Many travel companies offer a trip to Greece, but sometimes it is much more correct, cheaper and more interesting to organize your trip yourself. Let's find out how to do this and where to even start.
Getting ready for the trip
You need to start planning your independent trip to Greece in advance. This country is part of the Schengen zone, so you will need a visa to visit it. You can receive the document at the consulate by first preparing a package of documents and filling out a form. To simplify the procedure, it is better to use the help of the visa center vizaweek.ru, where you will be relieved of all formalities.
Next, you need to decide on the travel route and tickets. The optimal solution for independent travel would be the fly&drive format, when you get to your destination by plane, and then just rent a car. This will allow you to be as mobile and free as possible, and also visit a lot interesting places Greece.
When packing for the country, do not forget to take a first aid kit with you (usual medicines are sometimes difficult to find in Europe) and leave room in your suitcase for souvenirs and gifts that you will take home.
Traveling around Greece opens up many opportunities for tourists. By planning your route yourself, you can relax on the beach, stroll through museums, see the sights and generally discover your Greece. Here are some tips to help you choose a direction.
Green corners
Halkidiki is considered the most cozy and green area of Greece. It's great to walk, swim and enjoy life here. Also for such a holiday you can consider the western part of Crete (the regions of Chania and Rethymno) and the island of Corfu. These places are perfect for families with children.
Historical places
In fact, Greece is an amazing country with something to see everywhere. But it’s hard to imagine traveling through the historical places of Greece without Athens. If you are a fan of wandering around the city, be sure to leave yourself 2-3 days for walking around the capital and stock up on comfortable shoes.
Night life
If you are sick of a sleepy holiday by the sea and want a hot party, think about the town of Malia (Crete). Here you will find huge sandy beaches and non-stop night discos. IN Northern Greece Come to Paralia Katerina - the amount of entertainment and nightlife restaurants will pleasantly surprise you. And not far from Athens there is the resort of Loutraki, which will also be remembered for its fun parties.
Romantic getaway
You can also plan a trip to Greece on your own in such a way that this trip will be remembered as the most romantic event of your life together with your loved one. Corfu is considered one of the most picturesque islands for romance. Here you can walk endlessly, enjoy delicious food and be just the two of you. What could be better to strengthen relationships?
Why choose Greece
Planning a trip to Greece on your own is not a difficult task. This is a small, comfortable country, very loyal to tourists and visitors. It will be easy for you here even with minimal knowledge of English.
There are also a lot of hotels and inns in Greece, both large chain hotels and small family hotels. So you can easily find a room for the night in any city and for any budget, even without prior reservation. By the way, hotels generally offer a system of serving breakfast or breakfast and dinner, since gastronomic pleasures in local restaurants are one of the obligatory parts of a trip to Greece.
In addition, holidays in Greece can be very versatile. Here you will find resorts and entertainment to suit your tastes, both young and active people, as well as families with children and elderly couples. If you want to please your parents with a trip to Europe, Greece will be best choice, and they will definitely be satisfied.
The amazing land of Greece has long gained fame as a place where a fertile climate, stunningly beautiful landscapes, and unique ancient monuments, impressive in their grandeur, come together at once. Here you can not only relax with pleasure, but also, looking out of the corner of your eye into history, glean the wisdom that is still carefully preserved on the shores of its many islands. That is why tourists from all over the world flock here, allowing it to gain fame as one of the most visited countries.
Let's try to calculate how much such a vacation will cost us. It is unlikely that those who want to save money should consider the most popular, and therefore one of the most expensive, islands of Greece – Crete – as their vacation destination. Therefore, as an example, we will take the slightly less popular (but quite visited) and less rich in historical attractions, but still quite pretty island of Rhodes.
The cost of a “savage” holiday
Visa
First, you will have to apply for a visa, unless, of course, you already have a Schengen visa. On the website of the Greek visa center you can find out what documents are required for a particular visa category, find application forms and other information, including information about the visa fee. On this moment it is 35-37.5 euros per person (short-term visa - long-term visa). Additionally, in a number of cities a service fee is charged, which costs 19.55 euros per person. Thus, for a regular tourist trip, a visa for two will cost you 109 euros.
