What to Pack for Greece in the Summer: Essential Guide

Hello again! Planning a trip to Greece and wondering what to pack? You’re in the right place. Welcome to your guide to what to pack for Greece in the summer!

If you’re currently planning what to wear in Greece in the summer, this is the guide for you. In this packing guide you’ll find tons of outfit recommendations that are perfect for the islands and mainland Greece. These outfits are great for days of exploring, hiking, beach trips and nights out.

Additionally, everything in this guide will fit into a carry-on suitcase! No matter how long my trip is, I always try to pack in only a carry-on. I truly find it to be so much easier to get around with a smaller suitcase. For this trip I needed many different styles of clothing, and shoes, but I believe I’ve perfected the “fit everything you need + some” into a carry-on thing. 

Let’s get right into what to pack for Greece in the summer!

What to Pack for Greece in the Summer: Overview

• 1 small suitcase + 1 duffle
• 7 dresses
• 1 pair of shorts, 6 skirts, 2 pairs of pants
• 6 t-shirts, 3 cute tops, 1 long sleeve, 1 linen button-up
• 1 jean jacket
• 5 swimsuits, 1 swimsuit cover-up
• 2 pairs of pajamas
• 1 black leather backpack, 2 small purses
• 1 pair of sneaker, 1 pair of sandals, 1 pair of chunky white heels

Suitcases

Below are the two bags I used to pack. The roller suitcase is stored in the overhead bin, and the smaller duffle is my personal item for under the seat. This duffle is amazing! It folds up super tiny for storage but can also fit so much. On my five day trip to Guatemala I was able to pack everything I needed only in the duffle and also have room to bring home souvenirs.

For this trip, I plan to pack all of my clothes, shoes and purses in the suitcase, and only use the duffle for items I will need during the flight, such as my laptop, passport, wallet and snacks. If you’re interested in the duffle bag click here to check it out.

Dresses

First I packed my dresses. It’s hot in Greece in July (duh)! After checking the weather I planned for between 80-90 degrees during the day, and low to mid 70s at night. For me, this is perfect sundress weather. I packed seven of my favorites that I’d be able to dress up or down to fit any occasion. As you can see I packed dresses in many different styles, so that I have lots of choices. If you only have space for a few dresses, but need them for various events and activities, something I’ve found is that simply changing your shoes can make a huge difference in how *dressy* your dress looks and feels.  

Bottoms

Next, I packed one pair of jean shorts and six skirts that matched most of my tops. I’m not a huge shorts person so for me, personally, one pair was more than enough. However, if you’re one of those people who can’t imagine a summer without lots of jean shorts, then definitely substitute another pair for a couple of the skirts.

Personally, I find skirts to be more comfortable and I love that you can dress them up or down depending on the occasion. Normally I would pack a pair of jeans, but instead I decided to pack a pair of light-weight blue and white striped pants as well as a pair of black pants. Both match most of my t-shirts and tops and were perfect for the cooler evening weather. When you’re packing in a small suitcase bringing versatile pieces is super important, as it will allow you to have so many more options. 

Tops

Because they’re small, and can match just about anything, I also brought six t-shirts. I love Levi’s t-shirts and I think they’re super cute paired with a skirt and sandals or sneakers. All of these t-shirts are pretty basic, in the sense that they don’t have any wild patterns, so they match almost all of my bottoms. 

In addition to my t-shirts I also brought three cute tops that can be dressed up. These particular tops don’t get super wrinkly, which is important as they were packed away and I didn’t want to spend my trip ironing my clothes. Wrinkles happen, and instead of relying on an iron or a steamer I love to use the travel size Downy Wrinkle Release Spray. It’s super easy to use, is carry-on size approved, and is available at your local drug store. Since there’s no guarantee that all hotels or AirBnBs will have irons, this little spray is a must. 

Jackets + Long Sleeves

Even though summer in Greece is warm I always like to have a sweater or light jacket for the evenings. For this trip I decided to pack my Levi’s jean jacket. It goes with everything and it super easy to throw on over any outfit. Although it’s not the smallest and most space friendly its versatility makes up for it. 

I also brought a white, long sleeve, button up shirt. This style shirt is a must for Greece – you can wear it over most outfits if the weather gets chilly, it matches everything, and it can also be used to cover your shoulders and arms in the sun and at the beach. I absolutely love this shirt, and I got a ton of use out of it during my trip. Click here to buy the same shirt from Amazon.

Bathing Suits

Now for bathing suits! These are essential part of a summer Greece vacation, especially if you have any beach/boat trips planned. I’m really into one piece suits right now. I find them to be super flattering and cute, so I decided to bring four as well as one two piece.

Additionally, I brought a swimsuit cover up that can also be worn as a dress. I’ve been loving J Crew swimsuits and swimsuit cover-ups recently. J Crew Factory always has amazing deals where you can get super cute pieces for a fraction of the price! 

Pajamas

Of course you’ll also need to bring pajamas, workout clothes and any underwear and socks you’ll need (+ some extras.) 

Bags + Purses

Bags/purses tend to take up a lot of space when packing, so I am only brought three. The first is my black leather backpack that matches everything. This backpack also fits everything I need for a day out: camera, phone, chargers, sunscreen, etc.

The other two black bags are much smaller, but they still have a shoulder strap so I wouldn’t accidentally leave them at one of our stops along the way! These are the bags I took out to dinner or out at night as they are not as bulky. Luckily they’re small and didn’t take up too much room in my suitcase! You can get the little shoulder bag here, and the shoulder bag/fanny pack here from Amazon.

Shoes

Lastly, shoes! I like to keep my shoe choices simple. However, that being said, for the various islands and activities I could not find a way to travel with less than three pairs. I wore my white sneakers on the plane (they match everything and are so comfy). In my suitcase I packed a pair of strappy, low platform sandals as well as a pair of platform, dressier white sandals. The low platform sandals can be dressed up or down so I can wear them to a beach club, a fancy dinner, or just out for a day of exploring.

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I hope you found this guide to what to pack for Greece in the summer to be helpful! You can fit so much into a carry-on that you should have plenty of space for a wide variety of outfits, shoes, bags and toiletries.

Remember to save this post and share it with a friend who’d love to visit Greece!

Lastly, be sure to check out our other Greece guides and tips:

• How to Spend 2 Days in Athens, Greece
• 3 Days in Mykonos, Greece
• How to Spend 48 Hours in Paros, Greece
• 48 Hours in Santorini, Greece
• What Santorini is Really Like in the Summer
• 10 things to know before visiting the Greek Islands

♡Kate

Note: This guide for what to pack for Greece includes affiliate links. Read our disclosure here.