When my husband and I got married we had just bought a house and needless to say we did not have the budget for an exciting honeymoon. We worked really hard our first year of marriage, saving money, budgeting and dreaming of our honeymoon. Finally after a year and a half of marriage we were able to take our dream vacation to Greece. This was a trip of a lifetime and we definitely splurged a bit here and there but it was totally worth it!

This was my first international vacation and my husband’s second time out of the country so to say we were travel novices would be accurate! To help with my anxiety about planning my first trip abroad we actually enlisted the help of a Travel Agent. It was helpful to have someone look for all the best deals for us while we just pieced together exactly what we wanted to do. And by working with a Travel Agent we were able to learn some tips and tricks that have already helped us in the future!

We knew when planning this trip that we really wanted to trace the travels of the Apostle Paul from his journeys in Acts. Some major cities mentioned in the New Testament that are in Greece would be Corinth, Athens, Thessaloniki, and Philippi.

Thessaloniki, Greece

When we first got to Greece instead of staying in Athens, we took a short flight directly to Thessaloniki, Greece. We stayed in Thessaloniki for five nights and took tours out of Thessaloniki to Meteora and Philippi. This city was a surprising hit for us! Nothing here was ever that crowded and you can walk the whole city (trust us we did!). This was a perfect start to get to know a real authentic side to Greece.

Athens, Greece

From Thessaloniki we took another short plane ride back to Athens, Greece. We also stayed in Athens for five nights and took trips out of Athens to Corinth and Hydra. Athens was drastically different than Thessaloniki! There were crowds everywhere! However there is also history everywhere in Athens. Seriously, everywhere! Even the subway stations have little exhibits. Which, speaking of the subway system, Athens has great transportation and it is very easy to get around the city using the subway. It was astonishing to see so much history condensed into one place. And for history nerds like me and my husband, Athens will hold a special place in our hearts.

Santorini

After non stop walking, museums, and history overload, we flew down to Santorini and spent the remainder of our honeymoon on this tranquil island. We spent three nights on the Kamari black sand beach and relaxed as much as possible. Santorini does have buses which will drive you to other cities like Oia and Thera, which we did visit, but we enjoyed the more laid back (less crowded) Kamari Beach.