You’ve probably considered Greece as a romantic honeymoon destination – a place for lovelorn couples looking to lounge on gorgeous beaches and while away the hours. But, by now, you’ve seen and heard enough to know that Greece is more than just its idyllic islands – it’s also full of delicious food, ancient historical monuments and age-old vestiges well worth exploring – though we don’t at all recommend skipping the islands!
If you’re ready for your adventure, you first need to get all your essentials together for what to pack for Greece – without overdoing it, or leaving behind items you shouldn’t travel without.
That’s why we’ve compiled this Greece survival guide – to get your through your what to pack for Greece checklist as stress-free as possible! Keep reading for our top 22-needs for what to pack for Greece, recommendations on what to wear in Greece, a seasonal breakdown of what to pack by seasons and weather – plus packing tips specifically for gals and guys, and what not to pack for Greece.
Once you’ve taken care of all your Greece packing essentials, you can focus your efforts on the fun stuff – like eating delicious gyros and spanakopita, exploring the party scene in Mykonos and taking priceless selfies at the Parthenon. Oh, and working on your tan!
Ok, let’s do this!
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The Ultimate Greece Packing List
Greece pretty much personifies the perfect Mediterranean climate of gorgeous summers and mild winters and doesn’t experience any real weather extremities. Packing is therefore pretty simple for the most part. But there are still somethings that even the best travellers backpacking Greece will be in envy of…
You just need to work out the time of year you are travelling and decide whether you Greek odessy is going to be focus on the gorgeous beach’s or some serious, classical exploration.
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Best Backpack For Greece: Nomatic Travel Bag
Before you even take on the task of figuring out what to pack for Greece, you’ll need an amazing backpack to pack it all into. For all types of travelers and destinations, our number one recommendation is the Nomatic Travel Bag.
The Nomatic travel bag covers every detail to make backpacking travel the best experience. Because of its smart design, it manages to provide loads of packing space in a convenient, carry-on size package! Its handy built-in pockets make plenty of room for all the necessities on your what to pack for Greece checklist – you’ll find separate compartments for important items like shoes, water bottle, electronics, underwear and socks. As an added bonus, there’s also an RFID-safe and cord management pocket.
You have a choice between backpack or duffel bag carry, and extra carrying comfort for your back thanks to its innovative strap system and detachable sternum strap. And its black, waterproof material is every bit sleek and modern as it is durable and tough. There is a reason why most Broke Backpacker staff swear by this backpack.
Best Suitcase For Greece: Nomatic Carry-On Pro
Backpacks not your thing? That’s ok. Our friends at Nomatic are back again with a great alternative to their badass Travel Bag; the Nomatic Carry-On Pro.
This suitcase is ultra-durable, sleek, and comes with a handy tech compartment for transporting your laptop and other electronic bits. Nomatic has been an industry leader when it comes to travel gear and that reputation is reflected in the quality build design and functionality of the Carry-On Pro suitcase. A Carry-on is perfect as it means you can take full advantage of cheap domestic flights and easily carry your bag on and off island hopping ferries.
Check out our Nomatic Carry-On Pro review to learn more about this epic suitcase.
Best Camera For Greece: GoPro Hero9 Black
For most of us, our smartphones now feature cameras with stunning photo capabilities.
But… if you are an aspiring photographer who wants to take next-level photos and video beyond iPhone selfies, I recommend going with an action camera like the GoPro Hero9 Black.
It does deliver pro-quality video and gives you a bunch of a different angle options and shooting speeds to work with for photos (including a selfie-mode).
Think of a camera purchase like this as a long term investment that will have you capturing epic shots well beyond your time exploring here. If you are looking for something cheaper for video specifically, check out these epic GoPro Alternatives.
Best Sim For Greece – HolaFly eSim
The good news about Greece is that there is extensive 4g and 5g Internet coverage, taxi apps and food delivery apps. The bad news is that your native SIM card will not work and so you will not be able to access any of this online goodness until you rectify that particular situation.
You can waste time hanging around Japanese mobile phone shops queuing to get a plastic sim or you can simply install an eSim onto your phone before you leave home. You just access the HolaFly site, choose the package you want, download it and off you go – you are online the moment you land at the airport.
eSims are easier to set up and better than the environment than plastic sims. The downside is that not all phones are eSim ready.
