How to get to Greece by yourself. Greece on my own. How much will a vacation at the resort "savage" cost?
A trip to Greece is offered by many travel companies, but sometimes it is much more correct, cheaper and more interesting to organize your trip yourself. Let's find out how to do it and where to start.
Getting ready for the trip
You need to start planning an independent trip to Greece in advance. This country is part of the Schengen area, so you will need a visa to visit it. You can get a document at the consulate, after preparing a package of documents and filling out a questionnaire. 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 should decide on the itinerary of the trip and tickets. The optimal solution for independent travel there will be a fly & drive format when you get to the designated point by plane, and then just rent a car. This will allow you to be as mobile and free as possible, as well as visit many interesting places Greece.
When going to the country, do not forget to take a first aid kit with you (the medicines we are used to are sometimes difficult to find in Europe) and leave a place in your suitcase for souvenirs and gifts that you will take home.
Traveling in Greece opens up many opportunities for tourists. By laying out the route yourself, you can relax on the beach, walk around museums, see the sights and generally discover your Greece. Here are some tips to help you choose a direction.
Green corners
Halkidiki is considered to be the coziest and greenest region of Greece. It's great to walk, swim and enjoy life. Also for such a holiday can be considered western part Crete (regions of Chania and Rethymno) and the island of Corfu. These places are perfect for families with children.
Historical places
In fact, Greece amazing country where there is something to see everywhere. But it's hard to imagine the journey through historical places 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 vacation by the sea and want a hot party, think about the place Malia (Crete). Here you will find huge sandy beaches and non-stop night discos. IN Northern Greece stop by 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
Traveling to Greece on your own can also be planned in such a way that this trip will be remembered as the most romantic event of your life together with your loved one. One of the most picturesque islands for romance, Corfu is considered. Here you can endlessly walk, enjoy delicious food and be just the two of you. And what could be better for strengthening relationships?
Why Choose Greece
Planning a trip to Greece on your own is a simple 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.
Also in Greece there are a lot of hotels and hotels, both large chains and small family ones. So you can easily find yourself a room for the night in any city and for any budget, even without prior booking. By the way, in general, hotels offer a breakfast or breakfast and dinner system, since gastronomic pleasures in local restaurants- one of the obligatory parts of a trip to Greece.
In addition, holidays in Greece can be very versatile. Here, young and active people, families with children and elderly couples will find resorts and entertainment to their liking. If you want to please your parents with a trip to Europe, Greece will be the best choice, and they will definitely be satisfied.
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 the visa application 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, technical 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
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. The Black Sea coast, one of the places for Russian beach holidays, 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 independent organization your holiday 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 phrasebook. 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.
It is not difficult to organize a trip to Greece on your own - there would be a desire. Of course, the most simple and often a budget option is to buy a tour in an agency and shift all the worries to managers. Another alternative is to organize everything yourself. This raises a lot of questions, which we will try to answer in this post.
In fact, over the past 2 years, Grekoblog has accumulated enough information to find answers, if not to all questions related to organizing an independent trip to Greece, then to most of them. Therefore, now we will rather try to systematize the information than “discover America” in a new way.
Visa application
Despite all the vicissitudes associated with rumors of possible exit countries from the Schengen area, while it continues to be one of the members of the European Union. At the same time, as Greek officials assure, exit from the EU is not expected. Thus, to travel, you should apply for a Schengen visa. If you already have it, then you can safely skip this section and move on.
All countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement set fairly standardized package requirements for tourists required documents for a visa. Greece in this case is no exception to the rule. In order not to repeat ourselves, we recommend our posts and, which describe in great detail where and how visas to Hellas are obtained.
Of the nuances of the process, it is worth noting that with the onset of the crisis, the diplomatic missions of Hellas became much more loyal to visa applicants. This was especially evident in the Russian tourists, on which a significant emphasis is placed. In particular, the number of visa centers, the process of processing applications has been accelerated, and also, which is especially interesting, many Russians are given a multivisa by default instead of a one-time visa. Consular offices in Ukraine cannot yet boast of such loyalty, but there are positive developments in Nezalezhnaya as well.
