Greece
Having exported chaos, drama, tragedy and democracy before most nations stayed up late enough to want souvlaki, Greece boasts an unrivalled legacy. But don't expect a visit there to be a sober study of the ancient world - the Greek propensity for partying dates back to Dionysus. From smoggy Athens to blindingly bright islands, ancient fragments abound - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces on Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at Santorini.
Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean they don't know how to have fun. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire to make Greece a perfect place to relax. Whether you're supping in a beachside taverna, sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing till dawn, chances are the gods already have you ensnared.
Full country name: Hellenic Republic
Area: 131,940 sq km
Population: 10.66 million
Capital City: Athens (pop approx. 2.7 million)
Language: Greek
Religion: 98% Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% other
Government: parliamentary republic
Head of State: President Kostis Stephanopoulos
Head of Government: Prime Minister Kostas Simitis
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GDP: US$203.3 billion
GDP per capita: US$19,100
Inflation: 4%
Major Industries: tourism, shipping, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products, mining, petroleum products
Major Trading Partners: Germany, Italy, France, UK, USA
Member of EU: Yes
Facts for the Traveler
Visas: Nationals of Australia, Canada, Cyprus, EU countries, the European principalities of Monaco and San Marino, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the USA and most South American countries are allowed to stay in Greece for up to three months without a visa; most others can enter Greece for up to two months without a visa; Greece will refuse entry to anyone whose passport indicates that, since November 1983, they have visited North Cyprus.
Health risks: Sunburn, Typhus (found in rural areas from April to September), Lyme Disease, Rabies
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2 ((+3 during daylight saving time))
Dialling Code: 30
Electricity: 220V ,50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
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When to Go
Conditions are perfect between Easter and mid-June - beaches and ancient sites are relatively uncrowded; public transport operates on close to full schedules; and accommodation is cheaper and easier to find than in the mid-June to end of August high season. Conditions are once more ideal from the end of August until mid-October as the season winds down. Winter is pretty much a dead loss outside the major cities as most of the tourist infrastructure goes into hibernation from the middle of October till the beginning of April. This is slowly changing, however; on the most touristy islands, a few restaurants, hotels and bars remain open year-round.
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Events
The Greek year is a succession of festivals and events, some of which are religious, some cultural, others an excuse for a good knees-up. Gynaikratia on 8 January is a day of role reversal in villages in northern Greece. Women spend the day in kafeneia (cafés) and other social centres where men usually congregate, while the men stay at home to do housework. The Greek carnival season runs through February-March over the three weeks before the beginning of Lent, and features fancy dress, feasting, traditional dancing and general merrymaking. Easter is the most significant festival in Greece, with candle-lit processions, feasting and fireworks displays. Emphasis is placed on the Resurrection rather than on the Crucifixion, so it is a joyous occasion. There are numerous summer festivals across the country, the most famous being the Hellenic Festival (mid-June to late September), which hosts drama and music in ancient theatres. Public holidays
1 January - New Year's Day
6 January - Epiphany
February - 1st Sunday in Lent
25 March - Greek Independence Day
March/April - (Orthodox) Easter Sunday
1 May - Spring Festival/Labour Day
15 August - Feast of the Assumption
28 October - Ohi Day
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - St Stephen's Day
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Money & Costs
Currency: Euro Meals
Budget: €10-20
Mid-range: €20-40
High: €40+
Lodging
Budget: €20-80
Mid-range: €80-200
High: €200+
Greece is no longer dirt cheap. A rock-bottom daily budget would be EUR40.00 a day. You'd be hitching, staying in youth hostels or camping, staying away from bars, and only occasionally eating in restaurants or taking ferries. Allow at least EUR80.00 per day if you want your own room, plan to eat out regularly, and intend to see all the sights. If you want a real vacation - comfortable rooms and good restaurants all the way - you will need closer to EUR120.00 per day. Hotel rates vary enormously according to season - you can save as much as 30% if you travel outside high season (mid-June till end of August). All upmarket shops, restaurants and hotels accept credit cards. Visa, MasterCard (Access) and Eurocard are the most widely accepted. Most banks have ATMs where you can access your debit or credit account.
In restaurants the service charge is included in the bill but it is the custom to leave a small amount; rounding up the bill is usually sufficient. Likewise for taxis - a small gratuity is appreciated.
back to top Attractions
Athens
Redolent with mythology, smeared with grime, Athens is an affable city enlivened by outdoor cafes, pedestrian streets, parks, gardens and urban eccentrics. If you get into the Athenian mindset, you might not even notice the layer of nefos (smog) overhead. Modern tourists have the ancient Athenians to thank for the ease of getting to major landmarks around the city. Old Athens was miniscule compared to today's sprawling metropolis, which means that all the must-sees are conveniently huddled together in a fairly easy-to-manage rectangle.
