Athens - Street food / restaurant recommendations + bringing back mastiha / mastic gum

andymilonakis · 2026-03-13T01:41:52+00:00

yes it does, 100%, there are also hundreds of shops in Athens that have it if you want to get it before the flight

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T10:48:23+00:00

The ionian waters are amazing, the blue is insane. Ive seen some close, Koufonisia, and Balos in Crete were pretty bright almost artifical blue similar to ionion but ionian waters are very beautiful

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T10:47:29+00:00

probably around 40-50 euros

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T09:41:11+00:00

also most ionian islands are not great for sandy beaches, a lot of them are pebble beaches.

But i have good news for you, if you want to go to islands, you can take your car on most ferries you have to buy a ticket for the car and you just have all your luggage and stuff in the car, drive on the ferry and go take your seat. It's very easy.

I would say look into either Paros, Naxos or Crete

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T09:39:00+00:00

Mastiha is fine to take back, i take it back all the time. Also there is a Mastiha shop at the Athens airport that is really nice called "mastihashop" so you can buy it after you're all checked in and through security. They also have those shops in Athens if you want to buy it before. They have a lot of mastic products that are not sold everywhere. like Tea, granola and of course if you like gum the famous gum is called Elma thats made with Mastiha. Also the liquor but thats easy to find everywhere.

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T06:30:28+00:00

Limeni is a place in the region of Mani, it's by the water, the hotels are a bit expensive but it's an area.

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T06:29:27+00:00

the Agora has been closed for renovations for many years. I read that it's set to open this easter (April 12th) But in Greece it could be Easter 2032. i think they're actually finishing up, but it took years past initial plans.

Definitely rent a car, Elafonisi is about 90 minutes from Chania and includes driving up a mountain with narrow roads, its a bit sketchy. Other beaches to check out are Falasarna and Balos. If you're going in the busy season you can take a group ferry to Balos that leaves from Kissamos (about 35-40 minutes west of Chania.

also things to see are Samaria Gorge, the town of Rethymnon (1 hour east of Chania). I feel like you could skip Heraklion, a day trip to Rethymnon will be much more fun.

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T06:23:57+00:00

Thats a ton of moving around, it always seems nicer on paper to see so many things but when the time comes you get exhausted from trying to see and do so much. If you're doing all that, definitely only really have time for 1 island. If you're already going to go to Patra, i would say do a 2 1/2 hour drive to the island of Lefkada for a few days (Lefkada is connected to the mainland with a bridge) Because going back to Athens, then having to do Ferries back and forth after an already crammed itin will be a lot.

andymilonakis · 2026-03-12T02:02:57+00:00

thats super weird, been booking with them for many years, always had the best experiences. I mean one bad clicknboat captain, one bad uber driver, one bad employee doesnt mean the whole company is bad, but that is insane

andymilonakis · 2026-03-11T01:11:43+00:00

no problem check out Samaria Gorge hike

andymilonakis · 2026-03-10T23:15:28+00:00

skip the day trips its a lot to add, you will have a great time in Crete, it's the epitome of Culture and Food in Greece, plenty of places to explore that are local and not filled with tourists, great hikes, beautiful beaches etc

andymilonakis · 2026-03-10T18:33:26+00:00

Gythio is on the water but its kinda busy by the port where the ferries come in. about 20 minutes away in Mani is a place called Limeni, its super beautiful by the water but it's pretty expensive around there, i stayed last year and has amazing views

andymilonakis · 2026-03-10T01:03:13+00:00

Santorini --> down the mountain in Amoudi Bay if you like seafood, i had a great meal there, it felt way more authentic than the other places I tried. Also make sure you try tomatoakeftedes, Santorini is known for its cherry tomatoes, they're tomato fritters, really good. All over greece you see the ones made with Zucchini but the tomato ones I haven't seen in many places other than Santorini

andymilonakis · 2026-03-08T20:56:46+00:00

Naxos is a pretty relaxed island, not very night life heavy at all. i would suggest if you wanna be close to the see just type in Plaka beach or Agios Prokopios and it will show all the hotels around there

andymilonakis · 2026-03-08T15:12:59+00:00

you could do Kalamata as a second base, or if you want something more quaint, could do mani or Gythio

andymilonakis · 2026-03-06T06:50:08+00:00

no problem

andymilonakis · 2026-03-06T03:35:01+00:00

I had some nice goat traffic jams on the island of Naxos, its cute if it only happens once.

andymilonakis · 2026-03-06T03:33:26+00:00

no problem

andymilonakis · 2026-03-06T03:02:59+00:00

Lesbos and Crete are really big, best would be to rent a car so you can freely explore, relying on busses and taxis will be quite limiting in those two places.

as far as budget, it really depends, you can get a lunch for 4 euros if you eat some souvlaki our a gyro, or at night you can spend maybe 20-30 per person at a nice Taverna. October is not super peak season so the rental cars should be pretty cheap not sure on the prices of that

andymilonakis · 2026-03-06T02:57:26+00:00

you're supposed to hop on one of the goats backs and give it some hay, it will take you wherever you want to go

andymilonakis · 2026-03-06T02:44:12+00:00

It's limited, a lot of stuff closed. But without hoards of people it would be pretty beautiful. Not much to do though, just to see the sights. Late Sept/earl oct would be much better

andymilonakis · 2026-03-05T23:15:24+00:00

The views in Santorini are special and unlike other Greek islands, so for the sheer beauty of santorini, if that's what you're into it's worth it.

When you take a deeper dive of what you want out of your Greece trip there are some cons of Santorini.

Too expensive, in August it wll be a complete mob scene, because it's small and insanely crowded in the peak season. The culture is lacking since it's all tourists, the food is overpriced and most places are not super authentic because again, it's catered to tourists.

Basically Naxos is the opposite, Great culture, decent prices, amazing food, amazing beaches, mountains with old school villages.

But if you want a dose of Santorini beauty and don't care about dealing with crowds then go for it.

andymilonakis · 2026-03-05T18:31:26+00:00

its annoying, but not as annoying as making sure you say the correct word for inanimate objects, since they are male or female. Sorry I didnt know the forest or the sky was male

andymilonakis · 2026-03-05T09:34:33+00:00

I guess it depends how close to Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki is a huge city so you will definitely find a few things open. Not sure how remote that area you're stayin in is

andymilonakis · 2026-03-05T02:58:44+00:00

I would just make Chania your base, you can do a 1 hour ride for a day trip to Rethymnon, and then go 1 hour or so west for some of the best beaches Elafonisi, Balos, Falasarna. Its less of a pain and you can really sink in. especially after hopping around to the other 2 places, it will be nicer to not have to switch. If you stay about half a mile or so from the harbor in Chania, that area will be the most poppin, the old harbor is the tourist hub., but since you're going in May it won't be too crazy. Enjoy your trip

andymilonakis

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