Greece: The Top Destination to Travel with Children

The best vacation itineraries for your family holidays

Travelers frequently ask us about the best places to go in Greece with kids; where to take their children for the whole family to be happy, what to do during their family vacation so as their kids won’t get bored or tired. Family travel is not only a matter of family-friendly destinations, kid-friendly accommodations and activities suitable for kids. It is actually a matter far more important than choosing the right destination for your family taste and tracing the best services for your family needs. It is about grasping the opportunity to broaden your children’s minds, creating memories, coming closer to each other as a family and strengthening your bonds as an investment to the future, not only of your kids, but of the world they will live in.

As a matter of fact, Greece is the best place for a family vacation with kids of every age, from babies, toddlers, to kids and teens. It is actually the best destination for your family holidays as here, you can combine learning with leisure on the beach, quality food and original recipes, history and mythology with fun activities not only for kids, but for the whole family to enjoy.

• • Cherish your summer on the sandy pristine beaches of the Greek islands and the Peloponnese
  • Appreciate slow life away from the crowds, explore off the beaten path gems untouched by time and massive tourism
  • Inspire your children with history and mythology
  • Taste healthy food and the richness of the Mediterranean diet in every single Greek village
  • Take advantage of the smooth weather and the hospitable mountains and have fun with outdoor activities in nature all year round
  • Feel the essence of “Philoxenia”, the Greek hospitality, as you will never feel bad if your kids create a mess…and
  • Create your perfect family vacation itinerary in Greece and create memories that will last forever!

The Perfect Family Vacation Itinerary in Greece

The perfect family vacation itinerary is your own. It is the one tailored by your local family travel advisor to your family priorities and goals. It is the one that combines the interests and needs of every member of the family; parents are happy when their children are happy, but this works the other way too. Trust your local travel specialist to create for you and your family your ideal itinerary with all the destinations you wish to visit and to make your trip the most family-friendly experience including kid-friendly accommodation, as well as activities and tours suitable for kids according to their interests and age.

Family Vacation Itinerary in Athens

Athens, the country's capital is a necessary stop for every family trip to Greece. Start with inspiring your kids with a mythology tour to the Acropolis Hill, the Parthenon and the Agora. Visit the Acropolis Museum and Pnyx hill, where kids have the opportunity to paint the Parthenon or an educational activity to better understand the Athenian Democracy at its birthplace. Stroll around Plaka, the city’s most charming neighborhood while playing a family friendly treasure hunt!

Athens is not interesting only because of its Classical past. Explore the modern face of the city through tastes and flavors in a kid-friendly food tour passing by Monastiraki, the Central Market and the neighborhood of Psirri, where kids have the opportunity to join a comics’ workshop to create their own mythical hero or a street art tour, which is highly recommended for teens. Discover the city’s green spaces starting from Zappeion and the Panathenaic Stadium, where the Modern Olympics were revived in 1896. Become an Olympic athlete for a day and continue your walk through the National Garden to Kolonaki for a cooking class & lunch or shopping, and in the afternoon, experience an interactive tour and educational activity at the Museum of Ancient Greek Technology or the Hellenic Children Museum if your kids are younger.

Relish the Athens Riviera, let your kids play at the park of SNFCC, visit the Benaki Toy Museum, the Archelon Sea Turtle Center, or just enjoy your swim at the foothills of the Temple of Poseidon and the amazing sunset in Sounio. Experience island hopping in the Saronic Gulf and visit Hydra, Spetses, Aegina; hike the Attica mountains surrounding Athens and learn how the names of trees and plants relate to Greek mythology; live the experience of urban farms and farm-to-fork meals in nature. Greece is all about life outdoors!

The Best Greek Islands for Kids

Continue to the best Greek islands for families, among which Naxos Island is rightly considered as the kid-friendliest one. Away from the massive tourism and crowds, slow your pace down and enjoy the sandy, baby and toddler-friendly beaches, hike in villages untouched by time, cherish the island’s rich food culture and art, customs and music traditions, and explore the hidden gems of the Aegean, the Small (or Lesser) Cyclades.

Travel to Paros island and enjoy the sea & sun on its sandy beaches and coves. This is the perfect island for families who love watersports! Enjoy a ceramic class and create your own souvenir to take back home; stroll in the picturesque fishing village Naoussa and taste fresh fish; discover sustainable farming at an organic farm with amazing views; hike Paros Park, the ancient marble quarries from which the world-famous Parian Stone was extracted for centuries, and the Byzantine path connecting the most beautiful Paros villages Lefkes and Prodromos. Don’t miss a boat trip to neighboring Antiparos and the paradise islands in between with the turquoise waters!

Santorini and Mykonos might not be the family friendliest islands in Greece, but there are many ways to make your family trip memorable even for the little ones. Visit Delos with a kid friendly guide, take your children to an olive oil tasting workshop in Mykonos, go for a sea kayak tour in the caldera in Santorini that your teens will love!

Family Vacation Itinerary in Crete With Kids

Crete ranks high as family-friendly destination. No wonder why, since the island offers amazing things to do regardless of age. Being difficult to navigate due to its geomorphology and its complicated road network, you will certainly need efficient and flowless arrangements to visit as much as possible especially when you travel with kids.

