Greece on my own. travel to greece
The idea to travel independently arises among tourists for various reasons: someone is tired of standard, similar tours, someone wants to exclude communication with representatives of travel agencies and guides, and someone just wants to save money. What are the advantages and disadvantages of self organized recreation in Greece? Let's try to figure it out.
Is there any savings?
When it comes to independent trip to Greece, most often we hear the comments “Oh, this is very cool! You'll save a lot of money!" But in fact, this is not entirely true. Save or not - it all depends on the type of your trip.
If the main goal is a beach holiday in good hotel with food, animators and a lot of other entertainment - then it is more profitable to buy a tour from the operator. They most often buy places in such hotels in blocks, for which they receive a significant discount.
The second option is a holiday with local flavor. In Greece, there are a lot of cozy hotels with rooms at affordable prices. Here you get a chance to get close to local life without unnecessary tourist props, but you will be deprived of the benefits that promise hotel complexes: free pools, discos, cocktails, etc.
And the third option for recreation is traveling around the country, and this is always a cost. In this case, you are unlikely to be able to save enough money to end up with a smaller amount than the cheapest package tour.
director himself
So, what do we get when relaxing in Greece without a tour operator?
- The responsibility for everything lies solely with you. What does this mean? Many tourists tend to blame the tour operator for all the errors associated with the rest, ultimately blaming him for the “ruined vacation”. Flight delay? Blame it! Is the air conditioner broken in the room? Blame it! At the resort, rain is again his tricks! But when you organize the trip yourself, perhaps all the minor flaws will not look so terrible.
- free excursion program. You decide what and when to watch, and hotel guides do not impose their services on you at inflated prices. good Russian speaking guide can be found via the Internet, and if it’s completely “cheap and cheerful” - go sightseeing only with a guide!
- Are you tired of Crete? And why not live a couple of days on the famous Santorini? Is the weather bad in the Cyclades? Then let's go to the Peloponnese! By the way, we haven't seen Olympia yet! Absolute freedom of movement - this is how a real vacation should be, and this is how it is, if organized according to your scenario!
But, as you know, in every barrel of honey there is a fly in the ointment. We list the main pitfalls in the field of independent tourism.
- The main disadvantage of this type of recreation is the lack of time. Not every working person can afford the luxury of spending precious hours on paperwork, bookings, confirmations, transfers, etc. It is easier for busy people to give money for ready tour and calmly wait for the day of departure.
- Feelings, self-doubt. Many people, especially older ones, will feel much more comfortable under the wing of a travel agency than left to their own devices. Even if the thought of independent organization causes you to panic, it is better not to torment yourself and boldly go for a ready-made tour.
- The language barrier. Let's say you're not a polyglot, and you don't know any language other than Russian. Regular walks with English dictionary in the hands they make you feel sad, and it’s impossible to learn Greek in a short time - then the journey will not be as easy for you as you would like.
photo: travelswithpersephone.blogspot.com
And one moment…
In April, news sites and travel portals the news spread that the Greeks were going to issue Schengen visas to Russian citizens for a period of 5 years. To do this, you must have at least one Schengen in your passport, preferably multiple. In practice, this is not entirely true: you should not console yourself with hopes for a coveted 5-year multivisa, especially if you are not an experienced traveler.
However, almost everyone can now get an annual Schengen. In 2014, the Greeks intend to attract at least 1.5 million Russians to the resorts of the country, which means, among other things, the loyal attitude of the consulates.
- Do not rush to make an advance payment for the hotel, as there is no guarantee that you will like the chosen room and the surrounding area in general. In this case, you will either have to lose the money that the hotel freezes on the card, or spend the whole vacation where you don’t like it.
On booking.com, you can choose options for hotels, hotels and apartments without prepayment or with free cancellation: such documents are also accepted at consulates.
- study well customs regulations. Organized groups tourists are always warned what and in what quantity they can buy, so that there are no problems at the border later. If you are relaxing on your own, there is a temptation to buy everything and a lot - and it’s not a fact that all souvenirs can be taken out of the country and brought to the territory of Russia.
