General Information for Greece

The Best Season for Travel to Greece

July and August are great if you are prepared. It's more crowded and rooms are harder to find but the island nightlife is jumping and the beaches are lively. If you are of college age or mind this is the time for you since this is when all the students who are lucky enough to not have to work are traveling. If you are older bring plenty of sunscreen and alka-seltzer. In August all of Athens is on vacation so book rooms and ferries in advance. Be aware August 15th is the biggest holiday of the summer and the boats going to the islands before and coming back after that day are crowded and you will need to book in advance. But if you can't get to an island the 15th is a great time to be in Athens because everyone is gone. If you are planning to be in Greece in August don't wait til the last minute to book a room because you may not find one.

May-June and September-October are my favorite months. The weather is perfect and the kids are in school so it's quieter. There is still some nightlife but the beaches are almost free of people on the less mainstream islands. You may get a day of rain but it usually adds a little excitement. This is a time to go to the islands like Mykonos, Santorini, and Rhodes because most of the tourists are gone.

November to March can be cold and rainy but it can also be like Indian Summer. Athens comes alive during these months and there is nothing like a night out in the city. The ruins which are dry and dusty in the summer are covered with Grass. Christmas and New Year's is one of my favorite times to be in Athens even if it may rain or snow. I am always rewarded with at least a few days of glorious weather. Apokreas is Greece's Crnival Season and this is one of the best times to be in Athens. It is usually in February and can often coincide with the Alkyonis, a period of warm weather lasting two weeks or more when it is more like spring than winter.

Easter is a very special time to be in Greece.  In the islands it is like high-season so book in advance because if you just show up you may not find a room.

You can find info on weather and what to pack in my Athens Guide at www.athensguide.com/weather.html

New! See my new pages for Off-Season Travel in Greece at www.greektravel.com/winter

Internet Cafes and Access in Greece

The Museum Internet Cafe at 46 Patision street, is an actual cafe. It is located right next to the National Archeological Museum. The Plaka Internet World at 29 Pandrossou Street is owned by Pavlos Georgiadis, a Greek who has lived much of his life in Germany. This is another good place to get your e-mail or hang out and do things that people do when they are addicted to computers.To find Pavlos just enter on the ground floor and keep climbing the stairs until you are wondering how much further can it be and then you will be there. Great view from the balcony. Also Bits and Bytes on Aeolis Street in Monastiraki and other locations around central Athens. There are also internet cafes in Mykonos , Santorini, Lesvos and probably every other island by now. Getting your e-mail is not a problem in Greece.

Some hotels have internet access but you have to pay an all day rate that varies with the category of the hotel. It can be as much as 18 euros a day. The Hotel Attalos however has free wireless so you can sit in the computer center with your laptop and get your e-mail at no charge. And if you don't have your computer with you they have a couple computers you can use for free.

Most of the computer shops are located in Exarchia near the Polytechnic but there are others scattered throughout the city. But if you have any trouble with your laptop go to Voulis Street between Ermou and Kara Servias streets and find the Plaisio computer store and they have everything and almost everyone who works there speaks English. There are also Germanos Shops all over and they can be helpful too.

If you are bringing a laptop chances are it will convert to 220 current automatically. But you will still need to buy an adapter so the plug will fit in the socket. You can buy one at any electric store, many of which are located on Praxitelous street below Syntagma Square. But you should be aware that if one of your plug protrusions (or whatever those things are called) is a little bit bigger then the other, make sure that the adapter you buy also has one hole bigger then the other or you will only meet with frustration and sorrow.

If you need to have a laptop for work then bring it but if you are just bringing it to get e-mail or to feel secure I have to warn you that it can be a big hassle and connecting in one palce will be different connecting in another. For e-mail you are better off going to internet cafes.

Phones in Greece

Making a phone call from anywhere in Greece has always been a pain. Most people buy the phone cards that are usable in some of the phones some of the time if you don't mind waiting in line. Or you can call from your hotel for five times the normal rate. Or you can ask in every store, restaurant, cafe or newsstand if you can make a call.

A few years ago I found the answer to my problems. I bought a cellular phone. I got a phone, with my own number that I gave to all my friends in America and Greece. No contracts like in the USA. Incoming calls are free. People can find you at anytime and if you don't want them to find you (or want to be selective) there is free voice mail service. 