You can apply for a visa 90 days before your trip; the consulate will process your application within 2 days. Here, on the visa center website, you can track your passport.
Flights
If you book tickets in advance, about two months in advance, they will cost you from about 665 euros for two, average price in high season - 924 euros (again, when booking in advance). The flight is carried out with a transfer - usually to Athens, and then to the local airport. The cheapest tickets are if you fly to Athens with Aegeanair (it’s best to book tickets on the company’s website).
Accommodation
If you decide to stay in a hotel, then living for two in a three-star hotel will cost an average of 520 euros per week (including breakfast). However, many travelers prefer to rent apartments or rooms - as a rule, this works out much cheaper. But at the same time, it is advisable to clarify some points - for example, how old the house is, whether there is air conditioning (this also happens sometimes), and finally, how far is it to the beach. So, if you decide to rent an apartment, it will cost you on average 225-500 euros (depending on the location, number of rooms, etc.).
If you eat on your own, then by renting an apartment you can cook breakfast and dinner yourself and dine in local taverns. Lunch for two costs an average of 25-30 euros, which means that in a week you will spend 175-210 euros. Breakfast and dinner prepared from products purchased at the market and in the store will cost about half as much - a little over 100 euros.
Don't forget about excursions - you can spend about 150 euros on them for two. You can book a sightseeing tour of the island of Rhodes, around the city, or separately visit ancient Lindos, ancient Kamir, Seven Springs, visit the Valley of the Butterflies, and, if desired, go to a water park where there are attractions for adults.
Considering that you will want to bring at least small souvenirs for friends and family, they will cost about 30 euros (magnets - from 1 euro, olive oil– on average 5 euros, etc.).
Transfer
Transfer as in any other European country, is a must-have item in many hotels in Greece. Individual transfers cost from 55 to 160 euros, depending on the distance. Rhodes, in principle, is a small island, so a very convenient option to explore everything you want is to rent a car. It costs about 30-35 euros per day during the season, plus the cost of gasoline (in the low season, in May, June and September, it is quite possible to rent a car for 15 euros). By the way, you can do this right at the airport - this will also allow you to get to your place of residence on your own and, in addition, save a little.
Cost of organized tour
The cost of the tour starts from 1,475 euros for a standard one-room room in a three-star hotel with all-inclusive meals, and from 1,490 euros in a four-star hotel. You can find last minute tours that cost an average of 1000 euros (meals - breakfast only).
If we calculate all the expenses that a couple who decides to go on holiday on their own will have to spend, such a trip will cost them a total of 1,400 euros - this is if you only take into account the visa, tickets and accommodation with meals, which are usually offered by travel agencies. And at the same time, they themselves will have to solve a number of issues, such as obtaining a visa, booking air tickets, finding a hotel or apartment. As you can see, the savings are not too big.
The charm of this amazing and mysterious country is great. It is not without reason that it is called the cradle of Western civilization, the birthplace of philosophy, culture, sciences and Olympic Games. In addition, in Greece everyone will find a place to their liking - from luxury hotels to uncrowded and secluded resorts. And no matter how you travel to this unique country - by choosing a tour or an independent holiday in Greece, you will certainly leave from there enchanted. Enchanted by its sun and sea. Its rich cultural heritage. Its hospitable and friendly residents. That's why it's Greece.
And so, you are ready to go to Greece on your own! Have you already decided which one? , or maybe you want to combine several types at once - for example, swimming in the sea and sightseeing. Also, let's assume that you have already planned which places to visit and know how many days you will spend there. ancient land Hellas.
- Buy air tickets
- Book hotels or apartments at at least one point on the route. (This will make obtaining a visa much easier).
- Apply for a Schengen visa
You can book tickets to Greece for almost any date, since airlines offer many options - direct flights and with transfers (they, by the way, are usually cheaper than direct ones), regular and charter. The starting point for many direct flights is Moscow, but during the summer months some airlines operate additional direct flights from major cities such as St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.