It became easier to get a visa to Hellas during the crisis years
Flights
IN last years air traffic with Greece has become much more intense. A number of airlines have entered both the Russian and Ukrainian markets, offering tickets at very low prices. affordable price and have become a significant competitor to air carriers that previously served these routes.
If we talk about specific figures, then air tickets can be bought at a price of 115 Euros one way from Russia and 134 Euros from Ukraine, respectively. And this regular flights not to mention promotional offers. It is clear that Russia and Ukraine are rather big countries, and Greece has its own characteristics. Therefore, the most profitable approach may be the search and purchase of air tickets through the aviasales.ru website, which allows you to search for more than 700 airlines and several booking systems at the same time.
For budget travelers we would recommend paying attention to the options with transfers. Often the cost of such air tickets is much more profitable than direct flights, especially if you are not traveling from capital to capital, but are on your way to the islands.
Hotels
As we said above, the price of hotels largely depends on the month of travel. Peaking in the summer, room rates are very affordable during the off-season and winter months (excluding ski resorts).
The hotel infrastructure of Greece is in many ways inferior to others popular destinations Mediterranean. Many experts see the reason for this in the absence of significant competition between local hoteliers and international networks. Nevertheless, in Hellas there are a number of chains with local roots that delight with a full-fledged five-star service, and the owners compensate for the lack of service in numerous private hotels with such cordiality and responsiveness that you will not find even in the most luxurious hotels in Western Europe.
Some Greek hotel chains offer the same level of service as well-known international ones.
A room in a decent "three stars" in the off-season will cost a tourist from 30 euros per day. The cost of the same room, but in the summer months, can easily "fly up" to 60-80, or even 100 euros per day, depending on the region and the attractiveness of the tourist area in which the hotel is located.
There are a huge number of opportunities to book a hotel both through a travel agency and through the Internet. When we depart from Hellas, we most often use the booking.com service, which provides a good choice hotels in every tourist area and pleasing pleasant prices. By the way, at one time a review was written on Grekoblog about Booking, so if you have not yet come across this booking system, you can read the details.
But when booking a hotel, you can start not only from the price, but also from the purpose of the trip. This could be, for example, romantic trip or holidays with children. With this in mind, Grekoblog has started a series of articles: The Most Romantic Hotels in Greece. And to date, articles about and have already been published. We highly recommend.
When to go
Greece is a country with a pronounced seasonality of tourism. From the end of autumn to the beginning of spring here low season, and the prices of flights and hotels are pleasantly pleasing. On the other hand, the main charm of the country is in its summer weather, the sea and the islands, so you won’t be able to fully enjoy them during the off-season months.
At the same time, out of 17-18 million tourists visiting Hellas annually, most of it is for the summer. Therefore, from mid-June to mid-September, prices for everything related to tourism and recreation are at their zenith. If the budget is not a problem for you, you can not bother, and if the cost of a vacation is a sensitive issue, it makes sense to pay attention to the off-season.
The period from late April to early June, as well as from the second half of September to the end of October, many, including the author of this blog, consider best months to plan your trip. At the same time, each of these periods has its advantages.
Rhodes has been gaining popularity among Russians in recent years
At the end of spring in Greece, it's blooming time. The weather pleases with pleasant temperatures from 18 to 28C, and a huge amount of greenery and flowers that have not yet known the scorching summer sun make this time ideal for lovers of car tours. The minus of the end of spring is the unpredictable sea temperature, which can still be quite cold for opening bathing season. Prices for hotels, air tickets and car rentals during this period are also far from peak.
The middle of autumn, along with good weather and still summer, by our standards, temperatures, on the contrary, pleases with the still warm sea warmed up during the summer months. Swimming in Greece in September and October is possible without any restrictions. In some southern regions mainland and Crete, sometimes, the temperature of the air and water allows you to swim even until the beginning of December. Autumn prices are also more affordable than summer prices.
