If you’re like most Americans when you hear the name Greece your mind probably most likely jumps to the well-known islands of Santorini and Mykonos, possibly including Athens because of its ancient history. These are beautiful destinations to go but if you REALLY want to soak up some Greek culture you need to take it off-road.

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when my husband and I were in Greece in 2022, we decided to take a more rural approach to our travel. We didn’t take a cruise or get in a tour group instead the two of us packed up our backpacks and went from town to town taking the local transit system. We walked thousands of kilometers seeing everything that we could see and soaking up all the culture along the way. We use the Internet to find local people renting out their homes as Airbnb to spend the night instead of staying in hotels. It is a life-changing experience and I will share with you some of the towns that we visited and why you must go there if you want to really know what Greece is like.

Destination number one Thessaloníki

Thessaloniki is one of the largest cities in Greece. And it is the largest city in northern Greece called Thrace (pronounced thrakee). Thessaloniki is rich with culture and filled with artifacts and structures from the Byzantine era. If you’re a history buff than this city is definitely a must see for you. Some of the churches date as far back as the beginning of Christianity itself, founded by the apostles including the apostle Paul. The city is quite large, yet also very walkable. Don a couple of comfortable sneakers and some loosefitting clothes and start your adventure, taking photos and documenting all of the places that you would love to see. The ancient churches are open almost all day and night. You are allowed to take photos, but just make sure that you respect the practices of ancient Christianity. These are Holy places so please refrain from eating drinking wearing extremely revealing clothing or foul language within the sanctuary.
One of the things that makes Thessaloníki so amazing is the waterway that runs along the length of the city bordering the Ionian Sea. The length of it is over 6 miles long and is used by Greeks day and night for walking, sitting and enjoying the sunshine and exercise. Here you will see athletes running, jogging, and riding their bicycles. They even have an extra lane for motorized scooters and bicycles, so be careful if you’re walking or jogging not to get into the way of them because they might run you over! 😝 Being the fitness guru that I am I took advantage of this waterway enjoying the sunshine and scenery of both the city and the sea for my morning runs and evening walks together with my husband. And just because of this I have to mention that every city in Greece the public parks have a calisthenics gym! Yes, you will find people working out in the public parks. The Olympics came from Greece after all and people are very health conscious and athletic in this gorgeous country.
The nights come alive! One of the cultural things that makes Greece so unique from any other country in the world is the nightlife. When you think nightlife you’re probably thinking rowdy clubs and people getting tipsy and smelling like alcohol. Greece’s nightlife is nothing like that. At 8 o’clock in the evening as the Mediterranean sun sets, everyone from the city everywhere comes out of their homes. Families with small children and even babies in strollers, among the singles, teenagers and even the grandmas and grandpas. Everyone comes out to enjoy the nightlife that Greece has to offer. Every tiny little restaurant (taverna) is packed to the brim with families. The waterway is almost unwalkable due to the massive throng of people strolling and walking enjoying life. You’ll see what they’ve set up stands and somebody is singing and playing music for money, there’s cotton candy and people barbecuing corn (koulambouki) and chestnuts for you to purchase and eat on your walk. You will also see vendors selling water and meat served on a stick called Souvlaki. And ohhhhhhh it’s all so delicious! Know if you’re thinking this is a Friday/Saturday night event then you are completely wrong. This is what goes on every single night of the week and the party continues until about 2 AM! So if you’re wondering how do people work their jobs in this kind of a lifestyle well I’ll tell you, the average business does not open up until at least 10 in the morning, so people have the opportunity to sleep in. You will lay in your Airbnb and you will never hear commotion or traffic at 6 AM it is completely dead quiet until at least 10! Yes in the city center! Greeks also have siesta hours between 2 PM and 5 PM where it is actually prohibited to play loud music or make noise because during these hours Greeks take their naps. If you disturb the peace you will be cited for this! Workdays are also broken up into two shifts the morning shift in the after five shift. Greece in general is very family oriented and most employers close shop between these hours so that families can have quality time together.
Another really amazing thing about Thessaloníki is the downtown strip with all the shopping. Here you can find luxury stores that almost make you feel like you’re on fifth Avenue in New York! Here fashion is at an all-time high, and you will not see one Greek woman who is outside of her house and not dressed in the latest fashion! I personally had to buy a few outfits myself to fit in!😉

Our next adventure Chalkidiki

My first thought visiting this little off the beaten path island was “wow!”. I have never in my life seen color like this! It’s like the sea and skyline are literally photoshopped! The turquoise sea contrasting with the blue sky is unimaginable. You just have to see it. I couldn’t wait to get in the water, which is exactly what I did. It was a little cooler than I expected but it was so crystal clear!! I actually saw fish swim by! The white sand shows the ripples of the gentle waves underneath. The first day we got in a little late because we weren’t sure how to navigate the bus system haha. The next morning we went straight away to the beach 🏝️. It was like being in a dream. I had to slap myself to make sure I wasn’t actually asleep. Being stateside all my life I just never imagined that others live in such a gorgeous destination. I swam about 30 minutes of laps to get a quick workout. That night we walked to the little shops and ate souvlaki and salad. Yum.

And now onto Paralia

Paralia is a beautiful small uncharted beach town in Greece. What makes this sound so unique is the fact that it’s not completely overpopulated with tourists, and the hotels are ridiculously cheap. The one particularly that we stayed in had a balcony view overlooking the main strip and you can even see the beach! The mid -June weather is just perfect for hitting the beach every day! Plus you can even see Mount Olympus from here and it’s only an hour drive away! More on that next! The sea is calm almost like a lake and is that beautiful Mediterranean green that I fell so in love with. All day long you can see the Greeks swimming and sunbathing under the little straw canopy tents on the beach. There is jellyfish (in Greek Medusa) in the water but the amazing thing about them is that because of how clear the water is you can see them and easily avoid them for comfortable swimming. Greek frappe (the countries staple coffee) is absolutely delicious and only cost you €2.50. Of course this was a year ago so things might have gone up. There’s also a man walking by constantly selling “loukamades” and “koulouraki” which is sort of like a Greek glazed donut. Me being gluten-free I was unable to partake of these but they smelled so divine!! Getting in my daily workout was a dream! First I would go for a run along the beach, and then later in the afternoon I would go for a swim! As evening fell we would go for a walk with all the other Greeks! Just like in Thessaloniki at 8 PM the Greek world comes alive and the little streets were swamped with people walking with their families and dining and laughing. There were definitely tourists in their town, as I enjoyed hearing multiple languages spoken from all over Europe. But it was nothing like the main hotspots of Greece. Traveling off the beaten path in Greece is definitely experience, especially if you do not speak much of the language, and at this point, I did not speak much. You do not hear much English spoken. In fact I find myself not speaking hardly at all, except for when I called my family back in the states once a day! It’s a trip! I can’t think of a better way to immerse yourself in the culture of a country then to go where the locals live.

Mount Olympus here we come!

For a fitness enthusiast such as myself the beach is not the only beautiful attraction that this country has. It also has mountains! We took a day off from beachcombing to head up to the highest mountain in the entire country Mount Olympus! It was a hot June day, perfect for a day mountain hike in Olympus! We rode the bus to a small mountain town named Katerina (my daughter’s name). There we started our journey up the hills. I took in the magical breathtaking landscape of the village. Heading up you can see the mountains and if you look down you can view the sea! I had some snacks and my water canteen packed in my backpack, but we didn’t take too much with us. In the town my husband spotted a water fountain outside. There we drank the cleanest most delicious water! One thing I love about this country is the fresh water fountains conveniently stationed about each city. We climbed a little bit not all the way, I wanted to go farther but we got hungry. 😋 On the way back we found a little swimming spot. Wow the water was glass like and green in color! It was so hot I jumped in fully clothed! The water here is snow runoff so it was literally ice cold!!! I nearly froze to death, but it was worth the experience. Next time we return I’m determined to do the whole hike!

Ioannina

After swimming in the beautiful Paralia and hiking Olympus we are headed for a small inland village named Ioannina. Oh boy was this an adventure! Our bus ride got us there a little later than we’d expected and we were famished! We stopped a local Tavera to eat Gyros and Greek salad. It was so delicious! Now we search for a place to spend the night. This ended up being a catastrophe. We were mislead and carried our luggage miles and miles down a small village road only to find all the inns were closed for the night! We searched until about 12am! Finally we gave up and slept outside!! Well I didn’t sleep at all. We laid there and let mosquitoes eat us until dawn. I took a photo of our “camping” adventure view. My headache was crushing me, my husband then found us an hotel in the morning and we got to rest. After a few hours of sleep I got up and walked about the town. I ate souvlaki and filled my water outside looking at the mountains. The quaint village is just as Greek as the seaside cities. Packed with all its European charm. Interesting fact about this city is it has lots of old mosques from when the Ottoman Empire ruled Greece. It’s not on a beach but the lakeside views are breathtaking as well. Off the the main road here you won’t see many tourists. Just Greek people living life, which they really know how to do. If I’ve learned anything in my travels to Greece is that unlike Americans Greeks really know how to live, they work hard, but they also love hard and live life every single day, and make sure that they enjoy each day of their lives. Americans could learn a thing or two from the Greeks. Every evening, the small restaurants are overflowing with locals just laughing and loving the company of their family and friends. I love it.

