Looking for the best things to do in Greece with kids? From huge water parks and beautiful beaches to boat trips, ancient ruins and wildlife experiences, Greece has far more to offer families than simply spending a week around the hotel pool.
The trick is choosing activities that actually work for your children’s ages. Younger kids may be happiest with shallow beaches and short days out, while older children and teenagers can enjoy water parks, snorkelling, boat trips and exploring some of Greece’s incredible historic sites.
We’ve picked some of the best things to do in Greece with kids, including ideas from popular family islands such as Rhodes and Crete, plus tips for fitting them into your holiday without trying to do too much.
Still deciding where to stay? Start with our Greece Family Holidays guide, where we compare the islands, resorts and practical considerations for families.
1. Spend a Day at a Water Park
A water park is one of the easiest wins when visiting Greece with kids, particularly if you’re travelling with school-age children or teenagers.
The larger Greek holiday islands have some excellent options, allowing you to swap a quiet beach day for slides, pools and a little more excitement.
Faliraki Water Park, Rhodes
Faliraki Water Park is one of Rhodes’ major family attractions and is an easy day out if you’re staying on the island’s east coast.
Rather than trying to combine it with sightseeing, we’d give the water park most of a day. It also works well midway through the holiday when children might be ready for something different from beaches and sightseeing.
Don’t schedule every excursion before you arrive. Leave one or two days flexible so you can choose your water-park day around the weather and how everyone is feeling.
2. Take a Family Boat Trip
For us, a boat trip is one of the best activities to add to a Greek family holiday. Children get the excitement of being on the water while parents get to see more of the coastline without another long car or coach journey.
Depending on the island, you’ll find short coastal cruises, swimming trips, glass-bottom boats and full-day excursions to neighbouring islands.
Take a Boat Trip to Lindos
One particularly good option on Rhodes is visiting Lindos by boat. Instead of the journey simply being transport, the cruise becomes part of the experience.
A great option for families who want to combine sightseeing with time on the water. Visit Lindos and turn the journey along the Rhodes coastline into part of the day out.
Check Lindos Boat Tour Prices →3. Find a Brilliant Family Beach
You could easily spend an entire Greek holiday visiting beaches, but when travelling with children we’d look beyond how photogenic they are.
Easy access, somewhere to buy food and drinks and suitable swimming conditions can be much more important when you have children with you.
Tsambika Beach, Rhodes
Tsambika is one of Rhodes’ best-known beaches, with a long stretch of golden sand and clear blue water. It’s an easy beach to include when exploring the east coast of the island.
Don’t feel that every beach day needs to involve travelling to a famous beach, though. One of the advantages of Greece with kids is being able to alternate special days out with very simple days close to your hotel.
Visit one or two of the island’s standout beaches, then find a good local beach near your resort for the days when nobody wants a long journey.
4. Explore Ancient Greece
Visiting ancient sites with children can sound like hard work, but Greece is one of the few destinations where history can genuinely become part of the adventure.
The secret is not trying to visit everything. Pick one or two memorable historic places and combine them with something more relaxed afterwards.
The Acropolis in Athens is the obvious example, while families holidaying on the islands can discover places such as Knossos in Crete and Lindos in Rhodes.
5. Visit Lindos with Kids
Lindos is a great example of sightseeing that can work on a family holiday. The whitewashed village sits beneath its historic Acropolis, while beautiful bays and beaches are close by.
That gives you the option of exploring first and heading for the water afterwards rather than expecting children to spend an entire day sightseeing.
During the hottest months, we’d visit earlier in the day if possible. Exploring steep streets and historic sites is much easier before the strongest midday heat.
6. Discover Butterfly Valley
Not every family day out needs to involve a beach or swimming pool. Rhodes’ Butterfly Valley gives children the chance to see a completely different side of the island.
The wooded valley has pathways, streams and small waterfalls, and butterflies are particularly associated with the valley during the summer season.
If you don’t want to arrange your own transport, a half-day excursion is an easy way to visit while still leaving part of your day free.
Check Butterfly Valley Trips →7. Explore an Old Town
Exploring a Greek town can be surprisingly enjoyable with children when you don’t turn it into a rigid sightseeing itinerary.
