• Greece On Demand

General Travel Information in Greece


Official Country Full Name

Hellenic Republic

Capital City

Athens

Area

131,940 sq km or 50,942 sq miles Population
10,668,000

Time Zone

GMT/UTC +2 (Typically 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles, 7 hours ahead of New York)

Languages

Greek (official)

Modern (demotic) Greek is the official language of the State. It derives from Ancient Greek yet it has a much simplified grammar. It has absorbed many words from its linguistic and cultural neighbours. Modern Greek differs substantially from the purist 'Katharevousa', or cleansing Greek, an artificially contrived variant which is closer to Ancient Greek that was used at varying times in recent Greek history. While Katharevousa is no longer used in everyday speech it still evident on street signs and can cause occasional confusion for the tourist.

Religion

98% Greek Orthodox (Christian), 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% other

Currency

Euro (€)

Electricity

220V 50 Hz

Electric Plug Details
European plug with two circular metal pins. The standard in Greece is 220V AC (50Hz). Appliances from North America require a transformer and British ones an adaptor.

Country Dialing Code

30

Shopping

Greece is the ideal destination to shop for a wide variety of products, catering to everybody’s tastes and wishes. Prices are very reasonable in relation to product quality and visitors will be able to find something for every budget.
Shops are open Monday through Friday from 09.00 till 14.30 and on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday also from 17.30 through 20.30. On Saturday shops open from 09.00 till 15.00, while they are closed on Sunday. Supermarkets and kiosks may stay open till 22.00.
More specifically, in the center of large urban areas as well as in tourist areas, tourist shops and kiosks are open from early in the morning till late at night, seven days a week.

Hotel 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*

A Greek Islands Destination Cooking Class is a very entertaining program filmed in Santorini, Greece. Cynthia Daddona's improv comedy skills shine through! More...

Hellenic Journal