In case you are planning a trip to beach season(from the beginning of May to the end of September), during the Christmas or Easter holidays it is better to buy tickets in advance, at least three weeks in advance, since then there may simply not be enough of them.
As for Greece, there are airports in many regions of this wonderful country and even on fairly small islands such as Kos and Santorini.
Living in Greece
To rent an apartment
In summer you can rent an apartment or a room in the private sector. In high season (July-August) an apartment on the first or second line with two bedrooms, a shower and a small kitchen will cost 30-40 euros per day.
This apartment can accommodate up to four people. Don't look for spacious apartments, since most apartments in Greece (even those in which the Greeks themselves live all year round) are quite compact. The peculiarities of the Greek mentality are such that a large bedroom is considered a waste of living space. In a normal Greek bedroom there is only room for a double bed, a couple of bedside tables, a small wardrobe and a chest of drawers, with narrow passages between the furniture. Greeks spend most of their free time in the living room and dining room, so houses are built in such a way that these rooms are as spacious as possible.
Of course, few tourists would think of spending precious vacation days sitting in a Greek living room, therefore, apartments for rent in resort areas consist of several bedrooms connected by a kitchen with one or two verandas or balconies. If you do not want to settle for apartments of this type, you can find more spacious apartments, but the price will be much higher.
Good option for summer holiday― this is to rent an apartment or house in a resort location for one or several months. In this case it will cost you from 300 to 1000 euros per month depending on the size and quality of housing.
Private hotels (xenonas)
This type of private hotel called “xenonas” is very popular in Greece. It is a large two-three-story house in a traditional Greek style (walls made of huge uncut stones, wooden trim, wooden windows, stairs, doors, floor and ceiling, wooden awnings on the balconies).
On the ground floor there is usually a dining room, a kitchen, a hall with a fireplace, an administration desk, on the upper floors there are guest rooms, each room has all the necessary amenities. The price of your stay usually includes breakfast, prepared by one of the caring housewives and therefore usually more tasty and nutritious than in ordinary hotels.
Living in xenonas, you feel less like a tourist and more like a guest in a large Greek family. A special feature of this type of hotel is the atmosphere of home comfort and hospitality. The owners of xenos are always ready to listen, help, advise on nearby attractions and entertainment, and even just have a friendly conversation. Xenonases are open all year round, they are especially popular in mountain villages, near ski centers and hiking trails. A day in xenonas (double room) will cost: 40-50 euros.
How to find a private hotel
There are two ways to find a suitable xenon. You can, being directly in Greece, see a lot of xenos in resort and mountain villages (it’s easy to distinguish them by the traditional, somewhat old-fashioned type of construction and, of course, a bright sign) and try to rent a room for required deadline. But in this case there is always a risk that free seats will not be.
The best way is to reserve a room in xenonas in advance. To do this, you need to type into Google (preferably in Latin letters) the region where you want to go and the word “ xenonas" or " xenonas", then select the one you like best and book.
Hotels
And of course, in Greece there are a lot of familiar hotels for every taste and budget. Hotels in resort areas are open from Easter until the first half of October. Hotels in other regions of the country are open all year round. A double room in a hotel with breakfast will cost on average from 40-50 euros per night. It is better not to consider hotels with a rating below 3 stars in Greece.
Visa to Greece on your own
If you have neither one nor the other, then you will have to go through a simple procedure for obtaining a Greek visa at a Greek visa center in one of the major cities of Russia.
You can apply for a visa to Greece yourself by contacting a visa center or through a travel agency. It usually takes two working days to obtain a Greek visa.
It should be noted that providing documents confirming a reservation at a Greek hotel or xenonas is largely make it easier to obtain a visa compared to simply providing a written description to the consulate. And although in the latter case problems with obtaining a visa arise extremely rarely, it is still better to book accommodation in advance at at least one point on the route and, when submitting documents to the visa center, attach a printout of the reservation to the package of documents.
