Greece is situated in Southeastern Europe, with an area of 131,957 sq.km. and a population of 10,964,020.
Athens is the capital of Greece with a population of 3,192,606.
The Hellenic Republic is a Presidential Parliamentary Democracy.
Greece is a member state of E.U. since 1981.
The currency is euro.
Electric Current
The standard in Greece is 230V AC (50Hz). Appliances from North America require a transformer and British ones an adaptor.
Time
Greek time is GÌÔ +2 hours
Shopping
Greece is the ideal destination to shop for a wide variety of products, catering to everybody's tastes and wishes. Prices are very reasonable in relation to product quality and visitors will be able to find something for every budget.
Shops are open Monday through Friday from 09.00 till 14.30 and on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday also from 17.30 through 20.30. On Saturday shops open from 09.00 till 15.00, while they are closed on Sunday. Supermarkets and kiosks may stay open till 22.00.
More specifically, in the centre of large urban areas as well as in tourist areas, tourist shops and kiosks are open from early in the morning till late at night, seven days a week.
Climate - Weather
Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall. Due to the country's geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate. In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures. The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered. Moreover, a common phenomenon is the occurrence of different climactic conditions during the same season (for instance, mild heat in coastal areas and cool temperatures in mountainous regions).
Public transport in Athens-Attica
Athens is located in the Prefecture of Attica and sprawls across the plain of Attica hemmed in by mountains (i.e. Mt Aigaleo, Mt Parnitha, Mt Penteli and Mt Hymettos). The Greek capital, together with its suburbs and the neighbouring city of Piraeus, forms an integrated residential complex (the capital's main urban planning complex) numbering about 3.5 million inhabitants. The entire prefecture has witnessed the development of state-of-the-art transportation infrastructure catering to residents and visitors in a fast and reliable way.
Buses-trolleybuses: For information on city bus and electric trolleybus itineraries , as well as on timetables and tickets click here. www.oasa.gr
Metro: The Athens metro consists of three lines - Line 1 (the old Athens-Piraeus electric rail service known as ISAP), Line 2 (underground) and Line 3 ( underground) - covering a considerable part of the Attica region. New extensions reaching other parts of the city are expected in the future. Analytical route maps are displayed in every metro station. For more information visit www.attikometro.gr and www.isap.gr
Tram: The tram network connects the centre of Athens (Syntagma Square ) to the southern (coastal) suburbs.
The Suburban Railway (Proastiakos): It accommodates travel to/from Athens and the "Eleftherios Venizelos" Athens International Airport (with seven stops along the line), Athens and Corinth (84 km west of Athens - with seven stops along the line) and Corinth and the "Eleftherios Venizelos" Athens International Airport (with eleven stops along the line). Upon completion it will connect Piraeus and its port to Athens, the airport and other large urban centres in neighbouring prefectures (Thiva, Chalkida, Loutraki). For more information click here.
Taxis: All taxis are yellow and equipped with a metre displaying the fare. The driver is obliged to activate the meter upon hire. From 05:00-24:00hrs Tariff 1 applies, while from 24:00-05: 00 hrs Tariff 2 comes into effect.
Intercity coach service: For information on how to get to other areas in the Prefecture of Attica, Click here (www.ktel.org ).
