Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
frequency, especially since the economic crisis.
Both winter and summer hours are quoted
throughout the guide but to avoid disappointment,
either phone ahead or time your visit during the
core hours of 9am-2pm.
Monasteries
are generally
open from approximately 9am to 1pm and 5 to
8pm (3.30-6.30pm in winter) for limited visits.
calling a free access number from either certain
phone boxes or a fixed line (not a mobile) and then
entering a twelve-digit code. OTE has its own
scheme, but competitors generally prove cheaper.
Avoid making calls direct
from hotel rooms
, as a
large surcharge will be applied, though you will not
be charged to access a free calling card number.
Phones
Photography
Three
mobile phone networks
operate in Greece:
Vodafone-Panafon, Cosmote and Q-Telecom/WIND
Hellas.
Coverage
countrywide is good, though
there are a few “dead” zones in the mountains, or on
really remote islets. Contract-free plans are heavily
promoted in Greece, so if you're here for more than
a week or so, buying a
pay-as-you-go
SIM card (for
€15-20) from any of the mobile phone outlets will
pay for itself very quickly. Top-up cards - starting
from €8-10 - are available at all
períptera
(kiosks).
Roaming charges within the EU are capped at €0.51
equivalent per minute (or €0.26 to receive calls).
North American users will only be able to use
tri-band phones in Greece.
Land lines and public phones are run by OTE who
provide phone cards (
tilekártes
), available in denom-
inations starting at €4, from kiosks and newsagents.
If you plan on making lots of international calls,
you'll want a
calling card
, all of which involve
You can feel free to snap away pretty much
anywhere in Greece, although some
churches
display “No photography” signs, and museums and
archeological sites may require
permits
at least for
professional photographers. The main exception is
around
airports
or
military installations
(usually
clearly indicated with a “No pictures” sign). The ordeal
of twelve British plane-spotters who processed
slowly through Greek jails and courts in 2001-2 on
espionage charges should be ample incentive.
Time
Standard Greek time is always two hours ahead of
GMT. For North America, the difference is usually
seven hours for Eastern Standard Time, ten hours
for Pacific Standard Time.
Greek summer time
begins at 2am on the last Sunday in March, when
the clocks go forward one hour, and ends at 2am
PHONE CODES AND NUMBERS
All Greek phone numbers require dialling of all ten digits, including the area code. Land lines
begin with 2; mobiles begin with 6. All land-line exchanges are digital, and you should have
few problems reaching any number from either overseas or within Greece. Mobile phone users
are well looked after, with a signal even in the Athens metro.
PHONING GREECE FROM ABROAD
Dial
T
0030 + the full number
PHONING ABROAD FROM GREECE
Dial the country code (below) + area code (minus any initial 0) + number
Australia
T
0061
UK
T
0044
New Zealand
T
0064
Ireland
T
00353
Canada
T
001
USA
T
001
South Africa
T
0027
GREEK PHONE PREFIXES
Local call rate
T
0801
Toll-free/Freefone
T
0800
USEFUL GREEK TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Ambulance
T
166
Police/Emergency
T
100
Fire brigade, urban
T
199
Speaking clock
T
141
Forest fire reporting
T
191
Tourist police
T
171 (Athens);
Operator (Domestic)
T
132
T
210 171 (elsewhere)
Operator (International)
T
139
