Spend two weeks island-hopping in Greece for under R14 000.
I love cheap travel! Here’s how to go to Greece for two weeks for under R14 000. This is based on a trip my friend and I did last year (total R12 500), but since the Rand is much stronger now, you can still pull it off.
Focusing on the Cyclades, you can do two days in Athens, three days in Mykonos, two in Paros, one in Naxos, one in Ios and two days in on Santorini Island and two days travel time. Food will cost around R2500 if you switch between budget meals like schwarmas and crepes and dining out a few times. Accommodation came to about R1300. In Mykonos we went for Paradise Beach Resort, a budget camping and simple accommodation option on the beach. The room was a two-sleeper bungalow with just enough space for you and your bags. If you’re not planning to chill in your room all day, it’s a great option. Don’t be afraid to stay at backpackers and hostels. We did most of our bookings through a hostel booking site and our rooms were between R110 a person to R180 a night in accommodation ranging from en suite rooms to four-sleeper dorms.
Inter-island transfers via ferries came to R1500 with the shortest ferry at R85 and the longest (Santorini to Athens) at R390 for an eight-hour trip. When booking long ferry rides, choose the more comfortable, assigned seats instead. It costs more, but it’s better than arriving at the ferry only to find out the seats are all taken and you have to camp out on the deck overnight.
You’ll need a Schengen Visa and that’s 60 Euros (about R580 – was R720 when we went). Travel insurance could be about R350 for the minimum coverage you’ll need for your visa application.
The best time to go is May, June, September and October. If you want to avoid the crowds, May is a good time to go. Most of you research on ferry schedules can probably only happen at the beginning of May though.
Flights at that time of the year (from Cape Town) to Athens is from R5900. We got a flight on Emirates Airlines for R6474. So let’s do the calculations: Flight R6500, food R2500, accommodation R1300, transfers and ferries R1500, visa R600 and insurance at R350 gives you a total of R12 750. Now you can decide on your extra spending cash for sightseeing, shopping and other entertainment.
Happy travelling!
Useful sites
- www.travelinsure.co.za for insurance options
- www.schengenvisainfo.com for visa information
- https://visaguide.world/europe/greece-visa/ for Greece-specific visa information
- www.embassy-worldwide.com for Greek embassies in South Africa
- www.travelstart.co.za for flight options
- www.ferries.gr or www.greekferries.gr for ferry schedules
- www.hostelboookers.com for accommodation
