Hey there, fellow travelers! Today, we visit Greece! Greece is a wonderful country, my wife is half Greek and we have lots of great friends here, so we’ve made several trips to Greece. As you know, here at Wolters World, we like to prepare travelers with the good, and the bad, of visiting a new travel destination. So these are the five things you’ll love, and the five things you’ll hate on your Greece vacation.
Hate #1: Strikes in Greece
You may or may not encounter any strikes in Greece, but if you do, it will likely be your biggest grumble about Greece. There are often transportation strikes, airport strikes and you might also run into protesters, especially if Athens is on your Greece itinerary. We have had to extend our Athens vacation by a day when the air traffic controllers went on strike, so strikes can definitely impact your trips to Greece!
Hate #2: Driving in Greece
The highways in Greece are fine for driving, but once you get off the main highways, there are a lot of narrow winding roads. If you or your kids are prone to motion sickness, you might have some issues driving through the mountains of Greece. Also, if you aren’t from the EU, you’ll need to have an International Driver’s License in order to rent a car in Greece. In the US, you can get one from AAA. Don’t get the ones online, they aren’t the official ones and you might have trouble at the car rental counter.
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Hate #3: Public Transportation in Greece
If you don’t rent a car in Greece, it can be hard to get around. Greece does not have a great public transportation system like other countries in Europe. You can take a bus between cities, and there are ferries out to the islands, but there aren’t a ton of them and therefore, they get very crowded. Make sure you book ahead and if you don’t book a ferry ticket with a seat, you could very well be standing for 7-8 hours.
Hate #4: Afternoon Siesta in Greece
This won’t affect you as much in the larger cities, but if you are visiting some of the smaller Greek villages, you will find out quickly that everything shuts down from about 2:00 in the afternoon until 6:00 or so. A lot of smaller shops in Greece are also closed on Sundays, so if you plan to do any shopping, be sure to plan ahead!
Hate #5: Elusive Greek Beer
One of my favorite things when traveling is enjoying the food and the beer, but in Greece, it’s nearly impossible to find Greek beer. It exists, but nobody serves it. Everywhere you go, they serve Amstel or Heineken. If you are out and you see Mythos or Fix on the menu, go for it because it’s hard to find! What is nice though is since the financial crisis local beers are making a comeback! So this hate is no longer a thing! Yeah Greek Beer!
Love #1: Food in Greece
My favorite thing about Greece is the food! If you’ve had Greek food in the US, you might think it’s just gyros, pita, feta, and salads. Greek food is so much more than what we have in American Greek restaurants. The chicken and lamb dishes are phenomenal and Greek desserts are amazing! If you have a sweet tooth, you’ll love the sweets in Greece. If you don’t know what to order, ask your waiter what their favorite dish is.
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Love #2: Crazy Greeks
Yes, Greek people really are as crazy as their reputation! I mean that in the best way possible; they are also crazy nice, super helpful, friendly, and will try to communicate with you even if they don’t speak English. They also have so much pride in their country and village, they love to show travelers around and give them the full Greek hospitality.
Love #3: Greek Island Hopping
When you visit the islands in Greece, you feel like you are in a commercial or a travel magazine. Whether you go to Santorini or Crete or Mykonos, Greek island hopping is a quintessential part of any Greece vacation. You have the best of both worlds on the Greek islands: big party scenes and ancient history. Not to mention the natural beauty!
Love #4: Greek Villages
Athens is great, but some of the best places to visit in Greece are small villages. As you visit smaller villages and towns, you really get a feeling for what the old country is like and you can see how people live a simpler, relaxed life. Staying in smaller towns is a great way to get to know locals and experience a different angle of Greek culture than what you will see in the tourist destinations of Greece.
Love #5: Greek History
Chances are, you’ve been hearing about Greece for a very long time. We studied it in grade school. There is so much ancient history in Greece, it’s hard to comprehend it all. Some of the sites are 6,000 years old! It’s such a cool feeling to finally see all these famous and important places in person. There are so many cool places to visit in Greece that you’ll have a hard time narrowing down an itinerary for your Greece vacation.
Greece is amazing! There are so many things I love about Greece that I didn’t even get into the natural beauty of Greece. Obviously, the “hates” are a real stretch for me to come up with because I love almost everything about Greece. Want more tips for planning a Mediterranean vacation? Check out these other blog posts: