Greece

Quick Facts

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Capital

Athens

Population

10,666,000

Government

Parliamentary Republic

Religions

Christianity (Greek Orthodox)

Languages

Greek, English, French

Calling Code

+30

Nationality

Greek

Local name

Hellas (Ελλάδα)

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Introduction

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Greece hit its stride well before Christ was born, making it one of the oldest and most influential world civilizations. Western art, politics and philosophy all took significant cues from Ancient Greece. Very few countries can rival the richness of Greece's history. Philosophers like Plato, Socrates and Aristotle formulated some of history's most important ideas here. Today, ancient sites like the Parthenon and Delphi survive to be awe-inspiring spectacles for the throngs of tourists who flock to them. Many of Greece's cities date back milleniums, and despite modernity rearing its head, the character of these places still retains their ancient tradition.

Greece is a destination with more than enough attractions to lure you there and plenty of surprises to keep you dazzled. After you have seen all the touristy hot spots, head for one of Greece's many fine Mediterranean beaches, stretch out, close your eyes and let the sounds of a land of dreams wash over you.

Brief History

Geography

Greece can be divided roughly into two areas. The first area is the mainland which starts in the north on the border of Macedonia and extends pretty far south. The second area is the islands that make most of Greece and what makes Greece famous. These islands vary greatly in size and presence. Many of the islands are very small while other such as Crete are very large. The mainland of Greece is also very diverse because most of it is mountainous making the highlands much cooler then the coast.

Regions

At the broadest administrative level, Greece is divided into thirteen peripheries.

• Attica
• Central Greece
• Central Macedonia
• Crete
• East Macedonia and Thrace
• Epirus
• Ionian Islands
• North Aegean
• Peloponnese
• South Aegean
• Thessaly
• West Greece
• West Macedonia
• Mount Athos

Cities

• Athens
• Thessaloniki
• Heraklion
• Patrai
• Larissa
• Fira, Santorini
• Oia
• Naxos Town

Sights and Activities

Parthenon

Originally built in the 5th century BC the Parthenon(Παρθενών) is the most famous ruin in all of Greece. This building was built as a temple to Athena in Athens. This building also represents an enduring symbol of Athenian democracy. It has many excellent examples of ancient Greek architecture and art work on the inside. The temple has had many forms in the different eras of occupation ranging from a temple to Athena, to a christian church to a mosque. Today it is one of the most popular tourist sights in all of Greece.

Delphi

If a traveller wants to know the future then Delphi(Δελφοί) is the place to go! This town was the home to the oracle of a Delphi, which was the most important oracle in all of ancient Greece. Many of an empire has fallen and risen because of the predictions of these oracles. Delphi is also the home to several amazing other ruins including one of the best temples to Apollo and a treasury that stored all the money the oracles made because reading the future is not cheap. The archaeological site of Delphi is on the Unesco World Heritage List.

Party Islands

Although the price of Greece has gone up in recent years there is still plenty of options for youngsters looking for a wild time. The most famous party island is Ios, which until lately was famous for being the burial place of the famous poet Homer. Now Ios is an all night party center 365 days a year. Other famous party islands are Kos, Mykonos and even the larger Crete has great night life in certain towns. A major plus is all these islands also have amazing beaches to hang out while recovering from a hangover.

Other Sights and Activities

• Nightlife: Party the night away in one of Athens night clubs.
• Beaches: Spend a few days at one of Greece's many fine beaches.
• Acropolis: Go to this hill top area of Athens to see many famous buildings.
• Ferries ride on ferries rides around to the different islands across this nation.
• Mount Olympus is a great climb and is the mountain that is the home to the gods.
• Church of St Spyridon is an amazing traditional Greek Orthodox Church in Corfu.

Events and Festivals

Most of Greece practices the religion of Greek Orthodox. The Greek Orthodox church has several events and festivals that are unique to the sect. Remember that many of these holidays involve Greek Orthodox saints that are not in the Catholic or Protestant tradition. Also because of the remoteness of many islands there are countless locals holidays that are wroth exploring and seeing.

Weather

The weather of Greece can be categorized into the three areas of the Mediterranean, the Alpine and the Temperate climates. All three areas are affected strongly by the Pindus Mountain range, which makes the western side of the country wetter on average. Most of the Mediterranean area has mild wet winters with hot dry summers. Temperatures infrequently reach extremes but the occasional snow storm has been known to happen, even in the far south.

The Alpine area is in the mountainous areas of Northwestern Greece as well as some of the central areas at higher elevations. This area of the country has cold winters with common snow storms and cool summers. The temperate areas of the country are in Central Macedonia, East Macedonia and Thrace. This area can have cold damp winters and hot dry summers. Athens is an odd example because the city exists in both the mediterranean climate and the temperate climate at the same time. Depending on where a traveller stays in Athens affects what the weather will be like that time of year.

Getting There

By Plane

Olympic Airlines is the national airline of Greece and is based at Athens International Airport (ATH) near the capital. Destinations with this airline include Alexandria, Amsterdam, Berlin, Cairo, Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Paris, Toronto and Vienna. Aegean Airlines has several flights within Europe as well, including Rome, Milan and Düsseldorf. Many European airlines have direct flights to Athens and charterflights mainly in the summermonts but increasingly outside the season serve dozens of islands of Greece.
Easyjet is a lowcost airline serving Athens from London, Berlin, Paris and Milan.

From and to Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG) are flights as well with several dozens of European airlines flying here.

By Train

There is train service to most Greek cities on the mainland. The best way is to catch a train to Athens then go to other areas of the country by train or ferry. Remember that most of Greece is islands, which makes train travel a little harder.

By Car

By Bus

It is possible to validate bus tickets on the bus.

