EXPERT HELP WITH TRAVEL TO GREECE or Anywhere!
As
you may imagine, we get many questions from visitors at
CelebrateGreece.com concerning all types of travel to Greece, including
planning of weddings & honeymoons to yacht rentals & group
conferences. Though we are experts on Greece, CelebrateGreece.com does
not book travel directly for our visitors. Instead, we refer you to travel experts we have screened for you who can further assist you and even book the travel for you. There are five
ways you can use our knowledge on Greece to make a better travel
decision:
1) Personal Concierge Service - Deluxe, Custom-Made Travel Itineraries
2) Package Travel Service - Popular, Budget Travel Itineraries
3) Cruises to Greece
4) Online Travel Search Engine Specializing in Greece (For those who wish to do-it-yourself)
5) Sailing and Yachting Rentals in Greece
 | If you are wishing to get married in Greece, please click here for more information on our Wedding Coordinators specializing in different regions of Greece. |
Explore our free Video Gallery of Greece and see where you want to go to in and around Greece! (This link will take you to our new website which we are still building. Only the "Video Gallery of Greece" and our new Travel section are finished on the new site, so you may notice that other sections are empty or incomplete).
CelebrateGreece.com
has, to the best of our ability, screened the reliability, integrity
and Greece-travel knowledge for the companies and/or person(s) linked
to in the following travel service choices. They are highly qualified
for your travel questions and/or bookings.
Disclaimer:
Please
remember that the following travel specialists and/or travel booking
sites are not affiliated with CelebrateGreece.com and by using the
contacts or links below to separate companies, you release and hold
harmless CelebrateGreece.com and its parent company, officers,
directors, shareholders, employees, accountants, attorneys, agents,
affiliates, interns, subsidiaries, successors and assigns from any
liability with your travel plans, wedding plans and/or questions.
We also may wish to contact you to follow-up on your experience with
these companies we link to and we encourage you to contact us by Email about your travel experience. Of course, you may combine any of our services in any way you chose.
By accessing the links below, you are in agreement with this disclaimer message.
BON VOYAGE, HAPPY TRAVELS, KALO TAXIDI
Personal Concierge Service. Let
your dreams become reality! Want to rent a yacht and sail the Greek
Islands? This service is for those travelers who want a highly
personalized service for creation of the ultimate, personal travel
itinerary. This is for travelers who don't want the standard travel
packages available in our other travel choices. CelebrateGreece.com's highly knowledgeable English speaking personal guide(s) are also available to travel with you in Greece! There is a service fee
in addition to the actual travel costs when using the Personal
Concierge Service.  | • Greece YOUR Way!
|
1) Name(s) of Traveler(s)
2) Your email address
3) Your telephone number
4) Your country
5) Tell us about your Travel Wishes
You
will then receive a confirmation email. Later, you will be contacted
directly through email or telephone by our Personal Concierge Service.
__________________________
Package Travel Service We
recommend this service for our visitors interested in travel packages
to the most common destinations in Greece and who don't need as much
personal service as the Personal Concierge Service. There usually is
no extra service fee involved using the Package Travel Service.
However, the company we refer to reserves the right to change their
policies. They will, however, tell you about any extra fees, if any. 
| • Greece Pre-Packaged and Ready to Explore!
|
After you fill out the travel form, you will be contacted
directly through email or telephone by our Package Travel Service expert(s).
___________________________
Cruises to Greece We
recommend this service for the traveler who wishes to do
all, or some, of the travel planning themselves. Feel free to
click on the ship image below to be linked to the site we have screened
for
cruises to Greece.
| • Find Cruises in All Price Ranges
• Book a Cruise Yourself
• Ask a Human for advise and Help
|
___________________________
Online Travel Search Engine Specializing in Greece We
recommend this service for the traveler who wishes to save money and do
all, or some, of the travel planning themselves. Feel free to click on
either image below to be linked to the search engine we have customized
for travel to Greece.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
___________________________
|
Wedding Plans in Greece!
|
If
you are hoping to get married in Greece, either by civil or religious
ceremony, we will refer you to the best marriage coordinators in
Greece. CelebrateGreece.com refers to wedding coordinators who
specialize in weddings on the Greek Island of Santorini, Greece and
other areas and islands in Greece.
To be
contacted by one of our wedding coordinators, please use one of the
contact links below...
or use the email address: SantoriniWeddingCoordinator@CelebrateGreece.com
OR
or use the email address: GreeceWeddingCoordinator@CelebrateGreece.com
...And provide the following information in your email:
1) Name(s) of Traveler(s)
2) Your email address
3) Your telephone number
4) Your country
5) Tell us about your Wedding Wishes
You
will then receive a confirmation email. Later, you will be contacted
directly through email or telephone by one of the Wedding specialists.
