Greece is one of the most popular destinations all year round. Like any place in the world there are some things that you should avoid on your holidays there in order to make your journey stress free, safer and more enjoyable.
- Don’t under-dress when visiting churches and monasteries
Around Greece there are some beautiful historical churches and monasteries that definitely deserve your visit. You shouldn’t visit if you have bare legs and bare arms although some monasteries do provide cover-ups for the unprepared.
- Don’t throw paper on the toilet
Since I am a Greek not throwing paper on the toilet is something that I learned from early age. When I first traveled in Europe I was shocked to discover that there it wasn’t the same. So why not throw paper on the toilet in Greece? The explanation is very simple actually, the sewage pipes are very narrow and they get clogged easily. You should throw the toilet paper into the bin located next to the toilet.
- Don’t drink water from the tap
The tap water is not potable throughout the country. Although it is perfectly safe to drink water from the tap in Athens and Thessaloniki it is better to ask in all the other places or even better buy bottled water which is fairly cheap. In some areas you can find water in springs especially in mountainous regions where you can see locals filling up bottles to take home for use.
- Don’t take photos of military facilities
Especially in some islands of the Aegean like Lemnos, Lesvos, Kos, Samos etc there are a lot of military facilities scattered around the island. Taking photos of these facilities is prohibited. You don’t want to be arrested as a spy right?
- Don’t use the zebra crossing unless you look
In Greece the zebra crossing on the roads is just a color pattern. Cars never stop to let you pass. So if you want to cross a road head to the traffic lights and if you want to use the zebra crossing always look that the road is empty before crossing.
- Don’t stay in the sun without a hat and sun-block
Greece is a sunny country all year round. Especially in the summer the sun is very strong and you can get burnt or have a sunstroke very easily. You should wear a sun block at all times along with a hat and try to drink a lot of water or juice to keep yourself hydrated. Try not to drink a lot of alcohol when you are in the sun. You will regret it later.
- Don’t drink alcohol with empty stomach
When I am on holidays I have seen a lot of people drinking alcohol like there is no tomorrow. Greeks do drink as well, you will probably have heard about ouzo, the Greek wine and raki. Our secret is that most of the time we eat and drink at the same time. Another option is not to drink with an empty stomach. Another thing we do after we finish partying is to eat vromiko (dirty food) which can be something like a sandwich, a crepe, a hot-dog, souvlaki etc. You will have notice that there are a lot of places serving food that stay open until the early morning hours. Lastly don’t forget to drink water at the same time as the alcohol makes our body dehydrated and of course don’t drive while being drunk.
- Don’t touch the artifacts on the museums and the archaeological sites
Greece is a country full of archaeological sites. Most of them have specific rules that must be obeyed like no touching of the artifacts and sometimes no flash photography or no photography at all. Just read the signs or if in doubt ask the guard.
Have you experienced something in Greece that you found strange? What was it?
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