By Boat

There are dozens of ferries to and from Greece. Apart from the ones mentioned below, you might find even more connections on Greek Ferries website or another one about Ferries to and from Greece.

Italy

• Anek Lines between Patras and Trieste and Ancona.
• Anek Lines between Corfu and Brindisi, Ancona and Trieste.
• Anek Lines between Igoumenitsa and Trieste, Ancona and Brindisi.
• Minoan Lines between Patras and Ancona.
• Minoan Lines between Corfu and Brindisi and Venice.
• Minoan Lines between Igoumenitsa and Venice and Brindisi.
• Superfast Ferries between Patras and Ancona and Bari.
• Superfast Ferries between Corfu and Brindisi.
• Superfast Ferries Igoumenitsa and Ancona, Brindisi and Bari.
• Blue Star Ferries between Patras and Ancona.
• Ventouris Ferries between Patras and Bari.
• Ventouris Ferries between Corfu and Brindisi and Bari.
• Ventouris Ferries Igoumenitsa and Brindisi and Bari.
• Helenic Mediterranean Lines between Corfu and Brindisi.
• Helenic Mediterranean Lines Igoumenitsa and Brindisi.
• Helenic Mediterranean Lines between Zante and Brindisi.
• SNCM between Pireús and Genoa.

Turkey

• Fergün Shipping Company between has ferries to Samos, Rhodos, Kos and Chios from Cesme, Kusadasi, Marmaris, Bodrum and Yalikavak on the west and southwest coast of Turkey.
• A few private companies have connections beetween Lesbos and Ayvalik and between Rhodes and Fethiye.

Getting Around

By Plane

Olympic Airlines has domestic flights to many destinations including Alexandroupolis, Chania, Chios, Corfu, Heraklion, Ioannina, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kithira, Kos, Limnos, Milos, Mykonos, Mytilene, Naxos, Paros, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Sitia, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos. Aegean Airlines has a share of domestic flights as well.

By Train

The Hellenic Railways Organisation operates a network of train, most of them originating and terminating in or near Athens (Larissa for the north and Peloponnissos for the south). Trains north stop in Thessaloniki, Livadia, Paleofarsala, Larissa, Plati, Edessa, Florina, Seres, Drama, Komotini and Alexandroupolis while trains south stop in Kiato, Xylokastra, Diakofto, Patras, Olympia, Argos, Tripoli, Megalopolis and Kalamata. Most destinations are served on a daily basis with some destinations having more frequent services. The most important thing to remember is to validate your train ticket before getting on the train every time because the punishment is a hefty fine. The validating machine is usually pretty close to the train but sometimes can be difficult to find.

By Car

The road network in Greece has a good standard and most roads are paved. The driving skills in Greece on the other hand are one of the worst in Europe with relatively high mortality rates. Just watch out and be defensive yourself. Most international and a number of local companies offer rental cars at airports, bigger cities and some hotels. Especially on some of the islands, it is a pleasant way of seeing a lot in your own pace.

A national driver's licence for EU citizens is enough, others need an international one. You can also bring your own car if you are from the EU for six months, sometimes 15 months. Be sure to have decent insurance (green card for EU members).

By Bus

Dozens of bus companies serve a number of national, regional or local routes and for longer trips you might contact KTEL which has most long distance bus services in Greece. Especially to places without a train link, these buses fit in perfectly. It is possible to validate bus tickets on the bus.

By Boat

There are numerous ferry connections because there are so many islands that are part of Greece. On the mainland the most used ports where ferries originate or terminate include Piraeus and Rafina. Others which have regular sailings to the islands are Alexandroupolis, Igoumenitsa, Kavala, Kyllini, Patras, Thessaloniki and Volos. Routes from Piraeus usually go to the Argo-Saronic, Cyclades, Dodacanese and the Northeast Aegean island chains and also to Crete and other mainland ports as far as Thessaloniki. From Rafina there are slightly less connections. On some routes, faster hydrofoil services operate. There are two classes on most ships (first and second) and couchettes are available on night trips. In summer, book well in advance.

Although remember that time schedules are not an exact science in Greece. Therefore many ferries leave early or more often extremely late from port. This means do not depend on time schedules ever! Always get to port a little early and be prepared to wait. You will usually get there on the same day but if you plan to take a morning ferry and catch an evening flight it might be a risky gamble. However there are no open container laws in Greece, so kicking back with a beer and a gyro is a good option while waiting for a boat.

Check the Greek Travel Pages for an impression about companies, schedules and prices, as the choice is very wide. Or check the Greek Ferries website or another one about Ferries between islands in Greece.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may enter without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

Money

See also: Money Matters

Greece has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone. The coin for Greece has an olympic discus thrower on the backside.

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Greek food is amazing! A trip to Greece without trying many kinds of local food would be a waste of time. Greek food is an amazing blend of Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisine. Another great thing is this amazing food changes with every island and depending on the region. If on one of the islands or the coast there will be amazing seafood. If in the mountains be prepared for lots of lamb and feta cheese. A trip to Greece is not complete without trying some soivalki, moussaka or spanakopita which are all amazing dishes. Remember that the Greeks put olive oil on everything!

As warning Greece is not a vegetarian friendly country. Once outside the major cities or resort areas restaurants tend to mix everything together. If a vegetarian stick to the Greek Salad.

Sleep

Drink

Ouzo

Ouzo (ούζο) is the main liquor of Greece. This clear anise-flavored spirit can go down deceptively smooth and is dirt cheap in the islands. It takes back to Byzantine times but did not become popular until the 19th century following Greek independence. The island of Lesbos claims to the originator of the drink and to this day is one of the major producers of ouzo. One interesting feature of ouzo is if water or ice is added to it the liquid it will turn a milky color.

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