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Skiathos Hotels: 113 Reviews - 210 Photos
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Kavala Hotels: 119 Reviews - 208 Photos
Corfu Island Hotels: 416 Reviews - 1216 Photos
Chania Hotels: 196 Reviews - 353 Photos
Alexandroupolis Hotels: 36 Reviews - 36 Photos

Greece Local Customs

Loggos harbour front

by Tracyden

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Loggos harbour front
by Tracyden
Local Customs
by Robin020
Me having a sip
by mickeyboy07
down in one?
by mickeyboy07
Local Band
by mickeyboy07

Most Viewed Local Customs in Greece

101.

People Crete Island

15 Reviews The evil eye is big in Crete, where I lived for four years, and possibly elsewhere in Greece. If you go into someone's home, don't look too enviously at their things and don't pass too many...

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102.

Byzantine Churches Thessaloniki

2 Reviews As Thessaloniki and nothern Greece in general became part of the modern Greek state just 92 years ago, its people have special ties to the Greek institutions that have been alive for over 1000 years -...

See All 21 Local Customs in Thessaloniki

103.

Food and Drink Crete Island

14 Reviews This tip is not about any one particular restaurant but a comment on our experience of several restaurants in the eastern end of Crete ( all in the Prefecture of Lasithi). All of these eating places...

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104.

Statues Thessaloniki

2 Reviews it's a miracle and a well kept secret among tourists, i.e. all tourists know about it, but the locals do not:) So, if you have a little wish... or a big one, you should touch the toe of Aristotelis...

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105.

Religion Crete Island

5 Reviews Crete became part of modern day Greece less than a hundred years ago, maintaining to a degree its cultural variety. There used to be a sizeable Muslim but Greek speaking minority in the island, now...

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106.

Strikes Thessaloniki

1 Review Strikes are popular in all of the greece, strikes of bus drivers (good for you if you are a student there, the schools are closed), of rug-collectors and of unic=versity secretaries, of post offices,...

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107.

Strange Things Crete Island

4 Reviews The story goes that the iron bars sticking out from the roof of many Greek houses are exemptions from taxpaying, as long as the house isn't yet finished but in fact they are exclusively there for the...

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108.

X-MAS in Thessaloniki Thessaloniki

2 Reviews Christmas is a great time to visit Thessaloniki. Although there aren't so magical as in Germany or Austria, you will often see the town full of snow. The town is very beautifully decorated. There is...

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109.

Little Shrines on the Road Crete Island

3 Reviews The miniature churches or shrines next to the roads are memorials for people killed in a car accident, at the same spot where the accident happened. The family of the deceased construct and maintain...

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110.

Fairs & Festivals Thessaloniki

1 Review Interational Film Festival of Thessaloniki. It's a must everyday, for as many films as you can handle each day and lasts for one week. Everybody you met the previous day will be there. Meaning every...

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111.

Music Crete Island

2 Reviews Lyra, Cretan traditional musical instrument. The one of the photo is totally a hand made one by Giorgos Tzagarakis; one of the best Lyra's artisan of Greece. Kissou Kampos Village. Prefecture of...

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112.

Flora and Fauna Crete Island

3 Reviews Platanos or Plane Tree, a tree that grows close to water. You can find it usually close to a river in gorges or in the central square of villages of Crete. It looks similar to the maple tree and it...

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113.

Raki (tsikoudia) Crete Island

3 Reviews This is the famous local drink of Crete. It is produced in late October or early November and it is distilled from grape skins. It is transparent, very strong and in the summer it is served cold. Raki...

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114.

Traditional Products Crete Island

2 Reviews A major draw to the Lasithi for the many buses of day trippers is to see the 'thousands of whiteclothed-sailed windmills' which irrigate the high plain ringed by mnountains. But there are apparently...

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115.

Children Crete Island

1 Review The Greek people love children, if you travel there with children, especially an angelic looking one who`s parents gave her a Greek name, little old ladies will stop you in the street to admire, kiss...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Filoksenia

by mindcrime

Filoksexia (in english hospitally) is a word that (used to) mean a lot in Greece since the ancient times. In fact the word composed from 2 words, the verb "filo"(I love)+"ksenos"(foreigner) and it refers to the attention/concern of a foreigner in someone's house.I can remember my grandfather telling me that "we have to give everything to the foreigner that comes to our house". Of course he meant that we have to take care of him and not give any stuff or something so I was kind of confused! :)In ancient Greece foreigners supposed to been sent by gods so as sacred persons they had to be treated like gods!What's more foreigners were welcomed because most of the local people didnt go away from their villages so in that way they got in touch with the "other" world. In the village of my grandfather, Trovato, when a visitor was coming (and it was rarely happened) my grandfather wanted to ask...

Antonis Samarakis

by volopolo

Antonis Samarakis (1919-2003) was modern Greece’s most widely translated writer after Nikos Kazantzakis. Antonis Samarakis was born in Athens in 1919. He held a law degree from the University of Athens, and between 1935 and 1963, he worked for the Greek Ministry of Lbor. He travelled extensively and worked abroad for the United Nations on labor and social problems in Africa and Brazil among other countries. He published four collections of short stories and two novels beginning in 1954. To Lathos ( The Flaw) has been translated into over twenty languages.

