, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.Police, Fire, and Ambulance: 112 (Europe-wide in English)
Tourist Police: Tel. 171 or 1571 (English-speaking)
US Embassy in Athens: Tel. 210-720-2414, after-hours emergency tel. 210-729-4444; consular section open Mon-Fri 8:30-17:00, closed Sat-Sun and last Wed of month; Vasilissis Sophias 91, Metro: Megaro Moussikis, http://gr.usembassy.gov
Canadian Embassy in Athens: Tel. 210-727-3400, for after-hours emergency help call Canada collect at tel. 1-613-996-8885; open Mon-Fri 8:30-16:30, closed Sat-Sun; Ethnikis Antistaseos 48, www.canadainternational.gc.ca/greece-grece.
This list includes selected festivals, plus national holidays observed throughout Greece. Many sights and banks close on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the dates with the festival website, the Greek tourist office (www.visitgreece.gr), or my “Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in Greece” web page (www.ricksteves.com/europe/greece/festivals).
| Jan 1 | New Year’s Day |
| Jan 6 | Epiphany |
| Mid-Jan-March | Carnival season (Apokreo), famous in Patra, peaks on the last Sunday before Lent |
| Late Feb-Early March | “Clean Monday” (Kathari Deftera), the first day of Lent in the Orthodox church |
| March 25 | Greek Independence Day |
| April | Orthodox Good Friday-Easter Monday: April 26-29 in 2019; April 17-20 in 2020 |
| May 1 | Labor Day |
| June | Miaoulia Festival, Hydra (falls on the weekend closest to June 21) |
| June | Nafplio Festival, classical music |
| June-Aug | Athens & Epidavros Festival (music, opera, dance, and theater at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus beneath the Acropolis in Athens; drama and music at the Theater of Epidavros; www.greekfestival.gr/en) |
| July-Aug | Ancient Olympia International Festival (music, dance, and theater at the site of the ancient Olympics) |
| Aug 15 | Assumption |
| Sept | Athens International Film Festival |
| Oct 28 | Ohi Day (anniversary of the “No”; commemorates rejection of Mussolini’s WWII ultimatum) |
| Dec 25-26 | Christmas and “Second Day” of Christmas |
To learn more about Greece past and present, check out a few of these books and films.
Alexander the Great (Paul Anthony Cartledge, 2004). Alexander’s legacy comes to life in this engaging history.
Apology (Plato, 390 B.C.). This is a classic for a reason, opening up a window into the Greek mind and soul.
The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece (Paul Anthony Cartledge, 1997). Offered in large format, Cartledge’s history is packed with gorgeous illustrations.
Colossus of Maroussi (Henry Miller, 1941). Miller tells a sometimes-graphic account of his down-and-out sojourn in Greece in the late 1930s.
A Concise History of Greece (Richard Clogg, 1986). For an overview of the 18th century to modern times, this history is surprisingly succinct.
Dinner with Persephone (Patricia Storace, 1996). This book is more than a memoir about living in Athens—it’s one writer’s critical look at modern Greek culture and family life.
Eleni (Nicholas Gage, 1983). Gage tells the riveting account of his quest to uncover the truth behind his mother’s assassination during Greece’s civil war.
The Greeks (H. D. F. Kitto, 1951). Considered the standard text on ancient Greece by a leading scholar, this decades-old work is still quite accessible.
The Greek Way (Edith Hamilton, 1930). Hamilton introduces the world of ancient Greece to the 20th century.
Inside Hitler’s Greece (Mark Mazower, 1993). This shocking account of the Nazi occupation of Greece details the background for the country’s civil war.
Lives (Plutarch, 100 A.D.). Written at the start of the second century, Lives is an epic attempt to chronicle the ancient world through biography.
Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese (Patrick Leigh Fermor, 1958). This is the definitive book on the “forgotten” side of the peninsula.
Mediterranean in the Ancient World (Fernand Braudel, 1972). Braudel gives a marvelous overview of the ancient Mediterranean.
Mythology (Edith Hamilton, 1942). Along with The Greek Way, this is a must-read tome on classic myths and cultures.
The Nature of Alexander (Mary Renault, 1975). This biography from a famous novelist provides insight on Alexander the Great.
The Parthenon Enigma (Joan Breton Connelly, 2014). Connelly uses the temple’s dramatic frieze—depicting, she says, human sacrifice—to go deep into the history of the Acropolis.