Packing Cubes For Greece – Wandrd Packing Cubes
In case you have never used them, packing cubes are little compression cubes that allow you to neatly pack clothes in in order to help facilitate better packing. They allow you to pack more stuff, and to keep it all better organised.
For the longest time, I thought that packing cubes were a superfluous indulgence, but boy was I wrong. Now I never travel without a few.
These ones from WANDRD are great quality and excellent value for money.
What To Pack For Greece Checklist: Personal Gear
Temperatures in Greece generally stay above 20 degrees from April til October. Deciding what to wear in Greece is easy as you will probably be wearing summer clothes for your visit. Beyond that, let’s take a look at some must have items for your Greece packing list.
Want to save money on accommodation?
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Good Shoes – Salomon X Ultra 3 Low Aero
If you plan on exploring the city of Athens or the ancient ruins of Greece, then bring good walking shoes. Even if you are headed to the islands, we still recombined bringing a pair as they can be very hilly and there is a lot of great hiking opportunities.
I admit that most shoes that are also good for hiking are not the most attractive pieces of footwear. But they are some of the most comfortable and deliver good ankle support for a long day of walking about town. I mean, your body is already going to be suffering enough from all of those 2-for-1 shots and bottomless mimosas you will be drinking, so do yourself a favor and buy some good shoes.
The abundant nature of Greece offers excellent day hiking opportunities, so packing a pair of hiking shoes gives you the option (and eliminates excuses) to go head for the hills when the city becomes too much.
Check out the women’s Salomon X Ultra 3 Low Aero.
A Down Jacket: Patagonia Down Sweater Hoody
Granted if you visit Greece in the spring or summer you probably won’t need to bring this. Pack extra bikinis instead. But from October – April temperatures can plummet in at night and you’ll be happy to have this ultra-warm down jacket with you.
It weighs just under a pound and provides an excellent weight to warmth ratio. If you don’t go for one of the super bright colors, it is pretty stylish and city-worthy also.
If visiting Greece in the winter, this jacket is perfect.
Check out our best travel jackets article for more inspiration.
Swimwear
Any time of the year there is an azure blue ocean, a hotel pool or jacuzzi waiting with your name on it in Greece. You will be the disappointed guy or girl in the corner if you forget to pack swimwear.
This is one item you cannot be without.
Travel First Aid Kit
You don’t need to tote around half a pharmacy, but a well-stocked first aid kit should be in all our backpacks. Stuff happens on the road and it’s inconvenient and embarrassing when you can’t manage small situations like a cut finger or hangover migraine.
You can tuck this lifesaver away in a forgotten pocket – and it’ll be there when you need it.
Tip: Add a few bits and pieces to the first aid kit after you purchase it, like extra headache medicine, any personal meds you need (like allergy pills), whatever you take to calm your stomach and a few more plasters.
Travel Insurance From World Nomads
ALWAYS sort out your backpacker insurance before your trip. There’s plenty to choose from in that department, but a good place to start is Safety Wing.
They offer month-to-month payments, no lock-in contracts, and require absolutely no itineraries: that’s the exact kind of insurance long-term travellers and digital nomads need.
SafetyWing is cheap, easy, and admin-free: just sign up lickety-split so you can get back to it!
Click the button below to learn more about SafetyWing’s setup or read our insider review for the full tasty scoop.
Planner/Travel Journal
Keeping a journal is one of the best things to do when traveling. The Drifter Leather Journal by Kodiak is our favorite, it works great for digital nomads and organized backpackers and can be used as planner or a dream diary – whatever you want!
Keep on track with your goals, travels and save those precious memories, especially the ones you do not want to share online. This one is bound in beautiful leather so it looks beautiful and will withstand life on the road.
Abaco Polarised Sunglasses
A reliable pair of sunglasses is undoubtedly one of your Greece packing essentials. Our favorites are Abaco Polarized Sunglasses because they deliver on quality and style.
They’re built tough with triple-layer scratch-resistant lenses and trademarked Adventure-proof Frame Material. You can also customize them with your choice of lens and frame colors to reflect your own style.
