Travel to Greece

Browse listings of  Home Exchange, Vacation Rentals, B&B, Homestay (furnished apartments, villas, cottages, condos, farmhouses and other types of accommodations) by regions of Greece.

Vacation Rentals	Bed and Breakfast	Home Exchange	Homestay
Attica	Attica	Attica	Attica
Central Greece	Central Greece	Central Greece	Central Greece
Central Macedonia	Central Macedonia	Central Macedonia	Central Macedonia
Crete	Crete	Crete	Crete
Cyclades (South Aegean)	Cyclades (South Aegean)	Cyclades (South Aegean)	Cyclades (South Aegean)
Dodecanese (South Aegean)	Dodecanese (South Aegean)	Dodecanese (South Aegean)	Dodecanese (South Aegean)
East Macedonia and Thrace	East Macedonia and Thrace	East Macedonia and Thrace	East Macedonia and Thrace
Epirus	Epirus	Epirus	Epirus
Ionian Islands	Ionian Islands	Ionian Islands	Ionian Islands
North Aegean	North Aegean	North Aegean	North Aegean
Peloponnese	Peloponnese	Peloponnese	Peloponnese
Thessaly	Thessaly	Thessaly	Thessaly
West Greece	West Greece	West Greece	West Greece
West Macedonia	West Macedonia	West Macedonia	West Macedonia

Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Greece

• Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2 (Eastern European Time)
• Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellular phone etc.)
• Weights & measures: Metric
  
• Archeological Sites: Swimsuits are prohibited.
  
• Monasteries and Churches: Women are required to wear long skirts/dress and long sleeve shirt/blouse.
  Men are required to wear shirt  and slacks (no shorts).
• For list of all Museums and Archeological sites: please visit 
  Hellenic Ministry of Culture
• Restaurants/Tavernas: Usually open -Lunch hours 1 pm - 3 pm and dinner 9 pm - 1 am.

Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List

• Temple of Apollo Epicurius at Bassae (Peloponnese)
• Archaeological Site of Delphi (Central Greece)
• Acropolis, Athens
• Mount Athos (Macedonia)
• Meteora (Thessaly)
• Paleochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessalonika (Macedonia)
• Archaeological Site of Epidaurus (Peloponnese)
• Medieval City of Rhodes (Dodecanese)
• Mystras (Peloponnese)
• Archaeological Site of Olympia (Peloponnese)
• Delos (Cyclades)
• Monasteries of Daphni, Hossios Luckas and Nea Moni of Chios
• Pythagoreion and Heraion of Samos (Eastern Aegean Islands)
• Archaeological Site of Vergina (Macedonia)
• Archaeological Sites of Mycenae and Tiryns (Peloponnese)
• Historic Centre (Chorá) with the Monastery of Saint John "the Theologian" and the Cave of the Apocalypse on the Island of Pátmos (Dodecanese)

Location
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Capital
Athens

Population
10,767,827 (July 2012 est.)

Greek Regions
51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos

Largest cities of Greece
Athens, Thessaloníki, Piraeus, Pátra, Peristéri, Irákleion, Lárisa, Kallithéa, Níkaia, Kalamariá

Climate
temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Ethnic groups
Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census)

Religions
Greek Orthodox (official) 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Languages
Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1%

Government type
parliamentary republic

Background
Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1830. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-Communists and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power, establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.

Flag of Greece 
The cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country; there is no agreed upon meaning for the nine stripes or for the colors; the exact shade of blue has never been set by law and has varied from a light to a dark blue over time.

Learn Modern Greek in Greece

• Athens Centre
• Hellenic American Union
• Greek House

Greek people are used to many tourists so they do not really expect you to speak Greek but it is good to know some basic words.

Greek Basic Words

Yes = Nai'
No = O'hi
Thank you = Efharisto'
Thank you very much = Efharisto' poli'
You're welcome = Parakalo'
Please = Parakalo'
Excuse me = signo'mi
Hello = gia'sou
Goodbye = andi'o sas
Good morning = kalime'ra
Good evening = kalispe'ra
Good night = kalini'hta
Water = nero'
Coffee = kafe
Tea = ts'ai
Juice = himo'
Bank = Trapeza
Where is the bathroom? Where is the toilet? = Pu' i'ne i tuale'ta?

What May Surprise You

Greek gestures:

• Ohi means No. Gesture for Ohi is moving your head upwards or moving upward your eyebrows only.
  
• Nai means Yes. Gesture for Nai is moving your head downwards.
  
• Come here gesture may indicate to the non-Greek as they wave good-bye or telling you to move back few steps.

Some Greek Dishes
Mousakka - eggplant casserole layered with gound beef, cheese, butter, onions and spices.
Tzatziki - yogurt, cucumber and garlic dip.
Dolmades - vine leaves stuffed with rice and then rolled.
Tiropita -phyllo pastry filled with feta cheese
Spanakopita- spinach and feta cheese in buttered phyllo pastry, with egg, onion, butter, olive oil, bread crumbs.
Roast Lamb/chicken - Lamb/chicken prepared in the traditional Greek way with garlic and oregano.
Gemista- tomatoes and peppers stuffed with reice and meat.
Gyro - barbecued meat, with tomatoes and onions on pita bread, and topped with tzadziki.
Greek Salad - tomato and cucumber salad seasoned with onion, olive oil, vinegar, fete cheese and oregano.

Greece Travel and Accommodation – Your Tips for Travelers

If you would like to share your experiences of traveling to Greece or to any other country, please send us your article and we will gladly post it at this website.

My Cultural Experiences in Athens  by Teresa Szefler
Thessaloniki, Greece  by JoMar
Athens, Greece  by JoMar
Aghia Marina, Aegina, Greece

Source: Central Intelligence Agency.
Disclaimer: Although we have tried to make the information on this website as accurate as possible, some of the facts may not be accurate, or may have recently changed. We do not accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience suffered by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify important information with the relevant authorities before traveling.