Persian Fire (Tom Holland, 2005). Holland offers an excellent history of the fifth-century B.C. Persian conflict.
Republic (Plato, 380 B.C.). In this classic, Plato captures the words of Socrates from Golden Age times.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (Thomas Cahill, 2003). Cahill astutely probes the relevance of ancient Greek culture to today’s world.
The Spartans (Paul Anthony Cartledge, 2002). This history chronicles the rise and fall of the Spartan warriors.
The Summer of My Greek Taverna (Tom Stone, 2002). An American expat recounts his experiences in Greece while running a bar on the island of Patmos.
A Traveller’s History of Greece (Timothy Boatswain and Colin Nicolson, 1990). This compact, well-written account covers the earliest times to the present.
Corelli’s Mandolin (Louis de Bernières, 1993). This novel about ill-fated lovers on a war-torn Greek island was made into a 2001 film starring Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz.
Deeper Shade of Blue (Paul Johnston, 2002). Detective Alex Mavros leaves Athens for the island of Trigono to find a missing woman.
Fire from Heaven (Mary Renault, 1969). The most renowned author of historical novels about Greece offers the dramatic story of Alexander the Great.
Gates of Fire (Steven Pressfield, 1998). Pressfield re-creates the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held back the Persian army—for a while.
The Iliad/The Odyssey (Homer, 850 B.C.). This classic epic follows the hero Odysseus through the Trojan War and his return home.
The King Must Die (Mary Renault, 1958). Renault reimagines the Theseus legend in this exciting tale.
The Last Temptation of Christ (Nikos Kazantzakis, 1953). Kazantzakis’ literary reinterpretation of the Gospels is hailed internationally as a masterpiece.
Little Infamies (Panos Karnezis, 1903). This fine collection of short stories looks at the lives of Greek villagers with magical realism.
The Magus (John Fowles, 1965). An Englishman plays psychological games with a wealthy recluse on a Greek island.
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides, 2002). An American author of Greek descent explores the Greek immigrant experience in the US, as well as sexual identity.
Stealing Athena (Karen Essex, 2008). The Parthenon plays a pivotal role in the lives of Pericles’ mistress, Aspasia, and Lord Elgin’s wife, Mary.
Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture (Apostolos Doxiadis, 1992). A Greek genius is obsessed with trying to prove one of mathematics’ great theories.
The Walled Orchard (Tom Holt, 1990). Amusing and well-researched, this novel is the pseudo-autobiography of comic playwright Eupolis.
Zorba the Greek (Nikos Kazantzakis, 1946). A wily old rogue teaches life’s lessons to a withdrawn intellectual.
300 (2006). Based on a graphic novel, this is a highly fictional and stylized account of the Battle of Thermopylae.
300: Rise of an Empire (2014). Also based on a graphic novel, this movie tells the tale of the final naval battle of Salamis after Thermopylae.
Alexander (2004). Colin Farrell plays the military genius who conquered the known world.
Boy on a Dolphin (1957). A beautiful sponge diver on Hydra, played by Sophia Loren, becomes aware of her cultural heritage.
Clash of the Titans (1981). Featuring an all-star cast including Laurence Olivier, Claire Bloom, and Maggie Smith, this adaptation of the Perseus myth is a classic.
The Guns of Navarone (1961). A team of English commandos tries to take out a WWII German artillery battery.
Mamma Mia! (2008). Filmed in the mainland region of Pelion and on the islands of Skiathos and Skopelos, this musical uses ABBA songs to tell the story of a young woman trying to find her father.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002). Hilarity ensues when a Greek-American woman tries to plan her wedding while contending with her large and boisterous family (also a 2016 sequel, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2).
My Family and Other Animals (2005). This film follows the adventures of an English family relocated to Greece in 1939.
My Life in Ruins (2009). This romantic comedy stars Nia Vardalos as a struggling tour guide leading her group of misfit tourists.
Never on Sunday (1960). Melina Mercouri stars as a Greek prostitute who is pursued by an American scholar with classical ideals.
Secrets of the Parthenon (2008). This NOVA episode, available on www.pbs.org, documents the restoration of the Parthenon.
Stella (1955). A young Greek woman must decide between falling in love and retaining her freedom.
The Trojan Women (1971). Euripides’ classic tragedy of Troy’s female aristocracy in chains features Katharine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave, and Irene Pappas.
Troy (2004). Brad Pitt stars as the petulant warrior Achilles in this adaptation of Homer’s epic.
