One of the most endearing and ancient Greek traditions and explicitly a way of life is ‘philoxenia’, which to this day sets Greece apart as a very special country to visit. Philoxenia is the value of hospitality, literally meaning ‘friend to a stranger’. There is much more to philoxenia than mere hospitality. Over the millennia […]
At the beginning of the twentieth century (1903), the German mining company Speidel-Pforzheim received approval from the Ottoman government to exploit the zinc-lead and silver ores on the island of Thassos, building the ore processing plant at Limenaria, located at what is now known as Metalia Beach. Thassos was under Ottoman rule as part of […]
In recent years, the Greek islands have seen an ever-increasing number of ‘all-inclusive holidays’ being offered by the major tour operators. Whilst I understand the attraction of this format of holiday for some, such as families with young children, or those on a tight budget, they are sadly having a detrimental and irreversible effect on […]
The UK government has published an easy-to-read guide to the rights of UK air passengers. The Aviation Passenger Charter sets out what you, as a passenger, need to know about your rights and responsibilities when flying. The charter breaks down your journey into stages, to help give you the information you need to: plan and […]
The Greek government has confirmed the disembarkation fees at Greek ports for 2026. At the major cruise ship destination islands of Mykonos and Santorini, for the period from June 1 to September 30, passengers going ashore will be charged a fee of 20 euros per person. For the months of April, May and October, the […]
During your stay in Greece, if you intend to draw cash from an ATM, we strongly advise that you do not use independent ATM services, as these can carry hefty commission rates. We suggest that you use ATM’s located at branches of the main national Greek banks. These include Eurobank, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank and […]
The Palace of Aigai (Aegae), built by King Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great, and where Alexander was crowned king in 336 B.C. after the assassination of his father, reopened in 2025 after a 16-year-long major restoration. The palace, located 72 km west of Greece’s northern port city of Thessaloniki, is […]
A survey involving more than 27,000 respondents from 27 European countries, conducted by the European Environment Agency, found that EU citizens are increasingly concerned about the impacts of climate change on their lives and security. The survey also found that many citizens are unprepared to deal with the increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves, […]
The ‘Links’ sections in the menus for each island in the ‘A to Z Travel Club’ above contain comprehensive information on Greek food and drink. (Member password required)
Researchers have confirmed that record temperatures were recorded in the summer of 2025 in the seas around Greece, making it the hottest in forty years. The researchers, studying data from satellite observations from 1982 onwards, found that during the summer of 2025, the warmest conditions in the last forty years occurred across the entire Aegean, […]
