Do I need a visa to visit Greece?
Not required for the nationals of Canada and the USA for stays of up to 90 days.
Any vaccinations required for travel to Greece?
|
Special Precautions |
| Diphtheria |
No |
| Hepatitis A |
Sometimes |
| Malaria |
No |
| Rabies |
No |
| Tetanus |
Yes |
| Typhoid |
No |
| Yellow Fever |
No* |
|
Inoculation regulations can change at short notice. Please take medical advice in the case of doubt. Where 'Sometimes' appears in the table above, precautions may be required, depending on the season and region visited. |
* A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from all travellers over one year of age coming from infected areas.
Can we drink tap water? What about the food safety?
Water quality varies from area to area, depending on the source, but in most regions it is excellent. Bottled water is available and is advised for the first few weeks of the stay. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are considered safe to eat.
When is the best time to travel to Greece?
Greece has a warm Mediterranean climate. In summer, dry hot days are often relieved by stiff breezes, especially in the north and coastal areas. Athens can be stiflingly hot, so visitors should allow time to acclimatise. The evenings are cool. Winters are mild in the south but much colder in the north. November to March is the rainy season.
What to wear?
Lightweight clothes during summer months, including protection from the midday sun. Light sweaters are needed for evenings. Waterproofs are advised for autumn. Winter months can be quite cold, especially in the northern mainland, so normal winter wear will be required.
What not to miss in Greece?
Do not miss the Hellenic Festival (website: www.greekfestival.gr), Jun-Sep, which sees music, dance and theatre performances held in the second-century AD Odeion of Herodes in Athens, as well as classical Greek dramas in the fourth-century BC amphitheatre in Epidaurus.
Find a beach for every mood. The best include Lalaria, a pristine white pebble beach on Skiathos, and Plaka, a long stretch of unspoilt sand on Naxos.
Sail Greece's myriad islands. Depending on experience, visitors can go bareboat (chartering just the boat), flotilla (as part of a group of yachts lead by an expert) or skippered. Several tour operators and independent companies offer all-inclusive sailing holidays in Greece.
Go windsurfing. The best places for it are Vassiliki on Lefkada, Kefalos on Kos, Kokkari on Samos, Ialisos on Rhodes, Chrisi Akti (Golden Beach) on Paros, and Agios Georgios and Mikri Vigla on Naxos. Board hire and lessons are available.
Climb Mount Olympos (2,917m/ 9,570ft), believed by the ancients to be home of Zeus, or scale Mount Pasnassos (2,457m/8,061ft) near Delphi.
Hike the length of the Samaria Gorge (18km/11.2 miles) on Crete, or the Vikos Gorge (14km/8 miles) in Epirus.
Get wet. The shallow, fast-flowing rivers of mainland Greece offer excellent facilities for water-based adventure sports such as rafting, kayaking and canoeing. Sea-kayaking is also becoming increasingly popular on the islands.
Go deep. To guard against the pilfering of underwater antiquities, scuba-diving is prohibited in areas known to host ancient artifacts. However, you will find dive centers offering instruction and rental equipment on the Attica coast, Corfu, Kalamata, Kalymnos, Mykonos, Paros, Preveza, Rhodes, Skiathos and Zakynthos.
Go underground. Greece is home to some 6,000 karst caves, the majority in Crete. Over 20 show caves are open for guided tours, the largest and most impressive being Perama, which is filled with stalagmites and stalactites.
Get tipsy. Several of the top vineyards open their cellars to the public for wine-tasting sessions, and also offer wine for direct purchase. Call one day ahead to book.
Luxuriate. Greece is gifted with numerous springs giving forth thermal and/or mineral waters. Various spas and hydrotherapy centres have developed throughout the country, some of which offer sophisticated wellness centres for pampering.
Get twitching. There are 11 wetlands of international importance in Greece, and over 190 important bird areas'. The most impressive include the Nestos Delta in Thrace and the Prespa Lakes in Macedonia. Expect to see herons, storks, pelicans and eagles.