Also, if you have an old passport with Schengen visas, it must be provided along with copies of all completed pages. It will be returned immediately after comparison with copies.
When submitting documents to the visa center, you need to pay a consular fee. For a short-term visa (up to 90 days) it is 35 euros for each applicant. It will also be necessary to pay a service fee of 820 rubles for each applicant, except for children under six years of age and children included in the parents’ passport.
If you decide to travel to Greece in your own car, then you must also provide the following documents to the visa center: driver’s license, registration document, technical inspection, car insurance document, travel plan.
If children are included in the parent's passport, the parent must have two blank pages in the passport for each applicant.
You can take your pet. To do this, you need to provide the visa center with a veterinary certificate of health and vaccinations of the animal.
If you receive a technical refusal for a visa (which happens extremely rarely), you can reapply for a visa the very next day.
These are the main tasks that need to be solved before going on vacation to Greece.
There are also a number organizational issues, which relate to direct presence in Greece. them we
How to prepare for an independent trip to Greece? What are the prices in the country in 2019? What do you need to know when going on vacation? Useful tips and reviews from tourists.
Visa to Greece on your own in 2019
How to get to Greece inexpensively?
The easiest way, in our opinion, is to get into the country by plane, especially since tickets are not too expensive. The cheapest way to fly to Greece on holiday is in the off-season - flights from Moscow to Thessaloniki and Athens cost from 6 thousand rubles round trip. You can fly to Crete, Corfu and Rhodes in the low season from 9 thousand rubles. In summer, air tickets are more expensive - from 10-11 thousand rubles. Tickets from St. Petersburg cost from 12-14 thousand rubles.
(Photo © carlisle617 / flickr.com / Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
How to book a hotel for a holiday in Greece?
If you have planned an independent holiday in Greece in the summer of 2019, we strongly recommend booking a hotel in advance to avoid excruciating pain: good inexpensive rooms are sold out very quickly. It is better to search for a hotel on the Roomguru.ru service, since it compares prices in several booking systems - no need to search manually.
Prices depend on where and when you are going on holiday in Greece. A double standard in a 1-3* hotel will cost 25-45 euros in low season (in high season the price can be twice as high). 4 and 5 star hotels cost from 70 euros and above. Do you want to save money and have unpretentious conditions? You can check into a hostel, where a bed costs from 10 to 35 euros.
Food prices in Greece - 2019
(Photo © cecilevanmeensel / pixabay.com)
Transport
Public transport is quite well developed, in major cities it can be used to get to almost any place. The most common are bus and tram; in Athens there is a metro.
Bus carrier- KTEL company. Tickets are inexpensive and depend on the distance (for intercity flights - approximately 5 euros per 100 km). A trip around the city costs from 1.10 euros, the ticket must be validated. Before stopping, press the special button, and if you want to get on the bus, wave your hand to the driver to stop. You can purchase tickets from special machines, kiosks and from the driver.
According to reviews from tourists, the schedule changes often, it is better to constantly check it. Arrive early to buy your ticket and grab a seat (open seating is common, even if the seats are listed on your tickets). By the way, buses have an unpleasant habit of leaving a little earlier than the appointed time.
If you plan to actively travel independently around Greece, for greater mobility we recommend taking rent a moped or automobile(just follow the traffic rules). You can rent a car online on the Skyscanner Car Hire website - this way you will not be dependent on the Greek bus schedule.
Taxi drivers, like everywhere else, they are trying to make money from tourists. The most common deception schemes: a “forgotten” counter, the most a long way. Do not go to private owners, look for official companies. Landing costs about 3.20 euros, 1 km - about 0.80 euros. You can order a car online through the service (you can also order a transfer between cities or from/to the airport) - it’s convenient, reliable and safe.
Are you planning to travel between islands during your independent holiday in Greece? There is nothing simpler, because the country has an extensive network water transport: catamarans, high-speed and regular ferries, hydrofoils, taxi boats. Navigation is carried out from May to October. The schedule is unstable, check at or. The price range is wide, the cost depends on the type of vessel, distance, carrier, conditions. This type of transport cannot be called cheap: for example, a ferry from Athens to Rhodes costs from 47 euros, from Santorini - from 30 euros. You can save on ferries by booking tickets a couple of months in advance. It is also cheaper to cross at night - this way you will save not only on the ticket, but also on accommodation.
