14-Day Athens, Mykonos & Santorini Workation Package

Athens is a city that seamlessly blends contemporary fun and historic atmosphere. Even the olive trees on the outskirts of the city center feel ancient and add to the anticipation of legends waiting along the marbled streets of the ancient Plaka neighborhood. Your Workation representative will meet you at the airport and take you to your pre-screened accommodations where you can relax and settle into the beauty of Athens. 

Your accommodations have all the amenities you will need to succeed in balancing your work and life. If you have time, you may be close to the Plaka, where you can walk along the winding streets finding ancient homes dating back millennia. Restaurants and cafes steam with the smells of roasting meat or fresh coffee for a mouthwatering introduction to the lively atmosphere along the streets. 

Focus: Get to know your new neighborhood by walking around the block. Pay attention to what you hear, smell, and feel. How are these senses different from back home? 

Suggestion: Sample the spirit of Greek cuisine for your introduction to the culture and life by visiting a restaurant serving popular local dishes like cooked fish or salads with goats’ cheese.

With a full day to explore Athens, you can visit the Acropolis and its incredible surrounding history with a guide for a better introduction to the meaning, importance, and hidden corners of the renowned archeological site. The Acropolis hill looms large above the city acting as the focal point and crowned by ancient temples like the Parthenon. 

When walking up the inclined walkways paved with marble, you can stop at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The massive theater carved into the hillside was built in the 2nd century CE and could hold up to 5,000 people at a time. The stadium still holds audiences during the summer festival when performers play music, dance, or put on Greek operas. Once at the top of the hill, you can see the Parthenon’s looming figure and the artwork on the metopes depicting mythological scenes from the lives of the gods and goddess Athena. 

Focus: When standing above the Odeon Theater, close your eyes and picture a performance, with the seats crowded with people. Who is performing? What does it sound like? Is the audience noisy or quiet? How does it end? 

Suggestion: Don’t miss the Erechtheion complex and the replica columns depicting figures of maidens. 

On your first day of work during your Workation package, you can set up a ritual that will help you organize your day and keep your mind clear to focus on work. You could plan your day around your priorities with a big checklist or block out your time to stay focused on the necessary tasks you need to complete. When work is done, put in place a different ritual that will help you disconnect from the office to enjoy your tour. 

You can travel to Cape Sounion to visit Poseidon’s Temple, one of the largest religious structures built in Greece. The temple rises above the edge of the Attica peninsula and was once surrounded by a fortified city. At sunset, the colors of the sky glow and reflect against the remaining marble pillars and base for an unforgettable view on cliffs plunging nearly 200 feet into the sea. 

Focus: During your time at Cape Sounion, turn off your phone and enjoy the view. Don’t worry about turning your phone back on until you are returning to Athens.

Suggestion: If you have time, you can also visit the Mineralogical Museum to find rare crystals on display.

You will have another chance to put in place the ritual that helps you focus on work and disconnect at the end of the day. Continue with the actions you took the previous day if they worked for you but you can also try alternative rituals if you found the previous day’s didn’t work as intended. By the end of your workday, you can close your laptop and travel to Aegina Island for some time exploring the nearby shores.

Aegina is the island closest to Athens and contains elements of ancient temples and stone-built churches dating back to the Byzantines. The old-fashioned port town radiates color and farmers around the interior shake away the pistachios from the trees for harvest. You can take your time enjoying the exciting atmosphere of the port or swimming in the coves decorated with clear turquoise water. 

Focus: Stand at the edge of the sea on Aegina. Set your timer for two minutes and close your eyes. Listen to the water. Smell the air. Explore your surroundings with your senses. How does it feel? 

Suggestion: You can visit the Temple of Aphaia or the Tower of Markellos for images of the island’s past.

By now you have found a ritual that works for you and allows you to plunge in and out of work as needed. By the end of the workday, you can head out into the city and visit one of the many museums that tell the stories of Athenian and Greek history, whether at the National Archeological Museum or the Acropolis Museum. 