- The Internet is your main assistant when traveling in Greece. Therefore, it is worth deciding in advance which card of which operator you will buy. Compare prices and calculate what will be more profitable for you.
Greece is one of the best places in order to try their hand at organizing recreation. The consequences of a protracted economic crisis tourists here do not feel: food prices in Greece are lower than ours, the quality of life is an order of magnitude higher. There is practically no question of security here, so tourists can safely travel around the country without worrying about the level of crime. And in general, Greece with its many islands looks like a specially created scenery for bright vacation photos - perfect place for traveling!
All more people in our country are beginning to be treated as a group of "potential tourists". People's incomes, though slowly but steadily, are growing, gradually smoothing out the difference with some Western countries. Appeared more possibilities receiving additional income. Tourism is gradually ceasing to be shuttle-shopping, becoming civilized - leisure and sightseeing. Travel agencies began to multiply by leaps and bounds, not only in megacities, but also in provincial territories. People flocked to them en masse. Now no one is surprised by the number of countries visited. To foreign tourism, encourages the absence, or only the initial stage of development tourism infrastructure in places of potential recreation in our country. And there are enough places. Black Sea coast, one of the places beach holiday Russians, due to well-known political and economic factors, was temporarily forgotten, and is reborn only before our eyes. So far, the comfort of rest, its price factor, are turned towards foreign countries.
However, since not very long ago, all large quantity tourists began to think about the independent organization of their holidays abroad. I will try to bring to you 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 rest on Greek island Rhodes.
Since Greece visa country, which is part of 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 on your own, you will need: a questionnaire, 1 photo, 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 least you should have the Consular Section of the Embassy of Greece available to you. Moreover, prepare for repeated visits to it. From the beginning, the documents will be accepted without verification, if they find something that is not clear, they will call, ask to come in for clarification. Come, explain the reason (by phone - no), bring the corrected again. And, without a queue, most likely they won’t let you in, the magic phrase does not work here: I was already here yesterday, I just have to give ...
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 will be required here, everyone will say on the spot. Everything depends on them.
Now consider the advantages of independent rest. 
Of course, this is savings. From our trip, we exclude the services of numerous freeloaders, oh, excuse me, intermediaries. And these are travel agencies, a carrier, that is, you yourself choose the airline, its discount promotions, exclude the price of booking a hotel. You can easily find a holiday hotel directly. To increase the savings, you can try to stay 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 remote from the sea. If the legs are young, this will not become a special obstacle, but even diversify your rest. The next plus is your mobility. You can not 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 of the negative aspects, the so-called "cons". ABOUT self-registration documents we have already discussed. I will not repeat. 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 learn sign language, acquire a phrase book. In a purchased tour, if the hotel staff does not understand you, this is the concern 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 not least, I'll highlight this in a separate paragraph, HEALTH INSURANCE. With independent rest, its registration is a must. Prices for medical services in Greece are very high. Even the treatment of a banal dislocation can result in a tidy sum. I'm not talking about something more serious. Of course, pah-pah over the left shoulder, but hope in God, but don't make a mistake yourself.
The amazing land of Greece has long gained fame as a place where both the fertile climate, the stunning beauty of landscapes, and the most unique ancient monuments, impressive in their grandeur, converged at once. Here you can not only relax with pleasure, but also, looking out of the corner of your eye into history, draw the wisdom that is still carefully stored on the shores of its many islands. That is why tourists from all over the world strive here, allowing it to win the glory of 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 Greece - Crete. Therefore, as an example, we will take a slightly less popular (but quite visited) and less rich in historical sights, but still quite a pretty island of Rhodes.
The cost of rest "savage"
Visa
To begin with, you will have to deal with the issuance of a visa, unless of course you already have a Schengen visa open. On the website of the Greece Visa Application Center, you can find out what documents are required for a particular category of visa, find application forms and other information, including information about the visa fee. On this moment it is 35-37.5 euros per person (short-stay visa - long-stay visa). Additionally, in a number of cities a service fee is charged, which costs 19.55 euros per person. Thus, for the usual tourist travel a visa for two will cost you 109 euros.
You can apply for a visa 90 days before the trip, the application is considered at the consulate within 2 days. Here, on the website of the visa center, you can track your passport.
