Travel Tips

Are you planning your holidays in Greece? We would like to provide you with some important information and tips to better organise your trip and make the most out of it with less worries. If you prepare your trip to our country, the first thing you have to do is to download the Visit Greece App to your mobile phone or tablet. You will find it useful for your tours around Greece, providing you with useful information and tips with regards to your travel itineraries. Furthermore, you can find the nearest to you museums, beaches, accommodation or you can book online your tickets in many museums and the metro to avoid queues. The Visit Greece App is available in iOS and Android free of charge!

If your country of origin is an EU member-state make sure you are a holder of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal EU document issued by your nation’s social security agency. In such cases, the necessary treatment in Greece is provided by the following:

• the Social Security Institute Health Units (polyclinics) or doctor’s offices in the region
• Regional clinics (former rural clinics) or the Health Centres of the National Health System
• the outpatients’ departments of the hospitals

If your country of origin is not an EU member-state, make sure you have consulted your social security agency for information before travelling.

Emergency Numbers

199

Fire Authority

166

First Aid National Center (Ambulances)

1016

SOS Doctors

112

European Emergency Number

100

Police

1571

Tourist Police

210 6038023 - 24 - 28

Pet Hospital (Attica Region)

210 77 93 777

Poisoning Phone Center

In order to visit Greece you need to have the following travel documents:

• ID card in the case that your country of origin is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, you may use your national ID to enter the country and you may stay for a three-month period. In these cases a passport is not necessary, although you will need it in a variety of other transactions, including currency exchange, shopping etc.
• Visa If your country is not a member of the Schengen Agreement, make sure you obtain further information from the Greek Embassy or Consulate in your country before your trip, or from your travel agency. In case you travel with Visa, make sure you also have suitable insurance coverage for emergency medical or other needs.
• Passport If your country of origin is one of the following non-EU countries, your passport allows you to visit Greece and remain in the country for up to three months (90 days) within a six-month period: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, USA, Uruguay, Venezuela. Find out more on the official webpage of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Greece is a Member-State of the European Union and uses its uniform currency – the Euro. Greece, as is the case with the other Member-States of the E.U. uses eight coins as follows: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents or lepta in Greek and 1 and 2 Euros. The banknotes are issued in the following denominations: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 Euros.

Currency exchange rates are clearly displayed in every bank that accepts currency exchange, while credit card holders may acquire money from the ATMs of the collaborating banks. Greek banks are open for the public from 8:00 to 14:30 Mondays to Thursdays and from 8:00 to 13:30 on Fridays. They are closed on Public Holidays. Euros can also be exchanged for notes of other foreign currencies at exchange offices that are situated at the airport and certain main ports, in the larger cities, as well as at many tourist destinations. A passport is required when exchanging currencies.

Electric power voltage in Greece is 230 V / 50 Hz and the plugs are F type. To avoid the danger of short circuit, make sure to have in your suitcase the necessary transformers / adaptors for your electronic devices or make sure that this will be provided by the relevant socket.

During your stay in Greece, as a consumer you are protected throughout your transactions by the Greek legislation. In case of omission or infringement of the above, you can call to Tourist Police in 1571 (24/7 in operation). In the event you need to file a complaint, you may contact with the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism, sending an email in the following address: touristcomplaints@mintour.gr (Pay attention, the dispatching of emails by the Ministry of Tourism in hotmail.com email addresses is temporarily impossible due to safety policies of the service provider.

In order to help you to choose which clothing and accessories to put in your suitcase for your trip to Greece, we provide you certain general information on the climate of our country!

Greece's climate is Mediterranean with long sunshine, mild temperatures and limited rainfalls. It is characterised by great variation, due to the country's geographic location, the intense relief and the distribution between the mainland and the sea.

In the summer, dry hot days are often cooled by seasonal winds that are called "etesian winds" while mountainous areas are more cool.

Winters are mild in the plains with little ice and snow, but the mountains are usually covered with snow.

In addition, it is a common phenomenon to combine different climate conditions in the same season (for instance mild heat near the sea and cool in the mountainous areas).

Few days before your trip, we urge you to seek the weather of the destination that you will visit.

For any other advice you need from us, please send your email here: info@visitgreece.gr

We wish you safe Travels, The Visit Greece team