Practical information

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Time

Greece time is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), 1 hour ahead of Central European Time (CET) and 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST).

 

Currency

The official currency in Greece is the euro (EUR).

You can find the exact exchange rates with your local currency at www.xe.com.

 

Language

Greek is the official language. Most Greeks speak English as a foreign language.

 

Payment methods

The most common means of payment is cash.

All major credit cards, as well as Euro cheques, are accepted in most hotels, shops, travel and car rental agencies and restaurants. Stickers in the front windows will advise you as to which cards are accepted.

Travellers' cheques are often not accepted.

Withdrawing money from an ATM is the cheapest way to exchange your money.

 

Electricity

The electrical current in Greece operates at 220 V/50 Hz and uses round, two-pin European plugs.

Appliances designed to operate on 110/120 Volts need a voltage converter and a plug adapter.

 

Business hours

• Shops are open on Monday, Wednesday & Saturday from 9:00am to 3:00pm and on Tuesday, Thursday & Friday from 9:00am to 2:00pm and from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. Many tourist shops are open from 9:00am to 10:00pm. Malls and some retail stores in shopping areas may be open from from 9:00am to 9:00 (except Sunday).
• Government offices & public sector in general: 8:00 am to 3:00pm daily, closed on Saturday, Sunday and most holidays.
• Banks: Εach bank has its own working hours. If you do your banking in the mornings, all of them are certainly open from Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 1:00pm.

 

Healthcare

Emergency treatment is free to all in public hospitals.

Public and private hospitals can be found in big cities. Small and large islands usually have hospitals and health centers.

 

Telecommunications

The international access code for Greece is +30. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 001 for the USA or Canada, 0044 for the United Kingdom).

Public payphones are available all over Greece and use phone cards, which can be purchased from kiosks.

For information concerning mobile phone use in Greece (telephone transmissions are based on GSM technology), please ask your provider

 

International Airport of Athens

International Airport Athens "Eleftherios Venizelos" (ATH), located 27km north-eastern of Athens, is accessible via "Attiki Odos", a six-lane motorway constituting the Athens City Ring Road.

Public transport is provided by express airport bus connections with Athens centre and the port of Piraeus on a 24-hour basis, ensuring efficient transport of air travellers and facilitating linkage to key tourist attractions.

 

The Athens International Airport is connected daily with over 50 cities around the world. The link below provides a list of International Airlines which fly to and from Athens International Airport. Clicking on a variety of the listed airlines will guide you to their homepage, assisting  you in finding the best route to Athens. List of Athens International Airport Airlines 

Public transport in Athens

• The metro is a great way to get around Athens. It’s cheap with a very frequent service. As in all cities, things get a bit crowded during rush hours, but generally the trains are fast and comfortable. All metro lines operate from 5:00am until midnight; on Friday and Saturday they operate until 2:00am.
• Buses operate from 5:00am until midnight as well.
• Tram lines operate on a 24-hour basis on Friday and Saturday, on weekdays, they operate from 5:00am until midnight.

All forms of public transportation including blue buses, metro, trolley buses and urban trains cost EUR 1.40 per journey. Tickets are valid for 1½ hour as soon as they have been validated.

There is also a monthly card of EUR 45.00 that is valid on all public transport.
For further details and maps of all public transportation routes, please visit www.oasa.gr/?id=ind3ex&lang=en