2026 - Italy and Greece

2026 – Italy (Bari, Puglia) & Greece (Athens, Ioannina, Zagori & the Vikos Gorge Trail, Parga, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Ithaca, Meganissi, Pylos, Petalidi, Kalamata, Naxos & Piraeus)

16.07.2026

Of course, after all the stress of our house hunting adventures we find ourselves completely exhausted and in serious need to decompress so we do what every responsible, mature couple would do after buying a house, buy open ended tickets to Greece to wait out the demolition and the signing of the deed. By the time we move into the new house it's very likely going to be almost 6 months living out of a backpack in hotels, believe me, it gets boring when you're NOT actually travelling. Once again we drive to Lamezia Terme airport to return the car, take a bus to the train station, then catch a 4.45 hour train to Bari, we then walk to the freshly renovated 13Cat apartments 50 Euros, and fold for the day. We've been to Bari before but of course we want to see it again so the next morning we go for a waterfront walk and then re-explore the gorgeous, gentrified Old Town, including the imposing Saint Nicholas Basilica which attracts many pilgrims from around the world. We walk around for hours and quickly realize that Bari is definitely much more beautiful than we remember it. Then it's time to take the 1 euro bus to the airport and catch our 1 hour, very late Ryanair flight to Athens.

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A shuttle van picks us up and we pick up our car from OK Mobility, 3.25 euros per day, for 2 weeks. It's still off season and Greece has a massive fleet that's mostly only rented out in the summer. In Italy we would be paying 25 euros per day by now, one more reason to come to Greece (as if we ever needed one). Then it's time to drive 5 hours to Ioannina and a midnight check in at the Cozy Apartment near the Hospital, 43 euros, we stayed here before 2 years ago when exploring this region for the first time. Ioannina is a lovely, pleasant city that is gaining its momentum, people started coming here as it's the best base to explore the Zagori region, then they realize it's very authentic, with a gorgeous lake and a great “student city” vibe, lots of bars and restaurants and a fascinating old town with both Byzantine and Ottoman landmarks.

We have around a month in Greece and have consciously decided to revisit places and restaurants we love and just relax. Instead of doing some more frantic sightseeing we are here to chill and recover, we're planning long walks on the beach and maximum R & R. But of course, before we do that, we decide to, the very next morning, push ourselves into exhaustion by hiking the famous Vikos Gorge trail. Yes, we are back in this region for some unfinished business as we didn’t do the main hike the first time we were here. For more information, check out the following link

https://www.visitgreece.gr/experiences/nature/gorges/vikos-gorge/

So we hike the Vikos Gorge Trail, 18kms (not 12 as promoted) starting with a 300 metre descent, then following the riverbed for 4 hours and ending with a 200 metre extremely challenging ascent. Climbing over boulders and using some rope assists, it was definitely a 6 hour challenge but rewarded with stunning views and shared with just a handful of other intrepid hikers, all in all an unforgettable experience. Towards the end I have a quite sudden fall and I get really upset saying “this is my last hike ever”!! But I get back up and after a couple of “Brazilian” muscle relaxants at home, even I don’t believe myself, although bruised & battered, sore and quite shaken, I know I'll be up for another hike very soon. Anyway, it's much harder than any other hikes we've done before and probably the first time we say “we wouldn’t do this one again” even before we finish it. We get to the end huffing and puffing but very proud of ourselves for completing it. Then we pay 40 euros for a taxi (never been so happy to see a taxi driver, almost gave him a hug) to take us back to Monodendri, the starting point where we left our car. Then back to Ioannina to enjoy a lovely Greek lunch at the S'anamena Karvouna Restaurant, which we discovered the last time we were here. On our last day in Ioannina, we go for a very lazy, recovery walk around the gorgeous lake, watch some incredible bird life then go back to S'anamena Karvouna for another brilliant meal.

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Next morning after a stunning drive through the imposing Pindus Mountains in Northern Greece, we drive back to yet another one of our favourite places, Parga. It's our 3rd time here and every time we are once again surprised by its beauty. Again we check in at the lovely Nerajoula House (38.25 euros) and go back to the Top restaurant, another favourite. We just enjoy our morning runs and walks along the beach, work on our suntan as we both have glow in the dark legs after a long winter and go back to Top for some more protein shock meals.

