GreeceGreece Travel Guide
Greece is the cradle of ancient civilisation and the Mediterranean's oldest holiday destination. Busy city life on the mainland in Athens and Thessaloniki; and, across the Cyclades, Ionian and Dodecanese clusters, more than 6,000 islands each with their own atmosphere. Summer is for island hopping; winter for mainland history and mountain villages.
Currency
EUR €
Visa
A Schengen visa is required for many non-EU nationalities (ETIAS planned). Check your passport's specific requirements.
Language
Greek
Best Season
April–June and September–October
Where to go in Greece?
Ready city guides with day-by-day sample itineraries, plus more destinations from the Greece catalog.
What's the daily budget in Greece?
€35–60/day (hostel/room, gyros/souvlaki, free beaches)
€65–110/day (3★ hotel or a guesthouse, taverna meals, museum tickets)
€130–280/day (a boutique hotel or villa, fine dining, a private boat tour)
Estimated daily spend (food, local transport, museums — excluding accommodation). Flights and hotels are calculated separately.
Do you need a visa?
Greece: A Schengen visa is required for many non-EU nationalities (ETIAS planned). Check your passport's specific requirements..
Visa and transit rules can change; confirm the official consulate information before you travel.
When to go?
April–June and September–October (mild weather, fewer crowds).
Meze culture is central — tzatziki, taramasalata, dolma, saganaki. Souvlaki and gyros are the street-food classics, and the islands offer fresh seafood (octopus, calamari, sea bream). Dinner starts late (9–11pm). Bread and water arrive automatically and are added to the bill (€1–2). Frappé (Greek iced coffee) is drunk at any hour.
Greece with a Turkish passport: visa & transit status
Visa status
A Schengen visa is required for many non-EU nationalities (ETIAS planned). Check your passport's specific requirements.. Official source for the current visa regime applied to Turkish citizens: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Transit / connection
An airport transit visa (ATV) may be needed via Schengen.
Some Schengen countries (Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain…) require Turkish citizens to hold an airport transit visa (type A / ATV) when connecting to a destination OUTSIDE Schengen.
Exemption: A valid Schengen visa (in some countries a valid US/Canada visa or residence permit) exempts you from the ATV. If your destination is itself in Schengen you will already hold a Schengen visa, so this connection is not a problem.
Official source: www.schengenvisainfo.com
Last updated: July 2026. Visa and transit rules can change — before you apply or buy a ticket, confirm on mfa.gov.tr and with the relevant consulate.
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IST
How to get to Greece
International flights typically connect via IST; the nearest airport for each city is noted in its city guide.
On the mainland the KTEL bus network is extensive and affordable, and there is a train between Athens and Thessaloniki (5.5h). For the islands, ferries run from the ports of Piraeus and Rafina (BlueStar, SeaJets, Hellenic Seaways). In summer, inter-island flights (Aegean, Sky Express) are fast but pricey. Within cities there is a metro in Athens and Thessaloniki; on the islands, car/scooter rental or the local bus.
- 01
In summer (June–September), book island ferry tickets weeks ahead — last-minute is hard.
- 02
Cover your shoulders and knees in churches; sacred sites like Mount Athos have strict rules.
- 03
The 'meltemi' wind can blow on the islands through July and August, and ferries can be cancelled.
- 04
For the Acropolis and popular museums, the combined ticket (a 5-site pass) is the best value.
- 05
Greek time is flexible — a 15–30 minute delay at restaurants and at the start of events is normal.
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