Where to stay with kids in Greece

Family hotel picks in Greece

• 

  Rethymno / Chania / Heraklion€€Mid-range

  Crete — north-coast family hotels

  The north coast has the sandy town beaches, the airports and the widest range of hotels, from all-inclusive resorts to apartments with a pool.

  • Sandy beaches within walking distance in the main towns
  • All-inclusive and half-board options side by side
  • Central for day trips to Knossos and the gorges

  Fitting a family in

  Family rooms and two-bedroom apartments are both widely available and reasonably priced outside August.

  Watch out. The north coast catches the summer meltemi wind. If calm water matters, check which way your beach faces.

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• 

  Faliraki / Kallithea€€Mid-range

  Rhodes — east-coast all-inclusive

  The highest concentration of family all-inclusive hotels in Greece, on the sheltered side of the island, with the water park and the old town both a short bus ride away.

  • Water slides and children's pools on site
  • Kids' clubs and evening entertainment
  • Calm, sandy east-coast beaches
  • Buses to Rhodes Town and Lindos

  Fitting a family in

  Family rooms sleeping four are standard; interconnecting rooms are common at the larger properties.

  Watch out. Faliraki has a nightlife strip as well as family hotels. Check which end of the resort you are booking.

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• 

  Plaka / Koukaki€€Mid-range

  Athens — apartments below the Acropolis

  A two-night stopover works best within walking distance of the site and the museum, and apartments here sleep four for less than two hotel rooms.

  • Walk to the Acropolis and its museum
  • Metro to the airport and the ferry port
  • Rooftop terraces with a view of the rock

  Fitting a family in

  One and two-bedroom apartments are plentiful in Koukaki, just south of the tourist centre.

  Watch out. Many older buildings have no lift, and Plaka's streets are noisy late into the evening.

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• 

  Dassia / Gouvia / Ipsos€€Mid-range

  Corfu — east-coast family hotels

  The sheltered channel side of the island keeps the water calm, and this strip is the only part of Corfu where a family can manage a whole week without hiring a car.

  • Calm, channel-sheltered swimming rather than open-sea surf
  • Buses into Corfu Town every half hour or so in season
  • Half-board and all-inclusive both widely available
  • 15 to 25 minutes from the airport

  Fitting a family in

  Family rooms sleeping four are standard, and two-bedroom apartments with a shared pool are common a street back from the sea.

  Watch out. The beaches along this strip are narrow and a mix of sand and shingle rather than wide sand, and the coast road runs directly behind several of the hotels.

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• 

  Acharavi / Roda / Sidari€Budget

  Corfu — apartments behind the northern sands

  The north coast has the widest and shallowest sand on the island, and self-catering here costs well under the east-coast resorts for the same occupancy.

  • Long shallow sandy beaches suited to toddlers
  • Kitchen for breakfasts and early dinners
  • Flat ground, so pushchairs work along the front

  Fitting a family in

  One and two-bedroom apartments dominate, usually around a small shared pool rather than a resort complex.

  Watch out. It is a 45-minute drive from the airport over hilly roads, facilities are thinner than on the east coast, and much of the strip shuts down outside July and August.

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• 

  Kamari / Perissa€€Mid-range

  Santorini — flat-ground hotels on the south-east coast

  This is the only side of Santorini where a family can walk from the room to a pool and a beach on level ground, without stairs or a cliff edge anywhere in the equation.

  • Level access rather than stepped caldera terraces
  • Pools and a walkable beach strip of tavernas
  • Around a third of caldera-village prices
  • Buses to Fira for the caldera view

  Fitting a family in

  Family rooms and studios with kitchenettes are both common, and interconnecting rooms are far easier to find here than on the rim.

  Watch out. There is no caldera view, the beach is coarse black sand that becomes too hot to walk on, and the strip itself is functional rather than pretty.

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• 

  Fira / Imerovigli / Oia€€€Higher-end

  Santorini — caldera-edge cave rooms

  The rim view from the terrace is the reason to pay for this, and with teenagers who are steady on steps it is a genuinely memorable two nights.

