Greece

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Quick Facts
Capital	Athens
Government	parliamentary republic; monarchy rejected by referendum 8 December 1974
Currency	euro (EUR)
Area	total: 131,940 sq km water: 1,140 sq km land: 130,800 sq km
Population	10,645,343 (July 2002 est.)
Language	Greek 99% (official), English, French
Religion	Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Time Zone	UTC +2
Country Calling Code	+30
Internet TLD	.gr

Greece is a country in Southern Europe with Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, Lybian Sea, and Mediterranean Sea coasts. Its surrounding countries are Albania, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north and Turkey to the east.

Greece has an ancient culture that has had a significant influence on western society. The country has a number of famous archeological sites with contemporary documented histories. It is also the birthplace of the Olympic games.

Greece gets less tourists than other European countries. For backpackers, it is out of the way from the popular France-Spain-Italy route. Due to this it still has a lot of untouched charm. There will never be as many tourists at the Acropolis than at the Eiffel tower. Ever. It is easy to get off-the-beaten track as most of Greece is off-the-beaten track. It is common to be in areas where all you see is locals, a thing which is hard to come by these days in the travel scene. However, the Greek islands are always teeming with tourists. While the greek islands are definitely something to experience, with beautiful white-washed houses, relaxed lifestyles and spectacular beaches, don't lost sight of mainland Greece which has a lot to offer.

Greeks taking living leisurely very seriously. They work-to-live, not live-to-work. Don't take perceived laziness or rudeness harshly. They do it to everyone, locals and tourists alike. Rather than fight it, just go along with it and laugh at the situation. It can be very frustrating at times but also appreciate their "enjoy life" attitude. They do take politics and soccer very seriously.

Regions

• Attica
• Central Greece
• Crete
  • Heraklion
  • Hania
  • Rethymno
  • Agios Nikolaos
• Epirus
• Ionian Islands
  • Corfu
  • Kefallinia
  • Levkas
  • Zakynthos
• Macedonia
  • Central Macedonia
    • Chalkidiki
      • Mount Athos (Ayio Oros)
      • Kassandra
      • Major Chalkidiki
      • Sithonia
    • Imathia
    • Kilkis
    • Pella
    • Pieria
    • Thessaloniki
  • East Macedonia
  • West Macedonia
• North Aegean Islands
  • Chios
  • Lesvos
  • Limnos
• Peloponese (incl. Napfplion)
• Saronic Gulf Islands
  • Aegina
  • Angistri
  • Hydra
  • Moni
  • Poros
  • Spetses
• South Aegean Islands
  • Cyclades (incl. Santorini)
  • Dodecanese (incl. Rhodes)
• Thrace
  • Alexandropolis
• Thessaly
• West Greece

Cities

Major cities include:

• Athens - the capital city
• Heraklion - the capital of the island of Crete
• Nafplion - coastal city near Epidaurus
• Patra
• Thessaloniki - the second biggest city after Athens
• Volos

Other destinations

On Peloponnese you'll find ancient Olympia, Epidarus, Mykene, Corinth, Mystra. Sparta, Gytheion and Monemvassia are also popular.

North of the gulf of Korinth ancient Delphi can be found.

In Central Greece you can visit the monasteries of Meteora, Volos (ancient Iolkos, beginning of the Argonautic Expedition) and the mountain villages in Pelion (Land of the Centaurs, popular greek summer and winter tourist resort).

From Alexandropolis you can go to the beautiful Island of Samothraki.

The site of Ancient Olympia is one of the most important sanctuaries of the antiquity and is dedicated to the father of all Greek gods, Zeus. It is also the site of the first Olympic Games, which were organized to honor Zeus.

There are about 240 museums in Greece. Two of the biggest of these museums are the Acropolis Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art. All of the items in the Acropolis Museum are of great importance, as the Acropolis is considered the cradle of modern civilization. As for the Museum of Cycladic Art, this is considered the most important of all museums on Greece. The figurine that inspired many contemporary artists characterizes the Cycladic Art.

Understand

The Greek National Tourism Organization is Greece's official government tourism authority.

History

Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories with Greek-speaking populations. Following the defeat of communist rebels in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. Democratic elections in 1974 and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Greece joined the European Community or EC in 1981 (which became the EU in 1992).

Climate

Greece enjoys a warm Mediterranean climate.

It is hot and dry in the summer, with mostly sunny days with temperatures from 30-40 degrees celsius. There is no need for an umbrella. Careful cause it gets scorching hot quite often, especially in Athens. Spring is pleasant with minimal rain and comfortable temperature. Winter it gets cooler and wetter, with temperatures dipping to average of 8 with rare chance of snow. Fall is also pleasant.

The islands are always slightly cooler than mainland due to a breeze. Take a light jacket or pull-over for night.

The latest weather and climatic information for Greece can be accessed via the Hellenic National Meteorological Service website.

Get in

As Greece is a member of the European Union, most European and North American nationals do not need a visa. Citizens of the European Union may also enter with a valid identity card. Entering via ferryboat from Italy or by air from countries that are members of the Schengen Agreement, too, you won't need to show any document of identity under normal circumstances.

Prior to Cyprus's accession to the European Union persons carrying a passport with a stamp from the internationally not recognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus were denied entry. After Cyprus formally in full became part of the European Union such a denial of entry is according to European Union officials not to be expected any more.

By plane

In summer charter flights to most islands arrive weekly from many European cities. Scheduled flights all the year round fly to Athens, Thessaloniki and Crete, with Athens being the main destination. The national airline is Olympic Airlines; domestic flights are also operated by Aegean.

By train

The typical train journey from Western Europe involves a train to Venice or Brindisi in Italy, followed by a ferry to Patra. Trains from Sofia and Istanbul arrive in Thessaloniki daily.

By car

Driving to Greece from Western Europe usually involves driving to Venice or Brindisi and catching a ferry. Routes via the former Yugoslavia aren't dangerous any more if you keep away from Kosovo, but condition of roads can be worse than you're used to. On the other hand, driving through the Balkans is still a kind of adventure as you have to show your passport quite often which has become unusual in Western and Central Europe. You will also face another culture and another kind of living as for example Serbia and Montenegro's standard of living is still not as high as Western European countries'.

By bus

ΚΤΕΛ -- Κοινό Ταμείο Είσπραξης Λεωφορείων: Confederation of Motorbus Operators -- is the principal inter-urban bus service of Greece. Tickets may be purchased at their website, or at bus stations in Greece. If you can't find the bus station, just ask Πού είναι ο σταθμός ΚΤΕΛ; : Poo EE-nay o stath-MOS KTEL?

By boat

Ferries to Igominitsa and Patra leave throughout the year from the Italian ports of Venice, Trieste, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi. For the Ferry form Ancona to partra you will pay for a single person about 40€ winter/ 60€ summer. See also http://www.greekferries.gr/. There are also ferries from Egypt and Cyprus.

From Turkey there are ferries from Marmaris to Rhodes and from Kusadasi to Samos.

Get around

• Bus and Train

Most people in Greece get around by KTEL which is efficient and cheap with extensive route systems. Trains are an inexpensive way to get around but serve limited areas. Trains are definitely not as popular in Greece than in other European countries due to its extensive moutainous terrain.

• Cars

Renting a car is easy. CAVEAT: Greece has the highest traffic fatalities in Europe. There are two reasons for this: 1) they drive FAST and 2) there are lots of mountains which makes conditions difficult for those inexperienced with the road. Greece is served by one main highway, the National Highway, and most others are two lane roads which twist and turn and swerve through mountains. If one gets car sick easily, have Gravol on hand. Also, note that a lot of tar is slick due to over-use so tires my slide easily.

• Ferries

To get to the islands you will mostly have to take a ferry. There are extensive connections from Athens and in-between islands for "hopping." Ferries are about the one thing in Greece that leave on time so BE PROMPT. In August, ferries fill up due to the National Holiday (Aug 15) so plan ahead. New "fast ferries" are cutting distance times in half but prices are slightly more expensive. Sometimes, it is more practical to fly, especially to Crete or Rhodes. However, flights are usually more expensive. Santorini is 8 hour slow boat from Athens but the entrance view from the boat is spectacular.

There are two ports in Athens: the main port Piraeus and outlying Rafina. These service all islands. For northern lying islands, i.e Lesvos, it is better to leave from Rafina.

Typical travel times, slow boat from Piraeus: Athens-Paros = 4 hours, Athens-Mykonos = 5.5 hours, Athens-Santorini = 8 hours, Athens-Hraklion = 12 hours,

See also Continental Greece in ten days

• Plane

Olympic airways serves most cities and is great for getting to far-reaching areas like Kerkira, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, etc.

• Aegean Airlines E-tickets

E-ticket is a ticket purchased online. It only exists as an e-mail or a web page with booking confirmation. It should be provided printed at check-in desk at the airport (no need to visit airline office).

• By Thumb

Crete is good for hitchhiking, specially in village area, there you can take the first coming car sometimes, but traffic isn´t so busy. On the National Highway is it worse, but hitchhiking is also possible. No paying for it. My experience is that mainly tourist are taking, because Greek people are afraid of some problems. You can hitchhike directly on the National Highways, it isn´t forbidden.