___________________________
| • Are you an experienced sailor and wish to rent your own bareboat yacht or one with a crew?
• Just want to sunbathe on deck and do nothing else but watch the Aegean Sea go by?
• Want to follow Homer's Odyssey throughout the Mediterranean Sea?
CelebrateGreece.com's sailboat and yacht coordinators can help with everything and in-between!
|
Contact our Sailing and Yachting Specialists (Link coming soon!)
or use the email address: Coming Soon!
...And provide the following information in your email:
1) Name(s) of Traveler(s)
2) Your email address
3) Your telephone number
4) Your country
5) Tell us about your Yachting and Sailing Dreams!
You
will then receive a confirmation email. Later, you will be contacted
directly through email or telephone by one of our Sailing and Yachting specialists.
_________________________
Best
Time to Travel To Greece
Conditions for travel to Greece are perfect between
Easter and mid-June and again from the end of August to mid-October.
Beaches and ancient Greek archaeological sites are relatively
uncrowded, public transportation operates on close to full schedules
and accommodations are cheaper and easier to find than in the
mid-June to end of August high season. Winter travel to Greece from
the middle of October through the beginning of April used to be
undesirable, but this is slowly changing because on the most popular
Greek islands some restaurants, hotels and bars remain open
year-round and the ski resorts on the Greek mainland do a thriving
business.
Climate charts:
Temperature,
Humidity, and
Sunshine
Official Country
Full Name
Hellenic Republic
Capital City
Athens
Area
131,940 sq km or
50,942 sq miles Population
10,668,000
Time Zone
GMT/UTC +2
(Typically 10 hours ahead of Los Angeles, 7 hours ahead of New York)
Daylight Saving
Start
Last Sunday in
March
Daylight Saving
End
Last Sunday in
October
Languages
Greek (official)
Modern (demotic)
Greek is the official language of the State. It derives from Ancient
Greek yet it has a much simplified grammar. It has absorbed many
words from its linguistic and cultural neighbours. Modern Greek
differs substantially from the purist 'Katharevousa', or cleansing
Greek, an artificially contrived variant which is closer to Ancient
Greek that was used at varying times in recent Greek history. While
Katharevousa is no longer used in everyday speech it still evident
on street signs and can cause occasional confusion for the tourist.
Religion
98% Greek
Orthodox (Christian), 1.3% Muslim, 0.7% other
Currency
Euro (€)
Electricity
220V 50 Hz
Electric Plug
Details
European plug
with two circular metal pins. The standard in Greece is 220V AC
(50Hz). Appliances from North America require a transformer and
British ones an adaptor.
Country Dialing Code
30
Public Holidays 2007
1
January: New Year's Day
6
January: Epiphany
19 February : Ash Monday
25 March: National Holiday
8
and 9 April : Easter
1
May : May Day
28 May : Whit Monday ( Holiday only for public sector)
15 August: Dormition (Assumption) of The Virgin
28 October: National Holiday
25 and 26 December: Christmas
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.
Types of Accommodations
Most tourist lodging establishments have been recently renovated and
upgraded, thus boasting state-of-the-art facilities. These
establishments are licensed by the Greek National Tourist
Organisation (G.N.T.O.) and fall in the following categories:
-
Hotels (ordinary hotels,
traditional guesthouses, agrotourist lodgings, etc.).