Crete
Steeped in Homeric history and culture, scented by wild fennel and basil, Greece's largest island now hosts a quarter of all visitors to Greece. The north is overdeveloped, but it's still possible to find some peace by visiting the west and south coasts or the ruggedly mountainous interior. Crete was the birthplace of one of Europe's oldest and most fascinating civilisations, the Minoan. Iraklio, the capital, has some fine musuems in which you can learn more about the island's history, or you can visit the ancient Minoan site of Knossos. Hania has a beautiful old Venetian quarter.
Dodecanese Islands
Whitewashed walls, deep blue sky, olive groves, fig trees, azure Aegean waters...the heavenly Dodecanese Islands have all this and more. In this diverse group of islands you can experience traditional island life without the tourist trappings.
This Dionysian group of islands is perched on the easternmost edge of the Aegean, where ancient history jumps out at you at every turn. Island-hop your way to heaven, or just indulge in a spot of people-watching in the bar and beach scene of the big resorts.
back to top Ionian Islands
Give into temptation and succumb to the lure of the idyllic Ionian group of islands - Corfu, Paxi, Lefkada, Kefallonia, Ithaki, Zakynthos and Kythira - far more lush than those barren Aegean islands, and tinged with a distinctly Venetian flavour. Each island has its idiosyncrasies of culture and cuisine, and differing dollops of European and British influences. Their surfeit of charms include mountainside monasteries, Venetian campaniles, unspoilt villages, ancient olive groves, famous wines, white beaches and ludicrously blue-heaven waters.
Meteora
The monasteries of Meteora are one of the most extraordinary sights in mainland Greece. Built into and on top of huge pinnacles of smooth rock, the earliest monasteries were reached by climbing articulated removable ladders. Later, windlasses were used so monks could be hauled up in nets, a method used until the 1920s. The monasteries provided monks with peaceful havens from increasing bloodshed as the Byzantine Empire waned at the end of the 14th century.
Apprehensive visitors enquiring how often the ropes were replaced were told 'When the Lord lets them break'. These days access to the monasteries is by steps hewn into the rocks and the windlasses are used only for hauling up provisions.
Northeastern Aegean Islands
There are seven major islands in the northeastern group: Samos, Chios, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Samothraki and Thasos. Huge distances separate them, so island hopping is not as easy as it is within the Cyclades and Dodecanese. Most of these islands are large and have very distinctive characters. Samos, the birthplace of philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, is lush and humid with mountains skirted by pine, sycamore and oak-forested hills. Egg-shaped Samothraki has dramatic natural attributes, culminating in the mighty peak of Mt Fengari, which looms over valleys of massive gnarled oak and plane trees, thick forests of olive trees and damp dark glades where waterfalls plunge into deep icy pools.
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Greece's southern peninsula is rich in history and scenically diverse. Packed into its northeastern corner are the ancient sites of Epidaurus, Corinth and Mycenae. The ghostly Byzantine city of Mystras clambers up the slopes of Mt Taygetos, its winding paths and stairways leading to deserted palaces and fresco-adorned churches.
Saronic Gulf Islands
The five Saronic Gulf islands are the closest of all to Athens, and Salamis is virtually a suburb of the capital. Aegina, Hydra, Spetses and Poros are all surprisingly varied in architecture and terrain, but they all receive an inordinate number of tourists and are expensive. Hydra, once the rendezvous of artists, writers and beautiful people, is now overrun with holiday-makers but manages to retain an air of superiority and grandeur. Motor vehicles, including mopeds, are banned from the island: donkeys rule.
Sporades
There are four inhabited islands in this mountainous and pine-forested northern archipelago: Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonnisos and Skyros. They are all heavily touristed and expensive. People go to Skiathos for the exquisite beaches and the nightlife; if you're there for anything else, you'll probably leave quickly. Skopelos is less commercialised than Skiathos, but is following hot on its trail. There are some lovely sheltered beaches, but they are often pebbled rather than sandy. Alonnisos is still a serene island, partly because the rocky terrain makes building an airport runway impossible. The water around Alonnisos has been declared a marine park and consequently is the cleanest in the Aegean. Every house has a cesspit, so no waste goes into the sea. Skyros is less developed than the other three, designed to attract posers rather than package tourists.