"Good Friday in Greece"

by INSULARIUS

Holy Week in Greece is not the right time for dancing and having fun: it is a period of MOURNING!!!We commemorate the Passion of Christ and everything has to be adapted to that unique event! You have to wait till Saturday Midnight, when we celebrate the Resurection of Christ.From that moment start the big celebrations and everywhere in Greece is singing, dancing, eating, having fun, a big celebration to Life, who beats Death!Pay attention to Good Friday, a very "colourful day" full of religious mysticism, mourning and "wonderful processions" everywhere in Greece.At 09:00 in the evening, there is the most holy moment: we take in procession the body of Christ, put in an effigy called: "Epitaphios", which, actually is the tomb and the bier of Christ.Thousands of people follow with lit candles singing the "Encomia" (to praise Christ).If you stay in Athens, try to follow the procession of the...

Zeimpekiko Dance

by volopolo

Zeimpekiko dance is a greek dance.Famous zeimpekiko dance songs:Songs - ArtistLadadika Dimitris MitropanosO Aetos - Notis SfakianakisFevgontas - Paschalis TerzisParastratima - Paschalis TerzisRoza - Dimitris MitropanosGenethlia - Stelios Bikakis.......more

Nisiotika

by volopolo

Nisiotika is the Greek Islands dance musicFamous songs are:Songs - ArtistIkariotiko - Vangelis KonitopoulosAgapo mia pitsirika - Matheos GiannoulisSton logo tis timis mou - Matheos GiannoulisTora peto - Matheos GiannoulisNtari Ntari - Vangelis KonitopoulosKanarini mou gliko - Vangelis KonitopoulosTa sfalmata sou pelaga - Stella Konitopoulouand more songs...........

Tsiftetelia

by volopolo

Tsiftetelia is the oriental greek dance musicFamous songs are:Songs - ArtistThelein na pethano - Makis HristodoulopoulosTo tsifteteli tou BouraTo tsifteteli tou BourneliPote Voudas pote Koudas - Nikos PapazoglouHameno Kormi - Makis HristodoulopoulosEvdomos Ouranos - Lefteris PantazisO Vangelis echei kefia - Vangelis PepriniadisAneva sto trapezi - Giorgos MargaritisGremista ola pia - Pitza PapadopoulouPoniri Alepou - Tasos BougasAnapse to tsigaro - MoustafaStou paradisou tin porta - Giorgos MargaritisBahibak - Antzela DimitriouZilevo - Giorgos MazonakisDinata - Eleftheria ArvanitakiTha ta kapso ta lefta mouTa kormia kai ta maheria - Eleftheria ArvanitakiMia matia sou mono fthanei - Notis SfakianakisI nichta katevenei - Eleftheria ArvanitakiExo dertia - Giorgos Margaritisand more songs...................

Old Zeimpekiko

by volopolo

Famous old zeimpekiko dance songs:O votanikos - Spiros ZagoreosPapadia - GioulekasTo zeimpekiko tis EvdokiasMes tin poli skotoura mou - Vangelis Perpiniadis......more comming soon

GREEK GASTRONOMY

by LoriPori

In Greece, eating out is a way of life. Whether in a local taverna or in an elegant restaurant, Greeks take their time over food. Breakfast is light, lunch is eaten in the mid afternoon and dinner usually doesn't start before 10:00 p.m. I shall start with Greek appetizers (Mezedes)- Fava - yellow split pea puree' cooked with onion and olive oilhoriatki - tomato, cucumber, olives and feta cheese saladplaki - a bean dishmelitzanosalata - eggplant saladdolmadakia - grape leaves stuffed with meat, rice and onions served with lemon saucekeftedes - meat ballstomato leftades - fritters made from tomatoes & onions & deep friedkalamaraki - squidfeta - white goat cheesetzatziki = yogourt dip with cucumber and garlicspanakopita - spinach and cheese pieGreek entrees - choice of grilled meats, baby lamb or beef, veal or chickena wide assortment of seafood such as octopus, squid, red snapper or...

The enchanting smell of bleach

by xuessium

I wouldn't call it a custom but it's certainly a curious observation. No offence meant at all to the wonderful folks in Greece.I have never smell bleach (or more accurately, the smell of chlorine) so strong off the clothes of the Greek folks. It tends to lean towards the overpowering side, and I'm a person who tends to pick up scents quickly, so it can get a little nauseating. I suppose the smell equates cleanliness in Greece but I just don't find the appeal in going around smelling like a swimming pool.Next time, stick your nose out and tell me if I'm wrong.....

Avrio....

by nickandchris

Always remember when a Greek says "Avrio" he doesn't mean tomorrow. He just means not today, sometime in the future!!!!Plan any outings, meetings, etc. accordingly. Make contingency plans in case avrio isn't tomorrow so as not to waste a day of your precious time.

Top 3 Hotels in Greece

Grand Bretagne Hotel Athens Athens

17 Reviews and 637 Opinions Every visitor to Athens cannot fail to notice this huge hotel. It's right on Syntagma Square,...

Hotels in Athens

Astra Apartments & Suites Santorini Island

1 Review and 404 Opinions My husband and I finished off our honeymoon at the Astra Apartments, an all-suite hotel. The website...

Hotels in Santorini Island

Marni Village Crete Island

1 Review and 219 Opinions Stayed in October 2006, and really have no complaints about the accomodation,Very friendly and...

See all 128 Hotels in Crete Island

4,324 Hotels in Greece

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Reviews and photos of Greece attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Greece sightseeing.

Experience Greece

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Questions and Answers

Q: Hi! Last holiday I had to give up on Greece but this year I ve decided to visit there. I am planning to go on mid-October , but I...

A: I have been to Athens during the winter months and it can sometimes be quite pleasant weatherwise but colder in the evenings even in October.. It is a capital city...

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