Though Instagram is usually blowing up with Greece pictures of perfectly blue skies and whitewashed churches and marble ruins in July and August, those blues and whites are equally stunning (and much less crowded) come September and October. The weather is still lovely – and particularly for any walking around the city, much more comfortable – plus the dollar and the euro are still almost equal, so it’s a great time to take advantage of the €1.01/$1 exchange rate.
ATHENS
The cradle of democracy is a must-visit, especially climbing up the Acropolis hill to see the Parthenon up close (the massive temple is over 2,500 years old) and the views of surrounding Athens. For more recent additions to the city, the new xenodocheio Milos hotel straddles the historic Plaka and the fashionable Kolonaki neighborhoods. The hotel opened this year and has Greece’s first estiatorio Milos in-house. It also has an exclusive partnership with Naxos Apothecary, the incredibly chic shop around the corner that creates creams, cosmetics, and even herbal teas (the hotel is the only one in Athens to have these products in-room). Guests can also schedule a session to have a bespoke face cream created at the Apothecary.
MYKONOS
While certainly the spot to see-and-be-scene all summer, when fall arrives, Mykonos starts to radiate a more local feel once more. The Harvest Festival is held in mid-September at the Agricultural Museum, and all of the bars and nightclubs begin to have their closing parties for the season (a gradual stretch between the end of August through October, depending on the venue). At Kalesma Mykonos, guests still gather around the aloni (an original threshing stone found on the property) to watch the sunset over the Aegean, ideally with a Greek Salad Margarita in hand. (This original cocktail has tomato and pepper infused spirits and a dusting of oregano on the coupe glass.)
