Independent travel in Greece. Where to begin
And so, you are going to go to Greece on your own! You have already decided which , or maybe you want to combine several types at once - for example, swim in the sea and see the sights. Also, let's assume that you have already planned which places to visit and know how many days you will spend on ancient land Hellas.
- Buy tickets
- Book hotels or apartments at least at one point on the route. (This will make it much easier to get a visa).
- Apply for a Schengen visa
You can book tickets to Greece for almost any date, as airlines offer many options - direct flights and with transfers (by the way, they are usually cheaper than direct ones), regular and charter flights. The starting point for many direct flights is Moscow, but during the summer months some airlines organize additional direct flights from major cities such as St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
If you are planning a trip during the beach season (from the beginning of May to the end of September), during the Christmas or Easter holidays, it is better to buy tickets in advance, at least three weeks in advance, since then they may simply not be enough.
As for Greece, there are airports in many regions of this wonderful country and even on rather small islands such as Kos and Santorini.
Accommodation in Greece
To rent an apartment
In summer, you can rent an apartment or a room in the private sector. In the high season (July-August), an apartment on the first or second line with two bedrooms, a shower and a small kitchen, will cost 30-40 euros per day.
This apartment can accommodate up to four people. Don't look for spacious apartments, since most apartments in Greece (even those in which the Greeks themselves live all year round) are quite compact. The peculiarities of the Greek mentality are such that a large bedroom is considered a waste of living space. In a normal Greek bedroom, only a double bed, a couple of bedside tables, a small wardrobe and a chest of drawers fit, narrow passages remain between the furniture. Greeks spend most of their free time in the living room and dining room, so houses are built in such a way that these rooms are as spacious as possible.
Of course, few tourists would think of spending precious vacation days sitting in a Greek living room, therefore, apartments for rent in resort areas are several bedrooms connected by a kitchen with one or two verandas or balconies. If you do not want to be satisfied with apartments of this type, you can find more spacious apartments, but the price will be much higher.
Good option for summer holidays is to rent an apartment or a house in a resort place for one or several months. In that case, it will cost you from 300 to 1000 euros per month depending on the size and quality of housing.
Private hotels (xenonas)
Very popular in Greece is this type of private hotel as "xenonas". It is a large two-three-story house in the traditional Greek style (walls made of huge raw stones, wood trim, wooden windows, stairs, doors floor and ceiling, wooden awnings on balconies).
On the ground floor there is usually a dining room, a kitchen, a hall with a fireplace, an administration desk, upper floors- guest rooms, each room has all the necessary amenities. The cost of living usually includes breakfast, prepared by one of the caring hostesses and therefore usually more tasty and nutritious than in ordinary hotels.
Living in xenonas, you feel not so much a tourist as a guest in a large Greek family. A feature of this type of hotel is the atmosphere home comfort and hospitality. Xenon owners are always ready to listen, help, advise on nearby attractions and entertainment, and even just have a friendly chat. Xenoses open all year round, they are especially popular in mountain villages, near ski centers and hiking trails. A day in a xenonas (double room) will cost 40-50 euros.
How to find a private hotel
There are two ways to find a suitable xenon. You can, being directly in Greece, see a lot of xenos in the resort and mountain villages (it is easy to distinguish them by the traditional, somewhat old-fashioned type of construction and, of course, a bright sign) and try to rent a room for the right time. But in this case there is always a risk that there will be no free places.
The best way is to reserve a room in Xenonas in advance. To do this, in Google you need to type (preferably in Latin letters) the region where you want to go and the word " xenonas" or " xenonas”, then choose the one you like best and book.
Hotels
And of course, in Greece there are a lot of familiar hotels for every taste and budget. Hotels in resort areas are open from Easter until the first half of October. Hotels in other regions of the country are open all year round. Double room in a hotel with breakfast on average will cost from 40-50 euros per night. Hotels with a rating below 3 stars in Greece should not be considered.
Visa to Greece
If you do not have either one or the other, then you will have to go through a simple procedure for obtaining a Greek visa at a Greek visa center in one of the major cities of Russia.
You can apply for a visa to Greece on your own by contacting the visa center or through a travel agency. It usually takes two working days to process a Greek visa.
