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Greece
City Guide
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Greece Travel Guide
Arts such as architecture, sculpture, pottery, weaving, music, jewellery making, and painting have a long-standing tradition in Greece, where civilisations were already established in pre-historic times.
Practical Informations:
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Full Name: Hellenic Republic.
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Capital: Athens.
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Languages: Greek (official).
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Religion: 98% Greek Orthodox, 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% other.
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Currency: Euro ()
Greece Sights and Museums
Greece has an abundance of resources that tourists with ecological and cultural interests will find attractive. The wealth of cultural as well as ecological resources, both biotic and abiotic, constitute a special comparative advantage of Greece for those interested in the conservation of cultural diversity, bio-diversity and eco-systems. These resources are marked by Greece wide variety, rareness and distinctiveness and are found in areas many of which have already been placed under special protection.
The islands are Greeces chief morphological trait and an integral part of the countrys civilisation and tradition. The Greek territory comprises 6,000 islands and islets scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, a truly unique phenomenon on the European continent; of these islands only 227 are inhabited.
Most islands lie in the Aegean Sea and are divided in seven groups (from north to south):
The Northeastern Aegean Islands: Agios Efstratios, Thasos, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Inousses, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Psara.
The Sporades: Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros.
Evia.
The Argo-Saronic Islands: Angistri, Aegina, Poros, Salamina, Spetses, Hydra and the coastal area of Methana.
The Cyclades: A group of 56 islands, its most important ones being Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Delos, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Sikinos, Sifnos, Syros, Tinos, Folegandros, as well as the Minor Cyclades comprising Donousa, Irakleia, Koufonisia and Schinoussa.
The Dodecanese: Astypalaia, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Thasos, Kastelorizo, Kos, Lipsi, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Symi, Tilos, Halki.
Crete.
The Ionian Sea is home to one sole island group:
The Ionian Islands: Zakynthos, Ithaca, Corfu, Cephallonia, Lefkada, Paxi, Antipaxi, Ereikoussa, Mathraki, Meganissi, Othoni, Strofades.
These islands, together with Kythira, which is however cut-off from the rest, opposite the southern Peloponnese (Lakonia), as well as neighbouring Antikythira, they constitute the Eptanissa.
The wealth and diversity of the Greek seas, the endless kilometres of the Greek coasts and the thousands of Greek islands, the protected sea areas covering thousands of square kilometres, the mild climate, the high percentage of sunshine and its interesting and varying landscape make Greece the ideal destination for the development of sea tourism activities.
Mt Olympus (Macedonia), known from Greek mythology as the abode of the gods, is the highest mountain in the country, rising at 2,917 m (?ytikas peak). About forty 40 mountain complexes throughout the country reach elevations over 2,000 m.
The Greek mountains are reknowned for their diversity, landscapes of singular beauty and unique forests, many of which rank among the oldest natural wooded lands in Europe. Due to the astoundingly rich flora and fauna they support, many of these environments have been designated as National Parks and are protected as such, while as a result of infrastructure developed over the last decades, they constitute today ideal destinations for winter and alpine.
Greece Entertainment
The Greek year is a succession of festivals and events, some of which are religious, some cultural, others an excuse for a good knees-up.
Gynaikratia on 8 January is a day of role reversal in villages in northern Greece. Women spend the day in kafeneia (cafes) and other social centres where men usually congregate, while the men stay at home to do housework.
The Greek carnival season runs through February-March over the three weeks before the beginning of Lent, and features fancy dress, feasting, traditional dancing and general merrymaking. Easter is the most significant festival in Greece, with candle-lit processions, feasting and fireworks displays. Emphasis is placed on the Resurrection rather than on the Crucifixion, so it is a joyous occasion.
There are numerous summer festivals across the country, the most famous being the Hellenic Festival (mid-June to late September), which hosts drama and music in ancient theatres.
Greece Transports
Greece has 16 international airports though most only operate as charter flight airports. Scheduled international flights depart from only six of these airports. From Athens there are direct flights to and from the USA, Canada, Australia and various Asian cities. There are also frequent flights to/from Istanbul and Sofia. Cheap charter flights are available from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris to Athens, Thessaloniki and some of the islands. Conditions may apply on charter flights; check on any restrictions regarding overnighting in Turkey.
By land, there are road connections from Turkey, Bulgaria, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
There are trains from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey. Travelling to Greece on an Inter Rail or Eurail pass does not necessarily entail travel through the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, however, as the ferry-crossing from Italy is often included in the ticket.
There are car ferries from Trieste, Venice, Ancona, Brindisi and Bari in Italy, and from various Aegean ports in Turkey. There are also boats from Israel and Cyprus.
Public transportation has improved, especially with the introduction of the Metro Lines. Anything on rail (metro, tram) will be more efficient and reliable time-wise. A large network of buses and trolleys is also available.
Tram (Light rail system):
Brand new. An excellent way to take the south coastal route and arrive at the beaches outside Athens.
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