Where to go
Greece is a very diverse country and allows everyone to find something for themselves. For the most part, you are safe about the choice. end point trips. In all significant tourist areas countries there are plenty of opportunities to combine beach holiday with excursion. Crete, Chalkidiki, Peloponnese, Rhodes, Kos and Corfu are among the most developed tourist destinations. Details about each of them can easily be found on Grekoblog in abundance.
A separate line is to highlight the islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Located relatively close to each other, each of them is a legend of Greek tourism in its own niche. Santorini, which some scholars associate with the legend of Atlantis, is known for its breathtaking views and is the only island in Hellas, where the high season continues all year round. Mykonos is an island whose development was given an artificial impetus. Today it is considered the most "party" island of the country and one of the most attractive destinations for young people in the entire Mediterranean, fully competing with Ibiza.
However, if you want more peace and privacy, you can easily switch your attention to less popular islands- fortunately in Greece there are a great many of them. At the same time, for sure, you will not lose either in the service or in getting impressions. The sea and beaches in Hellas are magnificent everywhere, the food is healthy and nutritious, and Greek hospitality is famous throughout Europe.
How to organize independent rest in Greece - a note to the tourist. Useful articles on the "Subtleties of tourism".
A trip to Greece is the dream of every person planning their vacation. Today this dream is easily fulfilled. To do this, you do not even need to use the services of tour operators, because you can buy tickets to Greece and go there on your own. There are several questions, by solving which you can be sure of the successful implementation of the planned vacation:
Choosing a place to stay. In Greece, this will not be a problem for sure, since here every corner can rightly be called "paradise". And every tourist who has been there at least once can confirm this. Studying the country and the peculiarities of staying on its territory. Any little thing in case of unforeseen situations during the rest can help you. For example, special attention deserve the cultural and religious traditions of the country. It also doesn't hurt to check out national cuisine to know in advance what you will have to eat. Although in Greece, apart from national dishes You can always order any European delicacies.
It is important to pre-calculate your financial capabilities and draw up an approximate vacation budget. If you are only interested in a beach holiday, then you will not have any additional expenses for entertainment. Check the Internet for approximate prices for food, hotel accommodation, taxis and other services that you may need during your stay in a foreign country.
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Buying air tickets. Saving on this item is quite realistic. To get started, you should choose a good site, for example, Yestickets.com, where you can book tickets online without additional overpayments. Next, you need to do everything according to the instructions of the portal, choosing flights that are suitable for all parameters, booking and buying a ticket.
Finding suitable housing. Most often, vacationers prefer to rent rooms in hotels. But no less popular are rented apartments. Having studied the real estate segment in Greece, you can easily find a small studio apartment, one- or two-room apartments at the best price, not much different from the cost hotel room. You can also choose housing using the Internet, just like renting it.
Preparation of necessary documents, in particular medical insurance and visas. A medical policy will help the Chams feel more confident in a foreign country, since unforeseen situations can happen to anyone. Having a visa is a prerequisite for entering the country. Greece is currently undergoing far from the best moments of its economic situation, so the authorities are helping fast clearance documents for almost every tourist.
And the last but not the least step on the way to unforgettable vacation- checking the availability of documents, air tickets, food and water, as well as many seemingly small things, the absence of which can significantly complicate the flight to Greece.
Which airline to choose?
As mentioned above, on specialized sites you can buy an air ticket to St. Petersburg, Athens, Barcelona, etc. But when buying tickets, it is important not only the direction of the flight, but also the airline whose services we are going to use. In Russia, popular companies performing regular flights to Greece are Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, S7 Airlines and many others. During the summer, the number of flights increases markedly, and direct flights begin to run from many cities from where it was impossible to reach Greece throughout the year. Flights to Athens, the capital of Greece, are made daily from Moscow.
