Greece spans ancient ruins, volcanic islands, and one of Europe’s most dramatic gorges — all within a single country. These five tours represent the essential Greece experiences, covering Athens, Santorini, Crete, Delphi, and Meteora. Each can be combined into a two-week itinerary, or taken as standalone excursions from a single base.
All are bookable through GetYourGuide with verified reviews and, in most cases, free cancellation.
1. Athens: Acropolis, Parthenon & Acropolis Museum Guided Tour
Athens: Acropolis, Parthenon & Acropolis Museum Guided Tour (from $45 per person)
The Acropolis is the most visited ancient site in the world, and the Parthenon — built between 447 and 432 BCE as a temple to Athena — remains structurally remarkable despite 2,500 years of damage, warfare, and looting. A licensed guide makes the difference here: without context, the site is an impressive field of columns; with a guide, the Propylaea gateway, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion (with its six caryatid columns), and the Parthenon itself become legible as a single planned ensemble built to project Athenian power at the height of the classical period.
The tour continues into the Acropolis Museum, a purpose-built 2009 building housing original friezes, pediment sculptures, and the surviving caryatids (the ones on the Erechtheion today are replicas). The museum’s top floor aligns exactly with the Acropolis above, and the Parthenon frieze runs around the perimeter at eye level.
Duration: 3–4 hours | Difficulty: Moderate (uphill approach on uneven stone paths)
Best time: First entry (8am) or after 4pm in summer to avoid peak heat and maximum crowds
Includes: Skip-the-line Acropolis entry, Acropolis Museum entry, licensed guide
Greece mandates that Acropolis tours use government-licensed guides — this tour meets that requirement.
2. Santorini: Sailing Catamaran Cruise with BBQ & Drinks
Santorini: Sailing Catamaran Cruise with BBQ and Drinks (from $105 per person)
Santorini’s caldera — the flooded remnant of a Bronze Age volcanic eruption — is best understood from the water. This catamaran cruise circles the caldera, passing the active volcanic island of Nea Kameni (visible from a distance as a dark mass of solidified lava), the hot springs off Palea Kameni (where the water turns orange-brown from sulphur), Red Beach (accessible only by boat), and the sheer white clifftops of Fira and Oia from the sea looking up.
The cruise includes a freshly prepared BBQ lunch on board and an open bar of Greek wine, beer, and soft drinks. Swimming stops are timed to the less-visited spots — Mesa Pigadia Bay and sections of coastline that the ferries don’t reach. Group size is semi-private (typically 8–12 passengers).
Duration: 5–6 hours | Difficulty: Easy
Best time: Morning departure for calmer caldera conditions; sunset cruises are popular but the BBQ and swimming are better in daylight
Includes: Catamaran, BBQ lunch, open bar (wine, beer, soft drinks), snorkelling gear, swimming stops
The caldera view from water level — looking up at the white cube houses stacked on the clifftops — is the image most people associate with Greece. It does not disappoint.
3. Crete: Samaria Gorge Guided Hike
Crete: Samaria Gorge Hiking with Transfer and Expert Escort (from $40 per person)
The Samaria Gorge is 16 kilometres long, drops 1,250 metres in elevation from the Omalos Plateau to the Libyan Sea, and passes through the narrowest section — the Iron Gates, where the walls close to 3 metres apart and rise 300 metres — at roughly the halfway point. It is the longest gorge in Europe open to the public, and the hike takes between 4 and 7 hours depending on pace.
This guided tour departs from Chania with transport to the Xyloskalo trailhead at the top, where the descent begins. The guide sets a sustainable pace, covers the ecology of the gorge (the endemic Cretan wild goat, or kri-kri, occasionally visible on the upper slopes), and manages the group through the crowded Iron Gates section efficiently. At the bottom, the village of Agia Roumeli sits on the Libyan Sea — the tour includes a ferry transfer back to Chania via Hora Sfakion.
Duration: Full day (9–10 hours total with transport) | Difficulty: Strenuous (16 km descent, uneven terrain)
Best time: May, June, and October — the gorge is open from May 1 to mid-October; July and August are very hot in the lower section
Includes: Transport from Chania, guide, ferry return transfer
Sturdy footwear with ankle support is essential — the trail is rocky throughout. The gorge authorities do not allow entry after 3pm.
4. Athens: Delphi Full-Day Tour with Museum
Athens: Mythology of Delphi, Museum and Arachova Guided Tour (from $60 per person)
Delphi sits 180 kilometres northwest of Athens on the lower slopes of Mount Parnassus, at an elevation of around 570 metres. For roughly 1,000 years, from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE, it was the most important religious sanctuary in the Greek world — city-states, kings, and generals consulted the Oracle of Apollo here before major decisions. The archaeological site preserves the Temple of Apollo (where the oracle sat), the Sacred Way lined with treasury buildings from competing Greek city-states, the ancient theatre with views across the valley, and the stadium where the Pythian Games were held.
This full-day tour from Athens includes a licensed archaeologist or historian as guide, covers the Delphi Archaeological Museum (home to the Bronze Charioteer, one of the finest surviving bronzes from antiquity), and stops in the village of Arachova — a mountain town known for its cheeses, pasta, and woven textiles — on the return journey.
Duration: 10 hours | Difficulty: Easy to moderate (uphill walking at the site)
Best time: Spring and autumn for the mountain air; summer mornings before the heat peaks at the exposed site
Includes: Air-conditioned coach, licensed guide, Delphi site and museum entry, Arachova stop
Delphi is one of Greece’s two UNESCO World Heritage Sites (along with the Acropolis) — the guide on this tour provides the historical scaffolding that makes the ruins coherent.
5. Athens: Meteora Monasteries Day Trip
Athens: Meteora Monasteries Day Trip with Live Guide & Lunch (from $75 per person)
Meteora is a geological formation of 60-million-year-old sandstone pillars rising up to 400 metres from the Thessaly plain, with six active Eastern Orthodox monasteries built on their summits between the 14th and 16th centuries. The scale of the building achievement — constructing stone monasteries on vertical rock faces, hauling materials up in nets — makes more sense from the base looking up than it does in photographs.
This tour departs Athens at approximately 7:45am and arrives in Meteora after a scenic 4-hour coach journey through central Greece. A local guide covers all six monasteries from the exterior and leads groups inside three of them (dress code applies: covered knees and shoulders required; wraps provided). Lunch at a local restaurant is included before the return journey.
Duration: Full day (~15 hours including travel) | Difficulty: Easy to moderate (some steps at monastery entrances)
Best time: Spring and autumn for clear mountain air; summer can be very warm at Meteora, and the coach journey is long in July/August heat
Includes: Air-conditioned coach from Athens, licensed guide, entrance fees for three monasteries, Greek lunch
Meteora is 350 kilometres from Athens — this tour handles all logistics and makes the journey viable as a single day trip.
How to Choose
| Tour | Duration | Best for | From Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Acropolis Tour | 3–4 hrs | Ancient history, first day | $45 |
| Santorini Catamaran Cruise | 5–6 hrs | Island scenery, caldera views | $105 |
| Crete Samaria Gorge Hike | Full day | Active travellers, hiking | $40 |
| Athens to Delphi Day Trip | 10 hrs | Ancient oracle, archaeology | $60 |
| Athens to Meteora Tour | Full day | Monasteries, dramatic scenery | $75 |
Prices are per person, in USD, as of 2026. All tours offer free cancellation; check individual listings for specific cancellation windows. Browse all Greece tours on GetYourGuide.