In Greece, unlike many other countries, Saint Nicholas is not associated with gift-giving, as this tradition is attributed to St. Basil of Caesarea, celebrated on New Year’s Day, although the Christmas period is celebrated across the country. St. Nicholas being the protector of sailors, is considered the patron saint of the Greek navy, military and […]
In Greece, although you will see many Christmas trees, both erected by municipalities and in private homes, the more traditional symbol in town centres will be a model of a boat decorated with lights. Saint Nicholas (Agios Nikolaos), other than being directly connected with Christmas worldwide, is also the Greek patron saint of sailors. This […]
The widespread culling of sheep and goats in Greece due to the increasing number of cases of the highly contagious sheep and goat pox has raised fears that it will have a knock-on effect regarding the production of Feta cheese, one of the country’s famous culinary exports. Small Greek Feta manufacturers say they are already […]
On Christmas Eve, children, especially boys, go out singing ‘kalanda’ (carols) in the streets. They play drums and triangles as they sing. Sometimes they will also carry model boats decorated with nuts which are painted gold. Boats play an important role in many old customs across the Greek islands. If the children sing well, they […]
Ryanair, the European low-cost airline, has moved to 100% Digital Boarding Passes (DBP) and will no longer accept printed boarding passes. This means all passengers will receive a DBP via the Ryanair App on their mobile device when they check in online*. Online check-in can be completed on Ryanair.com or on the Ryanair App. All […]
The short-term property rental market in Greece, represented by companies such as Airbnb and Booking.com, is entering a new era, as, from Wednesday, October 1, a new law came into force which establishes strict terms and conditions for property owners who rent in this way. The new law provides for compliance checks by the Ministry […]
Plans to extend the tourist season in Greece until November are being set in motion by TUI, the world’s largest travel company, with the Group’s CEO, Sebastian Ebel, expressing confidence that both climatic conditions and global demand favour keeping the flow of visitors beyond the traditional summer season. Mr Ebel confirmed that the Group is […]
With Europe having the highest consumption of alcohol per capita in the world, and driving under the influence being the cause of 25% of road deaths, EU countries are both employing more stringent testing of drivers, as well as increasing penalties for driving under the influence. Italy has become the first country to make it […]
A study by the National Bank of Greece has concluded that if the Greek islands are to maintain their attractiveness to international tourists, investment estimated at 35 billion euros is needed over the next decade, to facilitate the upgrading of critical infrastructure such as transport, energy, water and waste management. The Greek islands welcome almost […]
From Sunday, October 12, 2025, entry to the 29 countries of the Schengen area, which includes the 25 EU countries as well as Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland, will start to dispense with passport stamps in favour of a new digital border management system. From Sunday, all non-EU citizens travelling to and from the European […]
