>
Greece Travel Information
Travel Alert Status
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Time Difference
UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Travel Climate
Greece has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers.
Athens daytime summer temperature averages 90°F and often exceeds 100°F for periods in July-August. Humidity is low and the heat is tempered by sea breezes. Summer evenings are comfortable outdoors. Spring and fall temperatures are pleasant, and winter temperatures are 30°-55°F. Snow flurries occur, particularly in the northern suburbs, but seldom accumulate. Air pollution is a major problem in Athens throughout the year, but the climate is otherwise healthy.
Thessaloniki, in northern Greece, experiences high temperatures and humidity from the end of May until the end of September. Summer heat is sometimes tempered by late morning and early evening breezes. July and August nights can be uncomfortably warm. In winter, periods of mild, sunny, and spring-like weather are interspersed with uncomfortable cold periods. Thessaloniki has periods of chilly and damp weather, with considerable rainfall and occasional snow. Temperatures often fall below freezing in winter. Although snow does not linger, the city has been struck by blizzards. One feature of Thessaloniki’s climate is the vardari, a strong northwesterly wind that appears suddenly and irregularly from the area of the Axios (Vardar) River Valley.
Travel Currency
euro (EUR)
Language Spoken
Greek (official) 99%, other (includes English and French) 1%
Languages
Greek (official) 99%,
Ethnic Groups
Greek 91.6%, Albanian 4.4%, other 4%
National Holiday
Independence Day, 25 March (1821)
Geographic Coordinates
39 00 N, 22 00 E
Location
Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey