Greece Travel Tips Overview

GENERAL INFORMATION.

Area
131,957 sq km (50,949 sq miles).

Population
11,018,400 (official estimate 2003).

Population Density
83.5 per sq km.

Capital
Athens.
Population: 745, 514 (2001); Greater Athens 3,192,606 (2001).

Government
Republic.
Head of State: President Konstantinos Stefanopoulos since 1995.
Head of Government: Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis since March 2004.

Language
Greek (Ellenika). Most people connected with tourism and those of a younger generation will speak some English, French, German or Italian.

Religion
97 per cent Greek Orthodox, with Muslim, Roman Catholic and Jewish minorities.

Time
GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are used.

Communications


Telephone
IDD is available throughout the mainland and islands. The Greek telecommunication network supplier is Organismos Telepikinonion Ellados (OTE). Country code: 30, followed by (2100) for Athens, (2310) for Thessaloniki and (2810) for Heraklion (all area codes are prefixed with 2 and end with 0). Outgoing international code: 00.

Mobile telephone
GSM 900 and 1800 networks exist. Coverage is good around the major towns on the mainland and on many islands. Main operators include Cosmote.

Fax
Main post offices and large hotels have facilities.

Telegram
There are telegram facilities in main post offices and large hotels in all Greek cities and the major islands.

Internet
Internet cafes are available in the main cities, including Athens, Thessaloniki and the islands Crete, Kos, Mykonos, Rhodes and Skiathos. ISPs include Cosmote, Hellas Online, Panafon and STET.

Post
All letters, postcards, newspapers and periodicals will automatically be sent by airmail. There are Poste Restante facilities at most post offices throughout the country. Advance notice is required at all Athens branches except for the central office at 180 Eolou Street. A passport must be shown on collection. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1400, Sat 0800-1330.

Press
There are numerous daily newspapers in Athens including Eleftherotypia, Kathimerini and Ta Nea. Athens Daily Post and Athens News are both published daily in English.

Radio
BBC World Service and Voice of America can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

Public Holidays

Jan 1 2005:    New Year’s Day.
Jan 6:    Epiphany.
Mar 14:    Orthodox Shrove Monday.
Mar 25:    Independence Day.
Apr 29:    Orthodox Good Friday.
May 1:    Labor Day.
May 2:    Orthodox Easter Monday.
Jun 20:    Day of the Holy Spirit.
Aug 15:    Assumption.
Oct 28:    Ochi Day.
Dec 25:    Christmas Day.
Dec 26:    Boxing Day.
Jan 1 2006:    New Year’s Day.
Jan 6:    Epiphany.
Feb 27:    Orthodox Shrove Monday.
Mar 25:    Independence Day.
Apr 14:    Orthodox Good Friday.
Apr 17:    Orthodox Easter Monday.
May 1:    Labor Day.
Jun 5:    Day of the Holy Spirit.
Aug 15:    Assumption.
Oct 28:    Ochi Day.
Dec 25:    Christmas Day
Dec 26:    Boxing Day.

Special Events
For a complete list, contact the Greek/Hellenic National Tourism Organization (see General Info section). The following is a selection of special events occurring in Greece in 2005:

Jan:    Feast of St Basil (the New Year’s Cake is sliced, and the person whose slice contains a coin is said to have good luck for the coming year), nationwide; The Gynaecocratia (celebrates matriarchy with men and women reversing roles for the day), Kilkis, Komotini, Serres and Xanthi.
Jan 6:    Epiphany (a cross is thrown into rivers, lakes and seas as the blessing of the waters takes place), nationwide.
Feb 7:    Shrove Monday (the first day of Lent is welcomed with picnics in the country, kite flying and other special celebrations reflecting the local traditions of the villages), nationwide.
Mar:    Carnival (a national celebration marked by pageantry and partying, fancy dress, masked figures, practical jokes and processions of Carnival chariots), nationwide; Easter (celebrated with feasts of spit-roasted lamb, red-dyed eggs, and folk-dancing), nationwide, and especially at Livadia, Metsovo, Patras, Trapeza and Tripolis.
Mar 25:    Independence Day and Feast of the Annunciation (the anniversary of Greek independence is marked with military parades in cities and larger towns, with Athens having the most spectacular celebrations).
May:    Anastenaria (traditional fire-walking ritual), Serres and Thessaloniki.
May 1:    Labor Day and Flower Festival (celebrated by country picnics), nationwide.
Jun:    Rally Acropolis (drivers from throughout the world take part in auto race competition), Athens.
Jun 23-26:    AthFest (music and arts festival).
Jul:    International Sailing Regatta, Athens.
Jul-Aug:   Wine Festivals, Alexandroupolis, Daphni, Patras and Rethymnon.
Aug:    Hippokrateia (ancient drama performances, musical evenings, a flower show and a re-enactment of the Hippocratic Oath), Kos.
Oct-May:    Winter Cultural Season (performances of opera, ballet and concerts), Greek National Opera House in Athens.
Oct-Nov:    Demetria Festival (performances in music, dance, opera, theater and art), Thessaloniki.
Oct 28:    Ochi! Day (commemorates Greece’s refusal to allow Mussolini’s troops to enter the country), nationwide.
Nov:    International Marathon, (retracing the original marathon route taken by a young warrior in 490 BC to announce the Athenian victory over the invading Persians), Athens.
Dec 6:    St Nikolas Day (Christmas celebrations in Greece begin on this day, when children make their rounds singing carols, and continue until the end of the year), nationwide.

Contact Information:

Location
Southeast Europe.

Country dialing code
30.

Ellinikos Organismos Tourismou-EOT (Greek/Hellenic National Tourism Organization)
Tsoha 7, GR-115 21 Athens, Greece
Tel: (210) 870 7000.

Embassy of Greece (Hellas)
1A Holland Park, London W11 3TP, UK
Tel: (020) 7229 3850 or 7221 6467 (visa section) or 7313 5600 (visa helpline) or (09065) 540 744 (visa appointment booking line). Fax: (020) 7229 7221 or 7243 3202 (visa section).
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1600.

Greek/Hellenic National Tourism Organization (GNTO)
4 Conduit Street, London W1S 2DJ, UK
Tel: (020) 7495 9300. Fax: (020) 7287 1369.
Also deals with enquiries regarding conferences and conventions.

British Embassy
1 Ploutarchou Street, 106 75 Athens, Greece
Tel: (210) 727 2600. Fax: (210) 727 2743 or 2720 (consular section).
Consulates in: Corfu, Heraklion, Kos, Patras, Rhodes, Syros, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos.

Embassy of Greece (Hellas)
2221 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 939 1300 or 1318 (consular section). Fax: (202) 939 1324 or 234 2803 (consular section).
Consulates in: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco.

Greek/Hellenic National Tourism Organization (GNTO)
Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue, 9th Floor, Suite 903, New York, NY 10022, USA
Tel: (212) 421 5777. Fax: (212) 826 6940.

Embassy of the United States of America
91 Vasilissis Sophias Avenue, 101 60 Athens, Greece
Tel: (210) 721 2951 or 720 2442 or 363 8114/7740 (press and information). Fax: (210) 364 2986 (press department).
Consulate in: Thessaloniki.

Embassy of Greece (Hellas)
80 MacLaren Street, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0K6, Canada
Tel: (613) 238 6271. Fax: (613) 238 5676.

Consulate General of Greece
1170 place du Frère André, Suite 300, Montréal, Québec H3B 3C6, Canada
Tel: (514) 875 2119. Fax: (514) 875 8781.
Consulates also in: Toronto and Vancouver.

Greek/Hellenic National Tourism Organization (GNTO)
91 Scollard Street, 2nd Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5R 1G4, Canada
Tel: (416) 968 2220. Fax: (416) 968 6533.

Canadian Embassy
Odos Ioannou Ghennadiou 4, 115 21 Athens, Greece
Tel: (210) 727 3400. Fax: (210) 727 3480.