🇬🇷Greece

What to buy as soon as you land

Greek electronic-communications law does not allow anonymous prepaid SIMs. Every card sold by a local operator is registered against a valid passport or EU identity card, and the seller photographs or copies the document on the spot. You must be 18 or over.

That single rule decides the choice for most people. If you want data working the moment the aircraft doors open - to call a ride or navigate to your accommodation - install an international eSIM before you fly, because no registration is involved. If you want a Greek number for calls, or the very large data allowances, buy a physical card in an operator's shop in town.

Comparison table

Prices are the summer 2026 offers. Greek operators discount heavily in the tourist season, and the same package can cost noticeably more in winter.

Where exactly to buy

At Athens airport the SIM LOCAL desk on the arrivals level is the only real option, typically open 06:00 to 22:00 in summer. It stocks one Vodafone travel pass at EUR 35, which is roughly triple what the same operator charges in town.

In central Athens, the operator shops sit along Ermou street and around Syntagma square - Cosmote, Germanos (Cosmote's authorised retailer), Vodafone and Nova. Travellers on r/greece also report uniformed street promoters in the centre who register and sell cards on the pavement, which is legitimate, and top-up vouchers are sold at any street kiosk (periptero).

Short verdict

For a one- or two-week trip in summer, walk past the airport desk and buy an unlimited 30-day package from Vodafone CU or Nova for about EUR 11 once you are in town - you get several times the data for a third of the airport price. If you need connectivity before you clear the terminal, put a small eSIM on the phone before departure and treat it as the bridge to the shop.

Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH)

Athens airport is 33 km east of the city centre.

• Official taxi: The rank is directly outside Exit 3 in the arrivals hall. Trips into the inner city ring - Syntagma, Omonia, the Acropolis area - are covered by a legally fixed flat fare: EUR 40 from 05:00 to 00:00 and EUR 55 from 00:00 to 05:00. That is the total, including luggage, VAT and motorway tolls, and the rate is set by the time you arrive at your destination rather than the time you set off. The journey takes 35 to 50 minutes.
• Metro line 3 (blue): The station connects to the terminal by a covered walkway and runs direct to Syntagma and Monastiraki. A single airport ticket is EUR 9, valid 90 minutes from validation. Trains run every 36 minutes from 06:10 to 23:36 and take about 40 minutes to the centre.
• Express buses X95 and X96: The stop is between Exits 4 and 5. X95 runs to Syntagma square, X96 to the port of Piraeus. The fare is EUR 5.50, buses run 24 hours a day every 15 to 30 minutes, and the trip takes 45 to 75 minutes depending on traffic.
• Uber, FreeNow and Bolt: All three work in Athens, but Greek law only lets them dispatch licensed yellow taxis - there is no cheaper private-hire tier. Pick-up is on the departures level, and the price matches the official flat fare or the meter.
• Straight to the ferries: Rafina port costs EUR 35 to EUR 50 (25 to 35 minutes). Piraeus is metered at roughly EUR 55 to EUR 75 and takes 45 to 75 minutes; the X96 bus does the same run for EUR 5.50.

Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG)

Thessaloniki's airport is 13 km south-east of the centre.

• Express bus 01X (01N overnight) runs direct to the centre and the main railway station for EUR 1.80 to EUR 2.00, taking 40 to 50 minutes.
• Official taxis wait outside arrivals and run on the meter; the usual fare into central Thessaloniki is EUR 25 to EUR 35.

Which option suits which traveller

• Solo traveller: The X95 into Athens at EUR 5.50, or the 01X into Thessaloniki at EUR 1.80. Both beat the metro on price and, at night, on availability.
• Family or group of three to four: The EUR 40 flat taxi works out at about EUR 10 a head, the same as a single metro ticket, and it puts you at the hotel door with the luggage.
• Night arrival between 00:00 and 05:00: The metro has stopped and the taxi flat fare jumps to EUR 55, but the X95 runs all night at the unchanged EUR 5.50.
• On a budget: The express buses, every time. Buy the ticket from the booth at the stop before boarding.

• Athens: Metro, buses, trolleybuses and trams share one integrated OASA fare. A 90-minute ticket costs EUR 1.20 and allows transfers; a 24-hour ticket is EUR 4.10 and a 5-day ticket EUR 8.20. None of these are valid on the airport services, which are priced separately at EUR 9 (metro) and EUR 5.50 (express bus).
• Paying: You can still buy a paper ATH.ENA Ticket or a plastic ATH.ENA Card from the machines at metro and tram stations, but the simpler route is Tap2Ride - tap a contactless bank card, phone or watch on the yellow reader. Daily spending caps at EUR 4.10, so from the fourth journey onwards the day is free. Validate on the yellow reader at every boarding, buses included; inspectors are active and the fine is many times the fare.
• The 3-day tourist ticket at EUR 20 is the exception that does include the airport - one journey in and one out - and it pays for itself only if you would otherwise buy both airport tickets.
• Thessaloniki opened its metro in 2024; it uses its own contactless ticketing, and city buses are run by OASTH.
• Ferries: Book ahead in July and August. Sailings are cancelled outright when the summer meltemi wind gets up, so leave a buffer day before an international flight home.