Greece Travel-Phones will sell you a phone charged and ready to go and will give you your phone number before you leave home so you can put it on your answering machine and give to your family and friends (if you want them to have it). Not only that but you can send Greece Travel-Phones the numbers of your family and friends and they will be programed into your phone for quick and easy dialing(no trying to figure out access codes). They will also set up your answering service. They deliver your phone to your hotel, to the airport or anywhere you like, even on the islands, charged and ready to use.

For more info see www.greecetravel.com/phones

Buses and Trolleys in Athens
Bus and Trolley Tickets can be bought at most kiosks. When you get on the bus stick the ticket in the machine. Don't get caught on a bus without a ticket or one that has not been validated. It's expensive and embarrassing. You can buy tickets for the metro at the stations. 

Take a Ride on the Metro!
The new Athens Metro is now 98% complete. There are a couple lines up and running. Well worth a visit is the Metro station at Syntagma (Constitution) Square. It might be the best museum in Athens if not the most beautiful metro station in the world. One wall is a cuttaway of an excavation where you can see the different periods of Greek History. There are also ancient artifacts on display plus giant photos of Athens from the beginning of the century. In fact almost every metro station has some kind of interesting exhibit going on. The Athens Coastal Tram opened in time for the Olympics and starts at Syntagma and goes to the beach.
 
Taxis in Greece
Taxis have gotten a bad name in Athens because of the unfortunate behavior of a few but there is no reason to be afraid of them since the vast majority are very nice. The only difficulty is in finding one that is not full or is willing to take you where you need to go. You can get the hotel to call a radio taxi if you need to go somewhere. I use George the Famous Taxi Driver and his crew when I am going to the port or the airport but particularly when I am arriving in Greece or at the port. Usually when you get off the ferry there are about 4 taxis for 500 people. If you have one reserved he won't take anyone but you.
See also www.greecetravel.com/taxi

Tourist Info in Greece
At the GREEK NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION (EOT) office you can get the weekly ferry and bus schedules, a free map of Greece, a free map of Athens, fares, brochures and so on. They are located on Amalias Street across from the National Gardens. You can get maps of Athens at most hotels and some will have the very helpful map of Greece that EOT so generously provides for free. Ferry schedules are in the Athens News which comes out on Friday. It can also be found at www.athensguide.com/greek-island-ferry-schedules .If you need the times for boats weeks or months from now you can still e-mail me and I can give you some idea of the times and frequency of the boats to wherever it is you want to go. Don't bother asking for schedules for boats going between the islands. Some islands I may have a fair idea but if you are looking for schedules so you can book your hotels the best advice I can give you is to look on the internet and find the island you want to visit and even research hotels. But book with a reliable travel agency in Greece who will make sure there is a boat going when you have to be there and can help you get the best rates at these hotels. Anyway I spend 5 hours a day answering e-mail from travelers and no question is too dumb to take seriously. So don't be ashamed. E -mail me at matt@greecetravel.com

See Also www.greecetravel.com/ferryboats
For Buses and trains go to www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo
For a map of Athens see www.athensguide.com/map/athens.htm
For a map of Greece see www.greektravel.com/maps/greece.html

Changing Money in Greece
I usually change around $100 to euros at the airport in America before I get on my flight in case there is a line at the exchange booths at the Athens airport or they are closed or some unforseen problem. But changing money at the airport in Athens is not a problem. There is even an exchange in the baggage claim so you can change your money while you watch for your bags. Once you get into the Athens itself there are banks and exchange services, especially around Syntagma (Constitution) Square and in the Plaka. There are banks on the islands and some hotels will change money too but check rates and comissions. There are also ATM machines everywhere now. Changing money is not a big deal. You can get travelers checks or use your credit card.

Assistance for Foreigners
 Dorian Kokas has suffered every indignity possible within the Greek bureaucratic system. Dorian's story of obtaining a driver's license illustrates his finely tuned sense of the absurd. If you are planning on moving to Greece you should read this. Should you need assistance in Greece with Visas, residence permits, customs, starting a business, getting a job, finding a house, getting married, Greek-American military obligations, taxes or any advice on getting through the system see www.athensguide.com/dorian

The Athens News has a list of hospitals, pharmacies, and emergency numbers. There is also helpful information at www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo

Getting Married in Greece
This seems to be the thing to do these days and it can be easy and expensive or cheap and difficult. To see what the options are visit:www.greecetravel.com/weddings  

Questions about Greece? You can e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com

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