Greece - Ελλάδα

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THE Hellas is a country in the Southeast Of Europe, at the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, with extensive coastlines and islands in the Aegean, Ionian and the Mediterranean. It borders with Albania, Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria,Italy and Turkey. The country's ancient culture significantly influenced the art, language, philosophy, politics and sports of Western societies including drama and comedy, the Western alphabet, the Platonic theory of ideas, the Socratic method, democracy and the Olympic Games. . It is a popular tourist destination due to its ancient monuments, beaches and large number of islands, either in Aegean, or in Ionian Sea.

At a glance

Greece is one of the 20 most popular world tourist destinations. According to the Ministry of Tourism, in 2018 it was visited by 33 million people, a large number compared to its 11 million population. The beaches, the sunny summers, the natural diversity, the nightlife and the abundance of archeological monuments are poles of attraction for the visitors.

Appropriate visit period

The climate of Greece and especially of the south and the island is typical Mediterranean mild and wet winters, relatively hot and dry summers and, in general, long periods of sunshine during most of the year. Greece is located between parallels 340 and 420 of the Northern Hemisphere and is bathed by the Eastern Mediterranean. Its climate has in general the characteristics of the Mediterranean climate, ie mild and rainy winters, relatively hot and dry summers and a lot of sunshine almost all year round. of the Mediterranean climate. This is due to the topographic configuration of the country which has large differences in altitude (there are large mountain ranges along the central country and other mountains) and the alternation of land and sea. Thus, from the dry climate of Attica and generally of Eastern Greece, we switch to the liquid of Northern and Western Greece. Such climatic differences are found even in places that are a short distance from each other, which occurs in only a few countries around the world. From a climatic point of view, the year can be divided into two seasons: The cold and rainy winter period mid-October and until the end of March and the warm and dry season that lasts from April to October. During the first period the coldest months are January and February, where on average the average minimum temperature ranges from 5- 10 0 C in the coastal areas, from 0 - 5 0 C in the mainland areas and with lower prices below zero in the northern areas. The rains in our country even in winter do not last for many days and the sky of Greece does not stay cloudy for several consecutive days, as is the case in other parts of the earth. Winter bad weather is often interrupted in January and the first fortnight of February by sunny days, known since antiquity as "Alkyonides days". The winter season is sweeter in the Aegean and June islands than in Northern and Eastern Greece. During the hot and dry season the weather is stable, the sky is almost clear, the sun is bright and it does not rain except for rare breaks with heavy rains or thunderstorms of short duration. The warmest period is the last ten days of July and the first of August. so the average maximum temperature ranges from 29 C to 35 C. During the warm season the high temperatures are mitigated by the cool sea breeze in the coastal areas of the country and by the north winds (annuals) that blow mainly in the Aegean. Spring has a short duration , because winter is late, and summer begins early. Autumn is long and warm and is often extended in Southern Greece until mid-December.

Languages

The official language of the country is Greek. Almost everywhere, Greek is spoken as a mother tongue, while in large cities and tourist resorts, English, French, German, Italian and several Eastern European languages ​​are also spoken.

Areas of Greece

Regions of Greece

The regions of Greece concern the administrative division of Greece, and not tourist units. We cite the regions as general knowledge information about Greece.

Region	Seat	Larger city	area	population
Eastern Macedonia and Thrace	Komotini	Alexandroupoli	14,157 km	606.170
Central Macedonia	Thessaloniki	Thessaloniki	18,811km²	1.874.590
West Macedonia	Kozani	Kozani	9,451 km	282.120
Continent	Janina	Janina	9,203 km	336.650
Thessaly	Larissa	Larissa	14,037 km²	730.730
Central Greece	Ghoul	Chalkida	15,549 km	546.870
West Greece	Patras	Patras	11,350 km	680.190
Attica	Athena	Athena	3,808 km	3.812.330
Peloponnese	Tripoli	Kalamata	15,490 km	581.980
Ionian Islands	Corfu	Corfu	2,307 km²	206.470
Southern Aegean Sea	Ermoupolis	Rhodes	5,286 km	308.610
North Aegean	Mytilene	Mytilene	3,836 km	197.810
Crete	Heraklion	Chania	8,336 km	621.340

Important cities

1.   Athena
2.   Thessaloniki
3.   Patras
4.   Heraklion
5.   Larissa
6.   Marble
7.   Serres
8.   Rhodes
9.   Chania
10.   Janina
11.   Kalamata
12.   Cephalonia
13.   Edessa

Additional destinations

•   Mount Athos.  
•   Delphi. — 
•   Delos. — 
•   Ancient Olympia. — 
•   Vergina. — 
•   Meteora. — 
•   Mystras. — 
•   Pelion. — 

• UNESCO World Heritage Sites in GREECE

How to get there

Passport and visa

Visitors from a European Union country (as well as Norway, Iceland and others that are part of the Schengen Agreement) do not require a passport or visa. Visitors from other countries need a passport and, for some, a visa.

By air

The easiest and fastest way to arrive in Greece is by air, unless you are on the Aegean coast of Turkey, or in neighboring countries, Albania, Northern Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia, so you can come by car or (from Turkey) by boat. There are several international airports and many direct flights to tourist destinations, scheduled and chartered flights.

By train

With the current railway you can reach Hellas from all bordering countries. From Skopje it is probably the fastest way, because the ground is flat and the lines are straight and with few stops. The same is done with Turkey, except that the cities and therefore the stations are more, the same as the time you will make to arrive. You can also from Albania and Bulgaria only the terrain is extremely mountainous and the time it takes to make the same train from Skopje doubles. (eg if it takes 1 hour from Skopje then from Albania or Bulgaria will need 2)

By road

In Greece the easiest and fastest way to get there is through Π.Γ.Δ.Μ. and his Α1 Π.Α.Θ.Ε., part of European Road 75 (E-75) where the speed limit reaches up to 140km / h. The second fastest option through FYROM is from European Road 65 (E-65) (or A3 as it is called in FYROM) where it ends in Florina.

You can also reach Greece through it European Road 90 (E-90) (the Egnatia Odos as it is called in Greece) through Turkey that is.

Via Of Albania the fastest way is from border station of Krystallopigi via European Road 86 (E-86) that is. You can also get there later than European Road 853 (E-853).

Now through Of Bulgaria you can reach via Highway 25 and European Road 79 (E-79) where the speed limit is 140km / h and through National Road 23 (EO-23) but and from Highway 57 (EO-57) but much later. There is one more option, much faster and she is through it European Road 85 (E-85).

Country	Best road	Border station
Π.Γ.Δ.Μ.	E-75 or A1	Ευζώνων
Bulgaria	E-79 or A25	Προμαχώνα
Turkey	E-90 or A2	Gardens
Albania	E-86 or A29	Krystallopigi

By boat

The main ports of arrival of travelers by boat are Patras and the Igoumenitsa, ports with which there are regular ferry routes to and from Italy. From the sea one can reach the islands of the eastern Aegean with small boats from the opposite Turkish coast.

How to move

By air

By train

By road

The most important highways in Greece are A'1 and A8, formerly known together as PATHE, part of European Road 75 (E-75) where the speed limit reaches up to 140km / h and A'2 also known as Egnatia road.

There are several car rental companies in Greece such as Hertz, Budget,Imperial Greece , Europcar, Cosmos Car Rental.

Bus

The intercity bus lines in Greece are operated by KTEL, which has a monopoly on intercity transport. Each regional unit has its own company KTEL.

By boat

Entertainment

Plenty of options (bars, clubs, music, scenes, theaters, cinemas) and many open themed festivals, especially during the summer months.

Important entertainment venues

• Athens Concert Hall
• Thessaloniki Concert Hall
• Badminton Theater
• Pantheon Theater
• Pallas Theater

Transactions and purchases

The country Greece uses euro. It is one of the many European countries that use the single currency. All euro banknotes and coins are legal tender in all countries that use them.

Countries that have the euro as their official currency: EU members Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hellas, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain Countries outside the EU Andorra, Kosovo, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino and Vatican These countries are called the "eurozone".

The euro is divided into 100 cents.

The official symbol of the euro is €, and the ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol of the euro cents.

• Banknotes: Euro banknotes have the same design in all countries.
• Regular coins: All euro countries issue euro coins with a typical national design on one side and a common design on the other. The coins can be used in any Eurozone country, regardless of the design they depict. (eg a one euro coin from Finland can be used in Portugal).
• Commemorative coins of two euros: These differ from regular two euro coins on their "national" side, and are legally traded. Each country can mint a certain number of them, and sometimes "pan-European" two-euro commemorative coins are minted for important events (eg the anniversary of an important treaty).
• Other commemorative coinsCommemorative coins of other denominations (eg ten euros or more) are rarer, and have a special design, often containing some gold, silver or platinum. While they are technically a legal medium of exchange, their collectible value is greater than their face value, and you are therefore unlikely to find them in the everyday market.

Local cuisine

Greek cuisine is mainly Mediterranean, it has something in common with the traditional cuisines of Italy, the Balkans, Turkey and the Levant (part of the Middle East).

Modern Greek cuisine has a wide use of vegetables, olive oil, cereals, fish, wine and meat (white & red). Also, other important products are olives, cheese, eggplants, zucchini, and yogurt. The main characteristics of Greek sweets are nuts and honey, while various fruits are often used, mainly for the so-called spoon sweets.

Another important aspect of Greek cuisine is the mezes which is a collective name for a variety of small meals, usually served with wine, ouzo or tsipouro in taverns, ouzo and tsipouro restaurants but also served to a visitor who may have someone in his house.

Local drinks

1. Ouzo
2. Tsipouro
3. Raki
4. Chios Mastic
5. Rakomelo
6. Faturada
7. Tentura
8. Tsikoudia

Tourist infrastructure

Summer tourism - beaches

Archaeological tourism

Religious tourism

Beaches and coasts

THE Hellas has one of the largest coastlines in the world - about 16,000 km - branched into innumerable coasts, beautiful little beach, charming bays and bays. His Archipelago Aegean, the Ionian and Libyan Sea are a water "embrace", in which the mainland ends and the vastness of the Greek islands.

The Greek coasts are world famous and extremely popular as they are famous for purity τους, τη clarity of their waters and the unique diversity their. In our country you will enjoy beaches, open, with a length of many kilometers, windless small bays and coves, sandy beaches with sand dunes, pebbled shores, coastal caves carved into steep cliffs, beaches paved with the characteristic dark skies.

Studies

Important universities and educational institutions

• Greek Open University
• National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
• Economical University of Athens
• Panteion University
• University of Ioannina
• University of Macedonia
• University of Patras
• University of West Attica
• Piraeus University
• University of Crete
• Higher School of Pedagogical and Technological Education
• School of Fine Arts
• Democritus University of Thrace
• University of the Aegean
• American College of Greece
• University of Thessaly
• Agricultural University of Athens
• Harokopio University
• Technical University of Crete
• Univeristy of Pelopponisos
• Hellenic Mediterranean University
• Ionian University
• International University of Greece
• University of Western Macedonia
• University of Central Greece
• University of Western Greece
• Ionian Academy
• Hellenic Conservatory
• Rizareios School

Job opportunities

1. Tourism
2. Fishing
3. Agricultural work
4. Biomedical sciences

Health and precautions

Health care

Natural hazards

In winter, various viruses "circulate", such as the flu. Also, in summer, due to the climate there are too many mosquitoes and tiger mosquitoes everywhere, where it is possible to transmit the disease. malaria, but the situation is not so serious as to justify measures taken by travelers traveling to Greece.

Communications