Athens Greece Informations

One of Athens’ most charming characteristics is its vibrant lifestyle. With a large selection of leisure venues to choose from, visitors will find entertainment suitable for every taste and preference.The personality of Athens city is one of a mixture of Eastern and Western cultures, and a fusion of modern and ancient structures. Monastiraki is the old oriental bazaar located in the center of Athens below the Parthenon. In contrast, visitors can also see the many renovated neoclassic buildings scattered on the main streets in the center of town. An excellent example of the union of old and new is the National Bank of Greece near Kotzia Square and the Athens Stock Market. The former is an ultra-modern structure built over an archaeological site, which can be seen through the bank\'s glass floors. It is quite a unique and impressive site, indicative of the desire of the Greeks to preserve the past while enthusiastically proceeding into the future.Athenians are one of the most hospitable and helpful people, who are always eager to advise and assist visitors from abroad. They possess a wonderful zest for life and are very enthusiastic when discussing current news topics and philosophical ideas.The favourite activity of Athenians is socializing with friends over drinks and food. Cafes, tavernas, restaurants, ouzeries, bars and pubs can be found throughout the city. In the evenings, Athenians flock to the many night clubs and live bouzouki halls where they can dance and drink till dawn.

Gastronomy in Athens the Athenian food scene, in the past decade, has experienced a gourmet revolution. The traditional and world-renowned moussaka and souvlaki image has given way to a cornucopia of fine dining options. And the Athenian landscape of 19th century neoclassical buildings, ancient sites, artsy industrial and Mediterranean coastal milieus created a canvas for alluring interiors and exteriors. Rooftop bars can compete with some of the world's most renowned. Can they claim a view of the Acropolis A newcomer is the white tablecloth taverna that takes the concept of healthy Mediterranean ingredient-driven dishes a notch above. But don't worry the souvlaki is still here and better than ever!

Nightlife in Athens No need to wait for the weekend to enjoy nightlife in Athens. The Athenians like to party and will do so almost every night of the week. The Greeks are known for their love-of-life lifestyle. A sort of OPA! mentality that includes good food and good company, regardless of age. In Athens, life is for living and leaving your worries behind. The result is a good-hearted, energetic city with late night venues scattered throughout its many urban and suburban neighborhoods. Hip neighborhoods include Gazi, Psirri, Kerameikos and Kolonaki. Traditional Greek evenings can be spent in Plaka

In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from member states of the European Union (EU) wishing to visit Greece must be holders of the European Health Card (EHIC) or any other legal Community document issued by their competent social security agency.
In these cases, the necessary treatment in Greece is provided by:
- the IKA (Social Security Institute) Health Units (polyclinics) or doctor’s offices in the region;
- Regional clinics (former rural clinics) or the Health Centres of the National Health System; and
- the outpatients’ departments of the hospitals on contract
In order to have access to necessary health care, tourists from countries other than the member states of the European Union wishing to visit Greece must consult their social security agency for information before travelling.
In case of emergency call:

Ambulance Service: 166
SOS Doctors : 1016
Duty Hospitals and Clinics: 1434
Poisoning First Aid: 210 7793777
Pharmacies: 1434
Open Line for alcohol drug Addiction: 210 3617089

The roads and modes of transport in Athens are one of the most modern and environmentally friendly networks in the world. The airport, highways, metro system, buses, tram, catamarans, trolleys and connecting means boast Olympic-size improvements and award-winning designs. The public transportation system serves a relatively small city and its surrounding municipalities. As a result, in Athens, you get to where you want to go pretty quickly.
The modern Athens transportation network now includes: new buses, pollution-free trolleys, tram and a revamped electric railway system that connects to two new metro lines. And that's not all. A new fleet of high-speed catamarans jets you off to nearby islands in a couple of hours or less. Coach buses take you to everywhere else in Greece you want to go.
The patience of the Athenians during the pre-Olympic phase of reconstruction paid off in ways they could not have imagined. Today, visitors and citizens alike enjoy the state-of-the-art facilities. The commute to work is now a pleasant experience. The tram runs every 8 minutes; the metro every three minutes during peak hours. Buses and trolleys stick to their schedules, run frequently and offer routes to the center of Athens, Piraeus and nearby municipalities. Take the metro and be greeted by exhibits of ancient and contemporary works of art while music, from well-known Greek composers, serenades your short wait to board. The tram, trolley and buses are environmentally friendly and beautiful to look at as well. These new vessels of transport have truly changed the facade of Athens and have contributed to the overall well being of the people who use them. The entire transportation network has been designed to intersect making connections easy.Athens, like most other major cities, has a reasonably well-developed system of public transportation

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).