  • Direct caldera views from private terraces
  • Walking distance to the villages and the rim path
  • Small properties with a handful of rooms

  Fitting a family in

  Most rooms are built for two. Family configurations exist but are scarce and priced accordingly, and a third bed is often a sofa on the same level.

  Watch out. Many of these rooms are reached only on foot, dozens or hundreds of steps down from the nearest road, with no lift and luggage carried by porters. Terraces and plunge pools sit above unfenced drops, which rules the whole category out with young children.

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• 

  Kos Town / Lambi / Psalidi€€Mid-range

  Kos — hotels in and around Kos Town

  Basing in town means the cycle network starts at the door, dinner is a walk rather than a drive, and the Asklepion is a short ride away instead of an excursion.

  • Cycle paths from the hotel to the beaches and the harbour
  • Restaurants and shops within walking distance
  • Flat ground throughout, which suits pushchairs and small bikes
  • Around 30 minutes from the airport

  Fitting a family in

  Family rooms sleeping four are widely available, with apartment-style studios common at the Lambi end.

  Watch out. The beaches immediately around town are narrow and pebblier than the north coast, and the harbour end is noisy late into the night in high season.

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• 

  Tigaki / Marmari / Mastichari€Budget

  Kos — apartments behind the northern sands

  The shallowest, widest beaches on the island are here, and staying directly behind them removes the drive that makes a beach day with toddlers hard work.

  • Very shallow, gradually shelving sand
  • Kitchen for breakfasts and naps between beach sessions
  • Cycle route back into Kos Town along the flat

  Fitting a family in

  Studios and two-bedroom apartments around a shared pool are the standard product along this coast.

  Watch out. The north coast takes the afternoon breeze head-on and picks up washed-up seagrass after windy spells. Without a bike or a car there is little here beyond the beach strip.

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• 

  Nafplio old town / Karathona€€Mid-range

  Peloponnese — apartments in and around Nafplio

  Nafplio is the one base in the region that works on foot in the evening, and it puts Mycenae, Epidaurus and Corinth all within an hour's drive the next morning.

  • Walkable old town with squares and car-free lanes
  • A sandy bay at Karathona a few minutes out of town
  • Central for the Argolid archaeological sites

  Fitting a family in

  Two-bedroom apartments in the old town and small family-run hotels just outside the walls both sleep four comfortably.

  Watch out. Old-town buildings frequently have steep stairs and no lift, the marble paving is slippery when wet, and parking inside the old town is effectively impossible — book somewhere with a dedicated space.

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• 

  Gialova / Pylos / Finikounda€€€Higher-end

  Peloponnese — beach hotels on the Messinian coast

  This is where a driving route through the ancient sites turns into a beach stay, with shallow bay swimming and space that the islands do not have in August.

  • Shallow, sheltered bay swimming at Gialova
  • Large grounds and pools rather than a resort strip
  • Quiet even in high season

  Fitting a family in

  Family suites and two-bedroom units are the norm at the larger properties; smaller hotels tend to offer a family room with a sofa bed.

  Watch out. It is four hours or more from Athens airport, which only works as the second half of a route rather than an arrival-day drive, and everything outside the hotel needs the car.

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• 

  Agios Prokopios / Agia Anna / Plaka€€Mid-range

  Naxos — studios behind the west-coast sands

  Staying directly behind the shallowest sand on the island removes the daily drive or bus ride that makes a beach day with small children hard work, and a kitchenette covers breakfast and the meal that has to happen before a Greek dinner starts.

  • A few minutes' walk to wide, gradually shelving sand
  • Kitchenette for breakfasts and early dinners
  • Buses into Naxos town every half hour or so in season
  • Small shared pools rather than resort complexes

  Fitting a family in

  Studios sleeping three and two-room apartments sleeping four to five are the standard product along this strip; a genuine second bedroom is worth confirming, as many listings count a sofa in the living area.

  Watch out. The strip is fully exposed to the meltemi, much of it sits on unlit sand roads that are awkward with a pushchair after dark, choice thins sharply outside the June to September window, and the liveliest evening options are back in Chora.

