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 Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organisation, Andreas Fiorentinos, announced that from 2027, the British low-cost airline Jet2 will be adding flights from the UK to Kavala International Airport (“Alexander the Great”), which also serves the island of Thassos. This development came about after coordinated actions by the Greek National Tourism Organisation, the […]
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 […]
In Greece, it is the law that at designated times during the day, excessive noise is prohibited. From October 1, the ‘Summer Quiet Hours’ end and the ‘Winter Quiet Hours’ come into force. The new designated quiet hours are 15:30 to 17:30 and 22:00 to 07:30. These run until March 31, 2026 when the summer […]
During the second week of September (8 – 14 September), the “Zero tolerance for not wearing a helmet” campaign by the Greek Police, which is aimed at universal compliance by drivers and passengers of two-wheelers, as well as ATV’s and users of Light Personal Electric Vehicles (electric scooters), 2,600 violations were confirmed by drivers as […]