It should be noted that the provision of documents confirming the booking in a Greek hotel or xenonas, in many respects make it easier to get a visa compared to the situation where you simply provide a written description to the consulate. And although in the latter case, problems with obtaining a visa are extremely rare, it is still better to book accommodation in advance at least at one point on the route and, when submitting documents to the visa center, attach a printout of the reservation to the package of documents.
Also, if you have an old passport with Schengen visas, you must provide it along with copies of all completed pages. It will be returned immediately after comparison with copies.
When submitting documents to the visa center, you need to pay a consular fee. For a short stay visa (up to 90 days) it is 35 euros per applicant. It will also be necessary to pay a service fee of 820 rubles for each applicant, except for children under six years of age and children entered in the parents' passport.
If you decide to go to Greece by your own car, then the following documents must also be submitted to the visa center: driver's license, registration certificate, technical inspection, insurance document for the car, travel plan.
If the children are included in the parent's passport, the parent must have two blank pages in the passport for each applicant.
You can take your pet with you on your trip. To do this, you need to submit to the visa center with a veterinary certificate of health and vaccinations of the animal.
If you received a technical refusal of a visa (which happens very rarely), you can apply for a visa again the very next day.
These are the main tasks that need to be solved for going on vacation to Greece.
There is another series organizational moments that relate to the direct location in Greece. Them we
The idea to travel independently arises among tourists different reasons: someone is tired of standard, similar tours, someone wants to exclude communication with representatives of travel agencies and guides, and someone just wants to save money. What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-organized holidays in Greece? Let's try to figure it out.
Is there any savings?
When it comes to independent trip to Greece, most often we hear the comments “Oh, this is very cool! You'll save a lot of money!" But in fact, this is not entirely true. Save or not - it all depends on the type of your trip.
If the main goal is beach holiday in good hotel with food, animators and a lot of other entertainment - then it is more profitable to buy a tour from the operator. They most often buy places in such hotels in blocks, for which they receive a significant discount.
The second option is a holiday with local flavor. In Greece, there are a lot of cozy hotels with rooms at affordable prices. Here you get a chance to get closer to local life without unnecessary tourist props, but you will be deprived of the benefits that hotel complexes promise: free pools, discos, cocktails, etc.
And the third option for recreation is traveling around the country, and this is always a cost. In this case, you are unlikely to be able to save enough money to end up with a smaller amount than the cheapest package tour.
director himself
So, what do we get when relaxing in Greece without a tour operator?
- The responsibility for everything lies solely with you. What does this mean? Many tourists tend to blame the tour operator for all the errors associated with the rest, ultimately blaming him for the “ruined vacation”. Flight delay? Blame it! Is the air conditioner broken in the room? Blame it! At the resort, rain is again his tricks! But when you organize the trip yourself, perhaps all the minor flaws will not look so terrible.
- Free excursion program. You decide what and when to see, and hotel guides do not impose their services on you at inflated prices. A good Russian-speaking guide can be found via the Internet, and if it’s really “cheap and cheerful” - go sightseeing only with a guidebook!
- Are you tired of Crete? And why not live a couple of days on the famous Santorini? Is the weather bad in the Cyclades? Then let's go to the Peloponnese! By the way, we haven't seen Olympia yet! Absolute freedom of movement - this is how a real vacation should be, and this is how it is, if organized according to your scenario!
But, as you know, in every barrel of honey there is a fly in the ointment. We list the main pitfalls in the field of independent tourism.
- The main disadvantage of this type of recreation is the lack of time. Not every working person can afford the luxury of spending precious hours on paperwork, bookings, confirmations, transfers, etc. It is easier for busy people to give money for a ready-made tour and calmly wait for the day of departure.
- Feelings, self-doubt. Many people, especially older ones, will feel much more comfortable under the wing of a travel agency than left to their own devices. Even if the thought of self-organization causes you to panic, it is better not to torment yourself and boldly go for a ready-made tour.
- The language barrier. Let's say you're not a polyglot, and you don't know any language other than Russian. Regular walks with English dictionary in the hands they cast melancholy on you, and to learn in short terms Greek doesn’t work out in any way - then the journey will not be as easy for you as you would like.
photo: travelswithpersephone.blogspot.com
And one moment…
In April, news sites and travel portals spread the news that the Greeks were going to issue Schengen visas to Russian citizens for a period of 5 years. To do this, you must have at least one Schengen in your passport, preferably multiple. In practice, this is not entirely true: you should not console yourself with hopes for a coveted 5-year multivisa, especially if you are not an experienced traveler.
