Travel advice for Greece
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Greece
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There are vast numbers of tourist beds in Greece, and most of the year you can rely on simply turning up and finding something. At Easter and in July and August, however, you can run into problems unless you’ve booked in advance. The economic crisis and subsequent loss of domestic tourism has tended to depress prices, and what you pay may depend on how far you are willing to bargain.
In cities and mainland towns you’ll probably stay in hotels, but in the resorts and islands the big hotels and self-catering complexes are mostly pre-booked by package-holiday companies for the whole season. Although they may have vacancies if you just turn up, non-package visitors are far more likely to find themselves staying in smaller, simpler places which usually describe themselves simply as “rooms”, or as apartments or studios. Standards here can vary from spartan (though invariably clean) to luxurious, but the vast majority are purpose-built blocks where every room is en suite, and where the minimal furnishings are well adapted to the local climate – at least in summer.
Many of the smaller places offering rooms close from October to April. In winter, then, you may have to stay in hotels in the main towns or ports. On smaller islands, there may be just one hotel and a single taverna that stays open year-round. Be warned also that resort or harbour hotels which do operate through the winter are likely to have a certain number of prostitutes as long-term guests; licensed prostitution is legal in Greece, and the management may consider this the most painless way to keep the bills paid.
C-class hotels and below have only to provide the most rudimentary of continental breakfasts – sometimes optional for an extra charge – while B-class and above will usually offer a buffet breakfast including cheese, cold meats, eggs and cereals.
Single rooms are rare, and generally poor value – you’ll often have to pay the full double-room price or haggle for around a third off; on the other hand, larger groups and families can almost always find triple and quadruple rooms, and fancier hotels may have family suites (two rooms sharing one bathroom), all of which can be very good value.
Areas to look for rooms, along with recommendations of the best places, are included in the guide. The rooms may also find you, as owners descend on ferry or bus arrivals to fill any space they have, sometimes with photos of their premises. This can be great, but you can also be in for a nasty surprise – usually because the rooms are much further than you had been led to believe, or bear no relation to the pictures. In some places the practice has been outlawed. In the more developed island resorts, where package holiday-makers predominate, room owners may insist on a minimum stay of a few days, or even a week.
Rooms proprietors usually ask to keep your passport: ostensibly “for the tourist police”, but in reality to prevent you leaving with an unpaid bill. Some may be satisfied with just taking down the details, and they’ll almost always return the documents once you get to know them, or if you need them for changing money.
If you are stranded, or arrive very late in a remote mountain or island village, you may well find someone with an unlicensed room prepared to earn extra money by putting you up. This should not be counted on, but things work out more often than not.
Having said the above, if you do arrive and decide you want to drop roots for a while, you can still strike lucky if you don’t mind avoiding the obvious coastal tourist spots, and are happy with relatively modest accommodation. Pick an untouristed village, get yourself known and ask about; you might still pick up a wonderful deal. Out of season your chances are much better – even in touristy areas, between October and March (sometimes as late as April and May) you can bargain a very good rate, especially for stays of a month or more. Travel agents are another good source of information on what’s available locally, and many rooms places have an apartment on the side or know someone with one to rent.
If you’re planning to spend a few nights in hostels, IYHF membership is probably a worthwhile investment. By no means all Greek hostels offer discounts, but there are other membership benefits and the card may be accepted as student ID, for example. At official hostels you may be able to buy membership on the spot; otherwise visit hihostels.com from where you can apply via your local youth hostel association. For booking youth hostels online try either hihostels.com or hostelworld.com.
Camping outside an official campsite (with or without a tent) is against the law – enforced in most tourist areas and on beaches. If you do camp rough, exercise sensitivity and discretion. Police will crack down on people camping (and especially littering) if a large community of campers develops. Off the beaten track nobody is very bothered, though it is always best to ask permission in the local taverna or café, and to be aware of rising crime, even in rural areas. If you want to camp near a beach, the best strategy is to find a sympathetic taverna, which in exchange for regular patronage will probably be willing to guard small valuables and let you use their facilities.
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Greece
written by Rough Guides Editors
updated 19.05.2021
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