- German tour operators say Greece has become an “expensive choice.”
- Rising hotel prices and long seasons are cited as the reasons.
- Families are shifting vacations to October.
- Operators urge balanced pricing between high and low seasons.
- Cretan hotels are staying open until November — because why not?
“Greece Is Getting Pricey” – Say the People Who Invented the €8 Beer.
In what may be the least surprising revelation of 2025, German tour operators have announced that Greece — yes, that Greece, the one with the actual sun — is becoming “too expensive.”
At the fvw | TravelTalk Workshop on Kos, they gathered to lament the tragedy of rising prices in paradise. Apparently, hotels that have spent millions on renovations now dare to ask for a slightly higher price. Outrageous.
Christian Payr of Vtours bravely declared that while some price increases are understandable, others are “excessive.” Translation: it is fine until the bill reaches the minibar.
The Audacity of Greeks Charging for Sunshine
Lars Ludwig, CEO of LMX, added that “prices in the Mediterranean, and especially Greece, have gone up,” warning that two-week holidays are becoming “financially unfeasible” for German families.
Yes, that is right — the same families that fly business class to Mallorca now find Crete a bit much.
Meanwhile, Oliver Grosse Kleimann from Alltours said Greece is “reaching its price limit,” with July and August package deals becoming “difficult to sell.” The rest of Europe nodded politely, pretending not to remember their own €12 Aperol Spritzes.
October: The New August
According to Reinhard Stadlober from Dertour, many German families have already discovered the miracle cure: travelling in October. The beaches are quieter, the hotels cheaper, and the tourists slightly less sunburned.
The industry’s “hope,” as Lars Ludwig diplomatically put it, is for high and low season prices to “align” — a phrase meaning they would like five-star hotels to behave like budget hostels.
Hotel Owners to Europe: “We Also Eat”
To be fair, hotels have their reasons.
Energy costs are up, salaries are up, and the price of tomatoes could give anyone a heart attack. Average hotel rate increases hover around +5%, which seems modest considering the global enthusiasm for charging more for less.
Some hotels are even trying to be strategic — offering smaller hikes during peak months and larger ones during the off-season. You know, like adults managing a business.
Greece Stays Open, Europe Complains
The upside? Greece is finally breaking the tyranny of the “summer-only” model.
Extended flight routes and warmer weather have stretched the tourist season like never before. On islands such as Crete, Rhodes, and Kos, many hotels now remain open until late October, and some even stay open into mid-November.
The Grecotel Amirandes in Crete will operate year-round for the first time ever — because apparently, the sun refuses to take a vacation. Aegean Airlines will even fly nonstop from Munich to Crete all winter, ensuring Germans can continue complaining about prices in person.
So yes, Greece is getting “expensive.”
It is also cleaner, better, and still cheaper than ordering a salad in Berlin.