However, almost everyone can now get an annual Schengen. In 2014, the Greeks intend to attract at least 1.5 million Russians to the resorts of the country, which means, among other things, the loyal attitude of the consulates.
- Do not rush to make an advance payment for the hotel, as there is no guarantee that you will like the chosen room and the surrounding area in general. In this case, you will either have to lose the money that the hotel freezes on the card, or spend the whole vacation where you don’t like it.
On booking.com, you can choose options for hotels, hotels and apartments without prepayment or with free cancellation: such documents are also accepted at consulates.
- Study the customs regulations well. Organized groups of tourists always warn what and how much you can buy so that there are no problems at the border later. If you are relaxing on your own, there is a temptation to buy everything and a lot - and it’s not a fact that all souvenirs can be taken out of the country and brought to the territory of Russia.
- The Internet is your main assistant when traveling in Greece. Therefore, it is worth deciding in advance which card of which operator you will buy. Compare prices and calculate what will be more profitable for you.
Greece is one of the best places in order to try their hand at organizing recreation. Tourists here do not feel the consequences of a protracted economic crisis: food prices in Greece are lower than ours, the quality of life is an order of magnitude higher. There is practically no question of security here, so tourists can safely travel around the country without worrying about the level of crime. And in general, Greece with its many islands looks like a specially created scenery for bright vacation photos - perfect place for traveling!
The famous saying about almost does not exaggerate the number of its advantages - in a country familiar to everyone since history lessons ancient world, indeed there is absolutely everything to leave a pleasant impression on your vacation. It is not only about the perfect tan, but also about the sea of new experiences that await each of her guests during the trip.
Important Points
- Get a Schengen visa to Greece, according to experienced travelers and travel companies much easier than in other EU countries.
- The birthplace of Odysseus is a popular destination for a beach holiday, and therefore tours, flights and accommodation in Greek hotels should be booked in advance.
- The weather in Greece is formed by the Mediterranean climate, but the swimming season on its beaches does not begin at the same time and depends on the geographical location of the resort.
- Do not forget to fill out a special form for purchases over 120 euros in stores that support the Tax Free system. You can return on departure at the airport from 16% to 21% of the tax paid.
- Greece has ski resorts.
- Women are not allowed to enter Holy Athos, but they can see the monastic republic from the cruise ship.
- It is possible and necessary to rent a car in Greece. Many sights are much more comfortable to see in your own mode, and car rental prices will not make an independent tour more expensive than an organized one. Especially if you are traveling as a family or group.
Choosing wings
Many airlines connect Russia and Greece and directly from you can get to several cities and resorts:
- Popular with tourists, Aegean Airlines, Ellinair, S7 and Aeroflot fly directly from. The ticket price starts in the season from 300 euros, and the flight will take just over 3 hours.
- Connecting flights are traditionally cheaper and with a transfer in, for example, you can get to Greek beaches near Thessaloniki for only 200 euros.
- Both Aeroflot and Greek Airlines regularly send their aircraft to. The flight time is 3.5 hours, and the ticket price is from 320 euros. With a connection in the same, you can get to the Greek capital for 200 euros. A transfer to a board of domestic airlines will allow you to get to almost any Greek island or resort.
- Many airlines carry out charter flights to Greek beaches in the summer, and flights begin not only in, but also in St. Petersburg and other cities.
Hotel or apartment
Hotels in Greece have their own classification system and the deluxe category corresponds to the generally accepted five stars, C is equivalent to a two-star, B is a three-star, and when you check into a class A hotel, you will get the convenience of a 4 * hotel. For confidence in the choice is to study the reviews of previous guests.
A room in an Athens 3 * hotel near the metro station and with free parking for guests will cost 35-40 euros. A hotel of the same category during the beach season will cost from 30 to 45 euros. In addition to the standard amenities in the room, guests will have the opportunity to use the pool, the Internet, and the road to the beach will take just a few minutes.
The Greeks willingly rent out their own apartments and rooms in them for tourists. On specialized sites you can find enough ads and offers. An apartment for two in resorts, for example, will cost from 20-30 euros per night, a separate house with a pool - from 70, and for a room in an apartment with the owner, a guest will be asked from 10 to 15 euros.