Z (1969). This thriller follows the assassination of a crusading politician—and the rise of the Greek junta—in the 1960s.
Ancient Civilizations: Greece (Eva Bargallo I Chaves, 2004). Kids can brush up on ancient Greece, including history, art, government, and mythology.
Ancient Greece! 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age (Avery Hart and Paul Mantell, 1999). With this book, learn how to make traditional foods, build a model temple, and put on a play.
Greece (Changing Face of...) (Tasmin Osler, 2003). This nonfiction book weaves first-person accounts from modern Greeks with a summary of today’s challenges.
Greece in Spectacular Cross-Section (Stephen Biesty, 2006). Kids and grown-ups alike will enjoy these cut-away diagrams re-creating ancient sites.
Hercules (1997). This animated Disney film is loosely based on the hero of Greek legend, Hercules, son of Zeus.
If I Were a Kid in Ancient Greece (Cricket Media, 2012). Kids can put themselves in the sandals of a young Grecian in this fun series.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Rick Riordan, 2005). A young boy learns that he is the son of a Greek god in this clever and amusing young adult series. Two Percy Jackson films bring the books to life (2010 and 2013).
The Random House Book of Greek Myths (Joan D. Vinge, 1999). Greek gods and goddesses are highlighted in this illustrated primer on Greek mythology.
This Is Greece (Miroslav Sasek, 1966). Reissued in 2009, Sasek’s classic picture book captures the essence of ancient and modern Greece.
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do. 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2019 is 25/12/19.
• Commas are decimal points and decimals are commas. A dollar and a half is $1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram is 2.2 pounds, and l liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon. A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. I figure kilometers to miles by cutting them in half and adding back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles, 300 km: 150 + 30 = 180 miles).
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 ounce = 28 grams |
| 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch | 1 quart = 0.95 liter |
| 1 meter = 39.4 inches | 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds |
| 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile | 32°F = 0°C |
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-European comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).
Women: For pants and dresses, add 30 in Greece (US 10 = Greece 40). For blouses and sweaters, add 8 for most of Europe (US 32 = European 40). For shoes, add 30-31 (US 7 = European 37/38).
Men: For shirts, multiply by 2 and add about 8 (US 15 = European 38). For jackets and suits, add 10. For shoes, add 32-34.
Children: Clothing is sized by height—in centimeters (2.5 inches = 1 cm), so a US size 8 roughly equates to 132-140. For shoes up to size 13, add 16-18, and for sizes 1 and up, add 30-32.
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book (as well as the rest of the world), check www.wunderground.com.
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling. Your air-conditioner should be set at about 20°C.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve
2 pairs pants (or skirts/capris)
1 pair shorts
5 pairs underwear & socks
1 pair walking shoes
Sweater or warm layer
Rainproof jacket with hood
Tie, scarf, belt, and/or hat
Swimsuit
Sleepwear/loungewear
Debit card(s)
Credit card(s)
Hard cash (US $100-200)
Money belt
Passport
Tickets & confirmations: flights, hotels, trains, rail pass, car rental, sight entries
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of important documents
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Basics: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, sunscreen, brush/comb, etc.
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts/sunglasses
Sewing kit
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Earplugs
Mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ebook reader/laptop
Headphones/earbuds
Chargers & batteries
Phone car charger & mount (or GPS device)
Plug adapters
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry supplies: soap, laundry bag, clothesline, spot remover
Small umbrella
Travel alarm/watch
Notepad & pen
Journal
Second pair of shoes (flip-flops, sandals, tennis shoes, boots)
Travel hairdryer
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Mini binoculars
Small towel or washcloth
Inflatable pillow/neck rest
Tiny lock
Address list (to mail postcards)
Knowing a few phrases of Greek can help if you’re traveling off the beaten path. Just learning the pleasantries (such as please and thank you) will improve your connections with locals, even in the bigger cities.