While in Chania (or Hania), don’t miss the famous beaches of Balos, Falasarna and Elafonissi. Enjoy scuba diving with your teens or a treasure hunt with toddlers and younger kids in the Botanical Garden. Are you wondering whether there is a really unique activity that you can experience with your children? Well, yes there is. Be an archaeologist for a day and delve into the Minoan civilization with an expert archaeologist digging a Minoan house, taking a mosaic art workshop and tasting the Minoan cooking!

While heading to Heraklion, don’t miss the beautiful Venetian port of Rethymno. Crete has so many Minoan Palaces to visit, impressive castles to “conquer”, medieval settlements to explore… In Heraklion, learn more about the Minoans civilization through an interactive educational program for the life of the Minoans, with activities and plays in nature that involves all the family. Learn how to make Cretan rusk, olive oil soap, and visit Spinalonga island and Elounda ancient city. If your kids are history buffs, head to the plateau of Katharo with the paleontological findings of dwarf elephants and hippos dating 50-60.000 years, or take an excursion to Mochlos, a tiny island, where you will be able to see the most ancient olive tree in the world. 

Family Beach Vacation in the Peloponnese with Kids

Are you planning to spend a beach holiday in Greece with your kids? Willing to explore the mainland at a slow pace? Are you traveling with a baby or a toddler? Do you get seasick? Well, the best place for you and your family is the Peloponnese and the best beaches are less than 2 hours away from Athens. Enjoy a leisure holiday in Southern Peloponnese, around Kalamata, the Mani peninsula and Navarino and enter a mythical world.

Here, you will have the opportunity to enjoy sandy kid-friendly beaches with shallow and warm waters while swimming next to the old castles of Navarino and Methoni and sunbathing next to white sea-lilies growing in the sand. You can also be more active and enjoy beach activities, short boat trips, short hikes, snorkeling, diving, sea kayaking or even swimming in waterfalls.

But is not only about beaches. Combine leisure by the sea with learning and educational guided tours in the region’s archeological sites, such as Olympia, Mystras, Ancient Messene and the Palace of Nestor. Live family experiences in nature like an art workshop or a picnic with great views; hike in unique ecosystems, such as the Gialova lagoon; bike next to the towers in the Mani peninsula, the land of famous globetrotters. Before you leave, taste the extra virgin Kalamata olive oil in a food tour and a kid-friendly treasure hunt at an olive grove, and enjoy a farm-to-table dinner after a cooking class with the sun setting over the Mediterranean Sea.

Family Active Vacation in Greece with Kids and Teens

If you like the outdoors and you are fond of fast-pace trips, if you are eager to experience and see as much as possible with handpicked kid-friendly activities in nature, you have many reasons to trust a local family travel advisor! Take a journey to the highlights of Greek mythology and the ancient Greek civilization, and explore the scenic countryside, coastline and beaches, where endless vineyards meet vast olive groves! Would you like some off-the-beaten path adventures? Your destination is Greece’s Mainland!

Visit Greece’s historical landmarks, such as Delphi, Mycenae, Epidaurus, Olympia, Monemvasia Nafplio and Mystras on kid-friendly interactive tours and hands-on activities. Explore the settings of myths and legends in their original scenery in the heart of the Peloponnese, where semi-God Hercules accomplished two out of his 12 Labors, the Nemean Lion and the Stymphalian Birds. You will have the opportunity to participate in a wine-tasting session while kids enjoy a grape-tasting, and then listen to Greek myths related to Hercules and God Dionysus, the God of grape harvest, winemaking and theatre.

Are you a family who loves nature? Hike the kid-friendliest paths of the Menalon Trail that passes through the authentic Arcadian villages, and enjoy rafting in river Lousios and lake activities on the nearby mountains. You will not miss the sea though, as the best sandy beaches of mainland Greece are less than an hour away!

A bit off the beaten path? Did you know that the “flower of the salt” is collected in Messolongi, close to Nafpaktos? Explore the salt lakes created by the rivers’ delta, Greece’s largest wetland, taste bottarga, and experience the most authentic dinner with fresh fish, literally on the lagoon of the National Park.

Family Road Trip Off the Beaten Path

If you are a family who loves road trips and self-drive adventures in nature, your destination is Northern Greece. From Delphi to Meteora, Zagori and Salonica, Northern Greece is where the heart of the Greek ecosystem and wildlife beats.

Start from the Delphi oracle, the “center” of the world and explore the mountain and forest with kid-friendly activities.

Continue to Zagori villages, walk the stone bridges of Epirus, admire the Vikos Gorge, the second deepest in the world with an ecosystem of 1.700 species of plants and 182 species of animals; raft in Voidomatis river, one of the cleanest and purest rivers in Europe and watch the sunset colors over Ioannina lake.

Then drive to Metsovo where you can taste the local wine varieties and local cheese; hike the impressive Meteora rocks and visit the historical monasteries. Head to Mount Olympus, the mythical mountain of the ancient 12 Gods and hike by rivers and waterfalls. Visit Saloniki, stroll in the old town and the city’s symbol the White Tower!

Need some help in trip planning by the best family travel agents in Greece? We can customize your family vacation itinerary in Greece to your preferences, age and interests of your children, travel pace and budget. Enjoy your family holidays in Greece without worrying about family friendly accommodation or kid-friendly tours and activities by making your request here.

By Eleni Fotiou, travel journalist, founder & travel specialist at ΜΑΜΑΚΙΤΑ Family Friendly Greece and family travel advisor for Greece and Italy with Travel 12 and KimKim.