Flights
If you book tickets in advance, about two months in advance, they will cost you about 665 euros for two, the average price in the high season is 924 euros (again - when booking seats in advance). The flight is carried out with a transfer - usually to Athens, and then to 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 live in a hotel, then living together in a three-star hotel will cost an average of 520 euros per week (with breakfast). However, many travelers prefer to rent apartments or rooms - as a rule, it comes out much cheaper. But at the same time, it is desirable to clarify some points - for example, how old the house is, whether there is air conditioning (this sometimes happens too), and finally - how far to the beach. So, if you decide to rent an apartment, it will cost you an average of 225-500 euros (depending on location, number of rooms, etc.).
If you eat on your own, then by renting an apartment, you can cook breakfasts and dinners yourself, and dine in local taverns. Lunch for two costs an average of 25-30 euros, which means that it will take you 175-210 euros per week. Breakfast and dinner prepared from products bought in the market and in the store will cost about half as much - a little over 100 euros.
Do not forget about excursions - you can spend about 150 euros for them for two. Can be ordered sightseeing tour on the island of Rhodes, around the city, or separately visit ancient Lindos, ancient Kamir, Seven springs, visit the Butterfly Valley, and if you wish, go to the water park, where there are attractions for adults.
Given that you want to bring at least small souvenirs to friends and family, they will cost about 30 euros (magnets - from 1 euro, olive oil - an average of 5 euros, etc.).
Transfer
Transfer, as in any European country, is a mandatory 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 it is very convenient option see everything you want, will be renting a car. It costs about 30-35 euros per day in season plus the cost of gasoline (in 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, moreover, save a little.
Cost of an organized tour
The cost of the tour starts from 1475 euros for a standard one-room room in a three-star hotel with all-inclusive meals, and from 1490 euros for four-star hotel. You can find "burning" tours that cost an average of 1000 euros (meals - breakfast only).
If you calculate all the expenses that a couple who decide to relax on their own will have to spend, such a trip will cost them a total of 1400 euros - this is if you take into account only the visa, tickets and accommodation with meals, which travel agencies usually offer. And at the same time, they themselves will have to solve a number of issues, such as: obtaining a visa, booking airline tickets, searching for a hotel or apartment. As you can see, the savings are not too big.
The charm of this amazing and mysterious country great. It is not for nothing 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 luxurious hotels to sparsely populated and secluded resorts. And no matter how you go to this unique country– by choosing a tour or independent rest in Greece, you will certainly leave enchanted. Enchanted by her sun and sea. Her rich cultural heritage. Its hospitable and benevolent inhabitants. That's why she and Greece.
And so, you are going to go to Greece on your own! You have already decided which , or maybe you want to combine several types at once - for example, swim in the sea and see the sights. Also, let's assume that you have already planned which places to visit and know how many days you will spend on ancient land Hellas.
- Buy tickets
- Book hotels or apartments at least at one point on the route. (This will make it much easier to get a visa).
- Apply for a Schengen visa
You can book tickets to Greece for almost any date, as airlines offer many options - direct flights and with transfers (by the way, they are usually cheaper than direct ones), regular and charter flights. The starting point for many direct flights is Moscow, but during the summer months, some airlines organize additional direct flights from these major cities like Saint 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 they may simply not be enough.
As for Greece, there are airports in many regions of this wonderful country and even on rather small islands such as Kos and Santorini.
Accommodation in Greece
To rent an apartment
In summer, you can rent an apartment or a room in the private sector. In the 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, only a double bed, a couple of bedside tables, a small wardrobe and a chest of drawers fit, narrow passages remain 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 are several bedrooms connected by a kitchen with one or two verandas or balconies. If you do not want to be satisfied with apartments of this type, you can find more spacious apartments, but the price will be much higher.
Good option for summer holiday is to rent an apartment or house in resort place for one or more months. In that 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 is very popular in Greece. private hotel like xenos. It is a large two-three-storey house in the traditional Greek style (walls of huge raw stones, wood 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 cost of living usually includes breakfast, prepared by one of the caring hostesses and therefore usually more tasty and nutritious than in ordinary hotels.