When visiting the Acropolis Museum, you can enjoy a completely different perspective of the hilltop settlement and religious site seen through the excavated artwork in the form of statues, frescoes, and friezes. You can find the authentic maidens whose replicas stand in the Erechtheion or visit the top level to find the present Parthenon Marbles depicting the Classical images of gods, mythological figures, and more. 

Focus: When viewing the marbles, what stories do you see them telling? Are those the stories your guide shares?

Suggestion: Don’t miss the view of the Parthenon and Acropolis from the top floor of the Acropolis Museum.

Mykonos is famous for its boisterous reputation but the Cycladic island is a masterwork in charm, beauty, and opulence with a fantastic connection to the ancient world. After work, your Workation representative will meet you and take you to the airport for your flight from Athens to Mykonos. Once on the island, you will head to your pre-vetted accommodation to relax for the remainder of the day. If there is time, enjoy a local restaurant where the smell of grilled shrimp and lemon can open a window into the local specialties. If the sun is still out, you can visit the gold sands of Platys Gialos to enjoy the views of the turquoise water and the smell of the sea. 

Focus: Take your time getting acquainted with the island. How does it feel compared to Athens? Don’t judge in terms of bad or good, only in terms of difference. How does it sound and feel? 

Suggestion: If you are close to Chora, you can enjoy a wide selection of restaurants near the water. 

A horseback ride around the island is a great way to enjoy the gorgeous scenery, small villages, and start your weekend. After work, you can meet your guide, mount your horse, and set out around the island for a unique opportunity. 

The Cycladic architecture shines white with blue trim around sporadic towns rising out of the iconic landscape of sandy beaches and rolling arid hills. Farmlands shine green against the backdrop of rocky mountains where sheep and goats bleat as they graze on the dry grass. Before returning back to the stables, you may have time to relax at Fokos Beach for a fantastic view and atmosphere on the secluded bay. 

Focus: Turn off your phone, sit in the breeze, and enjoy the view around the beach and when on horseback. You have nowhere else you need to be. When done, think about your favorite panorama. Describe how it made you feel.

Suggestion: Try a local onion pie known as karidopita at dinner. It has a mixture of comfort and flavor every bite you take.

You have a full day to experience the historical grandeur of Delos Island, the sacred city home to Apollo and Artemis. Visit the archeological site with a guide for a better understanding of the highlights, history, and historical context. Ruins scatter from the beach to the hillside with hints of markets, temples, and houses decorated with elegant mosaics. 

You can see the Avenue of Lions in the distance, where replicas of the lions that once protected the sacred lake still stand. Mosaic figures still decorate the floors of the House of Dionysus. At the House of Cleopatra, you can find two headless statues draped in marble capes standing beneath regal preserved columns.  

Focus: The Sacred Lake is now empty but you can stand at the edge and listen to the rustling palm trees or smell the sea air while imagining what the city must have been like at its height of power. 

Suggestion: Visit the small but intriguing archeological museum to see a number of marbles found on the island.

Santorini is one of the most iconic places to visit in Greece. Like Athens, it can feel like you have not really visited the country if you have not experienced the island famous for its cliffs, whitewashed homes, and colorful sunsets at least once. 

Your Workation representative will help you to the airport on Mykonos for your flight to Santorini, where you can once again enjoy the comforts of your pre-screened accommodations with all the necessary amenities for a successful and fun Workation experience in Greece. For your introduction to Santorini, you can walk through the main town of Fira. You can walk the winding cobblestone streets and enjoy the views from the cliffs that give you a sweeping panorama of the cobalt waters and wide edges of the island. You can see the iconic blue-domed church of Three Bells of Fira as well, famous for its colors and views of the sea. 

Focus: Make a checklist of all the things you want to do and see on Santorini. Make the list sensory-oriented.

Suggestion: Try Fava me Koukia after you arrive. The mashed-up fava beans with rich and fresh flavors is a great introduction to the island.

