Solo Travel in Greece: 5 Ways to Explore the Islands
Updated: Oct 14
How you choose to travel around Greece shapes the overall holiday experience.
Luxury travel isn't a one-size-fits-all concept, and those who enjoy a bit of luxury on a solo holiday in Greece rarely have the same needs and budgets. Some like to splurge on a top hotel and bond with a good book at the pool, while others like to participate in exclusive or immersive experiences without much care for hotel amenities.
In a country as scattered and diverse as Greece, it's important to blend details, pace and variety with a travel style that matches your desired creature comforts. This guide compares five ways to travel solo in Greece: independent island-hopping, a small-group sailing holiday, a luxury hotel package, a superyacht cruise and a classic ocean cruise.
For a solo traveller, each approach offers a different balance of freedom, flexibility, comfort and company. The useful starting point is to think about how you want to spend your days, and how much of the route you want to decide yourself.
Independent Greek Island-Hopping
Best suited to: Those who enjoy choosing their route and want time to get to know a place.
A local boat arrives into Skiathos Town in Greece
A fully tailored, independent itinerary lets you decide how the pace and variety should look. You may spend a few days touring the sights of Athens or Thessaloniki with a private guide, and then hop across two or three islands that become more rural and less developed as you go.
These types of holidays bring a variety of activities, too. Some islands, like Mykonos, are known for their upbeat party beaches and Instagrammable shorefronts, while others, like Antiparos, are known for their quaint villages and quiet island vibes. It can be nice to have a few days of one style followed by a few days of another.
ISTORIA Hotel, Santorini
The main consideration with this style of travel is co-ordinating the ferry journeys, which can take several hours with various stops along the way. The trick is to combine islands that are close together, such as Skiathos and Skopelos, Paros and Naxos, Kos and Rhodes, or Crete and Santorini.
Budget Guide*: £1,500 to £4,000
Based on one person travelling from the UK for 7 nights in May, staying in two 5* resorts on two different islands, with Blue Star Ferry transfers included.
Small-Group Sailing Tours
Best suited to: Travellers who want the sailing experience itself and are happy sharing a relatively small space with others.
Sailing in Greece on a small-group tour with G Adventures
Sailing tours in Greece are all about feeling the salt in your hair and exploring the untouched coastline on a small, comfortable boat. Each route combines popular island excursions with sea-based activities such as snorkelling and cliff jumping, adding an extra layer of authenticity to your Greek holiday.
Sailing tours such as Sailing Greece: Santorini to Santorini by G Adventures take a maximum of 10 guests, with opportunities to get involved with the sailing itself without needing any prior sailing experience. Your skipper may also adjust the route to suit the group's interests.
Sailing in Greece on a small-group tour with G Adventures. © Ryan Parker / G Adventures Inc.
These types of small-group tours are wonderful for getting to know people, and many guests come home with new friends for life. Most people who take these types of tours are like-minded, so the groups tend to get along well even when living quarters start to feel cosy.
One important consideration with group tours is the availability of direct flights on your start and end dates. Depending on where you are flying from, a pre-night at a hotel is usually required. Many people also need a few nights at a hotel after their sailing tour.
Healthy Budget: £2,500 to £3,000
Based on one person travelling from the UK for 14 nights in May, taking a 10-day sailing tour with 1 pre-sailing night and 3 post-sailing nights' in comfortable accommodation included.
A Luxury Package Holiday in Greece for One
Best suited to: Solo travellers who want a lovely hotel, their own space and the freedom to choose each day’s activities.
Grecotel LUXME Resort, Kos.
Package holidays offer affordable luxury with easy logistics. Choose your island and your hotel, hop on a direct flight and come back a week or two later feeling totally refreshed. Many operators such as Jet2holidays offer solo discounts, too.
In May 2027, a luxury week for one at Minos Palace Resort in Crete starts from just £2,152 including return flights from Edinburgh, with private transfers and daily breakfast included.** These types of holidays are wonderful retreats, with very little admin and complete flexibility for how you spend your time.
You may like to hire a car to explore the surrounding mountains, ruins, churches, and olive groves, or book some day trips to get some time on the water. Solo holidays in Greece are also wonderful for dining, with many restaurant owners chatting to guests and making everybody feel welcome.
Healthy Budget: £1,250 to £3,500
Based on one person travelling from the UK for 7 nights in May 2027, staying in one 5* resort, with private transfers included.
A Luxury Superyacht Cruise Around Greece
Best suited to: Those who want an elevated experience that delivers the opportunity to explore alongside total privacy and seclusion.
Luminara, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Yacht cruising differs from sailing and cruise tours at every level. Luxury yachts are all about delivering refined, understated service that's high enough to feel incidental, and attentive enough that guests on board want for nothing. Dining is an elevated culinary journey. Drinks are artisanal. Entertainment is destination immersive. Spa facilities are cutting edge.
