Greece: Before You Go Guide (Printable + iPad)

Greece runs on timed tickets, ferry timetables, cash habits and seasons that surprise first-timers: Acropolis slots, a meltemi wind that cancels boats, island businesses that close from November, late dinners and wildfire alerts on your phone.

This printable guide puts everything you should know before a trip to Greece in one place, in short plain-English points, checked in October 2026 with links to the official sites so you can double-check anything.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Conditions right now: EES and ETIAS, Acropolis hours and tickets, winter hours from 1 November, ferry timetables and strikes, island closures, wildfires, Athens metro works, cruise limits, the hotel levy, Samaria Gorge and Navagio
• Entry, customs and rules: Schengen, the EES and ETIAS, customs allowances, drones, archaeological-site rules, the antiquities export ban, driving and the International Driving Permit
• Getting there: Athens and the island airports, ferries from Italy, cruise ports and land borders
• Getting around: the Athens metro, tram and airport links, taxis, ferries from Piraeus, domestic flights, KTEL buses, trains, car hire and scooters
• Money, phone and tax: the euro, card versus cash, tipping, VAT, the hotel climate levy, eSIM and ATMs
• Safety and nature: heat, wildfires and 112 alerts, the meltemi wind, swimming, hiking, earthquakes, pickpockets and scooter accidents
• Culture and etiquette: greetings, philoxenia, the meal rhythm, church dress, siesta hours, and how to eat Greek
• Six regions at a glance, festivals and seasons, and 14 mistakes first-timers make
• What things cost: 19 everyday prices in euros, from a souvlaki pita to a ferry ticket
• A month-by-month calendar, a pre-trip countdown, a tick-box packing list and a first-day checklist
• Greek basics with pronunciation, plus place names (Parthenon, Meteora, Santorini and more)
• Emergency numbers, including 112, 100, 166, 199 and the tourist police on 1571
• Two editions: a printable PDF and an iPad edition with a tappable contents page

PERFECT FOR

• First-time visitors to Greece
• Anyone planning a trip that mixes Athens, the mainland and the islands by ferry and flight
• Travellers who like to arrive prepared
• A thoughtful gift for someone with a Greece trip booked

PAIRS WELL WITH

The Greece in 10 Days itinerary.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

You'll receive 2 PDFs. No physical item will be shipped.

• Print edition (20 pages): US Letter, prints fine on A4
• iPad edition (24 pages): tappable contents, room to write

This guide is general travel information, not legal, medical or immigration advice. Rules (including drone, entry and customs rules) depend on your situation: always confirm with the official sites before you travel.

PLEASE NOTE

Rules and prices were checked in October 2026 and are subject to change: fees, fares, menus, hotel rates and taxes can change without notice, and ferry timetables, strikes, closures and weather change daily. Please confirm important details with the official sites before you travel. Photos are illustrative. Cover photo: Anna Tsolidou, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Researched and written with the help of AI tools.

Made by Global Trip Insight. For personal use only.