Greece Travel Secrets Blog

May 22, 2023

Athens Airport: New Curbside Pick-up Rules Take Effect June 7

In efforts to improve the passenger drop-off and pick-up experience and in view of the expected increase in international traveler arrivals, Athens International Airport (AIA) announced that it would be putting into effect new curbside access and traffic rules starting on June 7.

The regulations aim to ensure safety and the orderly and responsible use of road sections exclusively intended for passenger pick-up/drop-off at AIA’s arrivals and departures areas. Under the new system, all users will have 10 minutes free of charge for pick-up or drop-off.

Additionally the rules aim to put a stop to illegal parking and the resultant congestion and to facilitate both travelers and drivers.

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May 22, 2023

Study Reveals the Tourist ‘Types’ that Pick Thessaloniki for Holidays

Art lovers, active types and foodies are among the ‘travel tribes’ that select Thessaloniki, as their holiday destination, found a visitor profile study released this week by the Thessaloniki Hotels Association (THA) in collaboration with GBR Consulting.

The annual poll was conducted via questionnaire on 1,200 travelers from October 2022 to January 2023.

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May 22, 2023

Greece to Protect Historic Athens Cinemas Ideal and Astor

The Greek Environment Ministry’s Central Council of Architecture (KESA) has decided to protect Athens’ Astor and Ideal cinemas designating the two historic landmarks as cultural monuments, said the Greek Culture Ministry.

The decision came after city residents, culture and heritage groups as well as Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis called for the protection of the two cinemas located in the heart of the Greek capital which date back to the early 1900s.

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May 22, 2023

Thessaloniki Metro Almost Ready, Greek PM on First Test Run

Thessaloniki’s highly anticipated metro, to serve almost 250,000 commuters a day once completed, is almost ready with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis taking a test ride this week.

Mitsotakis on Thursday boarded the metro train on a test run along the central 9.6km line across 13 stations. The project was initially budgeted at 3.5 billion euros.

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May 19, 2023

Thessaloniki Food, Nightlife Winning Over More Tourists

The nightlife and food are two of Thessaloniki’s strong points attracting more visitors to the northern port city, found a satisfaction study released this week by the Thessaloniki Hotels Association (THA) in collaboration with GBR Consulting.

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May 19, 2023

Air Passenger Traffic to Greece Continues to Mark Sharp Rise

Passenger arrivals across all airports in Greece marked a sharp increase in the first four months of the year up by 7.4 percent compared to pre-Covid 2019 and by 38.4 percent over the same period in 2022, said the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) this week.

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May 19, 2023

Greece Among Top Choices of British easyJet Flyers this Summer

British holidaymakers flying on easyJet are picking Greece this year, according to a poll conducted by the budget carrier.

More specifically, according to the survey carried out on 2,000 British adults by easyJet, Europe is the top destination for British vacationers with 74 percent planning to go there. The most popular picks are Spain (23 percent), Greece (9 percent) and France (5 percent).

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May 19, 2023

Uber Launches On-demand Boat Service on Mykonos Island, Greece

Ride-hailing company Uber recently announced that it will launch a new seasonal private charter boat service on the Greek island of Mykonos.

Available from mid-June to October, “Boat” will be an on-demand service operated by a local licensed operator and available through the Uber app. The local operator will provide services locally, sub-licensing Uber technology.

According to Uber, app users will be able to book speedboat tours at the touch of a button to move easily around Mykonos.

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May 18, 2023

Mykonos Tops Airbnb’s Most Searched Int’l Destinations by US Travelers in Q1

The Greek island of Mykonos is the top most searched for international destination by US travelers seeking Airbnb accommodation in the first quarter of the year, according to the Airbnb 2023 Summer report released this week.

The popular Greek island is the top trending summer international destination based on US traveler search followed by Niagara Falls, Canada; Interlaken, Switzerland; Amalfi, Italy; Florence, Italy; Bangkok, Thailand; Sorrento, Italy; Toronto, Canada; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Baniff, Canada.

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May 18, 2023

Greece’s Regional Airports Outdo Pre-Covid 2019 Traffic Levels in April

Greece’s 14 regional airports exceeded pre-Covid 2019 levels last month handling a total of 1.6 million passengers, said managing company Fraport Greece.

More specifically, according to Fraport data, traffic through regional airports increased by 13.3 percent over the same month in 2019 to 1.6 million arrivals up from 1.44 million in April 2019.

Domestic traffic grew by 8.6 percent over 2019 and international traffic by 15.9 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels.

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May 18, 2023

Attica Region Boasts 18 Blue Flag Beaches in 2023

Attica, Greece’s most populous region including cities like Athens and Piraeus, boasts 18 Blue Flag Beaches this year, according to the 2023 list of quality awards for beaches, marinas, and tourism boats released by the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (EEPF).

Greece has once again secured the second spot worldwide on the list, following Spain, among 52 countries.

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May 18, 2023

Some Greek Archaeological Sites, Museums to Close Early on Election Day, May 21

A number of museums and archaeological sites in Greece will close early on the day of the national elections, Sunday, May 21, the Greek Culture Ministry recently announced.

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May 18, 2023

Jet2 to Fly to 5 Greek islands from New Base at Liverpool Airport

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays will offer flights to Corfu, Crete (Heraklion), Kos, Rhodes, and Zakynthos from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, providing holidaymakers in Merseyside and the surrounding areas with convenient access to these popular Greek destinations.

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May 16, 2023

New Archaeological Museum Opens on Kythnos

Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni recently inaugurated the long-awaited archaeological museum on the Cycladic Island of Kythnos.

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May 16, 2023

Odysseus Elytis Museum in Athens Almost Complete

A new cultural landmark in Athens, dedicated to the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning Greek poet Odysseus Elytis, is nearing completion.

Set to become a major attraction for visitors to the Greek capital, the Odysseus Elytis Museum will be run by non-profit NGO Aerton, the organization that owns the Odysseas Elytis archive.

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May 15, 2023

Athens Named One of the Top 10 Best Destinations for September Vacation

British online newspaper The Independent has listed the city of Athens in Greece as one of the top 10 global destinations for vacations in September.

According to editor Chris Wilson, who compiled the list, September is a month that offers “great weather without the intense heat of summer, fewer crowds, and more affordable deals.”

The Greek capital was praised by Wilson for its mild, warm weather in September, boasting an average temperature of 24 degrees Celsius and nine hours of sunshine per day.

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May 15, 2023

Thessaloniki’s New Cruise Terminal to Welcome Passengers in June

A new cruise terminal at the ThPA SA – Port of Thessaloniki is near completion and this summer will be up and running to welcome passengers arriving to the Greek northern city on major cruise lines.

Housed in the port’s old warehouse 8 following a full revamp, the new terminal will welcome cruise ship passengers to Thessaloniki from countries both inside and outside the Schengen area, in accordance with the requirements of the new European Directive.

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May 13, 2023

Blue Flag Beaches 2023: Greece Ranked Second in the World

A total of 617 beaches in Greece have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2023, putting the country in second place out of 52 countries.

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May 13, 2023

Greek Cuisine in CNN’s Top 10 List of Food Cultures

Renowned for its high quality, seasonal ingredients, and extraordinary health benefits, CNN Travel lists Greek cuisine among the world’s best.

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May 13, 2023

How Many Greek Islands Are There?

The Greek islands are among the world’s most popular tourist destinations, but have you ever wondered how many there are? And how they're grouped?

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