Luxury superyacht lines such as The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection offer busy professionals a chance to switch off and totally relax in an exclusive environment with all the bells and whistles. These ultra-luxury yachts offer some of the highest personal space ratios at sea, and bring a sense of sophisticated Italian elegance into every element of your holiday.
Beach House restaurant on Ilma Superyacht - Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
For a solo guest, a smaller passenger list can make it easier to feel connected to others, while the effortless style of travel makes it easy to find laid-back privacy with total seclusion.
Healthy Budget: £13,500 to £16,500
Based on one person travelling in business class from the UK for 5 nights in May 2027, including a 4-night all-inclusive superyacht cruise, private transfers, and a pre-sailing night in a high-end resort.
A Classic Ocean Cruise in Greece
Best suited to: Travellers who enjoy plenty of choice and want to sample several destinations in one holiday, without feeling like they're moving around too much.
Cruising on Norwegian Viva, a Prima Class Ship
Cruise holidays are special because the ship itself becomes as important as the ports of call. It's different from a resort holiday because the ship functions like a mini city. A huge variety of restaurants and entertainment options feel distinctly different from each other in a way that land-based resort dining and entertainment often fails to achieve.
Cruising is also different from an island-hopping or sailing holiday because you unpack just once and don't need to share your living quarters with others. It's an easy way to travel that delivers far more choice and variety than any single land-based holiday. It's also a wonderful way to meet other solo travellers if you would like to.
Vibe Beach Club on Norwegian Viva
When choosing a cruise in Greece, especially a solo cruise, the most important things to consider are time ashore, the size of the ship, and the cruise line itself. You may find it surprising that bigger ships feel smaller because they're far more adept at hiding people and dispersing crowds than smaller ships are.
Likewise, cruises with shorter port days bring a more relaxing overall holiday because you have time to enjoy the ship. Longer port days and occasional overnights offer more land-based exploring at the expense of feeling a little more tired after a longer day. It's essential to find a cruise that's the right fit for you.
An artist's rendering of the Daybreak Bar on Norwegian Aura
For solo guests who want to dip in and out of social settings, a big cruise ship with many different dining options is ideal. It's also good to choose a cruise that offers flexible dining times, and one with lower or no single supplements, such as Norwegian Viva or the brand new Norwegian Aura taking delivery in May 2027. Availability of limited solo studios and solo balconies are often released exclusively to travel agents and do book up quickly, so get in touch early to find a juicy offer.
Healthy Budget: £2,500 to £3,500
Based on one person travelling in from the UK for 10 nights in May 2027, including a 9-night all-inclusive cruise from Athens to Venice on the brand-new Norwegian Aura, and 1 pre-cruise night in a luxury hotel.
Which way of travelling solo in Greece suits you?
Independent island-hopping gives you the most control over your route and length of stay, with a strong sense of adventure created through local ferries. Small-group sailing brings shared experiences with the opportunity to make new friends.
A luxury package holiday in Greece gives you a classic fly-and-flop holiday to one resort, with nothing on the agenda. Yacht and ocean cruises both combine several destinations in a floating hotel environment, with each line offering a unique combination of atmosphere and style across a wide range of luxury touches.
A Few Common Questions About Solo Travel in Greece
Can I go Greek island-hopping without joining a tour?
Yes. We can combine flights, hotels, local transport and ferries into a bespoke package. Choose islands with connections that work on your dates, and allow time for each transfer. Flexible accommodation and ticket terms matter if you want to change your plans along the way.
Do I need sailing experience for a small-group sailing holiday?
Usually, no previous experience is needed on a skippered trip designed for holidaymakers. Your marine tour will come with an experienced skipper, and depending on the skipper, you can often get involved with the sailing if you would like to learn the ropes.
Will I have to share a room or cabin if I travel alone?
It depends on what you book. Hotels, yachts and cruise ships usually include a private room for sole occupancy, sometimes at a supplement. Small-group sailing sometimes involves shared accommodation with an assigned roommate.
Is Greece a good choice for solo travellers?
Greece offers established tourist destinations, independent hotels, organised experiences and several ways to get around. It's a safe and friendly country, and is especially popular with solo female travellers.
Can I just book it all independently?
Yes, but for UK travellers, how a holiday is booked matters. ATOL protects eligible flight-inclusive bookings if the ATOL holder stops trading, giving you extra financial protection and booking security that's not available if elements are booked separately through different providers.
However you choose to travel in Greece, it's best to book an ATOL-protected flight inclusive holiday through a single source to give you the best protection.
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*Healthy Budgets are based on estimated costs for an average solo holiday of this nature and standard. The level of luxury, length of stay, and combination of elements is totally flexible, so the budget can move up or down accordingly. Please get in touch for an accurate and no-obligation quote based on your own preferences.
**Operator: Jet2holidays Indulgent Escapes, price correct at time of publishing and may be subject to change and availability. Natalie Dent at Brilliant Travel is a Jet2holidays preferred partner, with parity rates on all holidays.
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