Workers at all means of public transport in Athens have announced their participation in the 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.

The strike will affect: 

Athens Metro Lines 2 & 3, Urban Train ISAP (Metro Line 1), tram, blue buses and trolley buses!

*LATEST UPDATE: September 20, 2022

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For information on how to contact an airline not listed below, click HERE.

AEGEAN AIR:
Customers are kindly advised to check the latest flight details by calling:
From Greece 0801 11 20000
From abroad or mobile + 30 210 6261000 or click HERE.

OLYMPIC AIR:
Olympic Air will attempt to contact with passengers on flights affected to forward them to other flights as well as network and informing them about changes in departure times.

For more information please contact the customer service at: 801 801 0101 (fixed) and 210 3550500 (mobile phones) or click HERE.

There are over 2,000 islands in Greece and 16,000 km worth of coastline. The country is famous for its diversity, sandy beaches, pebbly shores, caves, and crystal waters so it can be hard to find where the best beaches are in Greece. Here are just a few:

Kephalonia - Ionian Islands

The popular beaches of Myrtos has white sand and rock, and excellent views of the cliffside village of Ano Mera. There are also caves with stalactites and stalagmites and one that is over 3km long.

Lefkada is mainly a mountainous island with natural beauty, plane trees, historical and archaeological sites, and beautiful islets opposite the port of Nydri. These islets of Skorpios, Madouri, and Meganissi have plenty of caves to explore, including one that is known to have concealed a submarine during World War II.

The popular beaches are Porto Katsiki with white sand and turquoise waters and Egremnous, where the sea is perfect, but harder to get to.

 

This island is known for its world-class beaches, becoming packed in July and August. Most of the beaches are on the south coast, which is protected from the northern winds.

This island is not short of beaches with 62 exceptional ones to choose from. The organized beaches are on the south side and the quiet, untouched beaches are on the north side. Koukounaries and Lalaria are the two most popular beaches - Lalaria can only be accessed by boat.

To read this article in full, please visit: Hip Greece

The Greek Infrastructure, Transport, and Networks Ministry has announced that six regional airports in Greece will receive 197 million euros in EU funding towards their upgrade.

With the goal of boosting EU growth, the European Commission President started the Juncker Plan in 2014 and has since given the airports of Kastoria, Milos, Syros, Naxos, Paros, and Chios funds for modernization and development.

Part of the funds will come from Public Private Partnership and will focus on the design, construction, financing, and management of the airports. Under the supervision of the Civil Aviation Authority, the investors will have the right to use and manage airport facilities.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Summer has come and Athens is brimming with bars ideal for night (and day) crawlers! There is an abundance of bars that have various cocktails to choose from, sophisticated spirits that offer breaths of coolness, and super views of the acropolis. 

If you feel a little spoiled for choice and don't know where to start from, here are 3 of our favorite summer bars!

 

The Zillers, a restaurant and bar, is located on the top level of a hotel and is a popular hotspot in the city. Visitors will enjoy an excellent view of the Acropolis and of Mitropoleos square. What else could you ask from an open-air space for your summer nights? Cocktails of course! You may try the Ipanem cocktail with cachaca, passion fruit, lime, honey, and candy. 

The first Greek Vermouteria borrows its name from the smells and aromatic herbs used in cooking. Inside the Odori, you can find a drinks list that is more than generous. Not limited to classic cocktails, but "playing" different vermouth and selected Greek spirits to enjoy your drink in your own measures. There are 8 signature options based on an equal number of herbs that flavor vermouth and they say it's exactly what you need. The interior is reminiscent of the botanical garden and the tables that lead to Skouleniou street are more than suitable for after-office drinks and an evening spirit. 

Where: Skouleniou 2, Athens
Telephone: 210 3314674

 

From the center, we move on to Hymettous where something exciting awaits. Is it the freshly roasted coffee? Is it the refreshing cocktails and the tables outside? It is and it's all together in this hip espresso & cocktail bar which promises 'peace of mind,' but also countless summer nights (and days) on the comfortable terrace and the accompaniment of fine foreign musicians. Visitors must try their fresh homemade Sangria and Spicy Mule, with homemade syrup chili, pineapple, slices of cucumber, and spicy cayenne pepper grains. 

