We use cookies
By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies. We use cookies to provide you with a great experience and to help our website run effectively. Learn more
Got it

2022: 12 Days in Greece

There is no amount of photos, video, or stories that can prepare a person for the incredibly captivating country that is Greece. It’s a place that few people visit just once. Whether it’s the jaw-dropping scenery, the hospitable people, the fascinating history, the laid-back lifestyle, or the endless exploring opportunities, Greece leaves travelers in awe. Catch the sun setting over Santorini’s cliffs, start your day with a dive into the warm Aegean Sea, sip Ouzo in the shadow of the Acropolis, explore the famously gay island of Mykonos… so many options, all guaranteed to be unforgettable.

Our 12-day Greece trips promise to deliver the best of Athens and the Greek Islands with stops in dramatic Santorini, cosmopolitan Mykonos, and peaceful Milos. Our trips are, and always have been, laid-back, leaving plenty of room for spontaneity and adventure. No rushing around, no stress, no limiting daily itineraries, just a great group of guys who are all excited and ready to explore and have fun. And isn’t that what travel is all about?

So whether you're a history buff, beach bum, adventure addict, or a mix of all different traveler-types, our Greece adventure won't disappoint. Browse through more in-depth info on our trip stops below.

Days 1 and 2 – ATHENS

A city that’s been around for 3400 years has definitely built up its fair share of must-see’s, so our time here is spent immersing ourselves in the new and old of Athens. The Acropolis and the Parthenon looming over the city, or the fascinating Archeology Museum are great places to spend the daytime before we head to the charming streets of Monastiraki for our evening and, if you've still got energy, the Gazi area for the bustling Athens social scene. Our first meeting time on day 1 is at 4pm where we'll all meet together to start our adventure!

Included Activities: 3-hour walking tour of Athens and Acropolis

Optional Activities: Acropolis Museum • Archaeological Museum • Ancient Agora  • Roman Agora • Hadrian's Library

Days 3, 4, and 5 - MILOS

Milos is an unspoiled paradise, an undiscovered oasis of stunning beaches, ancient ruins, and breathtaking vistas, inhabited by the friendliest people in Greece. It's full of passionately proud residents who can't wait to tell you all about their island. We'll explore this paradise by ATV vehicle, allowing us to get off the beaten track and really experience the best this island has to offer! This is the island that you've probably never heard of but we guarantee you'll never forget!

Included Activities: ATV rental (3 days)

Optional Activities: Sarakiniko Beach • Private charter around Milos • Guided kayaking tour • Kostanataki's Winery tour and & tasting

Days 6 and 7 – SANTORINI

Our days here will be spent making sure we discover why Santorini is one of the most famous islands in the world! It all begins as we arrive into Thira port, and travel up to the top of Imerovigli hill to our accommodation overlooking the majestic island and Aegean Sea. With postcard-worthy vistas, secluded beaches, sunsets to die for, wineries galore, hot springs, water activities, and more, there are plenty of reasons to fall in love with Santorini.

Optional Activties: 4-hour sunset cruise of the caldera • Akrotiri • Skaros Rock hike

Days 8, 9 and 10 – MYKONOS

A bittersweet departure from Santorini is made a bit sweeter once we arrive in the famously gay island of Mykonos. This island, however is more than just bars and gay beaches, it's also narrow white-washed streets you'll want to get lost in, it's the hole-in-the-wall piano and jazz bars where people mingle from all over the world, and it's the ruins of past civilization that has thrived in this area for thousands of years.

Optional Activities: Delos Island Tour • Elias Beach • Jackie O's Beach Club

Days 11 and 12 - ATHENS

Our trip finishes in Greece's largest city for one last chance to stock up on some delicious Greek food and get our last shots of ancient Acropolis before heading home. But rest assured, after these 12 days in Greece, it probably won't be your last visit. All travelers are welcome to book their flights departing from Greece at any time on the 12th day.

