fun things to do with kids in greece - family travel    
  Travel for Kids
   
     
    Greece
Kids at the beach in Greece
Wherever you go in Greece, you're never far from sparkling blue waters (with super snorkeling) and hillsides dotted with olive trees, a gift from the gods. Greece was a bright star in antiquity, a great empire and civilization, but today as you travel with your kids around this fascinating country, you'll experience many different sides of Greek life, celebrated in food, costumes, music and festivals.
Tip: Don't miss our top picks for children's books on Greece, recommended by the staff of Travel for Kids, see below.
  Athens
    The Peleponnese
 
Olympia
 
Mycenae
    Delphi
    Crete
Tip: Easter is the most important holiday in Greece. If you're visiting during Greek Orthodox Easter, you're in for a treat. On Good Friday, you'll find colorful processions from churches, converging on the main square in little towns. In Athens on Easter Sunday, walking through neighborhoods, you may be invited to share roast lamb. Try the special Easter breads and sweets.
family tours turkey

Greece is a wonderful destination for kids, but there's such a wealth of sites to see and things to do, it's hard to choose. Whether it's running the track at Olympia, home-cooked dinner with a Greek family, visiting Delphi with an archeological guide, or exploring the islands, here's our editor's choice for a family tour company that will arrange an unforgettable trip:

    Journeys for Families
kids books greece
     
Mythology  
Mythology
The Mythology Handbook
Lady Hestia Evans, Dugald. A Steer

Go on a fabulous grand tour of the sites of ancient Greece. Inside the explorer scrapbook are fold-out maps, a piece of the Golden Fleece, postcards, oblos coin, drawings, oak leaf of the oracle, pop-up Pandora’s box, card games, and more!

The companion handbook is a super introduction to the gods, goddesses, heroes and myths of ancient Greece, plus activities and stickers. (Activity books)

 

     

Fantastic adventures of Theseus and the Minotaur, plus the tale of Icarus and Daedalus. Even before Theseus takes on the Minotaur, he encounters other monsters, then sails to Crete to pursue the beast with the help of Ariadne, and slay the Minotaur in the labyrinth. Fun, lively illustrations and unstuffy approach to the Greek myths. (Picture book)

 

 
The Hero and the Minotaur - kids books Greece
     
 
The Fugitive from Corinth
Caroline Lawrence

80 A.D. Flavia, daughter of a Roman sea captain, and her three friends search for their Greek tutor Aristo, falsely accused of a crime. Starting in Corinth, the friends travel by road to Thebes and Delphi, culminating in a gripping climax in the Cave of the Furies near the Acropolis in Athens. Mystery adventure filled with info about ancient Greece. (Chapter book)

Don't miss the previous adventure in Greece, as the four friends sail around the Aegean Sea: The Colossus of Rhodes

 

     
Ancient Greece (Eyewitness Books)
Anne Pearson

Excellent overview of ancient Greece – Minoan and Mycenean civilizations, story of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Greek city-states, Alexander the Great, gods, goddesses and heroes, temples and festivals, foods, clothes and jewelry, warfare and games. Richly illustrated. (Picture book)

 

 
Ancient Greece (Eyewitness Books) - kids books Greece
     
Black Ships Before Troy - kids books Greece  

Action-packed retellings of The Iliad, the Trojan war saga, filled with larger than life heroes arrogant Agamemnon, sulky Achilles, doomed Hector, sorrowful Priam, golden boy Paris, and The Odyssey, crafty Odysseus long journey home, snared by the Lotus Eaters, imprisoned by the Cyclops, enchanted by Circe, detour to the Land of the Dead. Perfect to bring on your trip. (Chapter book)

 

     

Take a step back in time and find out how kids lived in ancient Greece – hanging out at the agora, footraces for girls, wrestling for boys, popular pets (dogs), knucklebone games, bread for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and more. (Picture book)

 

 
     