The Tourist Police is a Service of the Greek Police Force staffed with specially trained, foreign-language speaking personnel. Within the framework of its duties and functions, it provides the following services:
It provides information to Greek and foreign visitors and offers them assistance in settling any issues arising with tourist businesses.
It cooperates with locally competent Directorates of Tourism and local authorities in order to deal with tourism issues.
It ensures that the tourist legislation in force is applied in all tourist areas, businesses and media, such as hotels, apartments and rooms to let, tourist shops, tourist agencies and coaches, car and motorcycle rental agencies, archaeological sites, tourist guides, ski resorts, spa towns, mass arrival/departure stations, sanitary facilities operating in tourist businesses and sites of free camping, etc.
It carries out inspections of tourist businesses with the aim to provide better services and higher protection to visitors.
The distinctive insignia of the Greek Tourist Police officers are the following:
White band on the cap
White belt
White gloves
The distinctive insignia “TOURIST POLICE” worn on the front of the shirt.
The Greek Tourist Police can be reached around-the-clock by dialing “171”. This line provides all kind of information and instructions in Greek, English, French and German, thus helping tourists to deal directly with any arising problem.

In case you need any help, do not hesitate to contact the staff members of the Greek Tourist Police by dialing “171”.

Emergencies phones
You can call an ambulance in the event of an emergency, but taxis are often faster. For car accidents, call the city police. Contacts:
Ambulance (phone: 166). City Police (phone: 100). Coast Guard (phone: 108). Fire (phone: 199).

There are post offices all over Athens; ask your hotel how to get to the closest one. The city's two central post offices are in Syntagma Square and off Omonia Square; both are infamous for long lines and slow service. Avoid all post offices during the first week of the month, when Greeks line up to pay their utility bills. Post offices are open weekdays 8-2; some also open Saturday morning. If you want to mail a letter, you can do it from the yellow mailboxes outside post offices; there are separate boxes for international and domestic mail.

Post Offices: Omonia Square (Tritis Septemvriou 28, Omonia Sq., Athens, Greece. PHONE: 210/522-4949). Syntagma Square (Corner of Mitropoleos and Filellinon, Suite 134, Syntagma Sq., Athens, Greece. PHONE: 210/323-7573).

Compendium carries travel books, books on Greece, academic books, and used books. For a huge selection of both Greek- and English-language books, check out Eleftheroudakis. I Folia tou Vivliou has an ample selection of British and American authors. Papasotiriou carries mainstream fiction, cookbooks, foreign magazines, children's books, and books on history and politics. Reymondos is the place to go for great foreign-language books and magazines.

Bookstores:
Compendium (Nikis 28, upstairs, Athens, Greece. PHONE: 210/322-1248). Eleftheroudakis (Nikis 20, Athens, Greece. PHONE: 210/322-9388, Panepistimiou 17, PHONE: 210/325-8440). I Folia tou Vivliou (Booknest, Panepistimiou 25-29, in arcade and on 1st fl., Athens, Greece. PHONE: 210/323-1703).

The days and hours for public museums and archaeological sites are set by the Ministry of Culture they are usually open Tuesday-Sunday 8:30 to 3, and as late as 7:30 in summer. Throughout the year arrive at least 30 minutes before closing time to ensure a ticket. Archaeological sites and museums close on January 1, March 25, the morning of Orthodox Good Friday, Orthodox Easter, May 1, and December 25-26. Sunday visiting hours apply to museums on Epiphany; Ash Monday, Good Saturday, Easter Monday, and Whitsunday (Orthodox dates, which change every year); August 15; and October 28. Museums close early (around 12:30) on January 2, the last Saturday of Carnival, Orthodox Good Thursday, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve. Throughout the guide, the hours of sights and attractions are denoted by the clock icon,.

Taverna tips: to find a good taverna, go where the greeks go. Locals choose their taverna according to taste, price and mood. Walk by taverna where you don't unterstand a word being spoken by those eating outside and you've found your place. Places where someone outside is trying to drag you in should be avoided- good tavernas let the cooking do the talking. Tips from Hotels are sometimes no to be trusted as staff may have a particular place to plug. Always check the menu for prices -fresh fishcan be dear, as can bottles of wine. The house wine ("hee-ma") served out of barrel is cheaper and usually acceptable. Ignore set menus, rarely good value. In someplaces, the food has alredy been served up on dozens of plates waiting for your arrival.Take up the invite to see the kitchen if you're happy with it, and happy with the clientele, you'll be happy with the taverna

Nightlife tips:
nightlife gets going after midnight and keeps going until dawn. Bohemian Exarchia boaststhe best alternative venues, while kolonaki's designer bars are yuppie haunt. Thisio outdoor bars are perfect for an early-evening drink. The best bar hopping is found around Psyrri and Gazi, and the most stylish clubbing down poseidonos, the coastal strip south of the city, whose pricey waterfront clubs attract
Internationals guest Dj's -and traffic jams

Banks & Offices
Banks are normally open Monday-Thursday 8-2, Friday 8-1:30. Hotels also cash traveler's checks on weekends, and the banks at the Athens airport have longer hours.
Government offices are open weekdays from 8 to 2. For commercial offices, the hours depend on the business: large companies have adopted the 9-5 schedule, but some small businesses stick to the Mediterranean 8-2 workday.