As I sat under the shade of an olive tree in an Athens café, savoring a €3 iced coffee, I felt I’d found a budget-friendly paradise. A week later, pressed shoulder-to-shoulder with other travelers on a Santorini cliffside (having paid triple for the same coffee), I wasn’t so sure.
Summer in Greece evokes daydreams of sun-soaked islands, ancient ruins, and affordable tavernas by the sea. But is Greece truly a mid-range traveler’s paradise, or do the crowds and prices of peak season turn it into a tourist trap?
We’ll journey through Athens, Santorini, and Crete, three iconic destinations, comparing their affordability, value for money, and authenticity of experience.
The goal: help you decide if Greece meets those postcard-perfect expectations without breaking the bank.
Athens on a (Relative) Budget
I began my trip in Athens, where history meets modern city life. Despite being a capital city buzzing with tourists in summer, Athens pleasantly surprised me with its affordability.
Decent 3-star hotels and Airbnbs can be found for about €60–€120 per night even in peak season. In fact, the average price for a typical mid-range hotel in Athens is around $73 (€65) per night, rising to roughly $137 at the height of summer – a great value compared to many other European capitals.
By sticking to neighborhoods just outside the main tourist zones (like Koukaki or Pangrati), I found clean, air-conditioned rooms at family-run hotels on the lower end of that range.
When it came to dining, Athens proved that delicious Greek cuisine doesn’t have to be pricey. Away from the touristy Plaka district, local tavernas offered hearty dinners for about €15–€20 per person – think grilled souvlaki, fresh Greek salads, and carafes of house wine.
Even in more central areas, a meal for two at a nice mid-range restaurant might cost around €50–€60 total, according to cost-of-living data.
In comparison, that same dinner might cost nearly €80 on Santorini – more on that later. In Athens, I often lunched on street food like gyros (€3–€4 each) or enjoyed a sit-down mezze spread in a bustling market area for under €25.
Not only was the food affordable, it felt authentic – locals outnumbered tourists in many of the eateries I tried, especially if I ventured a few blocks away from famous sites.
Attractions in Athens deliver huge bang for your buck. The city is essentially an open-air museum; many sights are free or cheap. Wandering the ancient Agora or the colorful street art of Psirri won’t cost a thing.
Of course, I couldn’t miss the Acropolis – and this was one of my priciest Athens spends, with a summer ticket at €30 as of 2025. Steep, but considering it’s the iconic Parthenon, I felt it was money well spent (and still less than a single cocktail at some island resorts).
A combined ticket that covers multiple ancient sites was previously around €30–€35, though Greece has been updating pricing policies recently. Even the excellent Acropolis Museum was only €15. By using the efficient public transport (a €1.20 metro ticket vs. a €10–€15 taxi ride), I saved more.
All told, my days in Athens – filled with world-class ruins, museums, and nightlife – cost far less than I expected. Mid-range travelers report spending about €154 per day in Athens for a comfortable experience (hotel, meals, sights, transport).
And personally, I found every euro well spent. Athens may be hectic and a bit rough around the edges, but it offers real value for money and plenty of genuine moments (like stumbling on a neighborhood blues concert in a small plaza) that made it feel like more than a tourist postcard.
Santorini
Despite the crowds vying for a spot, the caldera sunset remains magical – a moment that is both priceless and, in peak summer, heavily monetized by the island’s tourism industry.
Leaving Athens, I traded cityscape for the Cycladic fantasy of Santorini – and immediately felt the difference. Santorini in summer is staggeringly beautiful and staggeringly expensive.
As my ferry docked, I was greeted by steep cliffs speckled with whitewashed villages – as well as van loads of other tourists and signs for luxury suites.
Finding mid-range accommodation here was my biggest challenge. In high season, even “mid-range” hotels in the popular caldera towns (Fira, Oia, Imerovigli) often charge €150–€250+ per night for a room with a view.
Data confirms Santorini’s hotel prices swing wildly by season: a room that might go for $69 in low season can skyrocket to over $600 in summer. The average 3-star hotel runs about $139 (€120) per night, nearly double the cost of Athens or Crete.
I ended up staying in a family-run hotel in Firostefani, a short walk from Fira – still about €160 a night, but it included a simple breakfast and a sliver of caldera view. (By comparison, the same caliber room in Athens had cost me under €80.)
Santorini’s dining scene can likewise strain a mid-range budget. Along the caldera in Oia, I gaped at menus listing €25 appetizers and €15 cocktails. It’s easy to burn through cash if you insist on dinner with a famous sunset view.
One evening, I did splurge on a cliffside restaurant: we paid about €120 for two for a three-course meal with local wine – delicious, yes, but undeniably inflated for the scenery. On other days I sought out tavernas in less touristy villages (like Megalochori or Karterados) where I found authentic Greek dishes for nearly half the price of Santorini’s hotspots.
According to Numbeo data, a three-course dinner for two averages about €78 in Santorini, versus ~€55 in Athens. Even something as simple as a beer or coffee costs more here – I paid €5–€6 for local craft beer that was €3 in Athens. One traveler quipped that on Santorini you sometimes pay “a fortune for even the basics”.
