GREECE

Here you have your complete guide of Greece!

September 2019

General Tips to travel to Greece

Your first words in Greek
Hello: Geiá Sou
Goodbye: Antio Sas
Please: Parakaló
Thank you: Efcharistó
Your welcome: Parakaló
Yes/No: Nai/Óchi
Currency: Euros since 2001
The capital: Athens
Population: 10, 77 million
Main religion: Christian Orthodox
Safety Rating: According to the Global Peaceful Index, Greece is the number 65 out of 194 countries.
Solo Female Travelers: Medium risk. Due to political instabilities, at the moment, Athens (the capital) is going through tough times and it is not the safest city for a girl traveling alone. As a general recommendation, don’t go alone at night to the street. The beautiful islands that makeup Greece are safer because of its touristic character.

Climate

Greece has a Mediterranean climate, hot and dry summer, and wet and cold winters.
In summer temperatures could reach 40ºC (104 ºF), especially in Athens, the capital. During the winter, temperatures vary depending on the part of Greece you are in; they fluctuate between 5-10ºC (41-50ºF).
The best time of the year to go to Greece is from May to September. You will find sunny weather and perfect temperatures to enjoy the Greek islands.

Accommodation

The accommodation in Greece varies depending on if you are in the capital or in the famous Greek islands.
On budget accommodation: Please note that, due to the instability in Greece, it is better to spend a little bit more money to stay in a touristic place or a good neighborhood.
This type of accommodation, in the capital, could be found from 7 to 11 $/night whereas on the island, prices are not lower than 24 $/night.
If you want to rent your own apartment or private room in the capital, prices go from 20 to 30 $ / night. In the island prices for this type of accommodation are very high reaching up to 110 $ /night.

Transport

The main international airport in Greece is in Athens. Here you will be able to take cheaper planes to other European / non-European destinations.
Although there are Islands that have an airport, normally, the cheapest way to travel between them is by taking a ferry. The price of a ferry for a 5-hour trip is approximately 45-55 $/one way.
Attention! Between Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos you can usually find crazy offers by plain with Ryanair or Air Olympic. Keep an eye on them and don’t miss these opportunities!
Advice: If you choose the ferry as the mean of transport do not try to save money taking always the cheapest boat and use reliable companies!

Food

Main typical Greek dishes are:

• Musaka: Traditional baked cake with layers of eggplant, potato, minced meat, and béchamel.
• Tzatziki: One of the most common sauces, made with Greek yogurt, cucumber, and garlic.
• Spanakopita: Spinach and feta cheese pie.
• Yemista: Roasted tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice and minced meat. Sometimes, zucchini is also used.
• Greek Salad: Made of tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion, olives, and feta cheese, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and oregano.
  As you can see, feta cheese is quite common in Greece. Also, as we are talking about a country full of islands, seafood is excellent. Don’t miss it if you go to Greece!!

5 main things to do in Greece

Discover Ancient Greece in Athens

Go to Athens and feel like in Hercules’s movie!

Meteora Monastery

Qualified by UNESCO as National Patrimony of Humanity in 1988. Located in the north of Greece in the plain of Tesalia.

Balos beach in Creta

Creta is the biggest island in Greece. This beach is awesome. As for advice, if you go in high season try to avoid main hours as it is full of people. If you can choose, go in the low season and do not miss the sunset!

Getting lost in Santorini and enjoy the best sunset

Lycabetus Mountain

Best views of Athens and its Acropolis area is seen from this spot. If you are lucky you can see Salamina and Egina islands.

General comment

Although Greece is a great country and perfect for your holidays, it is really affected by one of the biggest humanitarian problems nowadays, refugees coming from the Middle East escaping of the war. Because of this, islands near Turkey are saturated of people trying to save their lives. By saying this, I would like to communicate the hard situation they are in. Please, if you are interested in helping do not hesitate to e-mail me (gabriela@nomadicmindtravel.com) and I will help you. It does not matter if you are not a doctor or a nurse; they require/need different profiles of people to help all those people. Thank you!