Greece

Capital Athens

Population 10,858,018

Area 131,990 km2

Key facts

Greece is a member state of the European Union located in Southern Europe. There are 4 countries (Albania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Turkey) that Greece shares its borders with. The official language of Greece is Greek (modern). Although English is not the official language, a large number of people in Greece are fluent English speakers.

In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, Greece was ranked 19th out of 100 countries in 2021.

The national currency in Greece is Euro (EUR). The euro (€) is subdivided into 100 cent (c).

Greek
Banknotes

€5€10€20€50€100€200€500

Greek
Coins

€1€25c10c20c50c1c2c

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in Greece is 84.05 Mbps and mobile is 143.73 Mbs.The global average is 197.25 Mbps and 127.73 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density When compared to the world average, Greece has more ATMs.64.05 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.49.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in Greece, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 2 socket types used in Greece. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries.

Type C 230 V, 50 Hz  Type F 230 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2024, Greece will celebrate 15 national public holidays. The next one Christmas Day will take place on December 25.

Date Holiday name
January 1, 2024Moving holiday New Year’s DayΠρωτοχρονιά
January 6, 2024Moving holiday EpiphanyΘεοφάνεια
March 18, 2024Moving holiday Clean MondayΚαθαρά Δευτέρα
March 25, 2024Moving holiday Independence DayΕικοστή Πέμπτη Μαρτίου
May 3, 2024Moving holiday Good FridayΜεγάλη Παρασκευή
May 5, 2024Moving holiday Easter SundayΚυριακή του Πάσχα
May 6, 2024Moving holiday Easter MondayΔευτέρα του Πάσχα
May 7, 2024Moving holiday Labour DayΕργατική Πρωτομαγιά
June 23, 2024Moving holiday PentecostΠεντηκοστή
June 24, 2024Moving holiday Whit MondayΔευτέρα Πεντηκοστής
August 15, 2024Moving holiday Assumption DayΚοίμηση της Θεοτόκου
October 28, 2024Moving holiday Ochi DayΤο Όχι
December 25, 2024Moving holiday Christmas DayΧριστούγεννα
December 26, 2024Moving holiday St. Stephen’s DayΣύναξις Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου Μαρίας

Tourism

What hotel chains are present in Greece?

There are Mariott hotels in Athens.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in Greece.

The IHG hotel chain operates in Greece.

The Best Western hotel chain operates in Greece.

There are Radisson hotels in 5 cities.

The Accor hotel chain operates in Greece.

What fast food chains are present in Greece?

The McDonald’s chain operates in Greece.

The KFC chain operates in Greece.

The Burger King chain does not operate in Greece.

The Subway chain operates in Greece.

The Domino’s Pizza chain operates in Greece.

The Starbucks chain operates in Greece.

Weather

What is the weather like in Athens?

Today the sun in Athens, rises at 6:58 AM and sets at 5:18 PM. The climate of Athens may be categorized as a Mediterranean (Csa), according to Koppen’s classification system.

TodayNov 8Partly cloudlyLow: 10°C (50°F)High: 20.1°C (68.18°F)
SaturdayNov 9OvercastLow: 10.7°C (51.26°F)High: 19.6°C (67.28°F)
SundayNov 10Partly cloudlyLow: 8.9°C (48.02°F)High: 17.3°C (63.14°F)
MondayNov 11Partly cloudlyLow: 8.2°C (46.76°F)High: 18.3°C (64.94°F)
TuesdayNov 12OvercastLow: 8.9°C (48.02°F)High: 18.9°C (66.02°F)
WednesdayNov 13OvercastLow: 12.8°C (55.04°F)High: 19.3°C (66.74°F)

Weather data for Athens (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains operating between some cities.

Subway Systems The subway system is available in Athens.

Taxi Apps You can use Uber in 3 cities. Bolt is not available in Greece.

Car Rental Avis , Sixt , Hertz are all available in Greece.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  With a score of 5.0, Greece is placed 62nd out of 129 nations.

Driving Side In Greece traffic is right-handed.

Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  584.00 thefts per 100,000 people in 2020.The global average is 544.

Road Traffic Casualties 8.30 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 1: Exercise normal precautions. 

Emergency phones in Greece

112 Police
112 Ambulance
112 Fire police

Sources

Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban Smoking is prohibited in all public areas excluding entertainment and restaurants.

Cananbis legality Recreational usage is prohibited, but medical use is legal.

You are not entitled to a duty-free allowance for tobacco or alcohol if you are under the age of 17.

Alcohol allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 90L of still wine (60L of sparkling wine)
  • 110L of beer
  • 10L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22%
  • 20L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs up to 22%.

Travellers from non-EU countries:

  • 4L of wine
  • 16L of beer
  • 1L of spirits over 22% volume or 2L of alcoholic beverages less than 22% volume

Tobacco allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 800 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos or 200 cigars or 1kg of tobacco

Travellers from non-EU countries:

Your tobacco allowance is determined on your form of transportation.

If you are travelling by air:

  • 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco

If you are NOT travelling by air:

  • 40 cigarettes or 20 cigarillos or 10 cigars or 50g of tobacco
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