I won’t lie: that iconic blue-dome-and-sea view does make it feel a bit worth it – but you are certainly paying a “caldera tax” on almost everything.
When evaluating value for money, Santorini tested my judgment. Are those views worth the premium? For many, yes – to an extent. I took a sunset catamaran cruise around the caldera, which, at €130 per person, including a BBQ dinner and drinks, wasn’t cheap, but turned out to be one of my favorite memories. So in this case, splurging felt justified (unlimited wine on a boat at golden hour will do that!).
On the other hand, some experiences felt like obvious tourist traps. Crowds swarm Oia’s alleys each evening, selfie sticks in hand, all chasing the perfect photo. A fellow traveler from Ireland lamented that “as a tourist, I feel that the island is overcrowded… people everywhere, especially in Oia and Fira”.
Indeed, navigating the narrow lanes, I often heard more English, Chinese, Italian – anything but Greek. In peak season Santorini can feel like a theme park of itself, where local life has been edged out by tourism’s demands.
A Greek local bluntly advised in a Reddit post (later quoted in news): “Avoid Mykonos, Santorini… We Greeks steer clear of these spots because of their outrageous prices and call them tourist traps for a reason”. That might be harsh, but as I dodged throngs from a newly arrived cruise ship, I understood the sentiment.
Yet, Santorini isn’t a lost cause for mid-range travelers – if you plan smartly. To save money, I stayed 3 nights (just enough to soak in the ambience) and timed major activities.
I visited the famous archaeological site of Akrotiri in the afternoon when tour bus crowds thinned – the entry fee was a reasonable €12, granting a fascinating peek at the Minoan ruins preserved in ash.
Hiking the scenic trail from Fira to Oia was free (and stunning at sunrise, before the heat and crowds). I also discovered that if you venture to Santorini’s east coast beaches (Kamari, Perissa), prices for food and lodging drop significantly compared to the caldera side.
One can find family-run hotels near the beach for under €100 a night even in summer, and dine on fresh fish by the water at local tavernas without feeling price-gouged. These parts of Santorini felt more relaxed and down-to-earth, a reminder that authentic moments are still there if you leave the insta-famous spots for a bit.
In the end, Santorini is a place of trade-offs. It will punch above the rest of Greece in cost – that’s the price of its beauty and fame. As a mid-range traveler, I had to pick my splurges (a special dinner or a boat tour) and balance them with simple pleasures (a gyro on the go, a free wine tasting at a local winery).
Was it worth it? Yes – with eyes open. The island’s caldera views are jaw-dropping and unique in the world, and experiencing them even briefly justified some extra expense. But staying too long or exclusively in the tourist bubble could quickly turn enchanting Santorini into an overpriced, overcrowded ordeal.
Even some seasoned Greece travelers confess they prefer shorter visits: Santorini is “best for a quick three-day visit, tops, if you ask me,” said the Greek local, warning how the islands “charge sky-high prices for even the basics”. I left Santorini with incredible photos and memories – and a wallet ready for a break. Thankfully, my next stop offered exactly that.
Crete
Arriving in Crete felt like a breath of fresh air – literally and figuratively – after Santorini. As Greece’s largest island, Crete has diverse regions and a thriving local culture beyond tourism, which immediately made it feel more grounded and authentic.
It also helped that prices dropped noticeably. In the charming city of Chania, I scored a lovely room in a boutique guesthouse for about €80 a night, with stone walls and a courtyard, right in the Old Town.
Similar mid-range accommodations in Crete average around $76 (€70) per night, with high-season peaks near $141 in some areas – still generally on par with or lower than Athens, and much cheaper than Santorini’s summer rates.
“Like the mainland, Crete is known for its reasonable price points and abundance of accommodation options,” notes one travel guide. I found that true; whether you want a simple seaside studio or a 3-star hotel, Crete offers plenty of choice for mid-range budgets. Even some 4-star beach resorts here had deals around €120/night when booked in advance.
Dining in Crete was a highlight of my trip – both for the rich flavors and the value for money. Portions were often gigantic (Cretan hospitality is famous), and prices were the kind that make you double-check the bill in disbelief.
In a village near Rethymno, I feasted on a farm-to-table tavern meal: tangy dakos salad, slow-cooked lamb in wine, homemade bread, and dessert on the house, all for about €20 per person. Even in the tourist centers of Chania or Heraklion, a quality dinner rarely exceeded €25 each, unless we ordered a whole fish or fancy bottle of wine.
For reference, average dining costs in Crete tend to be €15–€25 per person at a mid-range restaurant, very much in line with (or slightly less than) Athens. And these were truly authentic experiences – we often ate where local families and Greek vacationers dined.
One night in Chania, at a harborside taverna, our waiter ended the meal by pouring us complimentary raki and sitting to chat about life on the island. That kind of warmth and local connection was harder to come by in Santorini’s tourist churn.
Crete also delivered huge value in attractions and activities. Many of its best experiences are either free or inexpensive. I spent blissful days exploring pristine beaches like Elafonissi and Falassarna – which had no entry fee at all (just the cost of renting a sunbed or a cold drink from a canteen).
