Independent vacation in Greece. How to travel to Greece on your own
She made an invaluable contribution to European culture. Literature, architecture, philosophy, history, other sciences, state system, laws, art and myths of ancient greece laid the foundation for modern European civilization. Greek gods known all over the world.
Greece today
Modern Greece little known to most of our compatriots. The country is located at the crossroads of West and East, connecting Europe, Asia and Africa. The length of the coastline is 15,000 km (including the islands)! Our map will help you find an original corner or island which has not yet been. We offer a daily feed news. In addition, for many years we have been collecting a photo and reviews.Holidays in Greece
Correspondence acquaintance with the ancient Greeks will not only enrich you with the understanding that everything new is a well-forgotten old, but will also encourage you to go to the homeland of gods and heroes. Where our contemporaries live behind the ruins of temples and the ruins of history with the same joys and problems as their distant ancestors millennia ago. An unforgettable experience awaits you relaxation, thanks to the most modern infrastructure surrounded by virgin nature. On the site you will find tours to Greece, resorts and hotels, weather. In addition, here you will find out how and where it is issued visa and find Consulate in your country or Greek Visa Application Center.Property in Greece
The country is open to foreigners wishing to purchase real estate. Any foreigner has the right to do so. Only in border areas, non-EU citizens need to obtain a purchase permit. However, the search for lawful houses, villas, townhouses, apartments, the correct execution of the transaction, the subsequent maintenance is a difficult task that our team has been solving for many years.Russian Greece
Topic immigration remains relevant not only for ethnic Greeks living outside their historical homeland. The forum for immigrants discusses how legal issues, and the problems of adaptation in the Greek world and, at the same time, the preservation and popularization of Russian culture. Russian Greece is heterogeneous and unites all immigrants who speak Russian. At the same time, in recent years, the country has not lived up to the economic expectations of immigrants from countries former USSR, in connection with which we observe the reverse migration of peoples.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 doesn't hurt to check out national cuisine 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.
Greece is famous all over the world primarily for its beautiful beaches, wonderful nature and rich history. Here you can bask in the sun and swim, then go to see the most interesting sights, and then go through the numerous shops, and everything is in each resort town Greece. The prices will please anyone, in Europe it is one of the most inexpensive countries, but the level of comfort and safety is at its best. This is a real paradise for relaxation, so more and more people go to Greece on their own, without travel agencies.
The season in Greece begins in mid-May and ends at the end of October, and the peak of the influx of tourists falls on July-August, during these months most of the hotels are packed to capacity, the beaches are crowded, and the prices for everything rise significantly. But if you carefully approach the choice of a place to stay, you can find a picturesque town or urban-type village with a minimum of tourists, low prices and clean beaches even in the most popular months.
If you want to relax in Greece on your own at the lowest prices and without the ubiquitous crowds of tourists, then it is better to go to this country from early September to mid-October. At this time, prices are significantly reduced, hotels are half empty, shops offer goods at huge discounts, and the sea is still warm and comfortable for swimming. You can also go from May to mid-June, however, the water in the sea will be quite cool, but it will not hurt to see the sights and go shopping.
Independent holidays in Greece compares favorably with the offers of travel agencies in the following ways:
- I travel on my own, only you decide when and where to go to rest
- You can create your own interesting and memorable sightseeing program, which will not look like boring standard excursions "for everyone"
- You can save a lot by going to independent travel in Greece, however, for this you need to follow certain rules for a budget holiday
- You can drive all over Greece by car and see the most beautiful places that millions of tourists have not yet had time to "trample"
- It is independent travelers who get much more positive emotions and interesting acquaintances, and they also have an amazing opportunity to get to know the mentality of the Greek people, which in itself is exciting and promises many adventures that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Flights
It is better to buy tickets to Greece in advance, so you will save a lot of money, because 3-6 months before the date of the flight, prices are minimal. Of course, you can wait for "burning" tickets, but they do not always happen, and the chance to stay without rest at all is very high, because. during the season, tickets to Greece sell like hot cakes.
You can buy tickets at. I myself am looking for air tickets only on Aviasales, the functionality of the site is completely satisfied, the purchase process is simplified as much as possible, and the prices are low. Thanks to this site, I have already saved so much money that I could afford to take another trip around the world.
Most flights to Greece depart from Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kyiv. The most popular route is Moscow - Athens (Moscow - Athens), the plane will reach the destination in just 3 hours 15 minutes (the fastest direct flight). The price of a round-trip ticket from Moscow starts from 200 €. The cheapest way is to take tickets with transfers, but then the travel time will increase by several hours.
