Staysion

Travel Journal

Stories from real places

Destination guides, honest hotel picks, and travel writing that actually helps you plan.

Showing 13–17 of 17 articles

Crete Travel Guide: Greece's Largest Island, Practically Explained

26 March 2026

greece

Crete Travel Guide: Greece's Largest Island, Practically Explained

Crete spans 260 kilometres from west to east — longer than the distance from London to Brighton — and the island demands logistical choices that smaller Cycladic alternatives do not. Flying into Heraklion airport on the east coast and booking accommodation in Chania on the west costs €80–120 in transfers or 2.5 hours by bus and makes sense only if you rent a car or commit to one region. That constraint is the point: Crete rewards depth over coverage. Most travellers default to Santorini or Mykonos because their geography is legible in three days. Crete requires that you choose — and that choice determines whether the island reveals itself or remains a series of postcards.

Henrik Vinter

Athens Travel Guide: What First-Timers Actually Need to Know

24 March 2026

greece

Athens Travel Guide: What First-Timers Actually Need to Know

Athens is a city that underwhelms before it corrects itself. The first impression—traffic, dust, a chaotic centre scarred by 1960s concrete—gives way to something more textured: an ancient city that feels genuinely inhabited rather than preserved for visitors. The Acropolis is real and worth seeing. The food is excellent. And the neighbourhoods south of the centre—Koukaki, Mets, Pangrati—are what the travel photography never captures. Most first-timers spend two days chasing monuments and miss the Athens that actually exists below the hill.

Henrik Vinter

Best Time to Visit Greece: Islands, Mainland, and the Crowds in Between

19 February 2026

greece

Best Time to Visit Greece: Islands, Mainland, and the Crowds in Between

Greece's tourism window is not July to August—it is May to October, with a critical distinction: ferries to the Cyclades (Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos) and the smaller Dodecanese islands run only from mid-May through late October. If your itinerary includes these islands, your realistic travel window is 5–6 months. If you're willing to stick to Athens, Crete, Rhodes, or Corfu, you have more flexibility, but you'll sacrifice the casual ferry-hopping and beach-bar culture that defines Greek island tourism. The real decision is not when to go—it's what you're willing to compromise on to get there.

Henrik Vinter

Athens: What First-Timers Get Wrong and How to Get It Right

10 February 2026

greece

Athens: What First-Timers Get Wrong and How to Get It Right

Most travellers treat Athens as a transit point — a day or two on the way to Santorini or Mykonos. This is a strategic error. The city contains the Acropolis, one of the finest ancient sites in the world, a purpose-built archaeology museum that ranks among Europe's best, several distinct neighbourhoods worth actual time, and a food scene that has developed measurably over the past decade. Three focused days in Athens are more rewarding than a rushed visit followed by a week on an island. The infrastructure exists to see the best of it without joining the cruise-ship pile-up. You just need to know how to time it.

Henrik Vinter

Santorini vs Mykonos: Which Greek Island Is Right for You

15 January 2026

greece

Santorini vs Mykonos: Which Greek Island Is Right for You

Santorini and Mykonos sit 2 hours apart by fast ferry, share a reputation, and are on almost every first-time Greece itinerary. They are functionally different islands. Choosing the wrong one is one of the most common planning mistakes visitors make. One is a caldera landscape with excellent restaurants and sunset tourism. The other is a beach club and nightlife destination with prices to match. They suit entirely different types of trips.

Henrik Vinter