The local currency is the Euro (€). Exchange desks can be found in your hotel. Banks and exchange offices are located throughout the city. Bank hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:00 am to 2:30 pm; Friday, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday closed. Branches of the National Bank in Athens can be found at Syntagma Square and Omonia Square. They are open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. ATMs can be found throughout Athens.  

Tipping is at your discretion, but customary.

Aboard ship: €8 per adult (€4 per child) is automatically added to each account per day to cover gratuities. This amount may be increased or decreased at your discretion.

Excursion guides/ drivers: It is customary to tip and we recommend about €4 to 6 per person/day or so to cover both.

Restaurants: 10 to 15% will be added to your bill but may not make its way to the serving staff, so you might wish to leave another 5 to 10% in cash on the table.  

Direct calls can be made from your hotel room. Local phone booths take phone cards that you may purchase from hotel shops and kiosks. These cards are valid for local and overseas calls and cost about €5 and last approximately 3 to 5 minutes. The actual duration of any card varies according to the company issuing it. Please inform yourself accordingly.

The country code for Canada is 001.
Canada Direct: 0800161
MCI: 08001211
AT&T: 08001311  

All taxis in Athens work on meters. The meter starts at approx. €1.20 and there are two fares:

Zone 1 5:00 am until midnight
Zone 2 Midnight until 5:00 am

Minimum fare approx. €3.20. Always make sure meter is turned on before proceeding with your journey.  

The tram & metro features three lines: the Red Line (Agios Antonios- Agios Dimitrios), the Blue Line (Egaleo-Athens airport) and the Green Line (Piraeus-Kifissia). The price of a one-way fare is approximately €1.40, but you can purchase a one-day pass for around €4. The city is linked to the coast by a 28.9 km tramway line that provides easy access to Faliro, Alimos and Glyfada.  

In bazaars the social ritual of bargaining is the rule. Begin by offering about 60% of the asking price and be prepared to go up to about 70% to 75%. Be prepared to leave in order to bring down the price, and never let anyone know how much you like something. It’s great fun once you get the hang of it and a smile goes a long way!

Ouzo, a spirit with a licorice flavour, is the traditional aperitif. Tasty wines are found just about everywhere (the rugged Retsina, however is an acquired taste). The best known appetizers are taramosalata, a delicious fish roe spread, tzatziki (yogurt with cucumber and garlic) and melitzanosalata (eggplant and garlic dip). Seafood is very popular here and fish can be chosen personally and will be gladly trotted out for inspection. The most popular meat courses include arnaki (lamb), gourounopoulo (suckling pig) and souvlaki, meat kebabs grilled on a skewer. For those with a sweet tooth, dessert shops feature pastries, cookies, ice creams, chocolate and sticky buns of flaky filo pastry filled with honey and nuts, known as baklava and kataifi.

Destinations and excursions contained in this pamphlet are for information purposes only. In all cases, comfortable, non-slip walking shoes, a sun hat and bottled water are recommended. Religious sites, such as monasteries and the like, have appropriate dress codes.  Bare shoulders and knees are not permitted (a light covering for bare arms is advised), as well as shorts of any kind. In some instances, excursions are not suited to elderly persons or those with restricted mobility.

All tours depart from and return to the hotel and/or pier adjacent to the ship’s berth. Should you choose to leave the tour en route, it will be your responsibility to secure transportation
back to your hotel or ship. Passengers should be on board the ship no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled sailing time. The ship’s departure cannot be delayed for late returning passengers.