We don't like staying in smelly shacks on our vacations and we're pretty sure you don't either! You work hard to go on vacation and we believe you deserve an enjoyable, comfortable place to wind down at the end of each day. We put a LOT of time into finding the perfect accommodation for your trip. After rigorous wifi signal testing, fluffing pillows, and taking a shower or two, we've narrowed down our favorite properties. Check out our approved accommodation to see where we've stayed in the past and where we'll likely be staying on your trip.

ATHENS: 360 Pop Art Hotel

Set along a commercial street in the city center, this exceptionally-located hotel is a 2-minute walk from a metro station and 16 minutes' walk from the Acropolis of Athens. Featuring retro-inspired furnishings, the stylish rooms have free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, minifridges, and tea and coffeemaking facilities.

MILOS: Santa Maria Village

Overlooking the Gulf of Milos, this tranquil hotel spread over 7 whitewashed, block-style buildings is 2 miles (3 km) from Sarakiniko Beach. Rooms feature balconies or verandas with garden, pool or gulf views. All offer free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and minifridges. Additional amenities consist of a spa, a hot tub, a poolside bar, and an outdoor pool with sunloungers.

SANTORINI: Loizos Stylish Residences

This breezy property is about one mile from Santorini's Old Port. Close to the hustle and bustle of the city centre yet far enough to get a quiet night's rest. Amenities include an outdoor pool, a sundeck with lounge chairs, and massage services. Each room offers free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, minifridges, and tea and coffeemaking facilities.

MYKONOS: Damiano's Hotel

This stunning hotel is 2 km from the nearest beach and a 5 min walk to the main town. The bright rooms have free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and minifridges. There’s also a snack bar, and a endless sea view at the pool, a bar and a sundeck.

 

*Please note that due to availability, these exact hotels may not all be available during all Detours trips. However, we will always replace these with similar hotels.

Your Arrival & Departure

This trip begins and ends in Athens so, when you're ready to book your international flights, you'll want to fly into and out of Athens International Airport (airport code ATH).  Many of our travelers choose to arrive a day or two prior to the trip to give themselves some time to rest and get over some jet lag prior to meeting the group.  If you'd like us to set up any additional nights of accommodation in Athens, just let us know!  Accommodation rates change often, so just reach out to us for current group hotel rates.

The Climate

Don’t worry about getting chilly, our trips are scheduled in the warm summer months ensuring maximum warmth and sunshine! Temperatures during summer generally average highs of 27C/81F, and lows of 21C/70F, although weather can sometimes be unpredictable so it's always good to bring a couple items of warm clothing just to be safe. Greek summers receive very little rain so it's not necessary to pack for rainstorms.

The People and LGBTQ+ Community

Greeks are incredibly friendly, happy, helpful, welcoming and easy going people! It's not difficult to make friends with the locals while you're here. Family is incredibly important to Greek people so often you'll find the entire family working at a hotel or restaurant together. Although English is very widely spoken, consider learning a few words of Greek language while you're here, we recommend starting off with “Yia sou” (hello), “Efharisto” (thank you), and of course “Pou ine i paralia?” (where’s the beach?).

The areas of Greece that we'll be visiting are quite open-minded and most people will be welcoming of homosexuality. That said, the Greeks are largely influenced by the Orthodox church, and public displays of affection (gay or straight) are generally frowned upon. In respect for their local culture we usually suggest keeping your excitement and affection for your partner to more private locations.

Meals

Enjoy Greek food? It's even better in Greece! Their local cuisine is Mediterranean with Middle Eastern influences. Olives, cheeses, eggplant, lamb, and yoghurt can be found on almost every menu. Detours doesn't believe in limiting your choices by including all of your meals at pre-decided restaurants as part of the trip package. Instead, we include all of your breakfasts to start your day off, then encourage you to explore all of the different restaurant options available to you for lunch and dinner. This way you can eat when you want, where you want, with whomever you want, and spend what you want! Your trip leader definitely has their favorite spots so if you'd like some advice on the best in each location, just check with them.

What to Bring

Our advice is simple. Pack your bag, then take half of those things out and leave them back home. It’s common to hear people wishing they’d packed less stuff, but we’ve never heard anyone complain that they didn’t bring enough. Even if you realize you forget to pack some crucial item you can always pick up a replacement once you arrive in Athens. 

