Cheap flights to
Greece

Years of tracking airfare have taught us several things, including how there’s a sweet spot before every flight when the price of a ticket tends to be at its lowest. For domestic trips, it’s 1-3 months before a flight. For international trips, it’s 2-8 months ahead. We like to call this the Goldilocks Window.

Of course, if your travel days are firmly set before you even start looking at fares, or if your travel plans mean flying during peak tourist season, we recommend adding a few months to that math. Anyone planning a summer trip to Greece, for instance, when tourism numbers are at their highest, should be looking at fares at least the winter beforehand. And keep in mind that airlines usually raise prices 21, 14, and 7 days before a flight, so book before those dates whenever you can—last-minute bargains on airfare are pretty rare.

One of our favorite ways to save money on airfare was inspired by the challenge of finding a cheap flight to the Greek Islands, which is why we call it the Greek Islands Trick (though it works just as well for destinations all over the world).

The idea here is that while you can book an itinerary from your home airport to, say, Mykonos, the cost of that ticket may be higher than if you book a flight to a bigger airport in the area first. Flying from Atlanta to Mykonos, for instance, may cost $1,500 for a roundtrip summer flight. Look instead for flights to a European gateway city like London, and you’ll see roundtrip fares that come in under $700. Even when you add the cost of a $170 low-cost flight from London to Mykonos, you’re still saving a bundle.

The goal is to get close to your desired destination as cheaply as you can and then arrange a separate ticket (on a flight, train, or even ferry) to get where you really want to go. Yes, this kind of itinerary requires more planning on your part. And? With savings like that, it may be worth it.

Just as the Greek Islands Trick helps you save money getting from your home airport to a major airport that’s close to where you want to go, this tip involves checking airfare from alternative airports besides the one closest to home. We see exceptional deals on flights from airports all over the place, big and small, and the best deal may not be the one from your home airport. If you’re only looking at one departure airport, you may be missing out.

Let’s say you’re looking for flights from Philadelphia to Greece. There are flights to Athens for around $1,100 roundtrip, but if you zoom out on the map a bit, you’ll see that flights from the airports around New York City can be around $600 for a connecting flight or $675 for a nonstop flight. Pair that with the roughly $10 train ticket to get you from Philly to NYC, and you’ve just saved a nice chunk of change (which you’ll probably be happy to spend on copious amounts of souvlaki and baklava).

You may know that being flexible with your travel plans is one of the best ways to save money on trips. Trying to avoid peak seasons (like summer in Greece) usually means you’ll pay a great deal less on everything from airfare to hotels. But avoiding the high season isn’t always an option. Summer is when the kids are out of school, after all, and when lounging on a beach sounds most appealing.

If you’re going to be stuck traveling during the high season in Greece, you may find airfare is a little cheaper in the first two weeks of June and the last two weeks of August. It’s also worth noting that the Thanksgiving holiday, notoriously expensive for domestic flights in the US, can be a cheap time to travel internationally. And, no matter when you fly, you should try to schedule your flights on the days that are usually less expensive (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays) and avoid the days when airfare is usually higher (Fridays and Sundays).

Technology can occasionally be frustrating, but keeping up with the constant changes in the cost of airfare is one area where technology makes life a whole lot easier. You can sign up for fare alerts for specific trips you’re looking at so that when the price drops into the range you want (or by a significant amount), you’ll get an email letting you know it’s time to buy. Just keep in mind that if you’re still keeping plans flexible, you’ll have to set up a separate alert for each itinerary option. Or you can join Going, and we’ll send you all the deals you need to know about from your home airport.

Athens International Airport (ATH) in the Greek capital is the country’s biggest and busiest airport (the second-busiest has less than half of Athens’ passenger traffic). There are 165 airports in 55 countries around the world with direct service to Athens, and it’s a hub for Aegean Airlines, Olympic Air, Ryanair, Sky Express, and Volotea. There are seven airports in the United States with direct service to Athens, which is the only Greek airport with direct flights from the USA. If you’re trying to get anywhere else in Greece, that will mean at least one layover on the way.