Money and paying for things

Greece uses the euro (EUR).

• ATM withdrawals: Since 15 August 2025 the four major Greek commercial banks - Piraeus Bank, Alpha Bank, National Bank of Greece and Eurobank - have charged no local fee for withdrawals on foreign cards at their own machines. Whatever you pay is your own bank's charge. These are the machines to look for.
• ATMs to avoid: The independent Euronet machines stationed at airports, ports and on tourist streets charge a direct fee of EUR 4 to EUR 12 per withdrawal and steer hard towards a poor conversion. They are deliberately sited where a bank branch is not.
• The DCC trap (dynamic currency conversion): At a cash machine or a card terminal, any offer to settle in your own currency carries a markup of 8% to 13% against the interbank rate. Always decline and choose to be charged in EUR. On a Euronet screen the "continue without conversion" option is the small, unhighlighted one.
• Cards versus cash: Greek law obliges nearly every business - including taxis and traditional tavernas - to accept cards, and Visa and Mastercard are taken everywhere. American Express and Diners are often refused. Carry EUR 50 to EUR 100 in cash anyway for village markets, small kiosks and island stalls.
• Tipping: Not obligatory. Rounding up, or 5% to 10% for good service in a restaurant, is normal and cash is preferred.

Where to stay for your first nights in Athens

• Plaka / Monastiraki: Directly below the Acropolis, largely pedestrianised and dense with restaurants. The obvious choice on a first visit. EUR 100-250 a night.
• Syntagma: The transport and administrative centre, with the X95 airport bus and metro line 3 on the doorstep. Best if you are staying one night or leaving early. EUR 110-300 a night.
• Koukaki: Quieter, full of cafés and boutique apartments, still walkable to the centre. EUR 70-160 a night.
• Psyrri: Nightlife and old workshops. EUR 65-150 a night.
• Where to be careful after dark: Around Omonia square, Victoria square and parts of Exarcheia, where street crime is more common at night.

The Climate Crisis Resilience Fee

Law 5073/2023 replaced the old hotel tax with the Climate Crisis Resilience Fee, charged per room per night rather than per person. It is not included in the price shown on Booking.com or Airbnb - you pay it at the property, at check-in or check-out.

High season, 1 April to 31 October:

• 1-2 star hotel: EUR 2.00 a night
• 3 star hotel: EUR 5.00 a night
• 4 star hotel: EUR 10.00 a night
• 5 star hotel and luxury villas: EUR 15.00 a night
• Short-term rental or Airbnb under 80 m²: EUR 8.00 a night
• Short-term rental or villa of 80 m² or more: EUR 15.00 a night

Low season, 1 November to 31 March, the rates fall by roughly two thirds - a 3-star room drops to EUR 1.50, a 4-star to EUR 3.00 and a 5-star to EUR 4.00.

Reception will ask for the passport or ID of every guest; the property is legally required to report foreign guests. Check-in is normally from 15:00 and check-out by 11:00.

Local rules and cultural differences

• Churches and monasteries: Dress codes are enforced, not suggested. Men need long trousers; women need covered shoulders and a skirt below the knee. Many monasteries keep wraps at the door.
• Drones: Regulated by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority. Flying over archaeological sites, near airports, over crowds or over military installations is banned and fined heavily. A camera drone requires operator registration.
• Photography: Never photograph military installations, border infrastructure or naval vessels. It can lead to detention and confiscation of the equipment.
• Beaches: Nudism is legal only on officially designated beaches. Drinking alcohol in public is not banned outright, but disorder and night-time noise are policed.

Everyday practicalities

• Power sockets: Types C and F, 230 V, 50 Hz - the standard two-pin European plug.
• Time zone: EET (UTC+2), EEST (UTC+3) in summer - an hour ahead of central Europe.
• Toilet paper goes in the bin: Historic drainage in much of Greece uses narrow pipes that block easily. Every bathroom has a bin beside the toilet and it is there for paper. This is the single most common visitor mistake.
• Opening hours: Traditional shops split the day - roughly 09:00 to 15:00 on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and 09:00 to 14:30 plus 17:30 to 21:00 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Supermarkets and tourist-area shops run straight through, 08:00 to 21:00. Most ordinary shops close on Sunday.
• Meals run late: Lunch is 14:00 to 16:00 and dinner rarely starts before 21:00. A taverna that is empty at 19:30 is not a bad taverna.
• Wi-Fi: Free at Athens airport, on the metro and in most cafés and restaurants.