Below you can find some general yet essential information on Greece for before you travel and during your stay here.
Capital: Athens
Official language: Greek
Currency: Euro (€ EUR)
Time zone: GMT +2
Climate: Mild Mediterranean
Population: 10.432.481 (2021 census)
Political system: Parliamentary Republic
Dialling code: The international dialling code for Greece is +30
Before travelling to Greece, you should:
- Check if a visa or passport needs to be issued in your country of origin and make the necessary arrangements in good time.
- Contact your bank to inform them of the use of a debit or credit card and cash withdrawals from an ATM abroad.
- Be aware that the electric current in Greece is 230V AC (50Hz). Consequently, for devices from North America to work correctly a convertor is needed, while devices from the United Kingdom need a special adaptor.
- Have a health insurance plan.
- Contact your phone company and inform them that you will be using your mobile phone abroad.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
New Year: 1 January
Epiphany: 6 January
Clean Monday: 41 days before Easter
Independence Day and Feast of the Annunciation: 25 March
Easter: Good Friday until Easter Monday
Labour Day: 1 May
Pentecost: Celebrated 50 days after Easter
Dormition of the Virgin: 15 August
28 October: National holiday – school and military parade
Christmas: 25 December
LANGUAGE
The country’s official language is Greek. Most of the locals speak English while there are also population groups that speak German, French, Albanian, Bulgarian, Turkish and Russian.
RELIGION
Religious tolerance and freedom of religion are guaranteed by the constitution of Greece. Most of the population is Christian Orthodox, while there are places where the rituals and customs of different religions may be performed.
CURRENCY – EXCHANGE RATES
The official currency is the euro (€). Exchange rates are clearly written in all banks that accept exchange currency while holders ofdebit and credit cards may withdraw euros from the ATMs of collaborating banks. Exchanging euros into other foreign currency can also be done at the Bank of Greece.Currency exchange at the Bank of Greece covers the following 9 currencies: (USD) US dollar, (GBP) pound sterling, (DKK) Danish krone, (SEK) Swedish Krona, (JPY) Japanese yen, (CHF) Swiss franc, (NOK) Norwegiankrone, (CAD) Canadian dollar and (AUD) Australian dollar. Currency exchanges can also be done at foreign exchange bureaux, which are located in airports and certain central ports in the large cities, as well as several tourist destinations. A passport is needed to exchange currency.
We recommend that visitors from Bulgaria and Turkey exchange their national currencies into euros before visiting Greece. Alternatively, they can withdraw euros from the ATMs of collaborating banks.
