Budgeting for Greece

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We are typically middle of the road travelers as far as the budget goes. If you utilized campgrounds or bunk rooms, cheap eats, and public transit, you could certainly travel for less. And, of course, you can travel for much, much more - resorts, private transfers, guided tours. Everyone's threshold is different - it is what works for your family and your finances.

Overview

Initially we thought it would cost about $3,750 to visit Greece for 10 days in low-season, but the parity between the Euro and the Dollar helped out costs notably. In total, we spent $3,270. I did check high-season prices in these same places as we went. This same trip in June would probably run $1,000 to $1,250 more than we spent.

Transport

We found an amazing deal to Greece on British Airways through Scott's Cheap Flights. Flights came out to about half our spend at $1,498. Award travel was available, but we opted to save our miles and points for peak travel periods as the deal was so good. If we had opted for award travel, this would have dropped our trip costs to less than $2,000. Booking the flight through the Capital One travel portal gave us 5x miles back or 7,490 miles. If you don't have a Venture card, Rakuten typically is 1% cashback on BA, sometimes 2%. For this trip it would have been about $15 back.

We also like to fly British Airways because they are so generous to families. Those traveling with a lap child can book a bassinet space at boarding which are located only at the bulkhead, even on Basic Economy. US carriers charge you for the premium seat and still do not award the bassinet until the day of travel. British Airways is also one of the few carriers that has bassinet seating for older babies. Children also still receive two checked items (car seat, stroller, travel cot, or carrier) free of charge on the Basic fare.

Some families don't love that the arm rests are fixed in the bulkhead, but on a BA Airbus 380, the arm rest between D and E does raise still allowing our three year old to stretch out a bit. British Airways does not allow a bed box or similar products so this is a plus for us.

For our rent car, we ended up renting with Sixt. Initially, we had a car booked through Budget, but thanks to Autoslash, we located a better rate a few weeks before travel and rebooked. Sixt offered electric options, but we looked into the availability of charge points in the Peloponnese and they were few and far between. Around Athens, they were abundant. We always check the Capital One portal since we get 10x back on cars. However, they were more than double the cost so the miles weren't worth it for this trip. We did get Rakuten cashback at 2%.

We opted for the littlest automatic they offered for two reasons: 1. Greek roads can be very narrow and smaller cars are easier to manuever. 2. Little cars often have better gas mileage. Petrol prices across Europe are much higher than what we are used to in the states. While we were there, the average price for a liter was around €2 - that is about $8 a gallon. We had to fill up twice with all the driving we did so it added up. We did do a prepurchase on gasoline from Sixt because the rate was only €1,86. We dropped it off with 12km left on the range so we definitely came out ahead.

Accomodations

Accomodations come in a variety of prices in Greece. The higher-end resorts tend to rely on package travelers, but can be booked by individuals although do not always allow children. Most chain hotels and their partners are clustered in Athens, Thessaloniki, and the more popular islands. The Peloponnese is almost solely independent hotels, family-run bed and breakfasts, and home rentals. It also tends to be cheaper than other Greek cities. Off-season reduces prices further.

We did everything through Booking.com, our go to for hotels. I love that there are so many family-run and independent options, but that there is really strong customer service and a rewards program. Because we are Genius members, we received a few perks like discounts, room upgrades, and free breakfast. On average, we spent $70 per night as a family of four on a variety of accomodations. All places included breakfast, even the two apartments we booked. One was attached to a bed and breakfast, the other courtesy of a very attentive host.

We also used an 8% back reward with Capital One Shopping for our Booking.com reservations resulting in almost $50 of rewards. That is almost a night free and gives us money to buy groceries or gas.

Eating & Dining

Eating in Greece is an event like other Mediterranean countries. They are unrushed affairs meant to be shared with friends and family. The hours are later - lunch typically starts around 1 in the afternoon and can last until 4 or 5. Dinner is also late - many restaurants do not reopen until 8 or later in the evening. During the winter, when the days are shorter, some restaurants open earlier.

