A friendly welcome
Why go on holiday to Greece?
Greece has a long and colourful history, and its legacy is all around you. The people are famously welcoming and the islands a delightfully relaxing destination.
How much does it cost?
Depending where and when you go, self-catering or villa packages start at about £250 for seven nights and from £400 for seven nights half board in a good hotel. Flight-only deals to Athens start at about £150 and hotel rooms are cheap (from £10 per night), clean and easy to find when you arrive, particularly on the islands, though if you're travelling in high season, rooms (domatia) will be harder to find.
When should I go?
Summers are long and hot - average 32C (87F) - so it's best to go then. During the mild but wet winters (15C /59F), many tourist facilities shut, especially on the islands.
The Athens Festival runs from mid-June to the end of August and includes classical music concerts and dance performances by national and international dance companies and orchestras.
* Feeling inspired? Book a break to Greece.
What should I do while I'm there?
Visit the ancient historic capital Athens to see the stunning ancient Acropolis, the Parthenon and the enormous National Archaeological Museum. A handful of smaller museums are also worth a look, such as the National Art Gallery.
There are three main parks in Athens which provide a shady refuge during the summer: the National Gardens, Zappeio Gardens and Areos Park. See Greek folk dance by the Dora Stratou Dance Company on the western side of Filopappos.
What else is on the mainland?
The Peloponnese used to be part of the mainland until a canal was built separating it in the late 19th century. It is now joined by a bridge and is worth visiting for mountains, citrus groves, cypress trees and many fine beaches.
If you visit northern Greece, you could climb Mount Olympus and feel at one with the ancient Greek gods.
Most tourists neglect central Greece with its mountains, greenery and wetlands, but the spectacular rock pillar monastries of Meteora, the ancient oracle of Delphi and, the lush mountain villages of the Pelion Peninsula are well worth a look.
How about the islands?
Most holidaymakers go to one of the 1,400 or so islands. The most well-known include Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Mykonos and Kos. These islands are big package tour destinations and in the summer months are brimming with British visitors.
Although they cater to these tourists - nightclubs, British food and wet T-shirt competitions abound - they have by no means lost their authenticity and it is usually possible to find a relatively quiet beach.
However, islands such as Hydra, Kefalonia and Sifnos are prettier, more tranquil and relatively unspoilt.
Where's good for nightlife?
Nightclubs can be found in big cities and resort areas, especially on the bigger islands. Even the small islands have bars and small clubs.
Some clubs in Athens such as Plus Soda and Kingsize operate only in the winter months from October to April (in the summer the action moves to coastal suburbs such as Ellinikon and Glyfada).
The main rock venue in Athens is Rodon Club at Marni 24 Omonia which hosts bands most Friday and Saturday nights and jazz fans should head for Half Note Jazz at Trivonianou 17, Mets, to catch live jazz bands.
What's the food like?
Your visit to Greece will not be complete if you don't sample some of the local food, which relies on fresh ingredients.
Specialities include tzatziki - a cucumber and yoghurt dip, Greek salad - consisting of feta cheese, olives, peppers, onions and tomatoes with oregano and olive oil and dolmades - stuffed vine leaves.
Fresh fish dishes are also popular on the islands and vegetarians are often surprised at how easy it is to find food to their liking.
What should I buy?
The area west of the Plateia Monstirakiou in Athens is the main shopping area and consists of a few shops selling high quality goods, and a huge flea market on Sunday mornings. You will find everything here, new, second or third-hand goods.
If it's local produce you're after, then The National Welfare Organisation's Hellenic Folk Art Gallery on the corner of Apollonos and Ipatias is great for handicrafts such as knotted carpets, rugs, cushion covers, pottery, copper and woodwork.
Most of the islands have small shopping areas where you can buy groceries and souvenirs, including local handicrafts.
What is there for children to do?
In the resorts there will be no shortage of things for children to do, what with all the beaches and the hotel organised activities.
In Athens the Children's Museum in Plaka is a bit like a playgroup with its games rooms and exhibits for children to explore. In the Museum of Children's Art, also in Plaka, kids can let loose their creative energy with free crayons and paper.
Tourist office
Hellenic Tourism Organisation, 4 Conduit Street, London W1S 2DJ. Tel. 020 7495 9300
Greece
Did you know?
Tuesday is an unlucky day in Greece.
Language
Greek
Visas
None required from EU residents for a stay up to three months.
Getting there
Greece has 16 international airports, but only Athens, Thessaloniki, Iraklio (Crete), Rhodes and Corfu take scheduled flights. Athens handles the vast majority of flights.
Flying time from London
3-4 hours, depending on destination.
Getting around
Greek drivers tend not to be too bothered by the rules of the road. The bus service is comfortable and reliable. The train network is limited. Taxis are easy to come by. Every Greek island has a ferry service. Hydrofoil is twice as quick but twice the price.
Currency
Euro
Costs
With such a range of destinations, it's hard to be precise but expect rough costs: litre of petrol 50p, moderately priced restaurant meal for two with wine £20, 24-exposure camera film £2.50, bottle of beer £1, four-mile taxi ride about £3.
Weather
Summers are long and hot, with average temperature 32C (87F). Winters are mild but wet, with average temperature 15C (59F).
Time difference
Three hours ahead of GMT in summer, two hours ahead in winter.
International dialling code from the UK
00 30
Voltage
220v. You will need an adaptor if you are using electrical equipment from the UK.
Opening hours
Banks open 8am-2pm Monday to Thursday, 8am-1.20pm Fridays. Some banks in large cities open 3.30pm-6.30pm plus Saturday mornings.
Health - Before you go
No jabs required. The UK has reciprocal health agreements with Greece - take an EHIC form (available from post offices) with you.
Health - When you are there
Tap water is generally safe to drink. Be wary of the sun and pack an insect repellent.
Warnings
Greeks are generally honest, but beware of pickpockets especially around the Omonia area of central Athens. Codeine is banned in Greece so make sure you don't unwittingly take any in the form of headache pills!
Emergency
Medical, national emergency 166. British Embassy, Ploutarhou 1, Athens 106 75. Tel: 723 6211
Customs
Don't offend locals by sunbathing topless or nude in an undesignated area.
Pets
Greece is taking part in the pilot Pet Travel Scheme with the UK so you can take your pet with the right documentation. This takes several months to arrange - see your vet for details.
Tipping
Service is included on restaurant bills but it is customary to leave a small tip, same for taxis. If you feel brave try haggling with drivers.
Tourist office
Hellenic Tourism Organisation, 4 Conduit Street, London W1R 0DJ. Tel: 020 7495 9300.
Reviews for : Greece
Although Greece is one of our most popular holiday destinations, it seems barely anyone - let alone on a bicycle at the age of 67 - has been to Thrace. Indeed, where is it? And why do so few people venture there? I wondered.
more...
Too noisy, sighed our British neighbour as we headed for the beach on the bus. The elderly Greek who had asked how she liked his island, Symi, looked taken aback. 'All that birdsong,' she complained, 'and donkeys, cats, roosters. I didn't get a wink of sleep.'
more...
in the shade of a mulberry tree, ripe red berries dropping into our breakfast of Greek yogurt and honey, we gazed out across a sparkling Aegean to the island of Alonissos, its rocky peaks dominating the horizon.
more...
We were walking above the picturesque town of Lindos, enjoying the heavenly scent of thyme crushed underfoot and the sight of pretty pink cistus bathing in the springtime sun, when we encountered our first specimen of orchid hunter.
more...
Walking round Rhodes Old Town is like being on a film set - except it's real.
more...
As you approach from the north, the ruins are almost invisible. In the half-light of dawn, they blend like crumbling cliffs into the mountain backdrop.
more...
The Costa Brava and the Magaluf clones have ruined parts of mainland Spain and Majorca. In Greece, Skiathos is a horror, as is much of Eastern Crete.
more...
Pelion had quite a reputation to live up to. 'It is one of the most beautiful places in Greece,' the director of the Greek Tourist Office in London told me. It also has to be one of its best-kept secrets, as no one I knew had heard of it.
more...
In general my views are very positive but there are some things you should be aware of.
more...
We'd hardly had time to settle onto the transfer bus from Kefalonia airport to the small resort of Scala where we were staying when the tour company rep jumped up. Handing me a welcome party invitation, she said: 'There's a music bar opposite where you're staying, I'm sure you'll want to get in there straight away.' Peaceful, pretty Kefalonia expects families, thirtysomethings and couples as its visiting guests. And largely, that's what it gets.
more...
