Greece

It’s easy to forget what an exotic destination Greece is with a culture dating back thousands of years. You only have to visit the Acropolis in Athens to get this sense of wonder. Add to this glorious beaches, pretty villages with welcoming tavernas and fabulous resorts like Sani and Costa Navarino and you have a winning combination. The Greek Islands are some of the most picturesque in the world where the white and blue architecture and azure sea takes the breath away of even the most jaded traveller. Every island has its own personality from hedonistic Mykonos to romantic Kefalonia or how about Santorini with its incredible towns like Oia clinging to the caldera slopes and minimalist boutique hideaways, reinterpreting Greece traditions for a modern and more demanding age.

Top Accommodation

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  Blue Palace, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa

  Greece

  Home to excellent leisure facilities

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  1 rating

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Top Restaurants

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  Blue Palace, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa

  Greece

  Home to excellent leisure facilities

  more

  

  1 rating

  0 reviews

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  Hotel Grande Bretagne

  Greece

  This beautiful hotel over 130 years old is superbly situated with breath-taking views of the ...

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  5 ratings

  5 reviews

Summer is the best time to visit Greece with reliable sun from June to September. It’s extremely hot in July and August but highland areas are cooler. Winters are mild and rainy with temperatures sometimes dropping to freezing in the north.

Transport

Getting around

Greece is an easy place to travel around thanks to a comprehensive public transport system. Buses are the mainstay of land transport, with a network that reaches out to the smallest villages. Trains are a good alternative, where available. To most visitors, though, travelling in Greece means island-hopping on the multitude of ferries that crisscross the Adriatic and the Aegean. If you're in a hurry, Greece also has an extensive domestic air network.

Getting there and away

Most visitors to Greece arrive by air, which tends to be the fastest and cheapest option, if not the most environmentally friendly. The three main international airports that take both chartered and scheduled flights are Athens (ATH), Iraklio (HER) and Rhodes (RHO).

There are ferries to Greece from the Italian ports of Ancona, Bari, Brindisi and Venice, various points on the Aegean coast of Turkey, and from the Albanian port of Saranda.

Buses and trains come in from all over Europe; international train travel, in particular, has become much more feasible in recent years with speedier trains and better connections.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Crime, especially theft, is low in Greece, but unfortunately it is on the increase. The worst area is around Omonia in central Athens - keep track of your valuables here, especially on the metro and at the Sunday flea market.

The vast majority of thefts from tourists are still committed by other tourists; the biggest danger of theft is probably in dormitory rooms in hostels and at camping grounds. So make sure you do not leave valuables unattended in such places. If you are staying in a hotel room and the windows and door do not lock securely, ask for your valuables to be locked in the hotel safe - hotel proprietors are happy to do this.