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• 

  Naxos Town (Chora) / Agios Georgios€€Mid-range

  Naxos — apartments around Chora and Agios Georgios

  Basing in town means the ferry, the buses, the tavernas and a shallow roped bay are all within walking distance, which is what allows a family to skip the car entirely and still reach the beaches and the mountain villages.

  • Walking distance to the Agios Georgios bay and the harbour
  • Bus station for the beaches and the interior at the door
  • Tavernas, bakeries and a supermarket on foot
  • The Portara and the old town for an evening walk

  Fitting a family in

  One and two-bedroom apartments are plentiful on the flat ground between the port and Agios Georgios; old-town rooms are smaller and rarely sleep four.

  Watch out. Old-town buildings are reached by stepped lanes with luggage carried by hand and no lifts, the port end is noisy with early ferry arrivals and departures, and the town beach itself is narrow and crowded in high season.

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• 

  Naoussa / Parikia€€€Higher-end

  Paros — small hotels around Naoussa and Parikia

  A night or two on Paros turns a day trip into a second island without a second flight, and small hotels around Naoussa put the harbour, the bakeries and the Kolymbithres pools within a short drive of each other.

  • Harbour village on foot in the evening
  • Short drive or small boat to the Kolymbithres pools
  • Ferry port for the crossing back to Naxos and Athens
  • Pools at most properties, since the town beaches are small

  Fitting a family in

  Rooms are mostly built for two, with family configurations and interconnecting pairs available but limited; two-bedroom apartments exist a short way outside both towns and are the better fit for four.

  Watch out. Naoussa is the most expensive corner of either island in August, its own beaches are small and quickly full, the old harbour lanes are narrow and busy at night, and a car or bus is needed for the bigger sandy beaches further round the coast.

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• 

  Kallithea / Hanioti / Pefkochori€€Mid-range

  Halkidiki — beachfront family hotels on Kassandra

  This is where the region's family infrastructure is concentrated: organised shallow beaches, pools and children's clubs, shops and tavernas within walking distance, and the shortest transfer from the airport in Halkidiki.

  • Shallow, organised beaches directly in front of the hotels
  • Pools, slides and children's clubs at the larger properties
  • Shops, bakeries and tavernas on foot
  • About an hour and a quarter from Thessaloniki airport

  Fitting a family in

  Family rooms sleeping four are standard and interconnecting pairs are common at the bigger hotels; apartment-style units with a kitchenette are widely available a street back from the sea.

  Watch out. The main road runs the length of the peninsula immediately behind the hotels, the resort towns merge into a single strip of shops and bars, the beaches are sunbed-to-sunbed in August, and much of the strip closes from October to May.

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• 

  Nikiti / Vourvourou / Neos Marmaras€€Mid-range

  Halkidiki — apartments and small hotels on Sithonia

  The best swimming in the region is on this finger, and staying on it removes an hour of winding coast road from each beach day, which is the difference between using the good bays and looking at them on a map.

  • The sheltered shallow bays and islets around Vourvourou nearby
  • Pine shade behind most of the beaches
  • Kitchens, since restaurants are spread out
  • Far quieter than the Kassandra strip in August

  Fitting a family in

  Studios and two-bedroom apartments around a small pool are the usual product; large family hotels are few, so a party of five should check the layout rather than the headline occupancy.

  Watch out. It is close to two hours from the airport along a road that bends continuously, shops and restaurants are thin outside the three main towns, the roads are unlit at night, and most places open only from late May to September.

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• 

  Ouranoupoli / Nea Roda€€Mid-range

  Halkidiki — small hotels at Ouranoupoli

  This is the base for the Athos coastal cruise and for the boats out to Ammouliani island, with sandy bays either side of a small town that can be walked from end to end with children.

  • Departure point for the Athos coast and island boats
  • Sandy, shallow bays within walking distance
  • A compact town with tavernas and a bakery on foot
  • Quiet even in the middle of August

  Fitting a family in

  Small hotels and apartment blocks dominate, with family rooms and two-bedroom units both available but in limited numbers, so booking early matters more here than elsewhere in the region.

  Watch out. It is the far end of the region, around two and a half hours from the airport, the choice of places to stay and eat is small, and the monastic border immediately south is closed, so there is nothing beyond the town to drive to.

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