We had a lovely relaxing holiday. Nothing is too much trouble for the people on this island. Meals were excellent - we ate Greek food, of course.
more...
We stayed at Scala, a quiet, pretty resort with a backdrop of green hills on the southern tip of the island. The sand and shingle beach is clean, with parasols and sunshades costing about £5 for two all day.
more...
The elderly Greeks rub their eyes in disbelief. They left the island of Kephallonia in 1953, when a devastating earthquake flattened towns and villages. They saw their homes destroyed and Argostoli, the capital, levelled.
more...
Kefalonia, a small, rocky island in the Ionian Sea, has never loomed large in the British consciousness. Until, that is, the publication of Louis de Bernieres' novel, Captain Corelli's Mandolin.
more...
It's a beautiful place with a great beach. The people are so friendly and there is a great atmosphere! I will be returning next year!
more...
The ferry had stopped, I realised, when I awoke with a start. A small blue and red Greek caique was bobbing next to us in the ultramarine water.
more...
Harry stared into the distance as the boat shuddered and rolled under us. Ahead was the long lobster tail of Meganissi, an island he hadn't visited since 1942. Then he had journeyed there in a small fishing boat under the cover of darkness as he and other young men of the Greek Resistance distributed scarce food between the islands.
more...
You'll be singing Kumbayah round the camp fire, the bugs'll bite and there's bound to be an argument about who steers the canoe, prophesied my companion of 14 years when the subject of a sea-kayaking holiday around the Ionian Isles was first broached.
more...
For several years I have been visiting the Greek Islands and feel there's nowhere quite like them. You would be hard pushed to find somewhere which could match the friendliness of the locals; the beautifully rugged yet, pretty scenery; the crystal waters; delicious fresh food - the list goes on.
more...
The encouraging thing about the ancient Greek gods is that they were all so badly behaved.
more...
A skittish wind filled the sails and sent us scudding forward on a navy blue sea; the air, hot and fresh, was scented with pine from the mountains shrouded in a gauze-like heat on either side of us.
more...
More than two thousand islands belong to Greece, of which more than 100 are inhabited.
more...
When it comes to holidays, Greece offers the best of finds and - if you are not careful - the worst, too.
more...
Had I believed the guidebooks, I would never have gone near Aghios Nikolaos. 'The town is becoming something of a monument to package tourism,' warned one guide.
more...
The smell of pizza wafting in through the coach's open windows came as a bit of a shock. I'd signed up for an excursion to Crete's interior, up into the wild mountains above the north-east coast and on to the Lasithi Plain, and encounters with fast food were definitely not on the agenda.
more...
Finding the Strawberry Pink Villa took for ever, but it was worth it. Leaving the busy coast road near Corfu Town, I headed inland, climbing through olive groves into the elegant suburb of Perama.
more...
My husband David and I weren't too sure about the late deal our travel agent turned up. Wasn't Corfu full of lager louts and hotels overrun by kids? Thankfully, the answer is no.
more...
Corfu is still among Greece's most popular destinations. Here's my island guide . . .
more...
Forget stereotypical 18-30s holidays and welcome Contiki's new, upmarket all-inclusive holiday instead, said the brochure advertising my trip to Mykonos.
more...
Last June, my wife and I visited Chrani on the Greek mainland after reading a brochure which stated "This is as far away from it all as it gets".
more...
I have just returned from Kalamaki, Zante. I had a very quiet and relaxing holiday. The Greek people were very friendly and helpful.
more...
On the waterfront, relishing a breakfast of spinach pie and black coffee in the shade of a heavily-laden pomegranate tree, I felt triumphant. I had just staked my claim to a world record. Smiling, snowy-headed locals who had witnessed the feat confirmed it had never been done before. It would look good in the Guinness Book Of Records, I mused: The first person to swim, non-stop, from Greece to Italy - and back.
more...
There was a time when Crete, to me, was loud clothes, clubs and loadsa ouzo and lemonade to wash down the pizza. But that was then. Today I'm two decades too old for the club scene and I've reached that stage where I no longer need the sun to sizzle. Just warm enough to sit outside eating yoghurt and fruits for breakfast will do nicely, thank you.
more...
I went to Athens in February to visit a friend working as a nanny and was surprised at how warm it was. It felt like a late English spring, just what I needed to break up the February blues.
more...
It's amazing what a bit of cash can do to change a city. Take Athens, for example.
more...