Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
agencies, tourist shops, tourist guides, waiters, taxi drivers and bus drivers all come under
the jurisdiction of the tourist police. If you have a complaint about any of these, report it to
the tourist police and they will investigate. If you need to report a theft or loss of passport,
go to the tourist police first, and they will act as interpreters between you and the regular
police.
Smoking
In July 2009 Greece brought in antismoking laws similar to those found throughout most
of Europe. Smoking is now banned inside public places, with the penalty being fines
placed on the business owners. Greece is home to some of the heaviest smokers in
Europe, so it is a challenge for these laws to be enforced and they are often imposed in
only a nominal way in remote locations.
Telephone
The Greek telephone service is maintained by the public corporation known as OTE (pro-
nounced o-
teh;
Organismos Tilepikoinonion Ellados). There are public telephones just
about everywhere, including in some unbelievably isolated spots. The phones are easy to
operate and can be used for local, long-distance and international calls. The 'i' at the top
left of the push-button dialing panel brings up the operating instructions in English. Note
that in Greece the area code must always be dialed when making a call (ie all Greek
phone numbers are 10-digit).
Mobile Phones
There are several mobile service providers in Greece, among which Panafon, CosmOTE
and Wind are the best known. Of these three, CosmOTE tends to have the best coverage
in remote areas. All offer 2G connectivity and pay-as-you-talk services by which you can
buy a rechargeable SIM card and have your own Greek mobile number. The use of a mo-
bile phone while driving in Greece is prohibited, but the use of a Bluetooth headset is al-
lowed.
Phonecards
All public phones use OTE phonecards, known as
telekarta,
not coins. These cards are
widely available at
periptera
(street kiosks)
,
corner shops and tourist shops. A local call
costs around €0.30 for three minutes.
It's also possible to use payphones with the growing range of discount-card schemes.
This involves dialling an access code and then punching in your card number. The OTE
version of this card is known as 'Hronokarta'. The cards come with instructions in Greek
and English and the talk time is enormous compared to the standard phonecard rates.