-
Rooms to let
-
Apartments to let
-
Self-catering units (tourist
residences and villas)
-
Campsites
-
Youth hostels
Hotel
Classification
Hotels, as well
as rooms and apartments to let, are subject to a rating system
determined by the Greek National Tourist Organisation. In
particular, their classification is based on:
-
Class designation (old
rating system): Lux, A, B, C, D, E
-
Star ratings (new rating
system): 5*****, 4****, 3***, 2**, 1*
In terms of
technical specifications, it should be noted that class L (Deluxe)
hotels correspond to 5*****, A to 4****, B to 3***, C to 2**, and D
and E to 1*. Until completion of the new rating system, some hotels
will continue to feature the class-based designation, while others
will display star ratings. Thus, if you wish to search for a Deluxe
hotel, you should search both under Class L and 5*****
Temperature
Average Daily Temperatures ºF (°C)
|
Athens |
Corfu |
Crete |
Rhodes |
Santorini |
Thessaloniki |
Serres |
| JAN |
51
(10.3) |
50
(9.7) |
54
(12.1) |
55
(11.8) |
52
(11.2) |
41
(5.0) |
39
(3.9) |
| FEB |
52
(10.7) |
51
(10.3) |
54
(12.3) |
54
(12.0) |
52
(11.2) |
44
(6.6) |
43
(6.2) |
| MAR |
54
(12.4) |
54
(12.0) |
56
(13.6) |
56
(13.6) |
55
(12.6) |
49
(9.7) |
49
(9.6) |
| APR |
61
(16.0) |
59
(15.0) |
62
(16.6) |
62
(16.6) |
60
(15.5) |
58
(14.2) |
58
(14.2) |
| MAY |
69
(20.7) |
67
(19.6) |
69
(20.3) |
69
(20.6) |
66
(19.1) |
67
(19.4) |
67
(19.6) |
| JUN |
77
(25.1) |
75
(23.8) |
76
(24.3) |
76
(24.7) |
74
(23.3) |
74
(24.2) |
74
(24.3) |
| JUL |
82
(27.9) |
80
(26.4) |
82
(27.9) |
82
(27.9) |
81
(27.4) |
80
(26,5) |
79
(26.3) |
| AUG |
82
27,7 |
79
(26.2) |
81
(27.0) |
81
(27.0) |
77
(24.8) |
79
(25.9) |
78
(25.3) |
| SEP |
76
(24.2) |
73
(22.7) |
74
(23.4) |
76
(24.6) |
73
(22.5) |
71
(21.7) |
71
(21.6) |
| OCT |
67
(19.4) |
65
(18.4) |
68
(20.0) |
69
(20.6) |
66
(19.0) |
61
(16.1) |
60
(15.5) |
| NOV |
60
(15.5) |
58
(14.3) |
62
(16.7) |
62
(16.5) |
60
(15.4) |
52
(11.0) |
49
(9.2) |
| DEC |
54
(12.2) |
52
(11.2) |
57
(13.9) |
56
(13.4) |
55
(12.7) |
44
(6.8) |
41
(5.0) |
Relative humidity (%)
|
Athens |
Corfu |
Heraklion |
Rhodes |
Santorini |
Thessaloniki |
Serres |
| JAN |
68,9 |
74,8 |
68,0 |
70,6 |
71,6 |
75,8 |
77,1 |
| FEB |
68,3 |
74,1 |
66,2 |
69,8 |
70,9 |
73,0 |
71,7 |
| MAR |
68,3 |
73,0 |
66,1 |
69,0 |
72,3 |
72,9 |
68,9 |
| APR |
62,8 |
72,3 |
62,0 |
66,3 |
69,8 |
68,5 |
63,2 |
| MAY |
59,5 |
69,1 |
61,0 |
63,6 |
67,6 |
64,3 |
59,8 |
| JUN |
53,4 |
63,0 |
56,6 |
57,6 |
62,5 |
56,3 |
53,8 |
| JUL |
47,6 |
59,1 |
56,7 |
56,4 |
59,9 |
53,6 |
51,7 |
| AUG |
47,3 |
61,3 |
58,1 |
58,9 |
62,0 |
55,4 |
54,5 |
| SEP |
53,7 |
69,7 |
61,5 |
60,8 |
65,9 |
62,5 |
59,5 |
| OCT |
61,9 |
74,3 |
65,7 |
67,0 |
70,1 |
70,4 |
69,6 |
| NOV |
68,9 |
77,3 |
67,6 |
72,0 |
72,1 |
77,3 |
76,8 |
| DEC |
70,1 |
76,7 |
67,8 |
72,7 |
72,0 |
77,8 |
80,2 |
Sunshine
Average daily sunshine (in hours)
|
Athens |
Heraklion |
Rhodes |
Thessaloniki |
| JAN |
4.12' |
3.48' |
4.24' |
3.06' |
| FEB |
4.48' |
4.18' |
5.12' |
3.30' |
| MAR |
5.54' |
5.42' |
6.36' |
4.48' |
| APR |
7.42' |
7.36' |
8.00' |
6.48' |
| MAY |
9.24' |
9.42' |
10.00' |
8.06' |
| JUN |
11.12' |
11.42' |
11.42' |
9.54' |
| JUL |
11.42' |
12.00' |
12.06' |
10.30' |
| AUG |
11.00' |
11.12' |
11.30' |
9.30' |
| SEP |
9.12' |
9.24' |
10.06' |
7.42' |
| OCT |
6.42' |
6.24' |
7.48' |
5.18' |
| NOV |
5.06' |
5.00' |
5.54' |
3.54' |
| DEC |
3.54' |
3.54' |
4.30' |
3.18' |