Going to dans les Cyclades: Formalities and administrative steps

Organize your stay dans les Cyclades

Money dans les Cyclades

Like France, Greece is a member of the euro zone. Otherwise, at the end of 2024, one euro would be equivalent to US$1.06, CAN$1.48 and CHF0.94.

Budget & Tips dans les Cyclades

The prices of accommodation can vary from simple to double between June or September and August. No need to bargain. But a discount is sometimes offered if you pay in cash..

Passport and visas dans les Cyclades

For European Union citizens, the identity card is sufficient or the passport (even if it has expired less than five years ago).

Driver's license dans les Cyclades

A pink three-part national driving license (not to be forgotten if you plan to rent a car or motorcycle) or an international license as well as the green insurance card if you come by car.

Health dans les Cyclades

There are no particular risks in Greece, apart from the heat and mosquito bites, which should not be overlooked.

Mandatory vaccination dans les Cyclades

No vaccinations are currently required. Just make sure your vaccination record (DT Polio, etc.) is up to date.

Security dans les Cyclades

If Greece remains a safe country, with ordinary criminality, the danger comes, in our opinion, mainly from the road safety.

Time difference dans les Cyclades

GMT +2: 1 hour difference with France. When it is noon in Paris, it is 1pm in Athens, and this in winter as well as in summer.

Spoken languages dans les Cyclades

The national language is modern Greek, but most Greeks, especially in tourism, have some knowledge of English. Some of them also have a very good command of French.

Communication dans les Cyclades

Greeks are addicted to their cell phones and coverage is very good. You will also often find free wifi in cafes and hotels. If you want to call a Greek cell phone, check beforehand if the number is not registered on WhatsApp or Viber, two applications (which allow you to call each other using the Internet) that are particularly popular in Greece.

Electricity and measurements dans les Cyclades

Greece is connected to 220 volts AC, 50 Hz like the rest of continental Europe. We also speak here in meters, kilometers, and in grams, kilograms.

Luggage dans les Cyclades

Don't be overburdened when packing for Greece. The watchword is "travel light", especially if you want a cheaper ticket!

Daily life dans les Cyclades

Hello? dans les Cyclades

To call from Greece to France, dial +33 followed by the number of your correspondent without the 0. To call from France to Greece, dial +30, followed by the number. Since June 2017, when you use your French cell phone in a European Union member country, you do not pay for the call, whether you make the call or receive it. Also, roaming (Internet on your phone) is free in the EU. If you want to call a Greek cell phone, check beforehand if the number is not registered on WhatsApp or Viber, two applications (which allow you to call each other using the Internet) that are particularly popular in Greece.

Accessibility dans les Cyclades

Apart from recent buildings, there are still too few infrastructures adapted for disabled people. Sidewalks are often narrow, making it difficult for strollers and even more difficult for wheelchairs. The plight of people with reduced mobility and strollers is unfortunately not a priority in Greece, far from it. The result is reduced accessibility, particularly on all public transport, trains and local buses. Only in Athens, however, is there access (and even then...) to the most recent metro stations and to major tourist sites such as the Acropolis. However, there has been a major initiative by the authorities to make beaches more accessible (www.accessiblebeaches.gr).

Health dans les Cyclades

If you fall ill in Greece, you can go to a hospital emergency room if you need to.

We recommend www.doctoranytime.gr, the equivalent of a site like Doctolib in France, which allows you to find an available practitioner quickly in your area. The languages spoken are specified, and many speak English.

For the rest, Greece presents no major health risks. Just watch out for mosquito bites, sea urchins and sunburn. You should also watch out for the risk of hydrocution when the sun is shining. Overall, it's important to stay well hydrated in summer, and always take a bottle of water with you. If there are no particular risks to report, take your European Health Insurance Card with you so that you can be treated if necessary.

Emergency numbers dans les Cyclades

Call 112 (as in the rest of Europe) for emergencies. You can also go to hospital with your European Health Insurance Card. You'll also find lists of French-speaking doctors on the French Embassy website (https ://gr.ambafrance.org/Liste-de-medecins-et-pharmacies-francophones).

Securty dans les Cyclades

Of course, anything can happen, but insecurity is rather limited in the Greek islands. In some tourist places and at certain times, it can happen that you witness a drunken fight. Some robberies can also happen. In case of problems, 112 is the single number for emergencies, available free of charge anywhere in the European Union. 100 is the number for the Greek police and 1571 is the number for the tourist police, which is usually answered in English.

LGBTQ dans les Cyclades

Without being too openly in favor of homosexuality, Greece remains a very tolerant country, especially towards tourists. Doesn't Mykonos celebrate male homosexuality while Lesbos (where the adjective "lesbian" comes from) remains the home of the poetess Sappho? Globally, LGBTQ travelers will be able to visit the country without any particular hostility, except maybe a few surprised looks from some elders...

Embassies and consulates dans les Cyclades

Like Belgium and Switzerland, France (https://gr.ambafrance.org) has an embassy and various consular offices. The French embassy is located in the center of Athens (7, avenue Vassilis Sofias - +30 21033 91000 - www.ambafrance-gr.org - open Monday to Thursday, 8.45am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm, and Friday until 2.45pm). You can also contact the Athens consulate (+30 210 339 12 00) by telephone for any concerns you may have about lost or stolen identity papers, repatriation issues or serious health problems. There are also a number of honorary consuls listed on the French embassy website.

Mail dans les Cyclades

Greek post offices can be recognized by their yellow ELTA sign, featuring a profile of the god Hermes. They are generally open Monday to Friday, from 7.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A stamp for a postcard sent to an EU country costs €1: you'll find yellow-painted letterboxes outside post offices.

Local media dans les Cyclades

You will still find all the international press in Athens and in some ports of the Cyclades with a one-day gap, but the Internet coverage being good and the wifi common, you will probably prefer the electronic versions of your newspapers. For news about Greece in French, check also the Greek edition of Le Petit Journal (https ://lepetitjournal.com/athenes). Otherwise, many hotels receive the French-speaking channels TV5 monde and France 24, as well as the international channels of the BBC and CNN. For the local press, you should know that there are a few English-speaking Greek media in Greece, notably the large daily newspaper Kathimerini which publishes a synthetic English version of its daily articles. Otherwise, some local websites are still useful, such as the very nice official website of the Greek tourist office (www.visitgreece.gr). Available only in English or in Greek, it is full of information about the country. The official website of the Ministry of Culture (odysseus.culture.gr) is available in English and lists all the archaeological sites of Greece, with detailed descriptions and practical information, particularly useful to track down the numerous changes of schedule of the great historical sites.