The standard ticket for public transport in Athens, valid for 70 minutes, will increase in cost from 1.20 to 1.40 euros from New Year’s Day, Transport Minister Christos Spirtzis said on Thursday. He added that the reduced-price ticket, for children, students and the elderly, will increase from 0.60 to 0.70 euros.

Spirtzis, who said that the ministry is hoping to keep the prices of other tickets and travelcards unchanged, made the announcement as he presented plans for the so-called electronic, or e-ticket scheme.

The minister said that the new system may be rolled out earlier than expected, possubly within seven months on the city's buses. 

To read more, please visit: Ekathimerini

To read about Jack's experience of the E-Ticket for Athens, click here.

Athens commuters may take it for granted on a day-to-day basis, but for visitors to the Greek capital the metro is one of the sites worth visiting. In fact online travel guide Frommer’s recently ranked the Athens metro among the top 10 subways in the world because of the archaeological exhibitions and contemporary art installations at a number of its stations.

The feature by Charis Atlas Heelan compares different subway systems around the world, asking: “What makes the world’s best subway, Metro, and Tube systems? Other than safety, cleanliness, and cost, it doesn’t hurt to have amenities like great architecture or underground shops and eateries. Bonus points if the transit stations aren’t too crowded or have endless staircases.”

The Athens metro is presented among the world’s top 10 in most flattering terms: “One of the crowning achievements of this city’s Olympic bid was the creation of Attiko Metro, a system with stations housing archaeological exhibits and items that were uncovered while digging (walls, cisterns, urns, and even sarcophagi). Even if you don’t need to get to any of the 50-plus stations, it’s well worth a visit to Syntagma Square or Akropoli stations to see the relics or Ethniki Amyna station for more contemporary art installations. Though the trains aren’t that modern or efficient, the visual surroundings make it all worthwhile,” the writer says.

To read more, please visit: ekathimerini

A 100-million-euro investment project on the Aegean island of Chios for the development of a 5-star 700-room resort complete with museum and educational facility by Kerameia SA has been included in the government’s list of strategic “Fast Track” projects following a Ministerial Committee for Strategic Investments (DESE) decision, Greek financial daily Naftemporiki reports.

The project, budgeted at 100 million euros, includes the construction of a 5-star luxury resort, an apartment complex, a thalassotherapy facility, a conference center, a museum and educational institute, a paleontological theme park, a yacht marina and other relevant infrastructure.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Greek homeowners can now rent out their houses for temporary use without being required to obtain a special operations label following an amendment made to the law last month abolishing rental terms.

Under the third bailout plan the Greek government agreed to with its creditors earlier this year, Greek property owners can now rent their homes through popular online platforms such as Airbnb, or through private rental contracts, without holding the special operations label awarded by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO).

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Authorities at the Greek island of Alonnisos have made some innovative decisions in order to increase the tourism rate on the island in the coming summer season. The actions they have prepared focus on diving and hiking tourism, as well as on original events, such as underwater weddings.

Their main goal is to expand the touristic season on the island through alternative actions and proposals, which are inherent in the flora, the fauna and the natural beauty of the island and to highlight the regions advantages.

Alonissos’ touristic promotion program was created in cooperation with the tourism consultant of the municipality, MTC Group. The program will explore pioneering low-cost methods to attract tourists to the island.

To read more, please visit: Greek Reporter
by
Ioanna Zikakou

Greece is no longer mulling court action to win back the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum in London, Culture Minister Aristides Baltas said Tuesday, adding that the government would kick-start a diplomatic campaign to repatriate the 5th century BC statues.

Questioned by MPs during a session of Parliament’s education committee, Baltas said that the government was unwilling to put forward a legal claim “most importantly because we risk losing the case.”

The committee met to discuss a European Council directive on the return of cultural objects unlawfully removed from the territory of a memberstate.

The leftist minister said that lawyer Amal Clooney and the Doughty Street Chambers legal team from London, who had been advising Athens on possible action in the international court to force the British Museum to hand over the Marbles, had already been compensated for their services.

To read more, please visit: ekathimerini

As olives were harvested this fall to be prepared for the massive olive oil production that takes place throughout Greece, a special harvest took place in the municipality of Glyfada, involving a humanitarian effort by the city and volunteers to provide olive oil to people in need.

Like most of Greece, olive trees are abundant on public land and go largely untouched, with tons of fruit simply withering and falling to the ground, season after season.  One resident - Stavros Giakoumakis - wanted to change that and approached Glyfada's mayor, Giorgos Papanikolaou, with a plan. 

That plan involved a massive volunteer and educational effort to harvest all of the olive trees that exist on public land; parks, forested areas and other areas that belong to the municipality, and produce olive oil that would, in turn, be given to needy familie through the city's public welfare efforts.

To read more, please visit: Pappas Post

Good news for 2016!

The islands of Milos, Samos, Ios, Syros, Chios, Symi and Kos are scheduled to be included in cruise itineraries for the following year in efforts to win over the rapidly growing cruise market, local media reports.

In this direction, the Shipowners Association of Cruise Ships and Shipping Agencies is currently in talks so that investments and plans for the further development of relevant infrastructure is in place in order to cater to large capacity incoming luxury liners.

Projects at the ports of Patra, Corfu, Katakolo, Igoumenitsa, Patmos, Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion are already in the pipeline, and companies are looking to include a large part of the eastern Peloponnese among their new destinations.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Greek coastal ferry operator Hellenic Seaways recently expressed its interest to operate new routes from Izmir to the Greek islands and Thessaloniki.

The announcement followed an event organized in Izmir by the North Aegean Region and the Izmir Chamber of Commerce and attended by local authorities, Hellenic Seaways, tourism professionals and journalists.

During the event, representatives of Hellenic Seaways presented a complete transportation network that would cover the needs of both countries.

To read more, please visit: Greek Travel Pages

Not since 1977 has a full moon dawned in the skies on Christmas. This year a bright full moon will be an added gift for the holidays. The last of 2015, December's full moon is called the Full Cold Moon because it occurs during the beginning of winter.

In the future, Christmas will coincide with a full moon every 19 years. This rare event won't happen again until 2034 (then in 2053 and 2072) so be sure to look up to the skies on Christmas Day!