Living in xenonas, you feel not so much a tourist as a guest in a large Greek family. A feature of this type of hotel is the atmosphere of home comfort and hospitality. Xenon owners are always ready to listen, help, advise on nearby attractions and entertainment, and even just have a friendly chat. Xenoses are open all year round, they are especially popular in mountain villages, near ski centers and hiking trails. A day in a 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 the resort and mountain villages (it is 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 the right time. But in this case there is always a risk that there will be no free places.
The best way is to reserve a room in Xenonas in advance. To do this, in Google you need to type (preferably with Latin letters) the region where you want to go and the word " xenonas" or " xenonas”, then choose 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. Double room in a hotel with breakfast on average will cost from 40-50 euros per night. Hotels with a rating below 3 stars in Greece should not be considered.
Visa to Greece
If you do not have either one or the other, then you will have to go through a simple registration procedure. Greek visa at the Greek visa center in one of the major cities of Russia.
You can apply for a visa to Greece on your own by contacting Visa Center or through travel company. It usually takes two working days to process a Greek visa.
It should be noted that the provision of documents confirming the booking in a Greek hotel or xenonas, in many respects make it easier to get a visa compared to the situation where you simply provide a written description to the consulate. And although in the latter case, problems with obtaining a visa are extremely rare, it is still better to book accommodation in advance at least at 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 old passport with Schengen visas, it must be submitted 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 consular fee. For a short stay visa (up to 90 days) it is 35 euros per 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 entered in the parents' passport.
If you decide to travel to Greece by your own car, then you must also submit the following documents to the visa center: driver's license, registration certificate, inspection, insurance document for a car, travel plan.
If the 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 with you on your trip. To do this, you need to submit to the visa center with a veterinary certificate of health and vaccinations of the animal.
If you received a technical refusal of a visa (which happens very rarely), you can apply for a visa again the very next day.
These are the main tasks that need to be solved for going on vacation to Greece.
There are a number of organizational issues that relate to the direct location in Greece. Them we
Greece is a member of the European Union, its visa is Schengen. If you already have a Schengen visa of any state, this question is closed for you. If there is no visa, then it must be done. The requirements for Schengen visas are standard, these are a questionnaire, financial documents, booking tickets and hotels. IN last years One can note a positive trend in the issuance of visas by Greece: it has become much more willing to issue multiple visas to Russians, while previously it issued mainly single-entry visas.
Buying airline tickets and booking hotels
Quite a lot of planes fly to Greece from Russia, you can find suitable option wherever you fly from. The offers of some companies are quite budget-friendly. In general, if you take tickets no later than a month before departure, you can confidently count on a price of about 100-130 euros for a one-way ticket from Moscow. Often, airlines arrange promotions for which it turns out to find cheaper options. It is convenient to search for tickets on sites such as skyscanner.com.
If you are flying to the islands in Greece, then pay attention to flights with transfers, usually it is carried out in Athens. This option is often much cheaper.
With hotels in Greece, not everything is so simple. In the high season, in summer, room rates become quite high. This is an argument in favor of booking in advance. The sooner you start planning your trip, the cheaper it will cost you. An excellent period for traveling to Greece will be the time of early autumn: September or early October. Prices are already low, and the sea is still warm. It is convenient to search for hotels on services such as booking.com.
Where and when to go
If you have the opportunity to travel in the low season, this is the most profitable and pleasant option. The high season lasts from late spring to early autumn. On the other hand, holidays in Greece are good warm sea and good weather on the islands, so you won’t experience such pleasure at all in the off-season.
The nature of Greece is very diverse, everyone can find something that will appeal to him. In addition, wherever you go, you will not be bored: many excursions and interesting places can be found anywhere in Greece. The most equipped holiday destinations in Greece: Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Peloponnese. Chalkidiki, Kos. Santorini and Mykonos are places that deserve a separate discussion. Incredibly beautiful, they are also associated with many legends. But the prices for rest here are higher. If you want to relax in seclusion and feel more peace, it is recommended to choose other islands.
The sea and beaches are good anywhere in Greece, and healthy Mediterranean food will delight you wherever you are.
