Greece packing List: Guide on what to wear in Greece

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If you are combining Greece mainland with the Greek islands for your itinerary, like we did, then the possibility of travelling super-light to Greece goes away. But what seemed like a massive mound of clothes at the beginning of our 2-week Greece holiday, all got used by the end. Here is a comprehensive Greece packing list.

Greece mainland offers a lot of activities and sightseeing so you would need comfortable attire and shoes for the same. The packing list for Greek islands is not the same as any regular beach holiday checklist, unless you are planning to spend time only at beaches. These islands offer cultural excursions, mountain escapes, and sightseeing within old towns, so your bags will have more than your swim wear and flip-flops!

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Travel Tips for What to Wear in Greece

We visited Greece in May, and both Athens and the Peloponnese region were warmer than what we expected. The Cycladic islands were windier than expected. It only gets hotter from here onwards in June, July and August.

What to pack for Greece needs some planning and figuring what activities you would do. — Cotton clothes, comfy shoes for us in Athens.

If you are visiting the Greece mainland from May until September, do note that the sites of ancient ruins / archeological parks would be quite warm. So dress in light, airy cotton or linen clothes. The rocks at these ruins reflect light, so don’t scrimp on sun protection. And you will need comfortable walking shoes or sandals with a good grip. I would not attempt to climb and walk around the massive site of Athens Acropolis or Mycanae in Peloponnese regions in flip-flops / slippers.

I would suggest you chalk out your activities for your Greece itinerary, before your trip, that would shape up what to pack for your Greece trip. We did several easy to challenging hikes, both on the mainland and on Greek islands. So hiking shoes were packed, especially for the Samaria Gorge trek during the Crete trip.

I did find the men and women to be quite elegantly dressed at fine-dining restaurants, so make sure to pack at least one formal dress if you are planning to visit such places. And even on islands with their casual vibe, many of the men wore linen pants and shirts to impress (not just random T-shirts and shorts) and the women wore everything from short skirts to flowing dresses. If you are planning on a trip to Santorini or to Mykonos, keep this in mind for sure.

Black Beach in Santorini. Only pebbles and rocks!

And several beaches in Greece were pebbly and not quite the fine sandy ones. So packing water shoes may not be a bad idea.

What to pack for Greece in summer

Here I have given quantities for a 2 week trip to Greece, but do adjust as per personal preference. And whatever you may pack, keep some space in your luggage to buy food products or cultural souvenirs back from Athens Greece.

Greece Packing List: Clothing essentials for women

7- 10 assorted tops (including T-shirts, half sleeve tops)
3 or 4 travel bottoms (capris, shorts, skirts)
4-5 dresses or blouses paired with nice skirts / shorts (I wanted to change for dinner for most days, I ended up wearing the dresses twice)
Pack 7-8 underwear and 6-7 bras. Packing cubes are useful for inner wear to keep them separate. See options here for Packing cubes. [What I did forget to pack was sachet of detergent to wash the inner wear during the trip, but managed to get it at a hotel]
2-3 pairs of socks for certain activities like a cycling tour, day hikes. More if you wear socks beneath your city shoes, I don’t.
Nightwear (pajamas or shorts, or whatever else you are comfortable in at night time)
1-2 swimsuits or bikinis, more if you are mainly going for a beach holiday
Beach cover up (a flowing dress works well for me)
1 cardigan or hoodie (We took it for the cool mornings in Meteora. It wasn’t needed then but definitely needed on ferries, both for the deck and inside for the chilled air-conditioning).

Hiking shoes are a must for the challenging Samaria Gorge hike in Crete.

1-2 pair of hiking pants (or hiking shorts for day hikes)
1 pair of sandals (or flip-flops of you are more comfortable roaming in those)
1 pair of comfortable walking shoes (essential for long days of sightseeing). Open toe shoes or sandals with the focus on comfort may serve well for hot afternoons.
1 pair of hiking shoes (at least sports shoes with a good grip are needed if you are going for day hikes in Greece).
1-2 pair of fancy sandals or cute shoes (for evenings / dinner time to go with my dresses, but heels are a bad idea at most places)
Sunglasses
A cap or hat for sun protection (this was much needed for sightseeing everywhere)
An umbrella (I find it tedious to carry an umbrella but you may find it really useful for peak summer months)

Flowing dresses is more my style on beach paradises and city breaks for evenings, but there are several ways of styling travel outfits for women to be both stylish and comfortable.