Transport subtleties
Traveling to Greece starts from the airport, and this mode of transport is well developed and very convenient here. Air routes connect the capital of the country with all the resorts, and many islands connect with each other. The only negative is not the most affordable ticket prices, but if your main goal is to save time, then aviation will make your vacation optimal in terms of logistics.
Ferries are another popular form of transport in Greece. Ferry ticket prices are very affordable and you can get from one island to another for 10-20 euros. Ferries also take buses on board, and therefore it is sometimes convenient to move from the mainland to the islands using this type of transport.
in cities as public transport are all the same buses and taxis. The capital has metro and trams. The price of one trip in Athens is 1.5 euros.
Greek taxi is an inexpensive and fairly common form of transport. True, at night the rates double. It is better to agree on the price of the trip at the time of boarding, or insist on turning on the meter so that there are no misunderstandings.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
Tourists who have been on trips to Greece note that the prices for food in its restaurants and taverns are very democratic, and the portions are large, so one salad or hot meal can be safely divided for two. Dinner with a meat main course, Greek salad, wine and dessert in a restaurant will cost about 35-40 euros for a couple. Breakfasts with freshly squeezed juices and delicious fresh pastries can be found in any cafe for no more than 8-10 euros per person.
Many taverns practice "lunch of the day", which includes salad, main course and dessert. This pleasure costs about 15 euros, but you will have to pay extra for drinks separately.
If you have rented an apartment, you can buy vegetables, fruits, cheeses and other products in the market. In this case, you are guaranteed fresh food from ideal ingredients and significant savings.
The best trip to Greece
The beach season in the south of the Balkan Peninsula starts in late April, but the most comfortable conditions for relaxation come a little later - in early May. On the island of Crete, the most impatient jump into the sea already in mid-April, when the water on its southern coast warms up to +23°C.
Greece is the perfect place for a summer holiday. Even at the height of the season, the heat does not burden their guests, thanks to the freshness brought by the sea breezes.
It is better to plan an excursion and educational trip to Greece on early spring or end of autumn. At this time, the sun is not too hot, precipitation is minimal and sightseeing will not seem tiring.
The ski season in the resorts of Greece begins in November and ends in mid-spring. Modern equipment guarantees athletes a stable and stable artificial snow cover during the entire period of skiing.
How to organize independent rest in Greece - a note to the tourist. Useful articles on the "Subtleties of tourism".
A trip to Greece is the dream of every person planning their vacation. Today this dream is easily fulfilled. To do this, you do not even need to use the services of tour operators, because you can buy tickets to Greece and go there on your own. There are several questions, by solving which you can be sure of the successful implementation of the planned vacation:
Choosing a place to stay. In Greece, this will not be a problem for sure, since here every corner can rightly be called "paradise". And every tourist who has been there at least once can confirm this. Studying the country and the peculiarities of staying on its territory. Any little thing in case of unforeseen situations during the rest can help you. For example, the country's cultural and religious traditions deserve special attention. It also does not hurt to get acquainted with the national cuisine in order to know in advance what you will have to eat. Although in Greece, apart from national dishes You can always order any European delicacies.
It is important to pre-calculate your financial capabilities and draw up an approximate vacation budget. If you are only interested in a beach holiday, then you will not have any additional expenses for entertainment. Check the Internet for approximate prices for food, hotel accommodation, taxis and other services that you may need during your stay in a foreign country.
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Buying air tickets. Saving on this item is quite realistic. To get started, you should choose a good site, for example, Yestickets.com, where you can book tickets online without additional overpayments. Next, you need to do everything according to the instructions of the portal, choosing flights that are suitable for all parameters, booking and buying a ticket.
Finding suitable housing. Most often, vacationers prefer to rent rooms in hotels. But no less popular are rented apartments. Having studied the real estate segment in Greece, you can easily find a small studio apartment, one- or two-room apartments at the best price, not much different from the cost of a hotel room. You can also choose housing using the Internet, just like renting it.
Registration of necessary documents, in particular medical insurance and visas. A medical policy will help the Chams feel more confident in a foreign country, since unforeseen situations can happen to anyone. Having a visa is a prerequisite for entering the country. Greece is currently undergoing far from the best moments of its economic situation, so the authorities contribute to the rapid processing of documents for almost every tourist.
