Greece

Yasas/Kalimera/Kalispera: Welcome to our guides on Greece 🙂

Ah Greece.

Max’s favourite European country: fantastic food, beautiful beaches, azure blue water and seriously kind people.

What is not to love?? Lets find out some more..

Key Info!

Language: Greek! For some useful words scroll down 🙂

Currency: Euro

ATMs: ATMs are widely available throughout Greece, with every major town and city having at least a couple, and all inhabited islands having at least one machine. While credit cards are accepted for most purchases at shops and hotels, some bars may not have a working credit card machine.

Plugs: In Greece, the plugs are Type C and F, and the standard voltage and frequency are 230V and 50Hz, respectively.

Safety: Despite periods of unrest, Greece is still considered a safe destination, but always get travel insurance!

When to Go:

We suggest visiting Greece in either April or May. The weather is perfect for outdoor adventures, and the Greek Islands are less crowded before the summer season. Just keep in mind that easter is a popular holiday here, so book in advance if this clashes with your plans 🙂

If you’re on a budget or want to avoid the crowds, consider visiting Greece during the winter months. The main attractions are free of other tourists, and you will not have difficulty finding affordable flights and hotel accommodations.

During our recent trip to Greece, we visited Santorini at the end of June and the beginning of July. You can read more about our trip here. On our return ferry, we felt cramped like sardines in a can, especially when compared to our experience in Folegandros. Although the island was still enchanting, it was also highly crowded, and it was pretty hot at times. Still worth going in summer though!

Costs....

Right, let’s be honest here. Greek Islands are known for not being budget-friendly, (looking at you Santorini).

However, it is possible to visit these islands without spending too much, and we found islands like Folegandros to be perfect for budget travel!

Anyway, here are some average prices of what you can expect to pay in Greece (all in EUR of course):

Hostel room: 15-25/night
Hostel private room: 30-60/night (though, on Santorini up to 75)

Budget hotel: 40-60/night (check out AirBnB etc for cheaper options)
Gyros (Max’s favourite!): 2.50-3.50
Glass of wine at a restaurant (Mia’s favourite!): 2.5–4
Bottled water in a shop: 0.50
Bottled water in a restaurant: 1
Greek salad: 5.50–8
Greek main dish: 8-12
Seafood dinner: 15-20
Lunch specials: 10-12
Cocktails: 12-15
Beer: 3-4
Attractions: 10-20

So, up there with some of the cheapest prices in the eurozone, but nothing special either.

Sloth Tip: Gyros breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Language Tips!

As a linguist (Max here), I absolutely love learning (at least some of) the local language of the countries I visit. It is not only fun and satisfying, but also respectful and allows for interactions with new people. So, here are some essential words and phrases that can help you during your Greek adventures, which I found to be quite helpful…

Sloth Tip: for those who enjoy a cold Mythos, a classic Greek lager, use the phrase ‘Thelo mia mpira’. Yamas!

English Greek Pronunciation

Hello	Yassou	YAH-sue
Good Morning	Kalimera	kah-lee-mehr-rah
Good Evening	Kalispera	kah-lees-peh-rah
How are you?	Ti kanis?	tee-kah-nis
Good night	Kalinikta	kah-lee-neek-tah
Goodbye	Kherete	Khe-reh-tay
Yes	Ne	Neh
No	Ohi	oh-hee
I want a beer	Thelo mia mpira	the-loh me-ah be-rah