why you should absolutely travel solo in Greece

I just booked myself a week-long summer trip to the island of Spetses, one of the hundreds of Greek islands I haven’t yet been to. (There are 227 inhabited islands in Greece, so I’ve got a ways to go to visit them all (like 200+ lol)).

And the plan right now is to go alone! I love solo traveling in general, and specifically I love it so much that I spent a whole year solo traveling across Europe, SE Asia, and Australia. But I didn’t start out as a super-brave solo traveler — I actually have an anxiety disorder so I am slightly terrified by like, everything. That’s sometimes freeing though, because if everything makes me anxious then I should just go do what I want to do (a life-changing realization I didn’t have until my 30s).

But now I live full-time in Greece, and I’m still obsessed with traveling all over this ridiculously beautiful country. The landscapes here are surprisingly diverse (surprising if, like me and most Americans, you picture all of Greece looking like Santorini and Mykonos), from stone-built villages in the mountains to the lushness of Corfu and the stark, bare beauty of the Cycladic islands in the summer.

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So I still take a lot of solo trips, like this upcoming summer one. Not because I don’t want to go with my friends, but because I am hyper-independent and too impatient to wait for someone else’s vacation time and budget to line up with mine.

There’s something really peaceful about a solo trip too — for this one, I’m looking forward to the quiet summer nights on this car-free island, watching the full moon rise over the sea and pouring out a libation to Selene from my hotel balcony, cycling across the island and dipping into the sea whenever I get too hot, waking up early for a swim and taking a long, lazy nap in the afternoons, reading at least two books and writing in my many notebooks all day. This particular trip was inspired by one of my recent favorite books about Greece, The Magus, which was inspired by John Fowles’ time spent living on Spetses in the 1950s.

Greece is a wonderful destination for solo travelers looking for this kind of experience, especially women. Here’s why you shouldn’t hesitate to book a solo trip here:

It’s really safe

Yes, even Athens is quite safe for solo women. There are a handful of neighborhoods to avoid after dark (Omonia and Metaxorgio, basically), but otherwise you can walk around at night, take the metro everywhere, and generally live your life with the usual level of caution you have to take as a woman anywhere in the world but less than in major US cities.

Once you leave Athens for an island or a smaller city, it’s even safer. Unless you’re out in a super-hot party destination, in which case I don’t have tips for you because I avoid those like the plague, you will be fine anywhere you go as long as you keep your general wits about you. And I speak from experience — I’ve taken buses all over the country and the islands by myself, not to mention ferries and driving trips, and it’s just really safe and easy in general.

People are friendly

Greeks are incredibly friendly, even to strangers, well beyond most Europeans. They’ll come up to you and start a chat about anything, particularly if you’re alone. If you’re a super private person, you might find this a little intense (they can be nosy! I am also nosy it’s why I love living here), but if you are from another hyper-friendly culture like the US, you’ll feel right at home quickly.

It’s not just the quick interactions, although when you’re traveling alone those can be quite meaningful. It’s also the hospitality culture here. You might get invited to have a coffee with a total stranger, have them give you recommendations or helpful tips, or have some kind of sweet treat pushed on you forcefully (another reason I love living here), even get invited to a meal or given a little present. This philoxenia, as it’s called in Greek which means love of the stranger, is everywhere, and it makes traveling alone here an experience that is never lonely unless you want it to be.

Traveling is pretty simple

Greece is a heavily touristed country (some would say overtouristed, which is definitely true of some destinations). And while things can be chaotic here — you’re not in North America or Northern Europe — it’s also pretty well set up in most popular destinations to get around easily.

Two years ago, for example, I went to Sifnos, which is everything you imagine a Greek island to be and thus heaven. I took the bigger, slower ferry so there were no problem with winds (this is a big thing in the Cyclades in the summer), I didn’t want to drive the tiny island roads myself so I just took the frequent, decent buses or walked, and it all worked smoothly. This is pretty typical unless you’re going deep into some remote horio (village). Yes, sometimes things will run late, and sometimes you’ll get a little confused and need to ask for help, but everyone will help you and it will be fine and you can have a coffee while you wait for your (usually late) ferry.

There’s something for everyone

If you are a person who gets bored lying on a beach for an entire day (that’s my idea of heaven, but I know you activity people exist), no worries! There is tons of other stuff to do and explore here so you won’t be bored.

You can go hike Mt. Olympus to visit the gods, if you love hiking, or any of the many, many other mountains we have here (I really hate hiking so I’m a bad person to ask about this but Greece is a hiker’s paradise). You can go on long coastal walks on organized paths on many of the islands now. You can go sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking under the brilliant night skies, whatever your little solo heart desires. You can also party all night every night in Ios or Santorini or Mykonos and head home as the sun is rising.

Or you can do as I do and post up at a beach bar all day, sipping freddo espressos and eating club sandwiches (an underrated but excellent beach food) and swtiching to a cold Mamos beer when the sun starts to set, getting up only to dip in the sea when you get too hot to focus on your book. It’s your trip! Spend it how you like, but know that Greece has a surprising amount of options beyond just a series of beach days.

My tips for a great solo trip in Greece:

• Do some research before you pick your destination! What kind of vibe you want — will you feel unpleasantly alone if you’re surrounded by couples on honeymoon, are you looking for sandy beaches, do you want to drive, do you want nightlife, etc — will determine which place you should end up for the maximally enjoyable solo holiday.

• Stay in a small, family-run hotel: This is the best way to see Greece and actually experience it, tbh. You’ll often get a delicious breakfast, and you’ll definitely get tons of tips on where to go, what to eat, what to do, etc. Sometimes a little Airbnb will give you that too but it’s hit or miss there, depending on the owner.

• Become a regular at one spot at least for your trip. That can mean getting coffee at the same place every morning, a snack at the same bakery every afternoon, a drink at the same bar every night, whatever works for you. This is one of my favorite things to do while traveling anywhere alone, but in Greece particularly, this will make you feel right at home immediately.

I’m planning to write more in my newsletter about solo traveling too, because it’s been such a huge part of my life and has expanded it in ways I could never have imagined! So stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, I hope this helps you plan your own solo Greek adventure! And that you enjoy it as much as I’m planning to enjoy my time away this summer, eating gyros and going on walks and taking all of those wonderful and indulgent naps.