Greece Tourism

Pictures

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General Information

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Greece is situated in Southeastern Europe, with an area of 131,957 sq.km. and a population of 10,964,020.

Athens is the capital of Greece with a population of 3,192,606.

Local time is GMT +2 hours.

The Hellenic Republic is a Presidential Parliamentary Democracy.

President of the Hellenic Republic: Mr Karolos Papoulias.

Prime Minister: Mr Constantinos Karamanlis

Parliament: Three hundred elected members with elections held every four years

Greece is a member state of E.U. since 1981.

The currency is euro.

The Greek economy adopts the principles of free enterprise and is bound by the regulations of international organisations such as ECOFIN and WTO, of which it is a member.

Hotels (list)

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TOP HOTELS IN GREECE

Huge Discount for "Price-Sensitive Traveler"

Creta Maris Hotel Greece

Hotel Grande Bretagne Athens Greece

Ilianthos Village Crete Greece

Athenaeum Inter-Continental Athens

Aldemar Knossos Royal Village Greece

Knossos Royal Village Hotel Crete Greece

Athens Ledra Marriott Hotel Greece

Divani Caravel Hotel Athens Greece

Makedonia Palace Hotel Thessaloniki Greece

Hilton Athens Greece

Minoa Palace Resort Hotel Crete Greece

Mykonos Grand Hotel & Resort Mykonos Greece

Park Hotel Athens Greece

Royal Olympic Hotel Greece

Royal Mare Village Hotel Crete Greece

Sofitel Athens Airport Hotel Greece

AFFORDABLE HOTELS IN GREECE

Discounted Price on Published Rates Guaranteed!

Athenian Callirhoe Hotel Athens Greece

Astor Hotel Athens Greece

Evdokia Apartment Crete Greece

Avdou Villas Maris Hotel Crete Greece

Dolphin Bay Holiday Resort Crete Greece

Electra Palace Hotel Athens Greece

Hotel President Athens Greece

Esperia Palace Hotel Athens Greece

Aquarius Apartments Hotel Crete Greece

Chrissi Amoudia Hotel Crete Greece

Pantheon Palace Hotel Crete Greece

Arolithos Village Crete Greece

Electra Hotel Athens Greece

Stanley Hotel Athens Greece

Villa Arhanes Maris Hotel Crete Greece

Zafolia Hotel Athens Greece

Santorini Palace Hotel Greece

Arkadi Hotel Crete Greece

Balasca Hotel Athens Greece

Best Western Pythagorion Hotel Athens Greece

Best Western Zinon Athens Greece

Casa Delfino Suites Hotel Crete Greece

Castello Hotel Crete Greece

Cypria Hotel Athens Greece

Dorian Inn Athens Greece

Halepa Hotel Crete Greece 3 Star Hotel

Achilleas Hotel Athens Greece 3 Star Hotel

Hermes Hotel Athens Greece 3 Star Hotel

Albatross Hotel Corfu Greece 3 Star Hotel

Canea Mare Hotel Apartments Crete Greece 3 Star Hotel

Porto Veneziano Hotel Crete Greece 3 Star Hotel

Neos Omalos Hotel Crete Greece 3 Star Hotel

Ionis Hotel Athens Greece 3 Star Hotel

Casa Delphino Hotel Chania 3 Star Hotel

Oscar Hotel Athens Greece 3 Star Hotel

Plaka Hotel Athens Greece 3 Star Hotel

Kastro Hotel Crete Greece 3 Star Hotel

Kriti Hotel Crete Greece 3 Star Hotel

Health

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In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from member states of the European Union (EU) wishing to visit Greece must be holders of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal Community document issued by their competent social security agency.

In these cases, the necessary treatment in Greece is provided by:
- the IKA (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; and
- the outpatients’ departments of the hospitals on contract

In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from countries other than the member states of the European Union wishing to visit Greece must consult their social security agency for information before travelling.

In case of emergency call:

Ambulance Service: 166
SOS Doctors : 1016
Duty Hospitals and Clinics: 1434
Poisoning First Aid: 210 7793777
Pharmacies: 1434
Open Line for alcohol drug Addiction: 210 3617089

Tourist Police

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The Tourist Police is a Service of the Greek Police Force staffed with specially trained, foreign-language speaking personnel. Within the framework of its duties and functions, it provides the following services:

It provides information to Greek and foreign visitors and offers them assistance in settling any issues arising with tourist businesses.
It cooperates with locally competent Directorates of Tourism and local authorities in order to deal with tourism issues.
It ensures that the tourist legislation in force is applied in all tourist areas, businesses and media, such as hotels, apartments and rooms to let, tourist shops, tourist agencies and coaches, car and motorcycle rental agencies, archaeological sites, tourist guides, ski resorts, spa towns, mass arrival/departure stations, sanitary facilities operating in tourist businesses and sites of free camping, etc.
It carries out inspections of tourist businesses with the aim to provide better services and higher protection to visitors.

