Consisting of the mainland and thousands of islands dotted across the sparkling azure Aegean and Ionian seas, Greece is a land of rolling hills, olive groves, blue domes and white stone villages, and remarkable ancient ruins standing testament to its impressive ancient history and grandeur reflecting its reputation as the birthplace of Western civilisation. Greece is also well-known for its beaches, whether it’s the black sands of the idyllic island of Santorini or Mykonos’ popular party resorts, and exceptionally friendly and passionate people. Its mixture of land and water sports, delectable gastronomy, wines (and, not forgetting, notoriously strong ouzo), beaches, historical treasures, and wonderful, predominantly sunny Mediterranean, climate makes it an exceptionally crowd-pleasing destination for many

KEY FACTS BEFORE YOU GO:

• Capital: Athens
• Currency: Euro
• Time Difference: Greece follows Eastern European Time, which is 2 hours AHEAD of the UK throughout the year. It currently observes Daylight Saving Time from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October, but is due to decide by April 2020 whether it will permanently set its time to Eastern European Standard (2 hour AHEAD of GMT) or Eastern European Daylight Saving Time (3 hours AHEAD of GMT/2 hour ahead of BST).
• Flight time: Flights range from just over 3 hours (Corfu) or around 3.5 hours (Athens, Mykonos, Kefalonia, Kalamata) to around 4 hours (Santorini, Rhodes, Crete - both Chania and Heraklion).
• Official language: Greek
• Entry requirements: Visas are not required. As part of Europe and the Schengen area, in the event of Brexit, please read here for information on changes to travel. Currently, no additional validity is required on your passport, but please also read our further information for changes following Brexit.
• Vaccinations and Health: You should always ensure that you travel with adequate travel health insurance. For up-to-date information, please check this website (as recommended by the Foreign Office): https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/91/greece#Vaccine_recommendations. If vaccinations are required, it is generally advisable to arrange an appointment with a health professional four to six weeks before departure.
  General information on travel vaccinations can be found on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/travel-vaccinations/

To find out more, and for the most up-to-date advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece