Greece is located in south-eastern Europe, on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula (Haemus peninsula); it lies at the meeting point of three continents – Europe, Asia and Africa. Greece borders to the North on Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.), to the Northwest on Albania, to the Northeast on Turkey; to the West it is washed by the Ionian Sea; to the South by the Mediterranean Sea and to the East by the Aegean Sea.
The total area of Greece is 131,957 km2 and consists of three main geographic areas:
- A peninsular mainland (that extends from the region of Central Greece on the South to the region of Thrace on the North) being the biggest geographic feature of the country
- The Peloponnese peninsula that is separated from the mainland by the canal of the Corinth Isthmus,
- And around 6.000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, most of them grouped in clusters that constitute the unique Greek archipelago. Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, the Dodecanese and the Cyclades are some of the famous and popular islands and island clusters in Greece.
Eighty percent of the country consists of mountains or hills, making Greece one of the most mountainous countries of Europe; furthermore, it has 16.000 kilometers of coastline of which 7500 are found around the thousands islands of the Greek archipelago, a truly unparalleled phenomenon on the European continent.
General Info
Capital of Greece: Athens
Official language: Greek
The currency : Euro(€)
Climate: Mediterranean
Population: 11.306.183 (2010 estimate)
The country is a Presidential Parliamentary Democracy
President of the Republic: Mr. Karolos Papoulias
Prime Minister: Mr. Panagiotis Pikramenos
Calling code: The international calling code of Greece is +30
Exchange Currencies
Greece is a Member-State of the European Union and uses its uniform currency – the Euro. Greece, as is the case with the other Member-States of the E.U. uses eight coins as follows: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents (lepta in Greek) and 1 and 2 Euros. The banknotes are issued in the following denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euros.
Currency exchange rates are clearly displayed in every bank that accepts currency exchange, while credit card holders may acquire money from the ATMs of the collaborating banks. Greek banks are open for the public from 8:00 to 14:30 Mondays to Thursdays and from 8:00 to 13:30 on Fridays. They are closed on Public Holidays.
Euros can also be exchanged for notes of other foreign currencies at exchange offices that are situated at the airport and certain main ports, in the larger cities, as well as at many tourist destinations. A passport is required when exchanging currencies.
Time Zone & Local Holidays
Time Greece: GMT +2
National celebrations and Holidays
New Years Day: 1st of January
Epiphany: 6th of January. Sea water is consecrated in the area of Piraeus. The priests throw the Cross into the sea and young men dive to catch it.
Ash Monday: 41 days before Easter. It is the day people begin the Lent. On Ash Monday Greeks fly kites, eat meatless food and celebrate Koulouma. Athenians gather on Philopappou Hill.
Independence Day and Celebration of Evaggelismos: 25th of March. Military parade.
Easter: From Holy Friday until Easter Monday. On Holy Friday evening every church decorates the Epitaph (Bier of Christ). During the procession of the Epitaph the streets of every city or village in the country are full of people. It is a religious procession where everybody holds lit candles in their hands and sings hymns.
Night of the Resurrection: It is celebrated in midnight before Easter Sunday with fireworks and candles.
Easter Sunday: On Easter Sunday Greeks eat barbecue lamb. The celebrations include singing and dancing all day long.
Labor Day: 1st of May. Flower feasts all around Athens.
Pentecost: It is celebrated 50 days after Easter.
Assumption of the Virgin Mary: 15th of August.
28th of October: National Celebration. Military parade.
Christmas: 25th-26th of December.
Health and Safety
In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from member states of the European Union (EU) wishing to visit Greece must be holders of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal Community document issued by their competent social security agency.
In these cases, the necessary treatment in Greece is provided by:
- The IKA (Social Security Institute) Health Units (polyclinics) or doctor’s offices in the region;
- Regional clinics (former rural clinics) or the Health Centres of the National Health System; and
- The outpatients’ departments of the hospitals on contract
In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from countries other than the member states of the European Union wishing to visit Greece must consult their social security agency for information before travelling.
In case of emergency call:
Ambulance Service: 166
SOS Doctors : 1016
Duty Hospitals and Clinics: 1434
Pharmacies: 1434
Open Line for alcohol drug Addiction: 210 3617089
Poisoning First Aid: 210 7793777
Police: 100
Before you travel
Before you travel in Greece, it is advisable to bear in mind the following:
- Depending on your country of origin, you might need a passport and a visa; you could obtain a visa through the Greek consulate nearest to your residence.
- Call your bank or your credit card company to let them know that you will be using it in Greece.
- The Electric Current in Greece is 230V AC (50Hz). Appliances from North America require a transformer and British ones an adaptor.
- In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from member states of the European Union (EU) wishing to visit Greece must be holders of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal Community document issued by their competent social security agency. Tourists from countries other than the member states of the European Union must consult their social security agency for information before travelling.
- Contact your phone company in order to make sure that your can use your mobile phone in Greece.
As a consumer, you are protected by Greek consumer protection law for all transactions you make while travelling in the country.
Climate - Weather
Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall.
Due to the country's geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate.
In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.
The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered. Moreover, a common phenomenon is the occurrence of different climactic conditions during the same season (for instance, mild heat in coastal areas and cool temperatures in mountainous regions).
Time Zone & Local Holidays
Time Greece: GMT +2
Passports & Visas
Greece is a Member-State of the European Union and has ratified the Schengen Agreement. Citizens traveling inside the E.U. just need to display their police I.D. Card without the need of a passport. However, a passport is necessary for a number of other transactions, such as currency exchange, purchases, etc.
Visas are not required by citizens of Member-States of the Schengen Agreement. Greece follows the provisions of the Schengen Agreement, which abolished controls on common internal lands, at air and sea borders and allows Member-State citizens to travel around without a visa for a short stay period of up to three (3) months. However, airlines and other carriers require a valid passport and/or police I.D. Card or other form of official identification means.
Citizens of the majority of the countries that are not Member-States of the Schengen Agreement require a visa to enter Greece and the E.U. Visitors from these countries can obtain further information from the Hellenic Embassies or Consulates in their countries, or even from their travel agencies.
Visas are not required by holders of valid passports from the following non-E.U. countries if they want to visit Greece and remain in the country for up to 3 months (90 days) within a chronological period of 6 months:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Israel
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Monaco
- New Zealand
- Vatican
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Saint Marino
- Singapore
- South Korea
- USA
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
Note: During their stay in Greece, visitors with a visa must also have suitable insurance coverage for emergency medical or other needs.
Accommodation
Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide, as every year it welcomes more than 12 million tourists, placing it among the top ranked countries on the World Tourism Organization’s list of countries with inbound tourists (according to WTO data).
Over the past several decades, a large- or small-scaled polymorphic and modern tourist complexes have developed in order to cater to the demands and accommodation needs of every visitor.
Greece’s hotel accommodation potential amounts to around 8,900 units with a total number of 352,000 rooms.
Moreover, most of the tourist areas have a significant number of rooms for rent, which operate under the special operational seal of G.N.T.O., while more than 340 camp-sites with 30,000 spots and 2,500 small houses are operating throughout the country. Most tourist lodgings have been recently renovated and upgraded and now offer high-quality modern facilities.
Types of Accommodation
- Hotels: (standard type, traditional guesthouses, agro tourist lodgings, etc).
- Rooms for rent
- Apartments for rent
- Tourist residences and villas: self-catering dwellings provided in various sizes as holiday accommodations, depending on the needs of the tourists.
- Camping: organized places for camping throughout Greece which operate under the official G.N.T.O. seal. They provide places for tents or caravans, as well as small bungalows, while their facilities provide a wide range of services. Places can be booked through travel agencies. You can get information through the search form of the Pan-Hellenic Camping Association. Free-range camping or parking outside legal camp-sites is not permitted.
- Youth hostels
Civilization
Civilization is the total sum of the material and cultural achievements of a group of people. Culture and art are two concepts closely interwoven, as art is the characteristic expression of the culture of a given period. Arts such as architecture, sculpture, pottery, weaving, music, jewelry making and painting have a long-term tradition in Greece, where civilizations had already developed in Prehistoric Years.
Little is known to date to the Paleolithic Era in Greece, but quite a lot is known about the Neolithic Period that followed (approx. 7th – 4th Millennium B.C.) and its civilization, which is traced mainly in areas that included Thessaly and Macedonia.
Civilizations with impressive achievements developed during the Bronze Age (approx. 3000 – 1150 B.C.) in the Northeastern Aegean, the Cyclades (its trademark being the large-sized marble figurines), Crete and the Greek Mainland. The civilizations that flourished during the 2nd Millennium in the two regions, known as the Minoan and the Mycenaean Periods respectively, are considered to be the first of the great civilizations in Greece. Architectural remains (e.g. palaces), as well as pottery work, stone carving (vessels, seal stones), metallurgy (vessels, weapons), jewelry making and paintings (murals) were impressive and representative works of these civilizations.
During the historical years, the civilizations of the Geometric Period (9th – 8th Century B.C.) and the Archaic Period (7th – 6th Century B.C.) were considered to be the forerunners of the culture found in the Classical Period (5th – 4th Century B.C.). The Classical works of art, with their ideal proportions and beauty, expressed the philosophical ideals of their times, and were the model of the European Renaissance Era of the 15th Century A.D. Greek civilization developed during the subsequent Hellenistic Years (3rd – 1st Century B.C.) and the Roman Years (1st Century B.C. – 3rd Century A.D.), within the framework of large kingdoms and an empire respectively.
Greek civilization again flourished -within the framework of an empire- during the Byzantine Years (early, middle and late - 4th – 15th Century A.D.), while civilization in more recent times was marked by the Ottoman occupation and the emergence of the new Hellenic State after the Greek War of Independence (1821-1830).
A visit to archaeological sites, museums and monuments throughout the country provides a vivid picture of the civilizations in Greece and their accomplishments in arts and technology from the Prehistoric Era to modern times.
The traditional heritage of a country is the sum of the cultural and material achievements bequeathed by previous generations. Folk culture for the Greek people, rich in music, dances, poetry and theatre is part of their every day life. All over the country have been created many specialized museums and cultural organizations aiming to preserve and study the Greek traditional heritage.