Money

Greece uses the Euros as their only currency.  It's not common for shops or restaurants to accept any other currency so, while credit cards are accepted at some places along the way, it's important to also carry some cash in Euros on you.  We suggest arriving to Greece with some on hand (maybe around 300 Euros), but you can also use the local ATMs to access more cash as needed along the way.  

Tipping

No matter where you are these days, the tourism and hospitality has come to expect tips for good service. This extends to local guides, restaurant wait staff, bus drivers, and your Detours trip leader.  Of course the actual amount is left up to your discretion, if you've been provided excellent service we suggest leaving around 15% for restaurant/wait staff as well as the local equivalent of a few dollars to bus drivers and luggage porters, as well as around $10-15 USD per day for local guides and your Detours trip leader.

Accommodation

We have pretty high standards when it comes to choosing our accommodations, and trust us, we’ve done plenty of room-sniffing, pillow-patting, and bathroom inspections to make sure we stay at quality spots. To be approved as a Detours accommodations provider, a guesthouse must: be locally owned (to support the local community), be in an amazing location (close to the beach or other hot spots), AND be gay-owned or gay-friendly. We won't be staying in 5-star Ritz-Carltons but we also won't subject you to anything we wouldn't want to stay in ourselves. Clean, comfortable, well-located spots that'll put a smile on your face, you can count on that!

Trip Leaders

All Detours trips are led by one of our own Detours trip leaders.  They're there with you every day and their job is to help ensure that this is your trip of a lifetime by taking the hassle out of your trip and enabling you to experience everything you came to Greece for.  Consider them like a friendly concierge that's traveling along with you.  All of our trip leaders are gay and all are well-traveled and experienced in the destination they're leading in, so they'll be a great part of your experience!

Alarm Clocks

We do absolutely everything possible to avoid needing such a mundane awakening. A world without alarm clocks is one we want to be part of, and your “rise and shine” while in Greece should come from the sound of crashing waves or church bells in the distance. However, sometimes due to current ferry schedules we are required to make early departures, but we do everything we can to minimize this.

Your Group

Our Detours groups are run with a maximum of 16 travelers. Ages of group members vary but around 90% of our travelers are in their 30's, 40's, and 50's. Whatever the age of the guys on our trips everyone's already got something in common, an exciting new experience in a new country! Each group is led by a Detours trip leader who is there to ensure everything goes off without a hitch, allowing you to focus on having the time of your life!

Communicating with Home

There is WiFi at every hotel we stay at and most restaurants that we eat in. Alternatively, if your mobile phone is "unlocked" you can pick up a local SIM card which is quite affordable.

Solo Travelers

No problem! Don’t worry, lots of our travelers come solo and our trip will provide plenty of chances to meet great people both inside and outside of our group, including other solos. As far as your accommodations go, you’ve got two choices. We can either pair you up with another solo group member in a two-bed room for no extra charge, or you can have your own room for a reasonable surcharge.

Electrical Outlets

Greece uses a "type C" and "type F" plug, the same as most European countries and several other places in the world. The voltage is 230V with 50 Hz frequency. These days, the majority of items that are plugged into an outlet are built to handle varying voltage and frequency levels, but just to be sure, we suggest checking your item for its accetable range.

What's included? • All taxes • All group transport between itinerary destinations • Accommodations for your 12-day Detours experience • All full breakfasts • Athens / Acropolis city tour with local guide • 3-day ATV rental on Milos • Welcome dinner and drinks • Knowledgeable and fun Detours leader • 

What isn't included? • Meals and drinks outside of those listed above • Activities outside of the those listed above • International Airfare • International Drivers License (available at your local driver licensing provider) • Arrival/departure airport transfers • Optional gratuities •

Additional spending budget?  Your big-ticket items are included through the trip, but you'll want to budget for additional spending such as additional meals, drinks, shopping, activities, etc. These costs can vary dramatically with differing personal habits but we suggest expecting to spend an additional $750 USD at the lower end for the more budget-conscious and $1200 USD at the higher end for the splurgers.  We suggest arriving to Greece with approximately 300 Euros in cash.