The distinctive insignia of the Greek Tourist Police officers are the following:

White band on the cap
White belt
White gloves
The distinctive insignia “TOURIST POLICE” worn on the front of the shirt.

The Greek Tourist Police can be reached around-the-clock by dialing “171”. This line provides all kind of information and instructions in Greek, English, French and German, thus helping tourists to deal directly with any arising problem.

In case you need any help, do not hesitate to contact the staff members of the Greek Tourist Police by dialing “171”.

Climate - Weather

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Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild
temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall. Due to the country's
geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between
the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate.
In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the
meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.
The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and
ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered. Moreover, a common
phenomenon is the occurrence of different climactic conditions during
the same season (for instance, mild heat in coastal areas and cool
temperatures in mountainous regions).
Greece's main meteorological data are given below (Source: National
Meteorological Service):

Temperature

Average temperatures (°C)

	Athens	Corfu	Heraklion	Rhodes	Santorini	Thessaloniki	Serres
JAN	10,3	9,7	12,1	11,8	11,2	5,0	3,9
FEB	10,7	10,3	12,3	12,0	11,2	6,6	6,2
MAR	12,4	12,0	13,6	13,6	12,6	9,7	9,6
APR	16,0	15,0	16,6	16,6	15,5	14,2	14,2
ΜΑY	20,7	19,6	20,3	20,6	19,1	19,4	19,6
JUN	25,1	23,8	24,3	24,7	23,3	24,2	24,3
JUL	27,9	26,4	26,1	26,9	25,4	26,5	26,3
AUG	27,7	26,2	26,0	27,0	24,8	25,9	25,3
SEP	24,2	22,7	23,4	24,6	22,5	21,7	21,6
OCT	19,4	18,4	20,0	20,6	19,0	16,1	15,5
NOV	15,5	14,3	16,7	16,5	15,4	11,0	9,2
DEC	12,2	11,2	13,9	13,4	12,7	6,8	5,0

Rainfall-Humidity

Relative humidity (%)

	Athens	Corfu	Heraklion	Rhodes	Santorini	Thessaloniki	Serres
JAN	68,9	74,8	68,0	70,6	71,6	75,8	77,1
FEB	68,3	74,1	66,2	69,8	70,9	73,0	71,7
MAR	68,3	73,0	66,1	69,0	72,3	72,9	68,9
APR	62,8	72,3	62,0	66,3	69,8	68,5	63,2
MAY	59,5	69,1	61,0	63,6	67,6	64,3	59,8
JUN	53,4	63,0	56,6	57,6	62,5	56,3	53,8
JUL	47,6	59,1	56,7	56,4	59,9	53,6	51,7
AUG	47,3	61,3	58,1	58,9	62,0	55,4	54,5
SEP	53,7	69,7	61,5	60,8	65,9	62,5	59,5
OCT	61,9	74,3	65,7	67,0	70,1	70,4	69,6
NOV	68,9	77,3	67,6	72,0	72,1	77,3	76,8
DEC	70,1	76,7	67,8	72,7	72,0	77,8	80,2

Sunshine

Average daily sunshine (in hours)

	Athens	Heraklion	Rhodes	Thessaloniki
JAN	4.12'	3.48'	4.24'	3.06'
FEB	4.48'	4.18'	5.12'	3.30'
MAR	5.54'	5.42'	6.36'	4.48'
APR	7.42'	7.36'	8.00'	6.48'
MAY	9.24'	9.42'	10.00'	8.06'
JUN	11.12'	11.42'	11.42'	9.54'
JUL	11.42'	12.00'	12.06'	10.30'
AUG	11.00'	11.12'	11.30'	9.30'
SEP	9.12'	9.24'	10.06'	7.42'
OCT	6.42'	6.24'	7.48'	5.18'
NOV	5.06'	5.00'	5.54'	3.54'
DEC	3.54'	3.54'	4.30'	3.18'

