Six weeks, seven destinations and one very Greek summer- our Executive Editor Penny Zalalas shares the places, flavours, swims and moments she’s still thinking about.

The Greek summer may be ending, but our editors are returning with notebooks full, camera rolls overflowing and plenty to say about where they went, what they ate, drank and discovered along the way.

Every summer, the IN+SIGHTS GREECE team travels across the country- returning to places we know well, revisiting old favourites and inevitably finding somewhere new to fall for. Some trips are planned months ahead; others come together over a ferry timetable, a recommendation from a local or a last-minute change of direction.

Now that summer 2026 is coming to a close, we’re handing things over to our editors to share what their Greek summer actually looked like- the places worth returning to, unexpected finds and the moments that mattered most.

First up is IN+SIGHTS GREECE Executive Editor Penny Zalalas, who traded six weeks of Sydney winter for a long Greek summer with her husband and 14-year-old daughter. From Athens and the Peloponnese to Kythira, Aegina, Corfu and Lefkada, theirs was a summer that took them across Greece by road and ferries, shaped as much by work and family as by wherever they felt like heading next.

Here, Penny shares the places she loved, what surprised her and why, after more than 25 years of writing about travel, some of the best moments still happen when there’s no itinerary involved.

Where did you travel this summer?

Laconia and Messinia in the Peloponnese, Kythira, Corfu, Lefkada, Aegina and Athens. 

Who did you travel with?

My husband and our 14-year-old daughter, and as always, we met up with family and friends along the way- some who live in Greece and others who, like us, return every summer. That’s one of the things I love most about being in Greece at this time of year- wherever we go, there always happens to be someone to catch up with over a swim, dinner or a drink.

How did you decide where to go this year?

A lot of our itinerary is naturally shaped around my work and catching up with family, but this year we also had a wedding in Lefkada in August, so we wanted to navigate our travels around that.

This was also the first year our daughter had some very definite opinions about where she wanted to go. She had her heart firmly set on Kythira and Corfu- yes, TikTok may have had something to do with it- apparently having a travel editor for a mum only gets you so far!

Thankfully, her choices worked beautifully with our plans- Kythira was an easy ferry ride from Neapoli while we were in Laconia, and Corfu tied in perfectly with the wedding in Lefkada.

Beyond that, we knew we wanted this summer to be easy and more low-key. We weren’t interested in racing between destinations or squeezing too much in. Once the work commitments, wedding, and our daughter’s two non-negotiables were on the map, everything else fell into place. 

Best swim?

Paralia Pipitos in Corfu as well as Karavostasi in Plytra (Peloponnese)- crystal-clear water at that perfect temperature where you can dive straight in, and enough people around to make it feel like a proper Greek summer without ever feeling overcrowded. 

Stand-out brunch?

The croffle at Fossa in Kythira- a croissant-meets-waffle topped with mascarpone, perfectly roasted peach, almonds and agave syrup! 

Favourite bar and drink?

Puppet Bar was a great find in Corfu Town, it’s a quaint little spot with excellent cocktails, a cool retro vibe and a good selection of vinyl spinning in the background. The kumquat cocktail is a must, made with Corfu’s famous local kumquats.

As for a drink, Rosé was again my go-to this summer- refreshing and easy to sip slowly over a long lunch or dinner, I tried plenty of good ones along the way. One of my favourites was in Lefkada- a dry Merlot rosé from local producer Akratos Eros. At under €10 a bottle, it was one of those brilliant little finds that proves a memorable Greek wine doesn’t need to come with a big price tag. 

One restaurant that was completely worth the hype?

Manari in Athens. A few of the editors on our team had been several times and loved it, so by the time I finally made it there this summer, I had heard plenty about it. Expectations were high, but it absolutely lived up to them. Great food, easygoing vibe, and such a cool group of chefs and waiters who added to the experience. 

What did your days mostly look like?

Mornings always start with a Greek coffee (diplo pros glyko) and a couple of my favourite moustokouloura (grape molasses biscuits) from a local bakery. They’re very hard to find in Sydney, so I make sure I eat as many as I can while I’m in Greece!

Then it’s always the beach, which is usually decided by where the wind is blowing, followed by a late lunch, an afternoon Freddo and something sweet, before heading back for a shower and change. Then it’s out again for dinner, a drink and, almost always, gelato. That’s happily on repeat for much of the summer.

Depending on where we are, we’ll also use the early mornings or late afternoons, when it’s a tad cooler, to visit historical sites, monasteries and museums, do some shopping or check out anything else we want to explore. And if we’re not staying in the main town, we tend to save that for the evening, as I love the vibe of Greek towns at night.

The place that surprised you?

Kythira. The last time I visited was in 2011, and I’m so glad my daughter persisted with this one, as we got to explore so much more. Beautiful beaches, some great new places to eat- including what may just have been the best pizza I’ve had in Greece (hello, Tony’s!)- and, above all, incredibly warm locals. It reminded me why returning to a place after many years can sometimes feel like discovering it all over again.

One place you’re already planning to return to?

Corfu, as 5 days simply wasn’t enough. There’s so much more of the island I want to see, and it’s one of those places I think you can return to numerous times and still have plenty more to discover.  

A scent you wish you could bottle up and take home?

That sweet smell of ripe figs that have fallen beneath a tree and are slowly drying in the Greek sun. 

Describe your summer ’26 in three words.

Unscripted. Unhurried. Fulfilling.

Unscripted, because so much of this summer came together at the last minute. Unhurried, because despite moving around, we gave ourselves time to slow down and really enjoy wherever we were. And fulfilling, because I came home feeling incredibly blessed to have had six weeks filled with sunshine, good food, beautiful swims and, most importantly, so many special moments with family and friends.

Speaking of moments, which one will you remember most?

Cooking with my 89-year-old Theia Martha (my dad’s sister) in her village in Messinia. We were in her kitchen preparing lunch, which of course included tiganites patates, Greek salad and horta, with produce picked from her vegetable garden. We ate slowly and, as always, talked for hours about my grandparents, my dad and his beloved siblings, what Greece was like in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, the hardships their generation lived through, migration and just how much life has changed since.

I’ve spent so many years travelling around Greece, writing about its places, food and people, but moments like this remind me that some of the most beautiful and meaningful experiences happen around a kitchen table, listening to the stories that connect you to where you come from.

Your insider tip from this summer?

For the entire six weeks, we didn’t take a single domestic flight. We hired a car, which we picked up at Athens airport, and kept it for the whole trip, choosing destinations we could either drive to or reach by car ferry. No checking luggage in, no delayed flights, and when we boarded a ferry, our luggage stayed in the boot of the car, so no rushing. We could arrive somewhere, drive off and start exploring. 

If you’re travelling through Greece for an extended period and choose your destinations carefully, I highly recommend it.  

And finally, your golden rule for a Greek summer?

Nowadays, I would say don’t plan your entire holiday around social media trends and viral places. Some of these “hotspots” are so crowded that you can lose the very thing you came to Greece to experience.

Explore a little further, ask locals where they go, take the turn you hadn’t planned on taking, as some of the best summer moments are made in places you don’t see on your feed. 

Over the next few months, Penny will be sharing much more from her trip, with in-depth destination guides, hotel and restaurant reviews, favourite finds and all the places worth knowing about from her summer travels.

All images by Penny Zalalas | IN+SIGHTS GREECE ©