Register Now
with a $500 USD deposit
Whitewashed buildings with blue domes overlooking a calm sea on a sunny day in santorini, greece.
Person cliff diving into a serene blue sea near eroded rock formations.
Show thumbnail preview	 Group of people enjoying a sunset from the deck of a boat.
Person standing on white rock formation against a blue sky.
Show thumbnail preview	 Ancient greek parthenon temple ruins under a clear blue sky.
Show thumbnail preview	 The caryatids at the erechtheion on the acropolis, overlooking athens.
Show thumbnail preview	 A group of people on a dinghy next to a sailboat anchored near a cliff.
Sunset view over a coastal landscape with a traditional whitewashed church in the foreground.
Rocky outcrops along a serene beach with clear blue water and a bright sky.


Trip Reviews

Bill T. - USA

September 27, 2021

We just completed a trip to Greece in September 2021. The trip was amazing and Detours made it very easy. Shane was our trip leader and he left no stone unturned. He was always five steps ahead of the gang. Some people in our group like more of the history stuff and others like the beach. He had multiple itinerary options throughout the day to please all involved. We felt very comfortable traveling to Greece during Covid. Everyone in our group was vaccinated and the authorities checked VAX cards on all the different islands and Athens. Thanks for such a great trip. We are looking forward to the next adventure with Detours.

Russ B. - USA

November 2, 2019

If you like to travel to amazing places, make new friends, and have the time of your life, I highly recommend Detours travel. We recently completed a nearly two week tour of Greece and had a blast traveling to several islands and Athens. Our tour guide, Miles, who is also the company owner, was a joy to be with and made the vacation carefree and fun. Our group bonded from the start, and before the end, we felt like family. It was sad to see it come to an end. We really feel we got our money’s worth and look forward to another Detours vacation in the future.

Chris W. - USA

October 10, 2019

Wow! Can't say enough good about Detours. Just back from a fabulous trip to Greece. Miles (tour leader/owner) did a great job shepherding 16 of us to some of the best places around. The tour is designed so that the disparate group members get to know each other and that only added to the wonderful adventure! What a great group!! Every detail was taken care of; once I landed in Athens, didn't have to worry about a thing. Miles took great care of all of us and went out of his way multiple times to help folks. Accommodations and transportation were top notch; dining even better. If you're like me and Greece is on your bucket list, you can't get better value for you money. I can't wait to take my next Detours' excursion.

Tarn H. - Australia

October 10, 2019

Just returned from a detours trip to Greece with tour leader Brandon. I had a few reservations at first coming to tour (having being a younger participant) I wanted to make sure the tour is the right fit for me but Miles and Shane reassured me at first after a few quick online queries (thanks Miles & Shane). After meeting the group and our tour leader Brandon on day 1 in the hotel lobby, I instantly felt relieved and very excited as I felt an instant connection to the group. Brandon went over and beyond to ensure everyone was engaged and having a great time. From the restraurants bookings to the transport, everything felt seamless and very well organised (hats off to you Brandon!). The beauty about this tour is that you’re not confined to a prescheduled arrangement so it’s ok to detour from the tour! The highlight of the trip was driving around Milos in the ATV and getting lost in the island, so much so that I hired the ATV again in Mykonos to venture out on other parts of the island. For those considering this tour... stop! Grab your wallet and book this trip ASAP, you won’t regret it! 10/10!!!!

Our Other Trips

12 Days in Peru

Starting at $3,740 USD

8 Days in Peru

Starting at $3,390 USD

12 Days in Spain

Starting at $3,660 USD

10 Days in Europe

Starting at $3,540 USD

11 Days in New Zealand

Starting at $3,830 USD

10 Days in Egypt

Starting at $4,170 USD

11 Days in Costa Rica

Starting at $3,680 USD

11 days in South Africa

Starting at $4,080 USD

11 Days in Scandinavia

Starting at $3,970 USD

11 Days in Greece

Starting at $3,680 USD

11 Days in Portugal & Morocco

Starting at $3,990 USD

8 Days in Italy

Starting at $3,320 USD

10 Days in Japan

Starting at $4,130 USD

10 Days in Australia

Starting at $4,190 USD