It will be useful for some travelers to learn how to travel to Greece by car on their own. You can find out about traveling by car in Europe at. Please note that such a vacation requires much more time and effort to organize it, and in terms of money it comes out more expensive than an “airplane” one.
Airfare low price calendar
Check airfare prices:
Hotels
Prices for hotels in Greece depend on the month (in July and August they are the highest) and on the popularity of the resort (in Athens and Thessaloniki they are the highest). But everyone who wants to get to Hellas (this is the "root" name of Greece) can find housing on his wallet. The most expensive rooms will cost in coastal apartments.
More and more people in our country are beginning to relate to the group of "potential tourists". People's incomes, though slowly but steadily, are growing, gradually smoothing out the difference with some Western countries. There are more opportunities to earn additional income. Tourism is gradually ceasing to be shuttle-shopping, becoming civilized - leisure and sightseeing. Travel agencies began to multiply by leaps and bounds, not only in megacities, but also in provincial territories. People flocked to them en masse. Now no one is surprised by the number of countries visited. Foreign tourism is encouraged by the absence, or only the initial stage of development of tourism infrastructure in places of potential recreation in our country. And there are enough places. Black Sea coast, one of the places beach holiday Russians, due to well-known political and economic factors, was temporarily forgotten, and is being revived only before our eyes. So far, the comfort of rest, its price factor, are turned towards foreign countries.
However, since not very long ago, all large quantity tourists began to think about the independent organization of their holidays abroad. I will try to bring to you the main pros and cons of an independent holiday in such a wonderful country as Greece. I worked on this issue and successfully implemented it for rest on Greek island Rhodes.
Since Greece is a visa country, which is part of the circle of countries united by the Schengen Agreement, the issue of obtaining a visa must be taken very seriously and responsibly. To apply for a visa on your own, you will need: a questionnaire, 1 photo, a certificate from work, a certificate of purchase of currency, a copy of insurance if you are traveling with a child, a copy of the child’s birth certificate if you are traveling without a father, a copy of the father’s consent for the child’s trip. All documents must be notarized. But, as it seems to me, at least you should have the Consular Section of the Embassy of Greece available to you. Moreover, prepare for repeated visits to it. From the beginning, the documents will be accepted without verification, if they find something that is not clear, they will call, ask to come in for clarification. Come, explain the reason (by phone - no), bring the corrected again. And, without a queue, most likely they won’t let you in, the magic phrase does not work here: I was already here yesterday, I just have to give ...
If the Consular Department is not available, then you will have to trust professionals from the Internet (I would not), or use the service of a travel agency, some provide such services, without purchasing a tour. What documents will be required here, everyone will say on the spot. Everything depends on them.
Now consider the advantages of independent rest. 
Of course, this is savings. From our trip, we exclude the services of numerous freeloaders, oh, excuse me, intermediaries. And these are travel agencies, a carrier, that is, you yourself choose the airline, its discount promotions, exclude the price of booking a hotel. You can easily find a holiday hotel directly. To increase the savings, you can try to stay in small private hotels. Some of them offer different types nutrition. They, of course, do not have beaches and, as a rule, are more remote from the sea. If the legs are young, this will not become a special obstacle, but even diversify your rest. The next plus is your mobility. You can not pre-pay for the entire stay at the hotel, and if you don’t like something, you can change the hotel, or even the city. If the tour is purchased through a travel agency, no matter how disgusting the hotel is, you are simply doomed to relax in it. I think this is the biggest plus!
Now, about some of the negative aspects, the so-called "cons". We have already talked about independent paperwork. I will not repeat. The next disadvantage is the language of the host country. If you speak at least English, it's already easier. If not, you will have to learn sign language, acquire a phrase book. In a purchased tour, if the hotel staff does not understand you, this is the concern of the hotel and the guide assigned to the tourists. In your case, saving a drowning person will be the work of the drowning person himself.
And last but not least, I'll highlight this in a separate paragraph, HEALTH INSURANCE. With independent rest, its registration is a must. The prices for medical services in Greece are very high. Even the treatment of a banal dislocation can result in a tidy sum. I'm not talking about something more serious. Of course, pah-pah over the left shoulder, but hope in God, but don't make a mistake yourself.