Transportation

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During the past few decadew the transportation network of the country was modernised and impressively upgraded and, as a result, Greece today has an integrated transportation structure allowing for fast and safe travelling all over the country. Moreover, new projects are continuously being programmed, so that the infrastructures of the transportation grid of the country become more and more reliable.
The operation of the Rio-Andirrio Bridge (connecting the western Peloponnese with western Central Greece), the longest cable-stayed suspension bridge in Europe, is of great importance for the improvement of road transportation in Greece. Parts of the closed motorway of “Egnatia Odos” in Northern Greece (total length 680 km) are still under construction, while interventions for the development of PATHE - the central road axis connecting the cities of Patras, Athens, and Thessalonica - are extremely important.
Moreover, in the field of sea transport, works are progressing in order to improve the existing infrastructure in many ports of the country, and especially those of Piraeus and Rafina, the two basic ports for the connection of the Greek mainland with the islands of the Aegean and with Crete. The airports of the country were radically modernised, and so was the railroad network, where existing lines were upgraded, new ones created and highly modern and fast-rolling stock was introduced.
Furthermore, with the opportunity of the Athens Olympic Games 2004, a series of big transportation projects was planned and implemented in the prefecture of Attica. The construction of the Attiki Odos motorway radically changed the transportation map of the area. In the city of Athens, the public means of transportation were upgraded and quality of life was improved thanks to the construction and operation of the metropolitan railroad (metro), the suburban railroad and the tram. The existing mass means of transportation were considerably upgraded with the renewal of the bus and trolley-bus fleets and the overhauling of the Athens–Piraeus electric railroad stations. The connection of the electric railroad with the metropolitan and suburban network, as well as with the national railroad network created a functional transportation grid. Finally, the construction and operation of the new modern Athens “Eleftherios Venizelos” airport, in Spata, Attica, was an important milestone in the improvement of air travel in the country.

Events

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Greece is a country with a vast wealth of cultural tradition and folklore. Visitors, therefore, have many opportunities to enrich their travels by attending the various cultural or sports events held in every region of the country, to participate in the festivities that often are connected with enchanting customs and get acquainted with unknown but extremely interesting aspects of Greek folklore heritage.

Accommodation

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Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide. Annually it welcomes more than 14 million tourists, a figure that places it in the 15th position on the World Tourism Organisation list of countries with inbound tourism (according to WTO data). Over the past decades Greece has witnessed the development of modern and multiform large or small-scale tourist infrastructures catering to the demands and accommodation requirements of every visitor.

Today Greece’s accommodation potential numbers 670,000 beds, distributed over 352,000 rooms in approximately 8,900 hotel units. Οn most of the Greek islands and mainland Greece, visitors can also find accommodation in private houses (rooms to let) which are operating under the special seal of the Greek National Tourism Organisation. Moreover, there are more than 340 campings all over the country, offering 30,000 camping spaces and 2,500 small houses.

Types of accommodation

Most tourist lodging establishments have been recently renovated and upgraded, thus boasting state-of-the-art facilities. These establishments are licensed by the Greek National Tourist Organisation (G.N.T.O.) and fall in the following categories:

Hotels (ordinary hotels, traditional guesthouses, agrotourist lodgings, etc.).
Rooms to let
Apartments to let
Self-catering units (tourist residences and villas)
Campsites
Youth hostels

Classification

Hotels, as well as rooms and apartments to let, are subject to a rating system determined by the Greek National Tourist Organisation. In particular, their classification is based on:

Class designation (old rating system): Lux, A, B, C, D, E
Star ratings (new rating system): 5*****, 4****, 3***, 2**, 1*

In terms of technical specifications, it should be noted that class L (Deluxe) hotels correspond to 5*****, A to 4****, B to 3***, C to 2**, and D and E to 1*. Until completion of the new rating system, some hotels will continue to feature the class-based designation, while others will display star ratings. Thus, if you wish to search for a Deluxe hotel, you should search both under Class L and 5*****

Attractions

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Greece has an abundance of resources that tourists with ecological and cultural interests will find attractive. The wealth of cultural as well as ecological resources, both biotic and abiotic, constitute a special comparative advantage of the country for those interested in the conservation of cultural diversity, bio-diversity and eco-systems. These resources are marked by their wide variety, rareness and distinctiveness and are found in areas many of which have already been placed under special protection.

Vacations

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In Greece, you are standing at crossroads of cultures, colours and civilisations, you feel the grandeur of history and the warmth of being at the southernmost part of Europe, you discover the evolutionary process of thought, influence and experience.

A country with a uniquely affluent historical past, inhabited by people gazing confidently and optimistically into the future.

A country that although statistically small, is huge in its diversity.

A landscape that has given us thousands of postcard images but remains incredibly vibrant and impossible to capture.

Greece is a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time, from the present to the past and back again.

Walk through the olive groves, through ancient sites. Move to clusters of sparsely inhabited islands. Roam from beaches to rocky mountains and explore the breathtaking scenery.

In Greece the fusion of images becomes more than imagery and turns into reality.

Explore your senses in Greece.

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