Suncream: Thinksport Safe SPF 50+
By now, all of us are as pasty as the driven snow from sheltering in place for the last six months. Am I right? This means we are even more vulnerable than usual to the sun’s fierce rays. Packing sunscreen for Greece may seem like a no brainer, but you would be amazed how many sun-burned cocktail-toting people you see wandering around.
Thinksport Safe SPF 50+ sunscreen gives folks strong sun protection in a non-oily formula that’s free of gluten, paraben, phthalates and biologically harmful chemicals.
A Good Daypack for Hiking – Osprey Daylite Plus
If you’re planning on taking day trips or going for a hike in Costa Rica, you will need a daypack. They are great for carrying water, hats and gloves and for packing sandwiches for lunch. We love Osprey products and this daypack is our personal pick.
The Osprey Daylite Plus has a mesh-covered panel to keep your back cool and fresh by minimizing contact with the back of the pack itself and allowing air to get between you and the pack.
Check out our full review of the Osprey Daylite plus for more details.
Sandals: OluKai ‘Ohana Flip-Flops
Circling back to the footwear question, now we are going to talk about sandals. Greece can be dammed hot and there are rather a lot of beaches to recline on. Therefore, a good pair of sandals seems like a good thing to bring to Greece.
Your feet will be tired and sweaty from those long days wearing shoes so do yourself a favor: pack sandals and give your feet some well-deserved cushion and fresh air. These Olukai flip flops are ultra-comfortable, well-made, and come in a variety of colors.
Check out the women’s OluKai ‘Ohana Flip-Flops.
Money Belt – By Pacsafe
Whilst Greece is not particularly dangerous, crime can still happen and tourists are sometimes targeted. Athens in particular does see a bit of street crime which includes pick-pocketing, bag snatching and the odd violent mugging.
Therefore it is always a good idea to use a money belt to hide your cash just in case something does go wrong.
Note that there are plenty of cheap money belts out there but they tend to fall apart very fast. Its definitely worth getting a half decent one from REI instead.
Waterbottle – Hydroflask Vacuum Bottle 32 oz.
Packing a reusable water bottle is probably the best thing you can personally do to combat single-use plastic bottle use whilst traveling. There is simply zero need to buy plastic water bottles.
We love the Hydroflask Vacum Bottle for its quality and because it keeps cold water cold for many hours and vice versa for hot beverages. This bottle is the ideal water bottle to get not just for your Greece trip but for daily use. Please don’t be that person buying plastic water bottles. We are all judging you…especially mother earth.
If you go with the Hydroflask, you’ll probably never need to buy another waterbottle again.
The Basic Stuff To Pack For Greece
On top of the essential items listed above, here is an additional suggested checklist of what to pack for a weekend in Greece:
- 1-2 pairs of comfortable pants/jeans
- 1-2 pairs of shorts (summer/late spring)
- A few pairs of socks
- (Sexy) underwear x 2/3
- Ladies: a few dresses, pants, outfits, or desired lady apparel for a night on the town. Whatever makes you comfy!
- Dudes: A few collard shirts or something half-way decent for a night on the town. Whatever makes you comfy!
- Smartphone with a good camera for photos if you are not bringing an actual camera
- Portable power bank for charging your phone on the go
- Phone charger
- Amazon Kindle for reading by the pool
- Copy of your passport just in case
- Cash (not too much, there are ATM machines everywhere
- Packable Towel
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Final Thoughts on What to Pack for Greece
We made it, friends! Consider yourself fully briefed on what to pack for Greece with our complete Greece survival guide. You have a detailed top-22 needs packing list, tips on what to wear in Greece to be comfortable and fashionable, and a breakdown of seasonal Greece weather and how to pack accordingly. Don’t forget our recommendations for what women and men should each consider packing – plus, what NOT to pack for Greece.
If you’re thinking that you’re ready to hop on that plane and straight on a ferry headed for the islands to soak up some history – and some sun – we completely agree! Grab that backpack (or suitcase) and take advantage of all the beach and off-the-beach splendor that Greece has to offer, and be sure to take lots of pictures. You’ll want to remember every detail of this adventure!
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