Where: Plateia Ymittou 3, Hymmetus
Telephone: 210 762 1880

Located relatively close to Athens (about 39 km), Mavro Lithari is a small but sandy, organized beach. It beach bars with ice-cold drinks appropriate when the heatwaves strike. The refreshments and drinks served at the beach bar will come in handy when the temperatures rise.

@drone_arcade

Kakia Thalassa is one of the cleanest beaches in Attica (except during northern winds). This beach is paved with small pebbles outside and sand in the water, it is relatively organized with sun loungers, umbrellas, and swings for kids. It is about an hour's drive from the center of Athens.

@karpdimitris

Located in Agia Marina Bay, Loubarda is organized and has shallow turquoise waters. The beach offers shelter from the wind due to its unique location.

Saronida

@scarlet_starlet_mary

Saronida beach provides plenty of shade, but only if you get there in time to catch a spot to place your towel under the trees. It is sandy and has beautiful clear waters. It may not be organized, but you will find a kiosk and restaurants right across the road.

Grand Beach Lagonissi

@grandbeachlagonissi

Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and luxurious sandy beaches in Attica. It has beautiful waters and sand inside and out. A set with an umbrella & 2 sunbeds for a maximum of 2 persons costs € 30.00 from Monday to Friday. A set with an umbrella & 2 sunbeds for a maximum of 2 persons costs € 60.00 on Weekends and Holidays. Special rates apply for children aged 2-12.

Author and blogger Marissa Tejada recently went on a different kind of tour of Athens. Together with a local architect, she explored the city and listened to the stories behind each of the buildings. Here she tells us about her experience of the complex mix of ancient, historic, and new architecture of the city of Athens.

One thing I love about traveling in Europe is the amazing architecture that can be admired in the old towns. It’s wonderful to take in everything from fantastic castles, gorgeous sky high churches with spires and Gothic accents, to the charm of buildings and homes that have lined cobbled lanes before industrial modern times. For an American like me, it is all very fairy tale at times and simply charming.

It has been said that the landscape of Athens is an architectural challenge. Unregulated city growth and planning led to cookie-cutter housing, a lack of green space and grand centuries’ old buildings falling to the developer’s wrecking ball. Once elegant homes remain simply abandoned.

I have been walking the city center streets, where I live, for years now and failed to really look closer, only admiring the obvious: the Acropolis and other ancient structures that have survived with grace and the most important neoclassical buildings. However, I always kind of shook my head at buildings that lined the oldest Athenian neighborhoods which were a big old unnecessary hodgepodge of styles (some just ugly), at least to me.

Athens is a city built over a city, many times over. The ancient Greek world has been buried over time. Fast forward to today, within the past decades even, engineers and architects continue to literally bump into a landscape of antiquities.

Exploring much of Greece, you’ll find this kind of construction where eras are built over eras. Another reason why you can say Athens is truly a fascinating city of layers.

To read Marissa's article in full, please visit: My Greece My Travels

There's something new in the southern Athenian suburb of Athens - Glyfada is now home to i-bike - an excellent bike sharing system available to locals and visitors.

There are two i-bike stations at Glyfada, one at the beach by Vergoti Square and one at the old City Hall. Cyclers can choose from 20 available bicycles for transportation purposes, strolling or just for fun.

Users must be over 18 and can rent a bike for as long as they wish with the use of a credit card or via cell phone, returning it to any of the installed stations across town. Regular users, applicable only to Glyfada residents, can sign up for the system and receive a special e-card which provides 24-hour access. Cards are available from Glyfada City Hall.

Bike sharing, first implemented in European cities in 1965, gives people the chance to borrow a bike from one point and return it to another point in the city.

For more information in English, please click HERE.
To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

“Cruise travel is a growing tourism sector and at the same time has positive prospects, contributing in many ways to the European economy. A country like Greece, with unique beauty and diverse destinations, history and culture, can and should be developed into a leading cruise destination, and indeed all year long,” said Kyriakos Anastasiadis, CEO Celestyal Cruises and executive member of CLIA Europe.

Greece has maintained its ranking as the third most popular destination in Europe, with a 13.3 percent share and total of 4,176,500 cruise passenger visits. Santorini, Piraeus, Mykonos, Corfu and Katakolon took the lead as ports of call in 2015, with some 980,049 passengers starting their voyages from the port of Piraeus.

