After many months of dealing with lockdowns and restrictions, many places are starting to open up (at least for now), and many people are thinking of traveling. What better place to go than Greece? Whether the fabled country is your bucket list destination or your happy place that you visit the most, be sure to get the cheapest flight you can.
The cheapest way to travel to Greece is to get a flight to another European city like Frankfurt or London and then book a separate flight from there to Athens. Finding a cheap flight may also involve purchasing your tickets far in advance.
Traveling to Greece can be expensive, but there are ways to cut your travel costs. Keep reading to learn the cheapest way to travel to Greece from the US.
How Much Does an Average Trip to Greece Cost?
The first thing you need to know is what the average cost of a flight to Greece is so you have something to compare to when you try to get a better deal. An average one-way trip to Greece costs $535 (more in a moment on why the price is one-way as opposed to round trip). The cheap rates you find will vary depending on a variety of factors:
- Whether or not you break up your flight
- When you fly
- What airline you choose
- When you book your tickets
- Other factors outside of your control
This article will discuss all these factors, but for now, consider some average prices of one-way airline tickets to Greece.
As of the writing of this article here is the average cost of direct one-way flights to Greece from New York if you do not do any wheeling or dealing:
- About $440 to Athens which is on the southeast corner of the mainland
- About $650 to Corfu which is on the Northwest part of the mainland
- About $575 to Thessaloniki, which is east across the mainland from Corfu
- About $480 to Mykonos
- About $530 to Santori (both Mykonos and Santori are Grecian islands to the east of the mainland)
Getting a direct flight to Greece has its advantages in the sense that you have one flight to book. That is it. All you have to consider is what airport in Greece you want to land at that will best accommodate your budget and traveling desires (more on that later).
What is the Cheapest Way to Fly to Greece?
If you want to get the cheapest fare possible, you should consider two things:
- Breaking up your flight
- Watching factors beyond your control
More on the last one in a bit with promises that it will make sense when you start to think about it.
But before you even get to the factors that are beyond your control, you have a way to get a cheap flight that is very much within your control.
Breaking Up Your Flight
Often the cheapest way to fly to Greece is to book two one-way flights there and two one-way flights back again. Here is how it works:
- Book a one-way flight to a generic European city like London or Paris or someplace in Germany
- Book a second one-way flight from that city to Greece with a small European airline
- Reverse the route on your trip home
The direct flights listed above were priced one way for the sake of this comparison. Also, note that this method is not the same as booking a flight with an airline that has a layover. While sometimes that too can lower your ticket price, this is different.
Flights to London or Paris or a large city in Germany usually come cheaper to Americans than direct flights to Greece. Also, these cities offer direct traffic from their location into Greece which you can usually get very cheaply if you go with a small European airline.
For example, using this method and going with the cheapest airline at the time of the writing of this article, here is the cost of a one-way flight to Greece:
- From New York to London costs about $260
- From London to Athens costs around $11 (you read that correctly)
- The total cost of a one-way flight to Greece: $271
That is $169 cheaper than booking a direct flight to Athens. This method may take a little more time to organize, but the effort could save you a lot of money in the end.
(Make sure you also have a place to stay once you land in Greece. Here are some of the coolest Airbnbs in Europe!)
Watching Factors Beyond Your Control
This may seem like a silly thing to discuss. Factors that are outside your control are outside your control. You can do nothing about them. And yet everything from politics to natural disasters can affect ticket prices.
You might often think of these things driving tickets up. But surely there has just been a huge factor that is outside everyone’s control in the form of Covid-19. And the result of that is that flying, for the most part, has never been cheaper. So be opportunistic. Keeping your eye on those things that you cannot control could benefit you.
What is the Cheapest Month to Fly to Greece?
Another factor that can affect how cheaply you fly to Greece is the time that you go. As with any destination, there are busy times and slow times. However, most tourists tend to want to see their destination at its best. Greece is no exception.
The peak tourist time in Greece usually includes the last part of June and all of July and August. The season usually starts ramping up in May and the first part of June. In former times people considered September a slow month, but in some places that month is considered part of the peak season.
So a cheaper month to fly to Greece is going to one that sits on either side of the peak season, such as:
- April
- October
This gives you your choice of spring or fall. During this time the weather will not be as hot as summer, usually between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. You can expect the possibility of some rain, but not a lot.
Of course, if you want to go during the absolute cheapest month, you can pick from the winter months. For those who do not mind the rain, a Mediterranean climate offers a moderate amount, but Greece typically does not have brutal or harshly cold winters.
Which Airport in Greece is Cheapest to Fly Into?
When flying into your destination, it is common to think that the most popular area or city is going to be the most expensive. Actually, this is not the case with Greece.
There are many airports in Greece that you can fly into, including international airports on many of the islands. On the mainland, you have your choice of:
- Athens
- Thessaloniki
- Corfu
Of these, the two most popular are Thessaloniki and Athens, and your choice depends in part on what region of the country you want to explore. but as far as cost is concerned, Athens International Airport is usually the cheapest to fly into.
What is the Best Airline to Fly to Greece?
There are many different airlines that fly to Greece, either as direct flights or as broken-up flights. The best airline for you will probably depend on what method you choose to get to Greece.
If you decide to fly direct to Greece from New York, for example, Delta’s airline that seems to be preferred by veteran travelers.
If you decide to break up the flight, you will consider which airline is the best for each leg. Here is what it looks like if you decide to go with the example provided above:
- A flight from New York to London
- A flight from London to Athens.
In terms of the overall experience, the best airline to fly to London is Virgin Galactic, but Delta is again in the running with cheaper flights (though there are cheaper airlines like Tap Air Portugal).
But the best airline to take you from London to Athens in terms of cost is Wizz Air. Admittedly, their name does not inspire confidence, but the Hungarian airline company has been successfully operating since 2003.
How Long is a Flight to Greece from the East Coast?
So now that you have looked at the cost of flights, the best strategy for getting a cheap flight, and the best airline, you probably want to know how long you can expect to be in the air. The short answer is a long time:
- A direct flight from New York to Athens is usually around 10 hours
- A flight from New York to Athens via London (using the strategy mentioned above) would be around 10 and ½ to 11 hours
Remember that these times reflect the flying time, take off to landing. The airline and route that you choose could affect these times. But no matter what way you choose to go, a direct flight or a broken-up flight, you will be in the air for a while.
How Far in Advance Should You Book a Flight to Greece?
The only question that remains is how far in advance you should book your flight. There are two different strategies in regards to this. Both can get you a cheap fare. You can:
- Book your flight between six and twelve months in advance
- Book your flight about three weeks prior to your departure
As you can see, both strategies have their drawbacks. Booking that far in advance is the safest, but, like everyone else, you do not know where your life is going to be economically or emotionally a year from now.
However, if you book three weeks in advance you are pushing the critical part of your plans off until you are very close to leaving. That is a big piece to leave hanging.
So which strategy is the best? Believe it or not, most travel sites advise waiting to book your ticket until you are about three weeks out from your departure. The reason is that you can get some amazing deals on flights within this time frame.
Conclusion
Because Greece is far away and always a popular destination, you might think that you have to break the bank to get there. In reality, flying to Greece does not need to be expensive. Even direct flights right now are fairly reasonable if you want to book your flight and go. A round-trip flight could cost around $650.
But if you put just a little more time into your itinerary, you can break up the flight and get an overall cheaper rate. Additionally, by going at low or off-season times and by being flexible with the airline you choose, you can fly to Greece for a price that is astoundingly cheap.