Greek Myths - kids books Greece  
Greek Myths
Heather Amery, Linda Edwards

Small enough to tuck into your suitcase, read these ancient stories aloud – Pandora's box, the twelve tasks of Hercules, Jason and the golden fleece, Pegasus the flying horse, Ariadne and the Minotaur, Perseus and Medusa, and more. (Illustrated chapter book)

 

     
Jason and the Golden Fleece
James Riordan, Jason Cockcroft

Action-packed retelling of Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece – voyage and adventures of the Argonauts, attacked by flying monsters and six-armed giants, until Jason captures the magical fleece. Stunning illustrations bring the legend alive. (Chapter book)

 

 
Jason and the Golden Fleece
     
Young Zeus - kids books Greece  
Young Zeus
G. Brian Karas

Exciting myth of Zeus, in a funny and engaging retelling. Young Zeus tricks his dad Cronus, rescues his bickering brothers and sisters, travels to the underworld to free the Cyclopes, and becomes ruler of heaven and earth. Imaginative illustrations. (Picture book)

 

     

Exquisitely illustrated legend of King Midas – how Apollo gives Midas his donkey ears, the buried secret Midas gets his wish so that everything he touches will turn to gold, but then he's in a fix. Pages glow with gold-leaf paintings. (Picture book)

 

 
King Midas: The Golden Touch - kids books Greece
   
Pandora Gets Jealous
 
Pandora Gets Jealous
Carolyn Hennesy

After letting evil into the world, Pandora is hauled up in front of the gods. Now she has to collect up all seven evils, starting with jealousy. The gods are going to help, along with her two best friends, but Hera has her own backbiting schemes. (Chapter book)

 

     
Quicksilver
Stephanie Spinner

Wisecracking Hermes (son of Zeus) has a lot going – rescuing Kore from Uncle Hades, helping his half brother Perseus, and courting Calypso under the sea. A wonderful, sparkling novel. (Chapter book)

 
     
The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus - kids books Greece  

Lively guide to the Greek gods and goddesses – Zeus, god of heaven and earth, headstrong Hera, lovely Aphrodite, mischievous Eros, bad-tempered Ares, twins Apollo and Artemis, wise Athena, speedy Hermes, etc. Fun for younger kids. (Picture book)

For older kids: The Greek Gods

 

     
It's All Greek to Me
Jon Scieszka, Lane Smith

Hilarious adventures of the Time Warp Trio, Fred, Joe and Sam, as they are whirled back to ancient Greece in their bed-sheet tunics. On Mount Olympus, the trio's tricks entertain the gods and goddesses, but all Hades breaks loose when the monsters get a hold of Zeus' thunderbolts. (Easy reader)

 

 
It's All Greek to Me - kids books Greece
     
Ancient Greece and the Olympics - kids books Greece  
Ancient Greece and the Olympics
(Magic Tree House Research Guide)
Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Osborne

Meet the ancient Greeks and find out about the first Olympic games. Daily life, religion and gods, school and sports, architecture and art. Packed with historical illustrations and photographs. (Easy reader)

 

     
Greece (A to Z)
Byron and Rebecca A. Augustin

Fun facts about the people and places of Greece today – from animals (goats and sheep), clothing, food, music, sports (soccer is most popular), yearly festivals to Zeus. (Picture book)

 

 
Greece A -Z - kids books Greece
     
This is Greece  
This is Greece
M. Sasek

Take a trip through Greece, old and new – views of the Acropolis, the mighty Parthenon in a "sea of marble," Temple of the Olympian Zeus, the largest temple in Greece, Corinth Canal, Lion Gate at Mycenae, sacred Delphi, cliffside monasteries in Thessaly, windmills and snow-white streets of Mykonos, and more. Whimsical illustrations capture the panoramic history and fun in Greece today, this is a classic! (Picture book)

 

(More children's books on other Greece pages)
travel for kids | greece