The amazing land of Greece has long gained fame as a place where both the fertile climate, the stunning beauty of landscapes, and the most unique ancient monuments, impressive in their grandeur, converged at once. Here you can not only relax with pleasure, but also, looking out of the corner of your eye into history, draw the wisdom that is still carefully stored on the shores of its many islands. That is why tourists from all over the world strive here, allowing it to win the glory of one of the most visited countries.
Let's try to calculate how much such a vacation will cost us. It is unlikely that those who want to save money should consider the most popular, and therefore one of the most expensive islands in Greece, Crete, as their vacation destination. Therefore, as an example, we will take a slightly less popular (but quite visited) and less rich in historical sights, but still quite a pretty island of Rhodes.
The cost of rest "savage"
Visa
To begin with, you will have to deal with the issuance of a visa, unless of course you already have a Schengen visa open. On the website of the Greece Visa Application Center, you can find out what documents are required for a particular category of visa, find application forms and other information, including information about the visa fee. On the this moment it is 35-37.5 euros per person (short-stay visa - long-stay visa). Additionally, in a number of cities a service fee is charged, which costs 19.55 euros per person. Thus, for a normal tourist trip, a visa for two will cost you 109 euros.
You can apply for a visa 90 days before the trip, the application is considered at the consulate within 2 days. Here, on the website of the visa center, you can track your passport.
Flights
If you book tickets in advance, about two months in advance, they will cost you about 665 euros for two, the average price in the high season is 924 euros (again - when booking seats in advance). The flight is carried out with a transfer - usually to Athens, and then to the local airport. The cheapest tickets are if you fly to Athens with Aegeanair (it's best to book tickets on the company's website).
Accommodation
If you decide to live in a hotel, then living together in a three-star hotel will cost an average of 520 euros per week (with breakfast). However, many travelers prefer to rent apartments or rooms - as a rule, it comes out much cheaper. But at the same time, it is desirable to clarify some points - for example, how old the house is, whether there is air conditioning (this sometimes happens too), and finally - how far to the beach. So, if you decide to rent an apartment, it will cost you an average of 225-500 euros (depending on location, number of rooms, etc.).
If you eat on your own, then by renting an apartment, you can cook breakfasts and dinners yourself, and dine in local taverns. Lunch for two costs an average of 25-30 euros, which means that it will take you 175-210 euros per week. Breakfast and dinner prepared from products bought in the market and in the store will cost about half as much - a little over 100 euros.
Do not forget about excursions - you can spend about 150 euros for them for two. You can order a sightseeing tour of the island of Rhodes, around the city, or separately visit the ancient Lindos, ancient Kamir, Seven Springs, visit the Valley of the Butterflies, and if you wish, go to the water park, where there are attractions for adults.
Given that you want to bring at least small souvenirs to friends and family, they will cost about 30 euros (magnets - from 1 euro, olive oil - an average of 5 euros, etc.).
Transfer
Transfer, as in any European country, is a mandatory item in many hotels in Greece. Individual transfers cost from 55 to 160 euros - depending on the distance. Rhodes, in principle, is a small island, so a very convenient option to see everything you want is to rent a car. It costs about 30-35 euros per day in season plus the cost of gasoline (in the low season, in May, June and September, it is quite possible to rent a car for 15 euros). By the way, you can do this right at the airport - this will also allow you to get to your place of residence on your own and, moreover, save a little.
Cost of an organized tour
The cost of the tour starts from 1475 euros in a standard one-room suite in a three-star hotel with all-inclusive meals, and from 1490 euros in a four-star hotel. You can find "burning" tours that cost an average of 1000 euros (meals - breakfast only).
If you calculate all the expenses that a couple who decide to relax on their own will have to spend, such a trip will cost them a total of 1400 euros - this is if you take into account only the visa, tickets and accommodation with meals, which travel agencies usually offer. And at the same time, they themselves will have to solve a number of issues, such as: obtaining a visa, booking airline tickets, searching for a hotel or apartment. As you can see, the savings are not too big.
The charm of this amazing and mysterious country is great. It is not for nothing that it is called the cradle of Western civilization, the birthplace of philosophy, culture, sciences and the Olympic Games. In addition, in Greece everyone will find a place to their liking - from luxurious hotels to sparsely populated and secluded resorts. And no matter how you go to this unique country - choosing a tour or an independent holiday in Greece, you will certainly leave from there spellbound. Enchanted by her sun and sea. Its rich cultural heritage. Its hospitable and benevolent inhabitants. That's why she and Greece.