Hiking the Samaria Gorge, a full-day adventure through a stunning national park, cost me only the park entry (around €5) plus a few euros for the return ferry – a bargain for an experience that epic.
For history buffs, Crete is a treasure trove: the Palace of Knossos, the center of Minoan civilization, charges only €15 or less for entry, a fraction of what some major European sights cost. I’ll never forget standing before those ancient ruins, imagining the myth of the Minotaur, feeling grateful I could do so without straining my budget.
Even Crete’s organized tours (winery visits, cooking classes, boat trips to Balos lagoon) tended to be cheaper than similar tours in Santorini. It was clear that on Crete, tourism hasn’t fully eclipsed local life – so prices remain more grounded in the local economy.
Beyond the numbers, authenticity is where Crete truly shines. While it certainly has tourist resorts and package holidays, the island is so large that it’s easy to escape the crowds and find your own slice of Greek paradise.
I drove into the mountains and stumbled upon tiny villages where time seemed to slow down – kids playing in the square, yiayias (grandmothers) dressed in black chatting on balconies, and not a souvenir shop in sight. In one such village, we were invited into a local festival by total strangers and treated like family, plied with home-made wine and goat stew.
This was the Greece I’d dreamed of. Even in more visited towns, Cretans take pride in their culture; you can watch traditional music and dance in summer festivals that are staged more for themselves than for an audience. Compared to polished-for-tourists Santorini, Crete felt refreshingly real.
It’s telling that many travelers (and Greeks) recommend Crete for those seeking an immersive experience. As one travel forum contributor put it, “Crete is a great visit, a culture in its own right,” and you won’t regret skipping the more touristy islands to spend time here.
I found that to be true – Crete gave me the classic Greek island charm (blue seas, white villages, amazing food) with far fewer compromises or costs.
Verdict: Meeting Expectations or Not?
So, is Greece in summer an affordable paradise or a tourist trap for the mid-range traveler? The truth lies somewhere in between, and largely depends on where (and how) you go. After my journey through these destinations, here are the key takeaways:
- Athens can absolutely live up to the “affordable paradise” idea. It offers rich experiences – ancient ruins, lively culture, excellent food – at moderate prices. For mid-range travelers, Athens is a win on value. Yes, it’s hot and a bit chaotic in summer, and you’ll jostle with tourists at the Acropolis, but the city’s depth and relatively low costs make it rewarding. Spend a bit of effort to eat where locals do and use public transport, and you’ll find Athens both budget-friendly and authentic.
- Santorini is the most “tourist trap” leaning of the trio – in high season. Its unparalleled beauty comes with crowds and inflated prices that can shock those expecting a cheap getaway. As a mid-range traveler, you might feel the pinch in Santorini: lodging and dining costs are significantly higher, and the most popular spots are very touristy. However, with smart planning (short stay, selective splurges, exploring less-touristy parts of the island), you can still enjoy the magic without feeling completely ripped off. Santorini meets expectations for beauty, but not for affordability in summer – so adjust your budget and expectations accordingly. If you arrive thinking everything will be postcard-perfect and cheap, you’ll be frustrated. If you know it will be crowded and pricy, you can then delight in the moments – a caldera sunset, a quiet sunrise hike – that are priceless.
- Crete hits the sweet spot: it was, for me, the affordable paradise I hoped for. Despite being peak season, I found prices fair and sometimes downright cheap given the quality of experience. Crete provides the best value for money of these destinations – comfortable lodging at reasonable rates, low-cost or free attractions, and authentic meals that don’t break the bank. More importantly, it felt real. I never got the sense that Crete was putting on a show for tourists; I was simply invited into its existing vibrant culture. For a mid-range traveler seeking both value and authenticity in summer, Crete might just be the gold standard.
Ultimately, Greece is not a monolith – it’s a tapestry of very different destinations. Summer amplifies both the good (glorious weather, energy, long daylight hours) and the challenging (crowds, heat, higher prices).
Does Greece meet expectations? In my experience, yes, but you need to pick the right places and pace. If your vision of Greek paradise is sipping affordable wine by a quiet beach cove and chatting with locals, you’re more likely to find it in Crete or lesser-known islands than in Santorini’s caldera in July.
On the other hand, if you’ve dreamt of that Santorini view all your life, it can still be worth the crowds and expense for a short while – just cushion your budget and maybe travel in June or September for a slightly calmer experience.
In conclusion, Greece in summer can be both blissfully budget-friendly and frustratingly touristy. A mid-range traveler who does their homework will find plenty of places that feel paradisaical and reasonably priced (with Athens and Crete being prime examples), and can avoid the worst tourist traps with some savvy choices.
My journey taught me that a little flexibility – in itinerary, in spending, in attitude – goes a long way. I left Greece with a fuller heart, a fuller stomach, and yes, a lighter wallet than when I arrived in Athens.
But was it an “affordable paradise”? On balance, yes – and I’d do it all again, with only the slightest of tweaks. Greece still has my heart, and I now know it’s possible to experience its summer magic without feeling like I fell into a trap. Safe travels and remember, sometimes the best sunset is enjoyed from a 5 euro bottle of wine on a quiet beach, far from the madding crowds.