(Photo © lukasbieri / pixabay.com)
All more people in our country they are beginning to belong to the group of “potential tourists”. People's incomes, although slowly but steadily, are growing, gradually smoothing out the difference with some Western countries. There are more opportunities to receive additional income. Tourism is gradually ceasing to be a shuttle-shopping type, becoming civilized - recreational and excursion. Travel agencies began to multiply by leaps and bounds, not only in big cities, but also in provincial areas. People flocked to them en masse. Nowadays no one can be surprised by the number of countries visited. Foreign tourism is encouraged by the absence, or only the initial stage of development, of tourism infrastructure in potential holiday destinations in our country. And there are enough such places. Black Sea coast, one of the places beach holiday Russians, due to well-known political and economic factors, was temporarily forgotten, and is being revived only before our eyes. So far, the comfort of the holiday and its price factor are turned towards foreign countries.
However, not very long ago, an increasing number of tourists began to think about independently organizing their holidays abroad. I will try to bring to your attention the main pros and cons of an independent holiday in such a wonderful country as Greece. I worked on this issue and successfully implemented it for a vacation on greek island Rhodes.
Since Greece is a visa country included in the circle of countries united by the Schengen Agreement, the issue of obtaining a visa must be taken very seriously and responsibly. To apply for a visa yourself, you will need: an application form, 1 photograph, a certificate from work, a certificate of purchase of currency, a copy of insurance if you are traveling with a child, a copy of the child’s birth certificate if you are traveling without a father, a copy of the father’s consent for the child’s trip. All documents must be notarized. But, as it seems to me, at a minimum, you should have the Consular Section of the Greek Embassy available to you. Moreover, prepare to visit it several times. From the beginning, documents will be accepted without checking; if they find anything unclear, they will call and ask you to come in to clarify. When you come, they will explain the reason (by phone - no), bring the corrected one again. And if you don’t queue, most likely they won’t let you in; the magic phrase doesn’t work here: I was already here yesterday, I just need to give it back...
If the Consular Section is not available, then you will have to trust professionals from the Internet (I would not), or use the service travel agency, some provide such services without purchasing a tour. What documents are required here, everyone will tell you on the spot. Everything depends on them.
Now let's look at the advantages of independent relaxation. 
Of course, this is savings. From our trip we exclude the services of numerous parasites, oh, excuse me, intermediaries. And these are travel agencies, a carrier, that is, you yourself choose the airline, its discount promotions, and exclude the price of hotel booking. You can easily find a hotel directly for your holiday. To increase your savings, you can try staying in small private hotels. Some of them offer different types of food. They, of course, do not have beaches and, as a rule, are more distant from the sea. If your legs are young, this will not be a particular obstacle, and will even diversify your rest. The next plus is your mobility. You may not have to pre-pay for the entire stay at the hotel, and if you don’t like something, you can change the hotel, or even the city. If the tour is purchased through a travel agency, no matter how disgusting the hotel is, you are simply doomed to relax in it. I think this is the biggest plus!
Now, about some negative aspects, the so-called “cons”. We have already talked about preparing documents independently. I won't repeat myself. The next disadvantage is the language of the host country. If you speak at least English, it’s already easier. If not, you will have to master sign language and purchase a phrase book. On a purchased tour, if the hotel staff does not understand you, this is the responsibility of the hotel and the guide assigned to the tourists. In your case, saving a drowning person will be the work of the drowning person himself.
And last but very important, I put this in a separate paragraph, HEALTH INSURANCE. At independent rest its registration is mandatory. Prices for medical services in Greece are very high. Even the treatment of a banal dislocation can cost a tidy sum. I'm not talking about something more serious. Of course, pah-pah over the left shoulder, but trust in God, and don’t make a mistake yourself.