Athens, Greece tourist information

A first trip to Athens goes more smoothly with a handful of facts settled before the flight.

• Best time to visit: April to June and September to October bring warm days without the peak summer heat. The city's visitor guide counts over 300 days of sunshine a year, with autumn and winter temperatures that generally range from 7 to 15°C, and the archaeological sites stay open all year; the Acropolis keeps winter hours of 08:00 to 17:00 from 1 November.
• Days needed: Three to four full days cover the Acropolis and its museum, the ancient agoras, the National Archaeological Museum and Plaka at an easy pace, while two days suit a highlights-only visit. Top tourist attractions in Athens
• Money and cards: Greece uses the euro, and major credit cards are widely accepted, though some places do not take American Express or Diners. Licensed taxis must accept cards, shown by a sticker on the rear window.
• Tipping: Bars and restaurants add no service charge, so a tip is at the diner's discretion, with 5% to 15% the norm rather than a rule. In a taxi, rounding up is enough.
• Tourist tax: Hotels and rentals charge Greece's climate resilience fee per room per night, at the end of the stay and on a separate receipt. The amount depends on the type of accommodation and is lower from November to March. How the Athens tourist tax works
• Getting around: Three metro lines, two tram lines and a dense bus network share one ticket valid for 90 minutes, and a contactless Visa or Mastercard can be tapped straight on the validators, with a daily cap on what it charges.
• Sundays and public holidays: Sites, museums, cafés and tavernas open on Sundays, but from November to April most shops outside Plaka, Monastiraki and the Acropolis area stay closed. Greece has nine compulsory public holidays, and the Athens tourist office guide lists them all with the opening hours that change.
• Safety: Violent crime against visitors is rare; the everyday risk is pickpocketing on the metro and in crowded squares. Demonstrations gather around Syntagma, and 17 November and 6 December are recurring protest dates. Areas to avoid and common scams in Athens
• Customs and dress: Hot pants and crop tops are out of place in churches and monasteries, and high heels are best left at the hotel on the slippery marble of the ancient sites. Toilet paper goes in the bin rather than the toilet, because the sewers are old.
• Language: Greek is the everyday language, written in its own alphabet, but the city's visitor guide notes that most Athenians speak English. "Yia sas" (hello) and "efharisto" (thank you) are always welcome.
• Entry rules: Greece is in the Schengen area, so visitors from countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia can stay without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU Entry/Exit System is being rolled out at Schengen borders and can add time at passport control.
• Emergency numbers: 112 reaches police, fire and ambulance services. The tourist police answer on 1571 in English, French and German, and the ambulance service on 166.
• Plugs and voltage: Greece runs on 230 V and 50 Hz with type F sockets, so devices from outside continental Europe need an adapter, and a transformer if they do not support 230 V.
• Free map: The free Athens tourist map marks the 11 top sights, 32 hidden gems and a 4.1 km walking route through the centre, and prints as a PDF.