Besides being one of the fastest growing sectors in Europe, cruise travel employs some 10,000 people who contribute over 188 million euros annually to the Greek economy according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

The CLIA report, presented on Tuesday, revealed that the industry in Europe grew by 2 percent and an estimated 40.95 billion euros in 2015, adding 10,000 new jobs to a total of 360,571 whose salaries plus benefits reach 11.05 billion euros.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Just in time for beach season, the ‘Fantastic Greek Summer Reads: The Greece in Me’ box set is available on Amazon for 6.99.

The eBook bundle features three books: ‘Chasing Athens’ by Marissa Tejada, a romantic comedy/women’s fiction novel; ‘Girl Gone Greek’ by Rebecca Hall, a coming of age/contemporary women’s fiction novel; and ‘Greek Expectations: The Last Moussaka Standing’ by Ekaterina Botziou; a Greek life guide/memoir.

Each book in the collection tells an inspiring story in which Greece is integral to the setting and also proves to be an important “character” in each book.

 

For more from the author visit: www.chasingathens.com

Touching on the expat experience, Tejada tells a fantastic story of heartbreak and self-discovery to define the meaning of home…

Uncertain of her future after a heart-breaking split, American expat Ava Martin throws herself into the thick of Athenian reality and soon discovers that the tumultuous, culture rich Mediterranean country is coloring her life in a way no place else can, changing her forever.

What people are saying...

"The imagery of the setting is lavishly graphic, from the blend of ancient and modern architecture, crystal blue waters, and breath-taking island views to the tumultuous streets due to economic distress."

"When was the last time you searched for a new book only to find yourself drawn into it so quickly that you could not put the book down? Somehow I have a feeling this will become a classic traveller story."

"Chasing Athens is a fantastic story of heartbreak, self-discovery and finding love again. I really loved how Marissa depicted Athens so that it came alive for the reader."

For more from the author visit: www.lifebeyondbordersblog.com

A tale of self-discovery and realisation that home and belonging don't necessarily have to be your birthplace…

When Rachel moved to Greece to escape a life of social conformity, she found a country of unconventional characters and economic turmoil. The last thing she expected was to fall in love with the chaos that reigned about her.

What people are saying...

“It is really refreshing to read something that is a love story, but not between the typical man and women but through friendships and a love of a country.”

“The author’s writing style helps the narrative flow, resulting in a quick, light yet delightfully fun read. I feel like I am right there with Rachel, seeing what she sees and feeling what she feels.”

“A sensitive tale of a fairly naive young lady whose eyes are opened to a different culture and different ways of life as she ventures to live in the warmth and blue skies of a Mediterranean village.”

For more from the author visit: www.ekaterinabotziou.com

Part memoir, part rant, part survival guide. A witty cautionary tale of Greek love and life…

Growing up in a semi-Greek household, Ekaterina Botziou spent much of her childhood defying her father's wishes for her to learn to play the bouzouki, and refusing third helpings of moussaka. Unfortunately, Zeus had other ideas and in a twist of fate some years later, Ekaterina found herself married to a Greek-Cypriot and battling against the stale old laws of Greek tradition.

What people are saying...

“I have never laughed so much. It was almost like Ekaterina was writing about me! Congratulations Ekaterina on a well written book that will make Greeks/Cypriots and anybody else in the world laugh. It's a great medicine.”

“Such a fantastic read, it had me laughing all the way through! Coming from a multicultural background myself, I could relate to many of the crazy family experiences recounted in the book.”

“Ekaterina Boziou has a sharp, critical eye and an amazing sense of humour which make up a refreshing, witty, passionate, original and inventive narrative.”

For the UK Amazon site: click here.

For the US Amazon site: click here.

In recent news, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation Development has predicted that the economy in Greece will hit a 1.9% growth rate by the year 2017 and that we see already see improvement in the second half of 2016.

Specifically, a return to growth will come after a deep and prolonged recession in Greece, as recovering confidence boosts investment and consumption and improved competitiveness raises exports. However, the Organization points out that the huge public debt burden is undermining investment and confidence, making some form of additional debt relief crucial.

Unemployment in the country is still very high, which is causing serious social problems, but is now gradually receding. At the same time, OECD stressed the need for modernization of the Employment Organization and expanding active policies in the labor market. The report also mentions that weak productivity accounts for much of the decline in output since the onset of the crisis and suggests the full implementation of structural reforms, so as to boost productivity.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek News Agenda

For the OECD Economic forecast summary, please click here.