Talk

While Greeks are very proud of their Greek language, English is widely spoken, along with basic french. Basic knowledge of English can be expected from most personnel in cafes and hotels; exceptions happen only in distant villages.

Buy

Since 2001, Greece's official currency has been the euro (€). Euro notes and coins were introduced in 2002. Although Greece is in the EU you will hardly find any ATMs excepting EC carts (except Athens). Visa- and Mastercard is widely excepted.

Bargaining

Always bargain in touristy shops, such as Plaka in Athens and the islands. Offer to pay by credit card to save the handling fee. Never be embarrased to bargain, it is expected. However, use your discretion as established "local" stores do not bargain.

Eat

Popular local dishes

Try the traditional fast-food gyros (γύρος) and souvlaki (σουβλάκι), similar to doner and shish kebab and the Greek dips such as tzatziki (τζατζίκι) which is made of strained (the so-called Greek type) yoghurt, olive oil, garlic and finely chopped vegetables (like cucumbers and dill), and skordhalia (σκορδαλιά), which is a garlic mashed potato dip which is usually served with deep fried salted cod. Excellent.

Greece also has excellent seafood due to its large coastal span. Try the grilled octopus.

Greek salad (called locally as "country salad," a mix of tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese and onion, all sliced -- plus some olives). Pronounciation: HorIAtiki

Also consider: moussaka, pastitsio (variety of lasagna), bekri meze - small pieces of pork in white wine sauce; spetzofai -- grilled sausage with onion and pepper; saganaki -- fried semi-hard cheese. Rack of lamb is also popular, known as Paidakia.

For dessert, ask baklava; galaktobouriko a custard pie similar to mille feuille. Other pastries are also worth tasting. Another must-try is yoghurt with honey: yoghurts in greek are really different from what you used to see at Danone stores.

For breakfast, head to local bakeries (fourno) and try fresh tiropita, a cheese pie, spanakopita, spinach pie, or bougatsa, a custard filled pie. All are delicious and famous among Greeks for quick breakfast eats. Each bakery does own rendition and you are never disappointed. Have this with a greek coffee to be local.

Cover fee

It's common to charge cover fee in cafes, like €0.4 to €1.5 per person.

Just-in-time

For things like bread and fresh orange juice, just-in-time principle is used: bread or oranges are bought right after the first order is taken. So don't be surprised if your waiter returns to cafe with a bag of oranges after accepting your order. And this is how fresh bread is guaranteed in most places.

Fast food

The very popular alternative to McDonalds in Greece is Goody's. A lot of taxi drivers use them as landmarks as well so it is handy to know where they exist.

Drink

Alcohol

Wines

Greece produces a rich variety of local wines, including table and fortified varieties. Greek wines are not known well on international market, as production costs are higher in Greece due to mountaneous relief.

With regard to alcohol, Greeks principally drink wine, "Krasi" (oinos: οίνος) and traditional spirits like ouzo, tsipouro, raki and tsikoudia (produced in Crete and is simmilar to the Italian grappa). Retsina is a 'resinated wine' made with pine tree sap or resin, with an excellent, unique, strong taste that can take some getting used to.... The flavour comes from pine resin, which was once employed as a sealant for wine flasks and bottles. Most well-known and cheap'n'dirty is "Kourtaki Retsina".

Local producers include:

• Boutari (regions: Peloponnese, Crete, Goumenissa, Santorini, Naoussa). http://www.boutari.gr
• Skouras (region of Peloponnese). http://www.skouraswines.com
• Gentilini (region of Crete). http://www.gentilini.gr. Recommended by Dorling Kindesley's Eyewitness Travel Guides: Greek Islands, 2001;
• region of Santorini:
  • Volcan Wines. http://greekproducts.com/volcanwines/. Also, a Volcan Wine Museum.
  • Santo Wines. http://www.santowines.gr
• Tsantali

See also:

Beer

Beer (bira: μπύρα) is consumed all around the country. Excellent local varieties like Mythos and Alpha, as well as Western European producing their own beer in Greece like Heineken and Amstel, are readily available mostly everywhere (North American beers generally are not). Heineken is affectionally known as "green," order it by saying "Mia Prasini."

Liquors

Spirits

Imported scotches, bourbons, gins, etc. are usually available in bars and kapheneia, especially in urban areas or places frequented by tourists. A speciality is ouzo (ούζο) an anise-flavoured spirit; another is Metaxa (Μεταξά), a variety of brandy. The quality of Metaxa is rated with stars, and as with hotels and restaurants, "you get what you pay for". Metaxa Ephta (seven stars) is considered superb. Other spirits include the Cretian tsikoudia (or Raki). The Greek name for your favorite spirit is often close to its native name: ουίσκι is whiskey.