Top places to see in Greece?
Explore Athens. Begin with the Acropolis rock, home to the fifth-century BC Parthenon, then stroll down to the Ancient Agora, once Athens' civic, political and commercial centre. Don't miss the world-class National Archaeological Museum, packed with ancient marble statues, jewellery and ceramics.
Discover Delphi, believed by the ancients to be the centre of the world. This fascinating pagan religious complex, set on a stunning hillside site, comprises classical temples, a theatre and a stadium. Numerous finds are displayed in the excellent Delphi Archaeological Museum.
Admire the former city-state of ancient Corinth, once renowned for wealth, elegance and immorality. Explore its temples and theatre, then check out the adjoining museum. Also see nearby Acrocorinth, a vast hilltop fortress combining Byzantine, Turkish and Venetian elements.
Visit the treasure trove that is Mycenae. This hilltop citadel, surrounded by Cyclopean Walls, was the powerful Mycenaeans' capital. Golden treasure, including the Mask of Agamemnon', was found here.
Run the race track in Olympia, birthplace of the Olympics, which were staged here between the eighth and fourth centuries BC. Explore the site then see the Archaeological Museum and the nearby Museum of the Olympic Games.
Discover the unforgettable landscape of the Meteora, with six medieval monasteries built upon bizarre, rocky pinnacles. The monasteries, which once totalled 24, were originally reached using pulley systems, but are now accessible via steps carved into the rocks.
Don't miss Thessaloniki, Greece's second city. It is home to the excellent Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum exhibiting ancient marble statues and gold jewellery from the region of Macedonia. Its beautiful Byzantine churches are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Explore the extensive ruins of Knossos, a 3,000-year-old frescoed Minoan Palace, home to Europe's earliest civilisation. Finds from the site are displayed in the Archaeological Museum in the nearby Venetian-style port town of Iralkio, on Crete.
Visit Santorini's whitewashed towns of Ia and Thira, built on a cliff overlooking the caldera, a circular depression in the sea created when a volcanic eruption blew the centre out of the island around 1600 BC. Expect stunning sunsets, black sand beaches, boutique hotels and gourmet cuisine.
Lap it up in Mykonos, known for its glamorous, hedonistic nightlife. Attracting jet setters and a notable gay community, tiny Mykonos offers charming white, cubic buildings, typical of the Cyclades, chic restaurants, trendy bars, waterside nightclubs, plus several small luxury hotels.
Invade Rhodes Town. The compact Old Town lies within an imposing 14th-century stronghold built by the Knights of St John during the Crusades. Visit the gothic Palace of the Grand Masters, plus several mosques and a 16th-century hammam (Turkish baths) added by the Ottomans.
Shopping in Greece:
Special purchases include lace, jewellery, metalwork, pottery, knitwear, rugs, leather goods, local wines and spirits. Athens is the centre for luxury goods and local handicrafts. The Sunday morning flea market in Monastiraki, below the Acropolis, is crowded in high season. Regional specialities include silver from Ioannina, ceramics from Sifnos and Skopelos, embroidery and lace from Crete, the Ionian Islands, Rhodes and Skiros, alabaster from Crete and flokati rugs from the Epirus region.
Shopping hours: These vary according to the season, location and type of shop, but a rough guide follows: Mon, Wed, and Sat 0900-1430, Tues, Thurs and Fri 0900-1430 and 1730-2030. Most holiday resort shops stay open until late in the evening.
Note: (a) Visitors should be aware that many antiques' sold to tourists are fake; it is illegal to export any item of real antiquity without a special permit from the Export Department of the Ministry of Culture. (b) Non-EU citizens can get a refund on Greek VAT (which stands at 19% on the mainland and 13% on the islands) on purchases worth more than 120; the process is fairly complex, but well worth it. Non-EU visitors may buy goods from certain shops bearing the sign Member of the Tax-Free Club' and have the VAT refunded, in cash, at special refund points at the airport. Ask store owners and tourist information offices for details.
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Turkey