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Off the Beaten Track
Gavdos
Stuck out in the Libyan Sea south of Crete, Gavdos Island is the most southerly place in Europe. Rumour has it that this was the island where Calypso the sea nymph held Odysseus captive on his way home from the Trojan War. The island has three small villages and pleasant beaches, and it is perfect for those craving isolation.
Little Cyclades
The Little Cyclades islands were densely populated in antiquity, as evident from the large number of graves that have been found, but these days they are inhabited only by a few goatherds and an increasing, though still relatively small, number of visitors attracted to the pristine beaches.
Santorini
Santorini is regarded by many as the most spectacular of the Greek islands. Thousands come to marvel at its sea-filled caldera, a vestige of what was probably the world's largest volcanic eruption. Its landscapes of blue-domed roofs, dazzling white walls and black-sand beaches contrast the charming with the unearthly. The eruption that caused the caldera is believed by some myth-makers to have caused the disappearance of Atlantis. The island's violent volcanic history is visible everywhere you look - in its black beaches, earthquake-damaged dwellings and raw cliffs of lava plunging into the sea. Volcanic activity has been low-key for the past few decades, but minor tremors occur pretty frequently and experts reckon the caldera could bubble up once again at any moment. For lovers of impermanence and drama, no other place even comes close.
To get some background into this island's extraordinary history, head to the Megaron Gyzi museum of local memorabilia in Fira, with fascinating photos of the town before and after the disastrous 1956 quake. The Museum of Prehistoric Thira houses impressive finds from the ancient site of Akrotiri, destroyed in the 1650 BC eruption. Look out for the gold ibex figurine, found in mint condition in 1999 and dating from the 17th century BC.
back to top The Mani
Grey rocky mountains, mottled with defiant clumps of green scrub, characterise the inner Mani region of the Peloponnese. The people of the Mani claim to be direct descendants of the Spartans, the fierce warriors who chose to withdraw to the mountains rather than serve under foreign masters. Until independence, the Maniots lived in clans led by chieftans. With fertile land scarce, blood-feuds were a way of life, so families constructed towers to use as refuges. To this day Maniots are regarded by Greeks as fiercely independent, royalist and right-wing. Areopoli, the capital of the Mani, is aptly named after Ares, the god of war. In the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town, grim tower houses stand proud and vigilant. The Diros caves, 11km (6.8mi) south of Areopoli, were inhabited by Neolithic people and may extend as far north as Sparta. Visitors are taken on a boat trip along the subterranean river through narrow tunnels and immense caverns filled with myriad clusters of stalactites and stalagmites. Further south, there are stark, barren mountains, broken only by deserted settlements of mighty towers. Vathia, the most dramatic of the traditional villages in this region, is a barnacle-like cluster of tower houses perched on a lofty rock.
Zagoria
As with many inaccessible mountainous areas in Greece, the Zagoria villages maintained a high degree of autonomy in Turkish times, so their culture flourished. The houses are built of slate and the villages, with their winding cobbled and stepped streets, look as if they've leapt straight out of Grimm's fairy tales.
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Activities
Greece's mountainous terrain is perfect for trekking. Still on terra firma, Greece is one of the cheapest places in Europe to go skiing.
The meltemi and the lakelike surface of the Aegean provide perfect conditions for windsurfing, which is the most popular watersport in Greece. Snorkelling is encouraged and well worthwhile anywhere along the coast. to protect underwater antiquities from pilferers, scuba diving is forbidden unless under the auspices of a diving school (of which there are many). Water skiing is popular on quite a few islands. Despite the disparaging remarks among backpackers, yachting is the way to see the Greek Islands - nothing beats the serenity of sailing the open sea, and the freedom of being able to visit remote and uninhabited islands.
Getting There & Away
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/from Istanbul and Sofia. Cheap charter flights are available from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris to Athens, Thessaloniki and some of the islands. However, conditions apply; if you take a side trip to Turkey you may not be allowed to use the return portion of your charter-flight ticket. There are trains from Macedonia, Hungary, Bulgaria 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.
By land, there are road connections from Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia.
There are ferries from Trieste, Venice, Ancona, Brindisi and Bari in Italy, and from various Aegean ports in Turkey. There are also boats from Israel and Cyprus.
Getting Around
Olympic Airways and Aegean Airlines operate flights between many cities and islands at about three times the ferry fare. Buses are the most popular form of public transport, as the train system is limited and confined to the mainland.
People do cycle in Greece, but you'll need strong leg muscles to tackle the mountainous terrain.
An extensive ferry network connects the mainland and islands.
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