Food is meant to be shared and portions are not small. We typically ordered two entrees, a side or salad, and an appetizer. House wine is usually local and inexpensive - a half liter runs 3 to 4 euros. In a taverna, all of this cost 30 to 40 euros and was more than enough for all four of us.

Breakfast and coffees were included in all of our accomodations which was a boost for the budget and kept us full for morning adventures. We enjoyed one big meal a day and something lighter for dinner, like a gyro or a snack at a cafe. We cooked a few evenings as well to get the kids to bed sooner.

For transit days, we packed plenty of snacks. Airport food can add up and with littles' selective eating habits, can be a bit challenging. Flying out of DFW, we visited the Capital One Lounge and ate dinner for free. Plus they packed up a bunch of snacks for us that ended up being lunch the following day during a tight connection. We had not spend a dime of our food budget before arrive in Greece. On our return, we had a flight delay and British Airways vouchers paid for our lunch.

For meals, we used our Capital One Savor card where possible because we get 4% cashback on dining. Covid helped cards become much more ubiquitous in Greece. Even in small towns, they are widely accepted. I even spotted a card reader at the market! Anything under $10 should still be paid in cash in Greece. With our spend, we will end up with $20 back.

Attractions

Traveling in Greece during off-season means reduced ticket prices. Many sites are state run and the prices are set across the board with the exception of the Acropolis and a handful of others. You can see a full list here. From November through March, everyone gets reduced tickets, generally for 6 euros. During the summer, prices are typically 12 euros for adults. Non-EU children from 5 up to 25 receive reduced tickets while EU children are free. All children under 5 are free. Individuals with disabilities and one caregiver are also free with appropriate documentation. Sites not managed by the state follow a similar pattern and are often cheaper.

Half-price admission was a huge win since we visited so many sites. Reduced tickets and winter pricing saved nearly $100! Our Savor card also gives us 4% back at attractions so there was another $8 back.

Airport Parking

Airport parking can be very pricey. We often take public transport, but with our flight times, that wasn't a great option for us. Book parking early - both for space and for discounts. We frequently see deals on Rakuten and Capital One Shopping for parking vendors.

Earlier this fall, the Parking Spot and Chase partnered to offer steep discounts for "Pay Now" and a free premium membership with select cards. We layered on a coupon to top off the Chase discounts for our stay and used Rakuten for 2.5% cashback (about $1.75).

Other

Our other category is a bit of a catch-all for things like tolls, parking fees, souvenirs, or items that don't have a clear category.

Some of the major highways are tollroads in Greece, but they are cheap compared to other European countries - €1,30 to €2,70. Credit cards are accepted at almost all booths, but keep a little change just in case or if you are traveling late at night when there are fewer manned booths. The toll for the bridge at Patras to Nakpaktos, the Rion-Antirion Bridge has a steep toll at €13,70. The ferry is half the cost, but takes 40 minutes and offers breathtaking views of the bridge. Parking was free across the Peloponnese.

We took the rack railway from Diakoptos up to Kalavryta. This wasn't really transport as much as an attraction, but we popped this into our "Other" bucket.

Last, we brought back a few items from local vendors as gifts for the holidays.

Final Budget

A final look at our budget:

Category	Budget	Spend	Variance
Airfare	$1750	$1498	$252
Car & Fuel	$275	$254	$21
Accomodations	$750	$596	$154
Food	$550	$562	($12)
Attractions	$250	$196	$54
Airport Parking	$100	$67	$33
Other	$75	$99	($24)
Total	$3750	$3270	$580

We earned 8,966 miles on Capital One and $85 in cash rewards. We already took advantage of a transfer bonus to BA for summer travel which gave us 10,759 miles which The Points Guy values at $162 or 1.5¢. For our summer trip, our redemption rate per mile was 3.4¢ or $365 for this amount of points.