Honeymoon in Greece: 10 places to go and how to choose

Insights · Honeymoon in Greece

Greece has somewhere for every kind of honeymoon: islands for sunsets, islands for doing nothing at all, old towns full of history and beaches you won’t want to leave.

Here are ten places we love, the kind of couple each one suits, when to go and how to choose between them. If you are thinking further afield, have a look at our five favourite honeymoon destinations in Europe.

Contents (8)

1. How to choose
2. The Cyclades: six islands, six different trips
3. Crete and Chania
4. Rhodes and Kefalonia
5. When to go
6. One island or two?
7. Adding a next-day photo shoot
8. Honeymoon in Greece: frequently asked questions

How to choose

Before you look at the list, it helps to answer three questions together. First, what pace do you want? After months of wedding planning, some couples want nothing but the sea and long lie-ins; others want to go out, explore and meet people. Second, how many days do you have? A short trip is best spent on one island; with more time you can pair two that are close to each other. Third, how do you like to get around: by car from village to village, or on foot in a town?

Think about the season, too. A September or October wedding means a honeymoon in quieter months, while a June wedding puts you on the islands just as the summer season gets going.

The Cyclades: six islands, six different trips

Santorini

The caldera, the white villages along the cliff edge and the sun going down over the sea make Santorini the classic choice for couples. It suits anyone after views, romance and a little luxury. It is very busy in summer; early mornings and the shoulder months are much calmer.

Mykonos

For couples who want a buzz: beaches with turquoise water, lanes that fill up after dark and a cosmopolitan feel. If you love going out, Mykonos is your island. If you want peace and quiet, choose somewhere else or go at the very start or end of the season.

Naxos

Long sandy beaches, mountain villages, medieval tower houses and very good food. Naxos suits couples who want romance without the crowds, and who enjoy exploring by car.

Paros

Paros sits somewhere in the middle: pretty harbours, lovely villages and beaches, and enough going on in the evenings without it ever feeling hectic. A good compromise if one of you wants quiet and the other wants a night out.

Milos

Milos is for couples who love the sea: white volcanic rock, coves that are often easiest to reach by boat, and colourful fishermen’s houses built right on the water. It is more laid-back than the better-known islands, and the landscape is like nowhere else.

Sifnos

Sifnos is known for its cooking, its walking paths and its whitewashed chapels above the sea. It suits couples who want a slow pace, long walks and long lunches.

Crete and Chania

Crete is a world of its own. On one trip you can have beaches, mountains, archaeological sites and villages with their own food and traditions. It suits couples who like variety and don’t mind driving.

Chania deserves a mention of its own. The Venetian harbour, the lanes of the old town and the beaches of western Crete make it an ideal base if you want to mix wandering around town with days by the sea.

Rhodes and Kefalonia

Rhodes

The medieval old town of Rhodes, with its walls and cobbled lanes, makes the island a good choice for couples who love history. There are pretty villages and plenty of beaches too, and the season runs long.

Kefalonia

Over in the Ionian, Kefalonia has green mountains, pretty villages and beaches with startlingly blue water. It suits couples who want nature and calm, and a road trip from one beach to the next.

When to go

For many couples, May, June and September are the best months for a honeymoon on the Greek islands: the sea is warm or warming up, and there are fewer people around than in July and August. October often still has good weather, but on smaller islands a lot of places start to close for the winter.

In summer the Cyclades are often windy, thanks to the meltemi. If you don’t like the wind, the Ionian islands and Crete are good alternatives. For a winter honeymoon, towns such as Chania and Rhodes stay lively all year, while the small islands go quiet.

One island or two?

If you only have a few days, stay put. Every move between islands eats up close to half a day, between the early start, the waiting and settling in again. With more time, pairing two neighbouring islands gives you some variety: one livelier and one quieter, for example. Check the connections for the time of year you are travelling before you book.

Adding a next-day photo shoot

Many couples combine their honeymoon with a next-day photo shoot: a session just for the two of you after the wedding, usually in the wedding dress and suit again, though you can wear whatever you like. The actual shooting time is usually about an hour, depending on the project and the location, and we suggest doing it about a week after the wedding.

An island like Santorini, Milos or Sifnos gives you a backdrop you simply won’t have on the wedding day. For ideas, see our next-day photo shoot locations in Greece.

• Let us know early that you would like a next-day session, along with your travel dates.
• Keep one day free of other plans for the shoot.
• Your wedding dress travels best in a proper garment bag, as cabin luggage.
• Bring comfortable shoes for getting between locations.