Below you will find some interesting travel information that might be useful when you design your trip to Greece.
Greece at a glance
| Capital city: | Athens |
| Currency: | As a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone, Greece uses the EU’s common currency, the euro (€) |
| Time zone: | GTM +2, Greece belongs to the Eastern Europe Time Zone |
| Total population: | 10,8 mio |
| Population Athens: | 3,6 mio (metropolitan area of Athens) |
| Religion: | Greek orthodox |
| Total area: | 131,957 km2 |
| Length of coastline: | 13,676 km, out of which 7,500 km surround the thousands of islands in the Greek archipelago |
| Geography: | 80% of the country consists of mountains or hills, making Greece one of the most mountainous countries in Europe |
| Islands: | approximately 6,000 islands and islets are scattered in the Aegean and Ionian Sea, of which 227 are inhabited |
Language
The official language is Greek. However, the language widely used in the tourism sector is English.
As Greece is among the most popular tourist destinations in the world, a lot of Greeks - especially in the areas of high tourism - are familiar with further foreign languages such as German, French or Spanish.
Weather
Greece is a country with long periods of sunshine throughout the year. It has a typical Mediterranean climate: mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Climatologically, the year in Greece is divided in two seasons: The warm season (April–mid October), characterised by sunshine, high temperatures and seasonal winds, mostly found in the Aegean during August (known as meltemia). The winter season (mid-October-March), when the average temperatures range, depending on the geographic region, between 0-10°C (even below 0°C in northern regions).
Average temperatures during the warm season
Athens: may 21º C, june 25º C, july 28º C, august 28º C, september 24º C
Santorini: may 20º C, june 23º C, july 25º C, august 25º C, september 23º C