Greece - Korina Miller [587]
If your budget won’t cover buying a yacht, there are several other options open to you. You can hire a bare boat (a yacht without a crew) if two crew members have a sailing certificate. Prices start at €1000 per week for a 28-footer that will sleep six. It will cost an extra €850 per week to hire a skipper.
Individuals can check out week-long island cruises offered by Ghiolman Yachts & Travel (Map; 210 325 5000; www.ghiolman.com; 8 Propileon, Acropoli, Athens), operating weekly from early May to the end of September. Hellenic Yachting Server (www.yachting.gr) has information about yachting and chartering yachts. For more information Cruising.
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BUSINESS HOURS
Banks are open from 8am to 2.30pm Monday to Thursday, and from 8am to 2pm Friday. Some banks in large towns and cities also open from 3.30pm to 6.30pm on weekdays and from 8am to 1.30pm on Saturday.
Post offices are open from 7.30am to 2pm Monday to Friday. In the major cities they stay open until 8pm, and open from 7.30am to 2pm on Saturday.
In summer the usual opening hours for shops are from 8am to 3pm on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and from 8am to 2.30pm and from 5pm to 8.30pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Shops open 30 minutes later during winter. These times are not always strictly adhered to. Many shops in tourist resorts are open seven days a week and keep later hours.
Department stores and supermarkets are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and from 8am to at least 3pm on Saturday. They are closed on Sunday.
Periptera (street kiosks) are open from early morning until late at night. They sell everything from bus tickets and cigarettes to razor blades and shaving cream.
Restaurant hours vary enormously. Most places are normally open for lunch from 11am to 3pm and for dinner from 7pm to 1am, while restaurants in tourist areas remain open all day. Cafes normally open at about 10am and stay open until midnight.
Bars open from about 8pm until late. Discos and nightclubs don’t usually open until at least 10pm; it’s rare to find much of a crowd before midnight. They close at about 4am, later on Friday and Saturday.
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CHILDREN
Greece is a safe and easy place to travel with children. Greeks will generally make a fuss over your children, who will find themselves on the receiving end of many small gifts and treats. Teaching your children a few words in Greek will ingratiate them further.
Matt Barrett’s website (www.greektravel.com) has lots of useful tips for parents, while daughter Amarandi has put together some tips for kids (www.greece4kids.com).
Practicalities
Travelling is especially easy if you’re staying at a resort hotel by the beach, where everything is set up for families with children. As well as facilities like paddling pools and playgrounds, they also have cots and highchairs.
Elsewhere, it’s rare to find cots and highchairs, although most hotels and restaurants will do their best to help. The fast service in most restaurants is good news when it comes to feeding hungry kids. Ordering lots of small dishes to share gives your kids the chance to try the local cuisine, and you can almost always find omelettes, chips or spaghetti on the menu. Many hotels let small children stay for free and will squeeze an extra bed in the room.
Unless you head straight for the beach, a holiday in Greece can necessitate a lot of walking. If your kids aren’t old enough to walk on their own for long, consider a sturdy carrying backpack; pushchairs are a struggle in towns and villages with slippery cobbles and high pavements. Nevertheless, if the pushchair is a sturdy, off-road style, you should be OK.
Fresh milk is available in large towns and tourist areas, but harder to find on smaller islands. Supermarkets are the best place to look. Formula is available almost everywhere, as is condensed and heat-treated milk. Disposable nappies are also available everywhere.
Travel on ferries, buses and trains is free for children under four. They