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Travellers Essentials
When To Go
The best time to visit is from mid-May to mid-June and
from mid-September to the latter part of October, when
the temperatures are mild. The winter months are generally
fine for touring, but it’s usually too cold to swim or
lie on the beach. Greece has fairly little rain year-round.
The breeze that keeps the summer bearable is called meltemia.
Tipping
In restaurants, it can get rather confusing, but it is customary
to leave some extra change on your plate for the waiter and
some other extra change on the table for the busboy. This
is assuming that the service charge has already been included.
If it hasn’t, standard tipping rules apply. Generally,
menus in restaurants will show prices with tip on one side
and without tip on the other. If you’re unsure about what
has or has not been included on your bill, don’t be afraid
to ask. Don’t tip cab drivers.
Passports and Visas
All visitors are required to have a valid passport of 6 months
except for EU nationals with a valid national ID card and
with sufficient funds for their length of stay, as well as
nationals of Monaco and Switzerland with valid national ID
cards.
Visa are required from most nationals. Please check with
your local Greek embassy or consulate office.
Health Regulations
Codeine, which is commonly found in headache preparations,
is banned in Greece and you may face prosecution if you bring
it into the country.
Time Zone
Two hours ahead of GMT/UTC; three hours ahead during daylight.
Currency
The currency that is used in Greece are Drachma (Dr).
Getting There
Greece has 16 international airports and has air links to
every major city in Europe. In addition, there are direct
flights to and from the USA, Canada, Australia and various
Asian cities. There are also frequent flights to and from
Istanbul and Sofia. Cheap charter flights are available from
London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris to Athens, Thessaloniki
and some of the islands.
By land, there are road connections from Turkey, Bulgaria,
Albania and Macedonia. There are also trains from Macedonia
and Turkey. Travelling to Greece on an Inter-rail or Eurail
pass does not necessarily entail travel through Macedonia,
however, as the ferry-crossing from Italy is often included
in the ticket. Alternatively, take trains through Hungary
and Bulgaria to avoid the trouble spots.
There are ferries from Brindisi, Bari and Otranto in Italy,
and from various Aegean ports in Turkey. There are also boats
from Israel and Cyprus.
Banking Hours
Mon-Thur 8 am-2 pm, Fri 8 am-1:30 pm.
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