Customs and daily life

Daily life

• Language: Greek, with its own alphabet. Administrative forms are in Greek: plan for help with important procedures.
• Shops (EURES): hours are set by the traders' association of each town. In general, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 9:00 to 15:00; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 then from 17:30 to 21:00. In tourist areas, shops stay open all day.
• Banks (Visit Greece): Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 14:30, Friday from 8:00 to 13:30; closed on public holidays.
• Currency: the euro. Electricity 230 V, type F sockets.
• Sunday: weekly rest day in principle for employees (EURES). The rules on Sunday shop opening are not described on the pages read: to be confirmed, and check locally.
• Dealing with the administration: many procedures now go through gov.gr and myAADE, often by appointment; keep paper and digital copies of everything (see GR-ADMINISTRATIONS-TOUS-001).
• Politeness, informal address, tipping, late meals: no official source read describes these customs. To be confirmed.

Public holidays

According to EURES (European Commission), Greece has 13 public holidays:

• Fixed dates: 1 January (New Year), 6 January (Epiphany), 25 March (Annunciation and national day), 1 May (Labour Day), 15 August (Assumption), 28 October (national day), 25 and 26 December (Christmas).
• Movable dates (Orthodox calendar): Clean Monday (Καθαρά Δευτέρα, start of Lent), Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday, Whit Monday (Αγίου Πνεύματος).

Religious holidays follow the Orthodox calendar: Easter and the public holidays that depend on it often fall on a different date than in Catholic or Protestant countries. On 20/10/2026, the AADE also reported office closures for local holidays (Argostoli, Mykonos): patron saints' days vary from one town to another.

Emergencies

• 112: European emergency number.
• 100: police. 1571: tourist police (24 hours a day, also for consumer disputes).
• 166: national first-aid centre (ΕΚΑΒ, ambulances).
• 199: fire brigade.
• 1016: SOS Doctors.
• 210 77 93 777: poison control centre.

Work culture

• Duration: legal duration of 45 hours over 5 days or 48 hours over 6 days, but the general collectively agreed duration is 40 hours a week (8 hours a day over 5 days). Hours between 41 and 45 (or 48) are paid +20%; beyond that, overtime paid +40%, within the limit of 150 hours a year and 3 hours a day.
• Breaks and rest: break of 15 to 30 minutes after more than 4 hours of work; at least 11 hours of rest a day and 24 hours a week (in principle on Sunday); two rest days in a 5-day week.
• Holiday: 20 working days a year on 5 days (24 on 6 days), pro rata in the first year.
• Salary: must be paid into a bank account, generally at the end of the month; in the private sector, 13th month at Christmas, half-month at Easter and half-month in summer.

Common pitfalls

• Turning up at the bank or a service in the afternoon: many close early.
• Planning according to your country's Easter calendar: Orthodox Easter is often on a different date, and many things stop that week.
• Forgetting your passport to change money: Visit Greece states that a passport is required for a currency exchange, even if the identity card is enough to enter the country.
• Ignoring local holidays: an office may be closed on a weekday for the feast of a local patron saint.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens and Swiss citizens: identity card enough to enter; your European Health Insurance Card is used during temporary stays (see GR-SANTE-TOUS-001).
• British citizens (Scots included): passport, and third-country rules for residence (see GR-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
• Islands and Mount Athos: in tourist areas, including many islands, shops stay open all day (EURES); Mount Athos has its own access regime, outside the scope of this sheet.