Coffee

Coffee (kafes: καφές) is an important part of Greek culture. Kafeneia (coffee houses) are ubiquitous, found even in the smallest village (where they traditionally served a function similar to that of the village pub in Ireland). There are also many cafes that offer coffee, beer, wine, spirits - at night most of them function as bars. Coffee is prepared in the traditional manner with the grounds left in - but don't dare call this coffee 'Turkish' unless you want to start a heated political discussion! No local refers to it as Turkish so they probably won't know what you are asking for.

It is also made espresso-style, French press (mainly at hotels), and with modern filter technology (the latter is sometimes known as Γαλλικός: Gallikos - French - which can lead to some confusion with the press method. It is best to ask for φίλτρου: filtrou, which refers unambiguously to filter coffee).

In the summer especially, most people consume Frappe: Iced Greek Coffee (Φραπέ) [1]. It is really refreshing. Have with or without milk and to be of the young and hip-type sip on it for an hour or more. Recently in the summer Espresso or cappuccino freddo are also very popular [2]. Espresso Fredo is simply espresso + ice (no milk or foam); Cappuccino Fredo may be served from mousse containers, not prepared just-in-time -- be careful to check it.

Iced tea

In mass-sector taverns and cafe, iced tea typically mean NesTea or something similar. Ask twice if you prefer manually prepared ice tea.

Water

A glass of water is normally served with any drink you order; one glass for each drink. Some cafes which cater to tourists charge extra fee for water, especially if it's served in a bottle--even if you didn't ask for it. This is not included into cover fee, which normally goes a separate line.

Sleep

If you enjoy the local traditions and charm, unhurried rhythm of living: small, family-run pensions are the best way to enrich your experience. Owners and personnel there are friendly and open-minded, compared to stand-offs you normally meet in large hotels.

If you have a larger budget renting a villa is a luxurious and splendid idea. They are normally near or on the beach and provide more space and a great view.

Learn

Students from countries constituting the European Union may enter many sites for free. Students from other countries have their entrance fees reduced. So take your International Student Identity Card with you.

Work

August

August is high season in Greece. This is when all locals get their holiday and take time off work due to the religious holiday on August 15th, Panagias. In Greece they refer to it as their diakopes. The islands get filled with greeks, with most ferries at over-capacity. Expect headaches. It is also scorching hot and there are higher prices. Athenians leave Athens for their hometown villages and the city "empties-out" so to speak. Traffic is noticeably lighter in the city. Best to travel in Greece in the other spring/summer months. Note also that the highways leaving Athens are congested on Fridays and highways coming into Athens are congested on Sundays. This phenomena continues throughout the summer.

Stay safe

• It is strictly forbidden to take photos of military installations or other strategic locations. The Greek military will take violations quite seriously, and the unwary tourist can get into a lot of trouble.
• According to car rentals in Athens, you can safely leave luggage and other stuff in a car anywhere in continental Greece. Same applies to a car radio.
• Greece is one of the safest nations in Europe as both crime and theft rates are very low. However it is always advisable for foreign tourists to exercise basic precautionary measures.

Stay healthy

Hospitals can be quite a distance away if in a remote area and care might be slightly off, so be careful. Main cities have excellent health care.

Respect

Greeks rate politeness with a person's behaviour and not with words. Furthermore, there is an air of informality; everybody is treated like a cousin. They use their hands to gesture a lot. Have fun with this. Sometimes over-emphasizing politeness in spoken language will only make the person dealing with you think you are pretentious. It's nice to learn basic words like "thank you" or "please."

• Rude Gestures

Putting up the middle finger like Americans do means nothing to Greeks. To "swear" at someone using their hands, they will put out their entire hand, palm open, like signalling someone to stop. Sometimes they will do this by saying "Na" as well. It is basically telling someone to screw off or that they did something totally ridiculous.

• Cabbies

Cab drivers may try to rip you off if you flagrantly look like a tourist; take the bus if you're concerned about this. Athens has a great urban transport system, including trams, a metro, and an affordable bus system.

• Smoking

Greeks smoke tremendously, and they see cigarettes as a birth right. While Greeks take smoking pretty seriously, new laws are crunching down on smokers and they are more aware of second-hand smoke effects. Don't be afraid to tell a cab driver or someone to put out the butt if it is bothering you but they might bite back! Greece has only recently outlawed smoking in hospitals!!! Babysteps...

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