Packing List for Greece: Clothing essentials for men

Take evening wear in cotton or linen if you are figuring what to wear in Greece. — We did dress up for dinner.

7 -10 assorted T-shirts
4-5 nice shirts dinner time
3 or 4 casual travel bottoms (pants, shorts)
2-3 smart linen or cotton pants to pair with shirts for evenings
Pack 7-8 underwear
3-4 pairs of socks for certain activities like a cycling tour, short hikes
Nightwear (pajamas, or shorts, whatever you are comfortable in at night time)
1-2 swim shorts
1 hoodie (again, this was required on ferries)
1 pair of hiking pants or hiking shorts
1 pair of sandals (or flip-flops of you are more comfortable roaming in those)
1 pair of comfortable walking shoes (essential for city sightseeing). If you are visiting in summer months, you may prefer open toe shoes / sandals with a good grip.
1 pair of hiking shoes or sports shoes that you are confident for day hikes
1 pair of smart sneakers or loafers for dinner time
Sunglasses
A cap or hat

My husband carried a wind cheater for Meteora, but ended up not using it. It can get a bit cool if you are doing a cycling tour at sunset time.

Clothing essentials for young kids:

7-10 assorted tops (including T-shirts, half sleeve tops)
4 or 5 travel bottoms (pants, capris, shorts, skirts as appropriate for boys or girls)
3/4 dresses or pantsuits for girls and nice T-shirts / shirts and pants for boys for evenings
Pack 7-8 appropriate inner wear.
3-4 pairs of socks for certain activities like a cycling tour, short hikes.
Nightwear (pajamas or shorts, or whatever else they are comfortable in at night time)
2 swimsuits or swim shorts
1 light hoodie or wind cheater (best to keep it in the day pack for ferries)
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of comfortable walking shoes (essential for long days of city sightseeing)
1 pair of hiking shoes or sports shoes good for a day hike
1 pair of smart sandals or sneakers
A cap or hat for sun protection

Greece packing list: Toiletries and medication

A toiletry bag is needed to pack all this separately. See some of the options for travel: Toiletry Bag.

Sun protection is a must on your Greece packing list. — Sun protection is needed everywhere in Greece.

Regular toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, contact lens kit, menstrual products, hair accessories, hair brush
It is important to travel with deodorant and good quality sunscreen to Greece in summer
Remember if you are staying in nice hotels throughout your trip, shower soap / gel, shampoo, conditioner are all taken care of. But do carry them if you prefer your own brand.
Prescription medication
If you need allergy medication
Some basic medicines like paracetamol and for stomach upset, cold. Both my daughter and husband got a bad cold in the second week with the chilled air-conditioning.

What to pack for Greece: Electronics

We now read books on kindle app on the ipad. So we carried our iPads.
Phone
Also charging cables and travel adapter for Europe. We use packing cubes for electronic items like chargers and cables to keep them separate. See options here for Packing cubes
Portable power bank
Camera. This has become redundant for me in most trips with photography limited to iPhone.

Best Places to Visit in Greece

Greece has the whole package: more archaeological sites that one can possibly visit, blue waters, miles of beautiful coastline and beaches, good food and wine. Start with the capital city, Athens is one of the oldest living cities in the world. You can spend 2-3 days for your Athens itinerary and see a bit of the mainland even as day trips from Athens.

There is the Peloponnese region on the Greece mainland known for Venetian castles, charming fishing villages, a beautiful coastline and good food. Then there is the surreal landscape of Meteora up north, that is not to be missed. Meteora monasteries, built with difficulty on towering rock columns have made this area famous.

The sun-kissed islands scattered all over the Aegean Sea are a must on any trip to Greece. But choosing which Greek islands to visit can be quite a task. From the world-famous Santorini and Mykonos, there are a large number of lesser known, but equally picturesque gems waiting for you. The largest island of Crete offers a variety of landscape, cultural ruins and diverse activities.