And the last, but no less important step on the way to an unforgettable vacation - checking the availability of documents, air tickets, food and water, as well as many seemingly small things, the absence of which can greatly complicate the flight to Greece.
Which airline to choose?
As mentioned above, on specialized sites you can buy an air ticket to St. Petersburg, Athens, Barcelona, etc. But when buying tickets, it is important not only the direction of the flight, but also the airline whose services we are going to use. In Russia, popular companies that operate regular flights to Greece are Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, S7 Airlines and many others. During the summer, the number of flights increases markedly, and direct flights begin to run from many cities from where it was impossible to reach Greece throughout the year. Flights to Athens, the capital of Greece, are made daily from Moscow.
As A.P. Chekhov, “everything is in Greece”, which is hard to disagree with - the azure sea awaits visitors, high mountains with green slopes, charming picturesque islands and beautiful beaches, antique monuments ancient civilization and unique museums, as well as excellent local wines and National cuisine.
The main part of the country's territory (80%) is occupied by mountains and plateaus, and vegetation in the form of forests and shrubs covers 44% of its area.
The three main geographic areas are:
1) the mainland (from Central Greece in the south to Thrace in the north);
2) the Peloponnese peninsula (connected to the mainland by the Isthmus of Corinth);
3) about 6,000 large and small islands in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Ionian seas (most are part of the island group called the Greek archipelago; Crete, Rhodes, Dodecanese, Cyclades).
A huge cultural heritage, combined with a wonderful natural component, has ensured the pilgrimage of millions of tourists both to the mainland and to the island (mainly beach holidays), but at the same time there are still a lot of wonderful untouched corners. In addition to tourism, which is the main way to make a profit, agriculture is also developed - growing cereals, vegetables and fruits, as well as winemaking traditions that have long been strong (the favorable climate and soil contribute to obtaining an excellent product). Greece is the cradle of many things that are still actively used and developed all over the world - theater, the Olympic Games, as well as ancient sciences.
The culture of winemaking also did not go unnoticed in the segment of the development of tourist routes - "wine routes" pass through picturesque places with the opportunity to visit wineries and tasting the product. It is especially pleasant to make such sorties in the prefectures of Drama, Imathia and Kilkis.
The network of hiking trails is also well developed, especially in certain areas of the country, and lovers of long walks and hiking can always use one of the trails. For example, the Greek part of the international walking route E6 or E4 ( more information at http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/touring/on_foot), as well as paths in Argolis, Attica, Corfu, Cyclades (Naxos, Syros, Ios), Kefalonia, Lefkada, Rethymno, Thessaloniki and Zakynthos .
We should not forget about a wide range of water activities. Swimming, diving, water skiing, yachting are only a part of what the local sea expanses offer. The beaches of Paros offer excellent conditions for sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, fishing, as well as beach soccer and volleyball. In Santorini, try diving to explore the deep sea. Everything related to sails is good in Mykonos, thanks to the winds. And on land you can play golf or tennis. The small but picturesque Dodecanese Kalymnos is one of the most popular places for climbing fans. And climbing skills can be trained when climbing Olympus itself or crawling along the forest slopes of Taygetos.
Trekking lovers are waiting national park Walia Calda. Nearby, in Grevena, you can book a wonderful jeep safari.
There are also several airlines that will quickly and comfortably take you from point A to point B: Olympic Air (www.olympicair.com), Aegean Airlines (www.aegeanair.com), Athens Airways (www.athensairways.com).
Longer, but at the same time romantic and certainly interesting, the traveler can move around sea views transport. The main port of Greece - Piraeus - provides a huge amount of traffic between the islands and the mainland. The general site through which you can book and purchase tickets for the desired ferry in the desired direction is www.ferries.gr, and the main companies are Blue Star Ferries, Hellenic Seaways, Nel Lines, Superfast Ferries, Anek lines and Minoan Lines. On the aforementioned site, you can also purchase tickets for international crossings - for example, to Italy, Albania, Turkey or Bulgaria, as well as plan a cruise.
And, finally, one of the most comfortable ways of transportation, independent of others, is. The roads here are of quite decent quality, they drive adequately (especially in comparison with St. Petersburg or Moscow), so if you have international rights, you can organize interesting trips or trips with stops in different places.
