Wife has a bucket list between Greece and southern France

I would do both. Plenty of cheap daily flights between Paris and Athens and other points between. Trains are the way most people think of euro travel but often planes are very cheap. Use CHATgpt and give it the prompt "I'm looking to travel to Greece and France. Find the best prices and best dates for 2-3 weeks of travel. My budget is ***"

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ETA: Also, is it easy to travel between Greece and France? I at best would like to take her to both, maybe even extend the time to 1.5-2 weeks.

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I apologize for being a little rude, but you need to look at a map. The French Riviera and Greece islands really aren’t close at all. This is kinda like saying you want to go to the Hampton’s, New York but also Miami Beach on the same trip. It’s something like 1000 miles from Nice, France to Mykonos, Greece.

On a budget, I’d strongly suggest one and extend your stay. Traveling locations adds up, where as just being on vacation your only necessary expense is lodging.

As said, September is probably the best budget friendly time. I’d go early September if possible so the weather is as good as possible. Or late May. June and July and very busy with Americans and August with Europeans is the most common month.

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so we'd pull from her Roth IRA.

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You have close to a year. If you can't save $6k in a year to do this, you need to schedule it for 2027 and re-examine your financial life.

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wanted to make a trip for her for decades, and I'm ready to do it.

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Then do it responsibly.

It's over a two hour flight between Marseille and Athens (although it's less than $60 per person.) Trains/driving are a non starter because of the mountain ranges that explode travel times between the two.

Given the budgetary issues that have been pointed out repeatedly, why not Croatia instead of Greece, which will be cheaper? If you look at a map of the Roman empire, there are ruins all over the Med on every continent, and it will be a very similar feel to Greek architecture.

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lot of French ancestry

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She either wants to tour Versailles and churches, or she wants to be on the beach. You aren't going to have time to do both in a week.

Turkish Air also has inexpensive flights, all the time. You can get the same Mediterranean flavor flying into Istanbul, and won't have to change airports to leave. They have direct flights to Istanbul from most major US cities.

Best Beaches In Greece

How about Croatia?

Best Beaches In Croatia

I've been to both, although it'd been many years ago I went to Greece, primarily Athens and the island of Santorini.

Was in Croatia a few years ago and would highly recommend it. So unique and different! Thus, I'm going to make a pitch for that below as well!

But...

Timing

The best time to visit Croatia and Greece is during the shoulder seasons of late April through mid-June and September through October. In these months, the weather is warm enough for swimming, the sea is pleasant, and crowds are far lighter than the peak summer rush. July and August are the high season in both countries, with hot temperatures, packed ferries and beaches, and premium prices—great if you want nightlife and energy, but not ideal for budget or comfort. From November through March, many islands quiet down and beach weather disappears, though cities like Athens, Zagreb, and Crete remain lively and much cheaper. For beaches and swimming, June or September are ideal; for sightseeing and culture, May or October offer the best balance of mild weather and fewer tourists.

Costs

You can use sites like Kayak to explore various departing airports, times of the years etc.

Generally...

To find the best flight deals, start by searching flexible dates on comparison sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, or Kayak, since mid-week departures (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) are often cheapest. Set up price alerts so you’re notified when fares drop and look 5–8 weeks out for international trips, which is typically the sweet spot for savings. Consider flying into major European hubs like London, Paris, or Munich, then booking a separate budget flight on carriers like Ryanair, EasyJet, or Aegean to reach Croatia or Greece. Always compare round-trip versus one-way combinations, and factor in baggage fees on low-cost airlines to make sure the “deal” really is the lowest total price.

Minimize transfers? Would cost you some more, but for U.S. travelers, say flying out flying out of Atlanta for example, the cheapest transatlantic bets are usually Norse Atlantic, TAP Portugal, or Aer Lingus. Once in Europe, use Ryanair or Wizz Air to reach Croatia or Greece for under $100. Example: London, Dublin, or Lisbon as your entry point — then hop a budget carrier to Croatia or Greece for under $100.

That'd be a cheap strategy, but you'd have to be willing to do some transfers as noted. Could be more stress than you want to take on if you've never done it like that before.

Using Atlanta again as an example, the most affordable way to reach Croatia or Greece with minimal transfers is by booking a one-stop flight through a major European hub. For Croatia, consider Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich, or United/Delta partners from Newark, JFK, or Washington Dulles directly to Zagreb, Split, or Dubrovnik. For Greece, Athens is best accessed with one-stop flights on Delta, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, or Turkish Airlines via their respective hubs. These trips typically take 11–12 hours with one layover, and off-peak round-trip fares are usually $450–750, saving you time and extra connections.

Go to France. Greek islands are cool but you either spend a lot of time on ferries getting to other islands or spend most of your time on one or two islands and those, while great, may not hold your attention for very long.

South of France on the other hand will require a driving if you want ti get into the hill towns, which you should.

And yes listen to others and open a rewards card. And not raid retirement accounts.

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I'll admit our budget isn't great, so we'd pull from her Roth IRA.


Do not do this.

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I'm no suggesting OP do this, but he said he was retired. So its kinda an odd thing to say. Assuming he means he is living off of a Pension or something and his wife's job.

I appreciate all the replies. Yes I’m retired, wife is an about 5 years from retiring. If it can be done with $6k, we wouldn’t need to go raid IRA. Good points about credit card. I have about $5k I can easily throw down and wouldn’t mind putting $1-2k on a credit card. I currently do not have a credit card.

I have trips to both of these areas planned for the next year and a half but they at least partially involve cruises. One cruise starts in Athens. The other goes from Provence to Burgundy.

You’ve received some good feedback here. I’ll add a couple thoughts.

We just spent some time in the South of France- actually ended our trip in Nice. If you want a beach experience make sure to do your research. The beaches are different than what you get in the gulf. I’m not saying that’s good or bad- but know what you will be getting before you book the trip. If you do go tthis route you will definitely want to rent a car. There are great towns and villages just a bit inland from the shore. One I recommend is St Paul de Vence. It’s a Medieval town built on a hillside and is contained with walls around the bottom part of the town. Cool experience. We actually stayed in the old town there in a cool Air BnB.

If you haven’t been to France before, Paris is a good place to make home base for the trip. There is plenty to do and see, Versailles is right there, and it is going to be less expensive than the French Riviera. You can also make a side trip to Normandy if that holds any interest for you.

Finally- regarding financing. You say your wife works part time as a nurse. She could easily pick up an extra shift here and there and put that extra into a travel fund for the trip. Just a thought.