We're honored that you are considering traveling to Greece for our special day, and we understand how much of a commitment it can be! To aid you in planning your trip, we have compiled guidance for travel below. If your questions go beyond this information, please reach out to us so we can further assist.

If you are flying into Greece, Eleftherios Venizelos is the name of the Athens International Airport, or airport code ATH. During peak season, there are multiple domestic US airlines that fly direct and daily from various US cities, as well as European carriers with layovers in different European cities. When planning our own travel to Greece, we check the SkyScanner website to determine which airline has the best times/prices. If you have US domestic status/points, you may look into using your preferred carrier to get you to the east coast, then taking the best route to Athens from there.

When you return to the United States following your trip, if you do not have Global Entry/CLEAR, we recommend the Mobile Passport Control app. For participating terminals and airports, this will allow you to skip the line at customs.

If you are traveling to Greece from the United States, there are two things you will need.

A valid passport is one that does not expire within 6 months of your flight dates and matches the name on your plane ticket.

This basic application is a new requirement in 2025 for Americans traveling to the EU. Complete prior to your departure via the link here. There is a fee of under or around $10, and your application should be processed within minutes.

Based on your goals for your time in Greece, there are a few neighborhoods to consider when choosing where to stay. In general, the sooner that you book the better, as Athens frequently sees over-capacity tourism levels during the months of June-August, and prices may increase closer to the event.

Downtown Athens is recommended for guests who desire to spend time exploring the historic and cultural tourism of the heart of the city. With close proximity to key destinations such as the Acropolis, variety of museums, great restaurants and plenty of shopping, staying downtown makes it easy to see it all. Below are several hotels in downtown Athens that we feel offer great value for money. Due to high demand for the downtown neighborhood, these hotels do not offer discount pricing or group room rates for weddings.

1. Electra Palace Athens Hotel: a luxurious hotel in Plaka with a rooftop pool offering Acropolis views.

2. CocoMat Athens Hotel: a modern hotel combining comfort and sustainability near the Acropolis Museum.

3. NJV Athens Plaza Hotel: a high-end hotel located directly on Syntagma Square.

Glyfada is waterfront neighborhood in the south of Athens, along what is known as the Athenian Riviera. Glyfada is recommended for guests who do not want to miss out on a coastal experience of Greece, particularly if your itinerary does not include any island travel. Below are several options.

1. Sea View Hotel Glyfada: an urban chic retreat directly seaside in the Athenian Riviera. If you book directly through the website before June 30, 2025, you can enter code "Charlotte & Chris" in the "Voucher" field at checkout for a discount on the nightly price between September 3rd and September 7th. The discounted rate is available on rooms with the green banner.

2. Congo Palace Hotel Glyfada: a cosmopolitan and vibrant city-seaside hotel. Congo Palace is offering discounted rates between September 4 - September 8, ranging from the most basic Standard Single room at 127€ per night, up to 360€ for an Executive Suite, with 7 additional room types and price points that fall between the 127€ - 360€ range. If you would like to book at Congo Palace, please reach out to Charlotte and/or Chris. Rather than booking online, this hotel requests a special form for the wedding discount, which we can provide, along with the full rate chart for all room types and price points.

3. Golden Sun Hotel: modern minimalism meets natural elements in this comfortable yet chic property. Golden Sun is offering discounted rates between September 3 - September 7 on a two-night minimum stay, when you email or call the hotel and mention "Charlotte & Chris" to obtain the rate. The rate will not apply to any reservations made online whether directly with the hotel or a 3rd party booking site. The rates range between 130€ - 185€ per night depending on the room you select.

4. Palmyra Beach Hotel: a practical yet inviting beach hotel designed for families and business travelers. When booking your stay for any dates and room type, take 10% off when you enter code 10SilverL at checkout.

If your goal is the most convenient and close accommodation to the wedding venue and airport, you can look into Spata, where both the airport and Pyrgos Petreza are. This area is recommended for guests on a tight budget or timeline of wedding only, who do not plan to sight-see, and are looking for affordability and proximity as their main criteria. This neighborhood will minimize transportation costs. Keep in mind that as is true in many cities, the airport neighborhood is not the central hub of the city, and the accommodations you will find in Spata are more of a typical commuter/airport hotel experience.

While the above suggestions are meant to point you in the right direction, there are of course a variety of additional options for your stay. For the high-end traveler, Cape Sounio Hotel, Grand Resort Lagonissi, Divani Apollon Palace await. You can also check AirBNB listings for Downtown, Glyfada and Spata neighborhoods, or explore other properties that suit your taste and budget in those recommended areas.

If you plan to rent a car for your time in Greece, the rental company will likely require an international driver's license if you do not have an EU driver's license. The easiest way to do this in the United States is through AAA. Car rentals are advisable for travel on the islands, where taxi or public transportation is limited, and often having your own vehicle is the best way to explore all that the islands have to offer.

If you do not plan to rent a car, when you are in Athens, taxi services will be readily available and generally more affordable than the US. You can use the Uber app to call a taxi (Uber itself does not operate in Greece, but the app will call you a cab), or the app FREENOW. Areas of Athens are accessible via metro service which you can take from the airport to downtown for a more affordable option than a taxi.

If this will be your first time in Greece, we highly recommend you take advantage of the opportunity to travel to one or more of the many islands that Greece has to offer. While Athens has amazing history, culture, restaurants and vistas, and plenty of things to do, it is a city, and it is possible that your visions of Greece consist of the blue and white seaside snapshots you've seen of famous island destinations, which would be a shame to miss.

When selecting an island to visit, we typically evaluate on the quality of the beaches, the quality of the restaurants, how accessible it is to travel to, and what the infrastructure of the island is like. For example, some islands do not have roads or allow cars, and are fun just for a quick day trip, whereas the larger islands that have more infrastructure are great to spend multiple days exploring. Many are accessible via both boat and plane. Personally, we love Milos for the adventurous couple, Santorini for the romantic couple, Zakynthos or Crete for a family-friendly destination, Lefkada if you're interested in a road trip, Ithaca if you're interested in Greek mythology, Patmos for Christian religious tourism, Folegrandos for an off-the-tourist-radar option, Mykonos if you're looking to party with an unlimited budget, and Paros as an all-around crowd-pleaser.