Time now for another favourite, the Ionian island of Lefkada, one of the few Greek islands linked to the mainland by a bridge. It's also our third time here and we just can't believe how stunning this island is, IOHO, it's one of the most beautiful places in the world, hands down, and we’ve seen quite a few. We stop at a supermarket for some supplies then check in at the Studios21 (36.60 euros), in Nydri. Nice apartment, close enough to the action without being too close, and fold for the day. The next morning we are in for yet another surprise as we visit the incredible Dimosara Waterfalls, we cant' believe it's our third visit here and we've never heard of it before. Do NOT miss this hike if you're ever on Lefkada, however some people said there's not much water in the summer, I wouldn’t know as we don’t travel in the summer. Then we jump in the car and drive around the island just confirming our impression of how gorgeous this island is, check out our photos, they wont disappoint. As we're staying in Nydri this time, we have to find our new, favourite eatery. Stathis is nice, friendly, generous and affordable and we become once again immediate food loyalists. We've already extended our stay here for 2 extra days totalling one entire week, what a privilege, Lefkada is definitely another one of our happiest happy places. We then take the first boat trip of the season, on the 28th of April, on the Nidri Star boat, not only because they have a good reputation but also because they’re the only company running at this time of the year. The trips costs 50 euros per person and includes a (very) light lunch of souvlaki, bread and salad. We leave at 09:30 and got back at 17:30. First stop is Porto Katsiki still on Lefkada. Then it´s on to the pretty village of Fiskardo on Kefalonia, then to Afales Beach on Ithaca, followed by Papanicolis Cave on Meganissi then a cruise by Scorpios Islands and finally we see Madouri (an island on the way back to port). Nice day out and fantastic weather for April. Seeing Ithaca and Meganissi, we also have completed 24 Greek islands visited.

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It's now time to say ciao to Lefkada after 7 most perfect days, so we jump in the car and drive for 6 hours till we reach the gorgeous coastal town of Pylos to have lunch at another of our favourites, H Gonia tis Gevsis, yes, another perfect mixed grill. We have been to Pylos a few times, so it's straight down to business. Another 45 minutes drive, we arrive at the Anastasia Olive Garden (35 euros, and it's also our 3rd stay here) and fold for the day. Next morning we go to Kalamata, revisit the Markets and have lunch at yet another favourite, Souvlaki Nikitas. Next day we drive to Athens to return the car, then take the shuttle back to the Metro and check in at the Nafsika Hotel. One important matter, if you're returning a car and not flying, but staying in Athens, you can ask your shuttle driver to drop you off at the nearest Metro station as, if you ride all the way from the airport, it will cost you 9 euros, while if you pick it up from another station, you will pay only 1.20 euros. We check in then it's time for lunch at another one of our favourites, PS Restaurant. We've been to Athens many times before, mostly in transit but it's just our second time sightseeing. We go back to the awesome food market, walk around the unmissable areas of Plaka, Monastiraiki and Anafiotika for hours until it's time for another fabulous lunch at the PS Restaurant. Next morning we catch the Metro back to the airport and catch our Sky Express 45 minute flight (72 euros) to the island of Naxos. If you've been following us, you know Naxos is one of our favourite places in the WWW. We've been coming here since 2010 and try to make it once a year, it's getting busier and more famous now but it's still our oasis of peace before or after summer. Once again, we stay at Alsos but can't tell you guys how much we're paying as it's still the same price as 2010. We are here for 14 days, so it's time to relax, go for a run, long walks, chill, catch up with our local mates then go out for a fun and delicious dinner at Maros, one of our favourite restaurants ever. We also walk to Plaka Beach a few times and take the bus back (2.60 euros) and hire a car for a day (16 euros) to visit the enchanting mountain villages of Apirantos and Halki. Naxos is definitely our happiest happy place, legend says everyone has their own Greek island, and Naxos is ours, finding yours will be a fabulous challenge. After 14 awesome days, it's time to say “antio” to Naxos, after a 5.5 hours Blue Star ferry ride, we arrive at the port of Piraeus, back in Athens. We check in at Anita (57 euros), go out for a last gyros and rosè wine meal and fold for the day. Next morning we catch the bus back to the airport (5.50, 1.40 minutes ride) and catch our Sky Express 2 hour flight to Prague. Prague??? Yes, but that's another story.

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