essential journey necessities for Greece
Primary Details about Greece
Greece is a part of Europe and is located within the southern Mediterranean between Italy and Turkey and south of Albania and Bulgaria on the southern finish of the Balkan Peninsula. In Greece, it’s really often called Hellas with its official identify being the Hellenic Republic “Helliniki Dimokratia”.
It consists of 132,000 sq kilometres of land together with 227 inhabited islands. The inhabitants is just below 11 million folks.
The faith is East Orthodoxy ( Christian) , they drive on the right-hand aspect of the street and the calling code is +30.
Learn how to get to Greece
Most guests arrive in Greece via Athens however it is usually potential to reach by way of a lot of different International Airports on islands reminiscent of Crete, Rhodes, Santorini, Skiathos and Corfu and on the mainland at Thessaloniki, Kavala, Kalamata and Preveza.
It’s also widespread for guests to reach by sea on each cruise ships and personal yachts and charters in addition to by practice and street.
What to see and do in Greece
Greece has many incredible destinations and is taken into account house to among the most stunning and fascinating websites on the planet. There are 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites with one other 16 into account.
Most individuals wish to see the Greek Islands and significantly the much-photographed islands of Santorini and Mykonos within the Cyclades Group of islands.
There are 6 island teams – the Cyclades, the Dodacannese, the Saronic islands, the Sporades Islands, the Northern Aegean islands, the Ionian Islands, and Crete, so island hopping within the Greek Islands could be well-liked however it does require some analysis, as most of those teams don’t join with one another by ferry or flights.
Some islands are very romantic and are great for couples while others are great for families and lots of are good for solo travellers.
There are additionally some unimaginable issues to see on the mainland together with Athens – historic websites like Delphi and Olympia in addition to locations of appreciable pure magnificence and surprise reminiscent of Meteora and Mt Athos. The northern metropolis of Thessaloniki can also be fantastic with some unimaginable websites and sights shut by. It’s additionally very reasonably priced too.
The Peloponnese peninsula is gaining popularity and is assumed by many to be the ‘actual Greece’. It’s one in every of our favorite components of Greece, the truth is anyplace actually.
Cash, change charges and tipping
The official foreign money of Greece is the Euro.
Money continues to be very a lot appreciated and bank card services in distant areas could also be scarce, however typically, Visa and Mastercard are extensively accepted.
Legally you will need to at all times be given a receipt together with and clearly displaying the native taxes.
Tipping is a contentious problem. It’s not customary to tip in Europe and the system may be very completely different to say, the USA, however ideas are at all times appreciated after all. For those who really feel your tour information, driver or restaurant waiter did an incredible job then 10% is a reasonably widespread tip.
Passports, Visas, and different protocols
Greece is a member of the European Union and as such all residents of the 26 nations which have signed the Schengen Agreement don’t require a visa.
Different nations reminiscent of Singapore, Australia and the USA additionally don’t require one however a number of nations do. Verify the official Government website to make sure.
Passports want 3 months clear validity ( ie. doesn’t expire till the day after you arrive house at least), however many transit nations require 6 months so we suggest that at least.
You should still be required to have a destructive Covid take a look at if embarking on a Cruise.
Once more, examine the official Government website for extra info.
Learn how to get round Greece
Transport across the nation varies and will be at instances woefully insufficient or excellent. Personal drivers aren’t as widespread nor as reasonably priced as in some nations however do exist in some well-liked areas.
The practice and bus network shouldn’t be as fashionable or environment friendly as these in say, France or Italy however the Ferry network might be essentially the most in depth and efficient on the planet.
In Athens taxi drivers, like many cities, is usually a bit hit or miss so it pays to have the small print of a trusted one. For personal transfers, we use and suggest CATTaxi and if you happen to use the Promo code “GTS” while you ebook by this link you’ll obtain an extra 10% off. For those who do catch a taxi make sure that the meter is on!
For port and ferry transfers you’ll be able to ebook by way of this article too.
For Ferries we use Ferryhopper and we invariably hire a car at every vacation spot even when it’s only for a day or two.
Greek Tradition
The Tradition in Greece is wealthy and assorted and is over 6000 years outdated.
There are a selection of issues that make it so distinctive together with the world-famous Greek Hospitality however there’s additionally the distinctive structure, food, dancing, music and extra. The Greek Language is without doubt one of the oldest on the planet and it at all times pays to know a few key phrases in your journey.
We’ve plenty of sources together with a whole page on the Greek Culture in addition to a Recipe page, and an article full of reading suggestions, one with our recommended Greek Playlist and one other about movies set in Greece as effectively.
For those who’re a historical past buff then be sure you take a look at this article on Greek Mythology and the place to see essentially the most wonderful archeological websites.
Additional studying: Frequently Asked Questions about Greece
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