The rituals are a great way to immerse yourself in the work you need to complete while traveling. It sets up a structure and mindset for you to follow, no matter where you are in the world or the time at which you start working. When you finish your projects, it will establish a boundary between work and life, so you can explore without feeling drawn back to the computer. 

After work, you can visit the famous town of Oia. Marble paves the streets that wind along the cliff tops and terraces. The whitewashed houses line the walkways and seemingly spill down into the caldera weaving with the lanes and alleyways to the small marina at the northern edge of the island. Art galleries showcase local artists, restaurants serve delicious seafood and dishes with ingredients shaped by the rich minerals in the volcanic soil. Oia is a place where walking around and enjoying the view from the castle ruins or open plazas is part of the joys of discovery. 

Focus: You can watch the famous sunset from the castle. Turn your phone off. Watch the colors. Don’t worry about getting a picture. Pay attention to the colors, the sounds, the smells, and how it feels. 

Suggestion: If you have the time, you can visit the English bookstore Atlantis Books.

An island cruise around Santorini’s caldera is a great way to experience and explore more of the corners you have not yet been able to reach. Once you board the sailboat, your captain can set sail around the lighthouse of Akrotiri and pass the rust-colored cliffs of the Red Beach. 

You may even pass the white walls of the White Beach. The different volcanic soils create the rich and bright colors around the coastline. The boat can stop near the creator that reaches out of the water. Thermal springs heat the caldera near the edge of the rocks. You may jump in and feel the varying temperatures between the waters around the regular beach versus those at the crater. 

Focus: As you sail around the caldera, practice mindful breathing. Inhale for four seconds, hold for three seconds, and exhale for six seconds. Pay attention to your breath for four cycles. 

Suggestion: You can climb to the top of the crater for a unique view of Santorini and the caldera. 

You can celebrate the end of work with a wine tour that features the historic wineries and impressive views around the island. Visit the estates with a guide and you will have a better understanding of the unique properties for which each winery is known.

You can find vineyards that twist the vines into baskets as they grow to protect them from the wind, or vineyards using gravity as a method for moving wine through the production process for a more sustainable practice. History, ingenuity, and modern practices may converge before you try typical island vintages, such as assyrtiko with a taste of lime, passion fruit, and beeswax. 

Focus: Close your eyes when tasting the wine to focus on the flavors, aromas, and texture of the vintage. Take note of what you find. 

Suggestion: Many wineries have cheese and olive oils produced on the property as well. 

Depending on how early you finish your work, you can take a tour of the Akrotiri area of the island, known for the lighthouse, Red Beach, and the ancient city said to have inspired the Atlantis myth. 

When visiting the ancient city, you can find remnants of a decadent past, where a Minoan civilization grew from the riches made as an important port in the Eastern Mediterranean. You can walk the wide walkways and find the small portion of the city that has been excavated, where two-story homes border the walkways, pots reveal preserved oils, and windows showcase sporadic frescoes, including lilies growing from images of volcanoes. Visiting Akrotiri can take you to a different world, providing hints into the forward-thinking atmosphere of the ancient city and life. 

Focus: Pick a point in the city and close your eyes. Think about a day in the life of a citizen. What do you think it sounded like, smelled like, or even tasted like? 

Suggestion: If you have time, you can visit the lighthouse for one more impressive view on Santorini. 

On your final day on Santorini, you can practice your ritual one more time and engage with work. Depending on your flight, you may have time to walk through the streets of Fira, enjoy a coffee with a view, or just relax in your accommodation until your Workation representative arrives to take you to the airport. You can extend your Workation package with more time in Greece or by visiting another country for a Workation experience in Italy or Croatia, among others. 

Focus: Take two minutes to reflect on your Greece Workation experience. What thoughts come up? 

Suggestion: Your Workation representative will give you advice on the best time to leave for the Santorini airport based on their local expertise.