Wander the streets, stop for an ice cream, explore the shops and let the children experience somewhere completely different from the resort.
Rhodes Old Town
Rhodes is particularly good for this. The Medieval City has walls, gateways and narrow streets that make its history much easier for children to imagine.
You can make the journey part of the experience by travelling to Rhodes Town by high-speed boat and then exploring independently.
See Rhodes Town Boat Trip →8. Go Snorkelling
Snorkelling is one of the simplest activities to add to a holiday in Greece with kids. You don’t necessarily need to book an excursion — older children can often start exploring from suitable beaches with little more than a mask and snorkel.
If your children enjoy it, you can then consider a dedicated snorkelling or swimming boat trip later in the holiday.
9. Try Water Sports
Older children and teenagers can take things further with paddleboarding, kayaking and other water sports available in many Greek resorts.
This is one reason Greece works particularly well as children get older. You can still enjoy an easy beach holiday while giving teenagers activities that make each day feel different.
10. Visit a Greek Village
It’s worth spending at least a little time away from the main tourist resorts. Traditional villages can show children a completely different side of Greece.
You don’t need to make this complicated. Explore on foot, stop somewhere for lunch and allow time to simply wander rather than trying to tick off attractions.
11. Make Greek Food Part of the Adventure
Food is another easy way for children to experience Greece. Sharing dishes allows them to try small amounts of unfamiliar food without committing to an entire meal.
Souvlaki, grilled meats, bread, potatoes, yoghurt and fresh fruit also mean there are usually straightforward choices available for less adventurous eaters.
Instead of always looking for a children’s menu, order several dishes for the table. It’s an easy, low-pressure way for children to try Greek food.
12. Have a Proper Pool Day
After all those ideas, this might be the most important one: don’t plan something every day.
A family holiday shouldn’t feel like an itinerary you have to complete. Children may remember an afternoon jumping into the hotel pool just as fondly as an organised excursion.
For a typical week away, we’d choose a few activities the family genuinely wants to do and keep the remaining days flexible.
Things to Do in Greece with Toddlers
When visiting Greece with kids under five, simpler is often better. Beaches with easy access, shallow water, short boat rides, playgrounds and plenty of pool time can work better than long sightseeing days.
Also consider the practical side. Historic towns can involve cobbles, steps and steep streets, so think about whether a lightweight pushchair or baby carrier would be more useful for the places you’re planning to visit.
Things to Do in Greece with Teenagers
Greece can be even easier with teenagers. Water parks, snorkelling, paddleboarding, boat trips and water sports give them plenty to do beyond sitting beside the pool.
Older children may also appreciate historic places more when they’re mixed with activities rather than presented as a full day of sightseeing.
Greece with Kids: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Greece with kids?
Some of the best family activities include beaches, water parks, boat trips, snorkelling, water sports, historic sites, nature attractions and exploring traditional towns and villages.
Are Greek water parks suitable for younger children?
Many water parks include separate areas and gentler attractions for younger visitors as well as larger slides for older children. Always check the individual attraction’s current height, age and supervision requirements before visiting.
Are boat trips in Greece good for children?
They can be excellent family days out, but check the duration and itinerary before booking. With younger children, a shorter trip with swimming stops may work better than spending an entire day at sea.
Is Greece good with teenagers?
Yes. Teenagers can enjoy water sports, snorkelling, water parks, boat trips, beaches and exploring historic towns, which gives families plenty of alternatives to spending every day around the hotel.
Do we need to book activities before travelling to Greece?
Not everything needs to be booked in advance. For popular excursions or activities you definitely don’t want to miss, booking ahead can make sense, while leaving some days unplanned gives you flexibility during the holiday.
Planning a Family Holiday to Greece?
There are enough things to do in Greece with kids to fill every day of the holiday — but we wouldn’t recommend trying.
Choose a few memorable experiences, mix them with beach and pool days and leave some room to change your plans. That’s usually a much better recipe for a family holiday than arriving with every day scheduled.
For help choosing an island, resort and where to stay, continue with our complete Greece Family Holidays guide →
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