Destination Guides & Maps - Greece

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Capital City: Athens. Population: 3.7 million

Language: Greek. English and French are fairly widely spoken, especially in tourist areas.

Area: 50,948 square miles (131,940 sq km)

Population: 10,601,527

Currency: The Euro.  The drachma made way for the Euro, introduced to Greece in January 2002.

All major credit cards and travellers' cheques are widely accepted. ATMs accepting cards linked to the Plus and Cirrus networks are widely available.

Visa: Not necessary for UK citizens on visits of up to three months.

Geography: The northern mainland of Greece, with its high mountains and fertile plains, is joined to the rugged Peloponnese peninsula by the Isthmus of Corinth.

In fact, 80% of the country is mountainous, with the highest point, Mount Olympos, rising to 9,570ft (2,917m).

In addition to the mainland, there are the famous islands, which make up one-fifth of the country's land area.

Most are in the Aegean but some (the Ionian islands) lie off the west coast in the Ionian Sea. In all, Greece has over 8,000 miles (13,000 km) of coastline - no wonder it's famed for its beaches.

Religion: Greek Orthodox 98%; Muslim 1.3%; other 0.7%.

Time: Two hours ahead of the UK.

Electricity: 220V AC (50 Hz); round two-pin plugs. You'll need to take an adaptor if you're taking any electrical appliances with you.

Emergencies: For police, call 100; for the Fire Brigade 199; for the ambulance service 166

Telephone: To call Greece from the UK, dial 00 + 30 + area code and number. Telephone codes recently changed - as of January 2002 all numbers now have 10 digits, comprised of the area code and a 0 added to the beginning of the number. Always use the area code, even for local numbers.

To call the UK from Greece: dial 00 + 44 + area code and number

Post: Post offices are open 8am to 2pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1.30pm on Saturday.

Business Hours: Most banks open Monday to Thursday 8am to 2pm and Friday 8am to 1.30pm. In larger cities and on larger islands, they may also open in the afternoons and on Saturday mornings.

Museums and archaeological sites are open daily 9.30am to 3pm, and closed on official holidays and one day a week (usually Mondays). During summer major sites stay open to 7pm.

Shop opening hours vary widely but most are open Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 9am to 2.30 or 3pm; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to around 3pm and then again from 5.30-8.30pm. Some small shops stay open later. Large stores open 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday. Shops in tourist areas stay open early to late. All shops close on Sunday and opening hours are reduced in winter.

Internet & E-mail: There are cybercafés in the main cities and islands.

Tipping: Service is included in restaurant bills, but most people leave up to 10 per cent on top. Taxi drivers, too, expect a small tip.

In smart hotels, a tip of around 60 cents (Euro) a night is considered reasonable for the chambermaid, and the same amount per bag for the porter.

BBC World Service: MHz 12.10, 9.410, 6.195, 3.955 On the Greek islands a service is available on 1323kHz/226.7m.

Want to get a closer look at Greece? http://earth.google.com/

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