Because Greek words can be transliterated differently in English, I’ve also included the Greek spellings. Note that in Greek, a semicolon is used the same way we use a question mark.
| English | Greek | Pronunciation |
| Hello. (formal) | Gia sas. Γειά σας. |
yah sahs |
| Hi. / Bye. (informal) | Gia. Γειά. |
yah |
| Good morning. | Kali mera. Καλή μέρα. |
kah-lee meh-rah |
| Good afternoon. | Kali spera. Καλή σπέρα. |
kah-lee speh-rah |
| Do you speak English? | Milate anglika? Μιλάτε αγγλικά; |
mee-lah-teh ahn-glee-kah |
| Yes. / No. | Ne. / Ohi. Ναι. / Όχι. |
neh / oh-hee |
| I understand. | Katalaveno Καταλαβαίνω. |
kah-tah-lah-veh-noh |
| I (don’t) understand. | (Den) katalaveno. (Δεν) καταλαβαίνω. |
(dehn) kah-tah-lah-veh-noh |
| Please. (Also: You’re welcome.) | Parakalo. Παρακαλώ. |
pah-rah-kah-loh |
| Thank you (very much). | Efharisto (poli). Ευχαριστώ (πολύ). |
ehf-hah-ree-stoh (poh-lee) |
| Excuse me. (Also: I’m sorry.) | Sygnomi. Συγνώμη. |
seeg-noh-mee |
| (No) problem. | (Kanena) problima. (Κανένα) πρόβλημα. |
(kah-neh-nah) prohv-lee-mah |
| Good. | Orea. Ωραία. |
oh-reh-ah |
| Goodbye. | Antio. Αντίο. |
ahd-yoh (think “adieu”) |
| Good night. | Kali nikta. Καλή νύχτα. |
kah-lee neek-tah |
| one / two | ena / dio ένα / δύο |
eh-nah / dee-oh |
| three / four | tria / tessera τρία / τέσσερα |
tree-ah / teh-seh-rah |
| five / six | pente / exi πέντε / έξι |
pehn-deh / ehk-see |
| seven / eight | efta / ohto εφτά / οχτώ |
ehf-tah / oh-toh |
| nine / ten | ennia / deka εννιά / δέκα |
ehn-yah / deh-kah |
| hundred / thousand | ekato / hilia εκατό / χίλια |
eh-kah-toh / heel-yah |
| How much? | Poso kani? Πόσο κάνει; |
poh-soh kah-nee |
| euro | evro ευρώ |
ev-roh |
| Write it? | Grapsete to? Γράπσετε το; |
grahp-seh-teh toh |
| English | Greek | Pronunciation |
| I’d like to reserve... | Tha ithela na kliso... Θα ήθελα να κλείσω... |
thah ee-theh-lah nah klee-soh |
| We’d like to reserve... | Tha thelame na klisoume... Θα θέλαμε να κλείσουμε... |
thah theh-lah-meh nah klee-soo-meh |
| ...a table for one / two. | ...ena trapezi gia enan / dio. ...ένα τραπέζι για έναν / δύο. |
eh-nah trah-peh-zee yah eh-nahn / dee-oh |
| non-smoking | mi kapnizon μη καπνίζων |
mee kahp-nee-zohn |
| Is this table free? | Ine eleftero afto to trapezi? Είναι ελέυθερο αυτό το τραπέζι; |
ee-neh eh-lef-teh-roh ahf-toh toh trah-peh-zee |
| The menu (in English), please. | Ton katalogo (sta anglika) parakalo. Τον κατάλογο (στα αγγλικά) παρακελώ. |
tohn kah-tah-loh-goh (stah ahn-glee-kah) pah-rah-kah-loh |
| service (not) included | to servis (den) perilamvanete το σέρβις (δεν) περιλαμβάνεται |
toh sehr-vees (dehn) peh-ree-lahm-vah-neh-teh |
| cover charge | kouver κουβέρ |
koo-vehr |
| “to go” | gia exo για έξω |
yah ehk-soh |
| with / without | me / horis με / χωρίς |
meh / hoh-rees |
| and / or | ke / i και / ή |
keh / ee |
| fixed-price meal | menu μενού |
meh-noo |
| specialty of the house | i specialite tou magaziou η σπεσιαλιτέ του μαγαζιού |
ee speh-see-ah-lee-teh too mah-gah-zee-oo |
| half-portion | misi merida μισή μερίδα |
mee-see meh-ree-dah |
| daily special | to piato tis meras το πιάτο της μέρας |
toh pee-ah-toh tees meh-rahs |
| appetizers | proto piato πρώτο πιάτο |
proh-toh pee-ah-toh |
| bread | psomi ψωμί |
psoh-mee |
| cheese | tiri τυρί |
tee-ree |
| sandwich | sandwich or toast σάντουιτς, τόστ |
“sandwich,” “toast” |
| soup | soupa σούπα |
soo-pah |
| salad | salata σαλάτα |
sah-lah-tah |
| meat | kreas κρέας |
kray-ahs |