traveled with my husband (50s) and my parents (80s). We had a general idea of some places we wanted to see and told the travel planner our interests. She ran with it and planned us the perfect trip for the pace we wanted and the types of experiences we were looking for. She suggested places that weren't even on our radar and they fit perfectly with our interests.

Our trip was 12 days, broken up into four nights in Chania, Crete, three nights in Santorini, and four nights in Athens. This was the right amount of time in each place (though my husband said he could spend a week in Santorini just to relax).

The travel planner met us at the airport and gave us a burner phone for our use during the trip, as well as a packet with tickets and boarding passes that we would need. The phone was very helpful because it had an app with our itinerary for each day, as well as contact numbers for her, drivers, tour guides, etc. This was great because we had what we needed at our fingertips and didn't have to pay for an international plan on our cell phones.

Each location we went to offered very different experiences.

Chania, Crete, was fantastic and my personal favorite spot. Our travel planner recommended it and I'm so glad she did. It was rich with history and culture, without feeling like a tourist trap.

Santorini: When we first arrived, it was a bit of a jolt because all the buildings are white and boxy (only the churches have blue roofs), and I was missing the color and vibrance of Chania. We went into Fira while we waited for our rooms to be ready and it was a total tourist trap, with people swarming around and souvenir shops and fast food restaurants. I was wondering if it was a mistake to come to this island. However, once we were settled into our hotel and saw the spectacular views and experienced the calmness, I understood why people come here. The nature and beauty won me over (and I just avoided the cities).

Athens was amazing because of the history and hospitality of the people. Everyone was so welcoming and kind. The ruins do not disappoint and we marveled at how they were just everywhere in Old Town.

Delphi: We took a day trip from Athens to Delphi and toured the ruins and museum, and had a wonderful lunch overlooking the mountains and valleys.

We went on several incredible tours during our trip. Two food tours (Chania and Athens), three archaeology/ruin-focused tours (Santorini, Athens, and Delphi), one tour of the mountains in Chania, and one sunset catamaran boat ride in Santorini. Every one of them was unique and interesting.

Our travel planner arranged several lunches and dinners for us. Each place was outstanding and the views were spectacular. We would just tell them we were with the travel company and they gave us the best seats in the restaurants and outstanding service.

We could not have asked for a more perfectly planned out trip!

Zicasso's travel company made our bucket-list trip to Greece come to life! They organised all our tours and transportation, worked with us to provide activities that were in line with our interests, and even gave detailed information on suggested itineraries for our free days.

Some highlights included the walking tour(s) of Athens, our trip to see Santorini, and the best steak I have ever had at a beach hotel in Naxos! Our only suggestion is that we went on a day tour to Delos which was self-guided. There is so much history there though that a guided tour would have been helpful. I would definitely recommend booking your tour with them!

We loved our trip! My recent trip to Greece was truly unforgettable and I cannot say enough good things about the Zicasso travel company that helped make it happen.

From the moment we arrived in Athens until our final day, every detail was thoughtfully planned and organized. The itinerary was the perfect balance of sightseeing, relaxation, and experiencing the local culture. We visited incredible destinations, including Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini, and each stop offered something unique and memorable.

The accommodations were excellent, transportation between islands was seamless, and the recommendations for restaurants, activities, and attractions were outstanding. Having everything arranged ahead of time allowed us to fully enjoy the experience without worrying about logistics.

One of the things I appreciated most was how responsive and helpful the team was throughout the planning process. They made the trip feel personalized to our interests and ensured everything ran smoothly.

Greece exceeded every expectation and I am so grateful for the expertise and attention to detail that went into planning this adventure. I would highly recommend this company to anyone looking for a stress-free, well-organized, and unforgettable travel experience. We made memories that will last a lifetime!