And now our journey takes us to Patras

My great grandmother is from this city and I was so excited to see some of my roots! As we’re pulling into the city by bus I see the beautiful skyline and the bridges. The mountains surrounding the city and the beautiful intersection between the Ionian and Agean seas. You can even see a difference in the color of the waters where they meet. Little scientific fact, even though oceans may meet their waters never mix! I already knew I’d love this Grecian city. I heard a rumbling sound and realized it was my stomach, we’d been on the bus for hours and I was famished. Imagining plates filled with souvlaki and gyros, finished with a Greek salad had my mouth watering. My man and I decided to stop first thing and eat. The bus let us out near the beautiful seaport, we unloaded our stuff and started to immediately hunt for a Taverna.
Fully satisfied with the cities finest gyros now it’s time to find a place to spend the night. We found a little place up the hill. Hiking again with our luggage (I seriously didn’t know Uber was a thing in Europe, which btw it is, so please call one!) we stopped at a little air bnb. Now for another adventure. The bedroom was ours but the bathroom area and kitchen was shared with other men!!! And they sure were looking at me. This made that night very awkward, but we found a nice place 5 minutes from the beach the next day. Do your research before you take a place. The next day I went and swam in the beautiful Ionian sea. The water was a little bit cold, but under the hundred degree heat felt nice. The scene was breathtaking and the water was so absolutely perfectly clear. You could see every little pebble and every little fish swimming. I was in perfect paradise. Believe it or not, there was even people with swim caps and goggles on doing lap exercise, swimming in the middle of the ocean! Talk about fitness! This whole country is filled with fitness lovers. Here I’m right at home. In the evening as we walk, I can smell the fragrant flowers waifing in the evening breeze. I never want to leave this beautiful city. Now we’re going to take a walk into the downtown and see the ancient architecture and the beautiful old churches. I can’t believe that my great grandmother left all this to come to America.

And now our travels take us to Kalamata

The last place of the roads less traveled that we visited is Kalamata. As much as I loved Patras, it was still a city, and when we arrived at Kalamata, I felt the sereneness of the small town, the Mediterranean sea, and the nature surrounding it. The Mediterranean is significantly warmer than the other seas, much like the Atlantic. Although a small town was still crazy bustling after sundown. Everyone everywhere was out enjoying themselves. I still can’t get over the nightlife in Greece. Nightlife here is nothing like the States. You might be thinking loud rap music and drunken college kids, but Ελλάδα (that’s Greek for Greece.) is nothing like that. Parents with their children and babies are out walking the streets. Families are eating and drinking and being merry in the Tavernas. There’s that loud roar of laughter and you can quite literally feel the contentment. I think of everything amazing about this little country, that struck me the most, the contentment. As you may know from my previous blogs I’ve worked as a hairdresser for about 8 years. The thing that brings me down most in America at my job or any job is just hearing the lack of contentment from the general public. It’s sad, so many people are so unhappy. But not so in Greece. This little country, where most people have much less than most Americans, they are so much happier. Gives you something to think about now doesn’t it?
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

My favorite day in Kalamata was the day we went on a 40km bike ride. It was 🥵hottt and boy was I exhausted afterwards but it was so beautiful and a great burn 🔥 going up those mountains. Renting a bike for a day is 10€ so you definitely need to do it!

Now for our last adventure for this trip Athens

While this is not an “off the beaten path” destination, it’s definitely a must see if you’re going to Greece. Athens is where my extended family on my father’s side is. I really did try to find my aunt but I didn’t have luck. Athens was not like rural Greece at all. It was filled with a mix of tourists and residents from all over the world. The Parthenon was awesome, and it was definitely nice to see the cradle of western civilization. The city was loud and bustling. We attempted to bike ride there but they do not have bike-friendly roads. It was a truly traumatic experience lol. We hiked up a mountain in the city center and from here you can see the entire city, breathtaking. At this time there was also forest fires and you could see the smoke from the height. I said a prayer for the fires to end. We stayed until the sun nearly swept behind the mountains then began our descent into the city. Nightlife was crazy busy and there were streets so crowded it made walking difficult. We settled into our tiny apartment for the night and tried to rest. Soon I’d be traveling back to the states by myself this time until we could be together again. This made my experience of Athens a little less sweet. Just like a movie I almost just stayed. But we were getting low on money, so I needed to go back to the states and work a little bit and save up for our next adventure.