Athens travel tips and Greece tourism guide
The City of Athens in Greece witnessed massive refurbishment in the lead-up to the 2004 Olympic Games but it still has some of the cluttered concrete buildings captured in the 1986 photograph below overlooking Athens.
The tin roof dwellings have disappeared but still Athens can surprise newcomers with its dilapidated appearance and perennial smog.
Nevertheless, don’t hesitate to book your airlines and hotel travel deals because Greece holidays provide a memorable Mediterranean adventure full of interesting tourist attractions.
Athens travel information guide
Note: at national elections in May 2012, about two thirds of voters backed parties opposed to tough financial austerity measures introduced by the Greek Government to tackle its debt crisis since early 2010. However, an impasse between political parties means the country is likely to go back to the polls in June 2012 and is effectively without a government until then. The austerity measures have sparked intermittent mass protests in the country. Police at times have clashed violently with protesters in central Athens and industrial action has affected transport and other public services. Regardless of the election results, travellers should monitor the media closely to determine whether social unrest continues that may disrupt their holiday plans. The Greek economy is effectively insolvent and is likely to endure ongoing years in recession. The Greek Prime Minister was replaced in November 2011. Albeit subject to the May 2012 election result, the government’s fiscal policy response to tackle the country’s debt crisis includes a 20% drop in public sector jobs, wage cuts up to 30% and a rise in VAT to 23%. Tax evasion and corruption are partly blamed for the debt, with the World Bank estimating the black market comprises almost a third of the Greek economy. The European Commission predicts the Greek economy will contract by 2.8% in 2012 and unemployment in the country is pushing 20%. There are estimates that as many as 30% of the Greek population are living in poverty with increasing numbers sleeping outdoors, and tourists should be aware of and respect the humanitarian crisis they may encounter during their travels.
The Hellenic Republic of Greece covers 131,944 square kilometres and has a population around 10.5 million.
Tourists from most western countries don’t need a visa for up to three months of holiday travel in Greece, although two months is the maximum for some nationalities who arrive without a visa.
Take note that if your passport shows you’ve visited North Cyprus since November 1983, they won’t let you in.
Some rural parts of Greece still have typhus and even rabies, but the biggest health risk during your holiday travel in Greece is sunburn.
The best time to book your airline for holiday travel in Greece is from Easter to mid-June, when the weather is warm but not too hot and the tourist crowds are yet to swell, as they mostly do between June and September.
The weather in August/September is very hot. The climate is balmy, the beaches and monuments less crowded and accommodation is cheaper than during the peak holiday season from June to August.
Essentially, Greece has mild wet winters and hot dry summers, although winter can get bitterly cold in the mountains and even in Athens sometimes.
Hotels offer cheap rates discounted up to 30% during winter, which is also a lovely time for cheap holiday travel in Greece because both locals and tourists are scarce and the rain is only occasional.
Cheap travel is possible in Athens and Greece for less than 40 euros a day, but you’ll risk having a miserable time.
If you want pleasant and comfortable holiday travel in Greece with your own hotel room, restaurant meals and travel through historic sites, expect to budget at least 60 euros a day. These prices are likely to be lower as the Greek economic crisis unfolds.
Greece travel spots are numerous, including dozens of Mediterranean islands (in fact 1,400 with 169 inhabited) and mountainous trekking regions boasting a few Alpine areas with some of the cheapest skiing in Europe.
Greece travel tip: Take note that for several decades recreational scuba diving was banned in most Greek waters to protect the seabed for archaeologists. However, the restrictions have been eased in recent years and diving has become a huge tourist drawcard for adventure travel as the Greek seas can now be explored in most areas.
If you like to wet your toes, Greek beaches can be either white sand and comfortable or coloured pebbles and uncomfortable. The 48 square kilometre island of Skiathos, about 320 kilometres north of Athens, probably has the best beaches in Greece (many Skiathos shops and hotels close during winter and about 100,000 tourists descend on the island in summer).