Greece - Grekland

Greece is a country in Balkans. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea and has an extensive archipelago that is a very popular tourist destination. The capital city Athens on the mainland is by far the largest city in the country, more than a third of the country's inhabitants live in Athens. Greece is the cradle of Western civilization and there is an abundance of ancient relics and historical sites to visit. It is fantastically beautiful out in the archipelago and easy to live in as a tourist. In addition to the Mediterranean sun and swimming, several charter destinations are also known for their developed nightlife with clubs and discos.

Planning before the trip

To take with you to Greece

A translation of the Greek alphabet, so that you can at least spell it out.

To bring with you from Greece

Honey, metaxa, ouzo, needlework, real sponge.

Facts about Greece

The vast majority who come to Greece are Europeans. The tourist season lasts from April to October with the peak season in July and August. Most of the tourism takes place in the archipelago and to some extent in Athens, the Pelopenessos and Haldiki in the north, leaving large parts of the country untouched by large-scale tourism.

History

Ancient Greece has become famous, among other things for its science. The first Olympic Games were held in Olympia year 776 BC

The locals

The Greeks themselves call their country Greece, today pronounced Ellas, or in everyday speech Ellada.

The population is mainly Greeks with a few small minorities and permanent residents. They speak Greek and follow Greek Orthodox Christianity.

In the many tourist resorts along the coasts, people are very used to dealing with tourists.

Climate

Most of Greece is located on the coast and has a characteristic Mediterranean climate, which means a little more than six months with constant sunshine and other times relatively cold and rainy.

It is hot in the country during the high summer which lasts from July to August, temperatures above thirty degrees are not uncommon. In late August, the annual begins meltémithe wind to blow from the north and remove the worst heat. During the high summer, the Greeks avoid heavy physical work between 1 pm and 5 pm. It is a good tip to do the same yourself as a tourist; get up early, look around and do the necessary errands in the morning and then spend the afternoon engaging in activities in the shade or relaxed on the beach.

Holidays

• The most important holiday is the Orthodox Christian Easter. The Greek Easter is celebrated according to the Greek calendar and not in the same weeks as in Sweden, it is usually a few weeks after the Swedish Easter. It is common for the Greeks to take a whole week off around Easter to go out to relatives in the country.
• The carnival apocryphal celebrated around Greece in February.
• Independence Day March 25. Greece has two festivals that are celebrated as national days. The official one is March 25, but it is also celebrated on October 28.
• Marie fell asleep on 15 August
• Orthodox Christmas.
• Many parts of the country have their own local carnivals related to holy days.

Regions

Until 1987, Greece was divided into nine regions, this division survives in everyday speech, similar to our provinces. The modern administrative division consists of 13 regions.

For the tourist, it is enough to divide Greece into two areas:

• The Greek archipelago, two major charter destinations are Chania on Crete and Rhodes.
• The Greek mainland

But with over 6000 islands, there are also some other gold nuggets to discover such as, Thassos, Skopolos and Samothraki and others.

Cities

• Athens
• Thessaloniki, major city in the Greek region of Macedonia (not to be confused with the state Northern Macedonia, formerly known as Macedonia).
• Heraklion, capital of Crete.
• Volos

Getting to Greece

Greece is a member of the EU and of Schengen cooperation, which facilitates border control. You should still have a passport with you, but it works just as well with a special EU-approved ID card.

With regular flights you get to the big cities. The price is between very cheap to very expensive. With charter companies, you can get to the smaller towns and islands, usually at very humane prices if you choose to only book flights (so-called airline seats). To some places, the flight seats run out quickly, so book well in advance.

Athens From Gothenburg / Landvetter: Sterling

Athens From Stockholm / Arlanda: Sterling, Viking Airlines, SAS

Athens From Copenhagen: SAS

Athens From Oslo / Moss / Rygge: Norwegian, Sterling

Chania from Stockholm / Arlanda: Sterling

Chania from Oslo: Sterling

Chania from Copenhagen: Sterling

Rhodes from Oslo: Norwegian

Thessaloniki from Stockholm / Arlanda: Viking Airlines

Appolo from Gothenburg / Landvetter to: Heraklion, Karpathos, Chania, Corfu, Santorini, Rhodes, Skiathos, Preveza, Thessaloniki, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Kavala, Samos, Kalamata

Leisure travel flies from Gothenburg / Landvetter to: Kefalonia, Peloponnese, Crete, Rhodes, Samos

Sun trips from Gothenburg / Landvetter to: Crete, Rhodes

Ving flies from Gothenburg / Landvetter to: Rhodes, Crete-Chania, Crete-Heraklion, Samos, Parga-Preveza.

• Tjörnarpsbuss[1] have trips to Greece.

The international lines go to Thessaloniki in northern Greece, from where you can move on. There are trains from the big cities of the neighboring countries: Sofia, Belgrade via Skopje and Istanbul.

There are ferries from Bari and Brindisi in Italy. There are ferries from several ports in Turkey, including Cesme and Marmaris.

Relocation in Greece

Payment

Euro

The usual bank / credit cards work in shops and restaurants.

ATMs are usually found except on the smallest islands.

Accommodation

In the Greek islands, private rooms are a good option. Room rentals are usually available on the quay on arrival of the boat, just pick and choose. If not, ask at the nearest bar and they will help you. During July and August, it can be difficult to find rooms on popular islands.

Food and drinks

Domestic dishes such as souvlaki (skewers), moussaka and Greek salad are everywhere. Gyros are Greek kebabs and are sold in all fast food restaurants. What can strike many visitors is that the food in Greece is the same as the Greek food you eat in your home country, unlike for example the Chinese cuisine which is "Europeanized" compared to the domestic food.

Retsina is a domestic white wine, with a distinctive taste of resin. Beer is brewed mainly as a light lager and it is most common with licensed products such as Amstel and Heineken. Domestic varieties such as Mythos and Fix are also of the light stock type. Ouzo and Metaxa are domestic spirits. Iced coffee is very common for the Greeks to drink, it is called Coffee Frappe and can be obtained everywhere for cheap money.

To see

Greece has a huge amount of attractions, for example:

• Athens
• Volos

To do

• Boat hoisting in Greece
• Pilgrimage in Greece

Work

Communication

English works for easy communication in most cases as most Greeks take it for granted that you can not speak Greek. However, English skills are not always good. Much is written in Greek letters but in e.g. street signs may also have the Latin letters. Feel free to read about the Greek alphabet so that it is possible to spell it out.

Greece is a well-developed country with access to mobile phone networks almost everywhere and with internet connections in hotels and internet cafes in cities and villages.

Security

Out on the islands, power outages are not uncommon and then it becomes carbon black. Get in the habit of carrying a flashlight at night.

Respect

Problem solver

Other