10 Things You Need to Know About Greece

  • 16 March, 24

With a rich history, a beautiful country with romantic beaches and wonderful islands, Greece has obviously become a trending tourist destination in recent years.  However, there are many things foreign tourists do not know about Greece and its warm native people. What are the special things in Greece?  Here are 10 interesting facts about this country that you probably didn’t know!

Greeks treasure family values

Family ties are traditionally very strong in Greek culture. Greeks tend to place a high value on family relationships, and it’s common for multiple generations to live together or near each other. Family events and gatherings are frequent, and family members often play a significant role in each other’s lives.

Greece is one of the sunniest places in the world

According to MSN Weather, Rhodes, Greece has about 300 sunny days each year. That’s about 3000 hours of sunshine, that is nearly 80% of the year. This means you can enjoy warm sunshine and blue skies all year round when in Greece.

In addition, Greece also has a temperate climate, with winters that are not too cold and summers that are not too hot. Greece is an ideal destination for those who love nature and want to get away from wet, rainy days.

Greece is home to 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Greece is famous for its name “Land of Myths”. This is the country with the oldest and most brilliant ancient civilization. Therefore, it is not surprising that by 2023, Greece will have 18 heritage sites recognized by UNESCO as world cultural heritage, such as:

  • The Temple of Apollo
  • The Acropolis of Athens
  • Medieval City of Rhodes
  • Mount Athos
  • Meteora…

The Greek Isles are home to over 6000 beautiful islands

Greece is a country with the most islands in the world, with a total of more than 6,000 islands spread across the country. However, only 227 islands of them are inhabited, each island has a unique culture and landscape, ensuring that every destination will bring a brand new adventure. Some famous islands that attract many tourists such as Santorini, Mykonos, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Milos, Naxos, Sifnos…

Greeks love their coffee

Drinking coffee is a strong modern Greek tradition, as 95% of Greeks buy coffee. Coffee is even so popular that if you go out with friends at a coffee shop here, the waiter doesn’t need to bring up a menu because they automatically assume that everyone orders coffee. Half (50%) of coffee drinkers consume more than one coffee a day, usually 2 or 3.

The Greeks start slow but always end with passion

Some people call it procrastination, some laziness. Whichever it is, there is certainly some truth in this statement. For example, take the months leading up to the summer Olympic Games of 2004, after years of talks and preparation, the country was severely behind schedule six months prior. As former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Dora Bakoyannis said, “Greeks are like the syrtaki, they start off slow and go very fast at the end.” In the end, everything came through for the Games and the international community was amazed.

Greeks love to spend time outdoors

In a country where there is on average nine months of endless sunshine, it is not surprising that Greeks enjoy spending time outside. Add to that fantastic beaches, pristine natural parks and rugged peaks, and you clearly understand why people are always outdoors, even at 10PM on a weeknight.

80% of Greece is made up of mountains

When you picture Greece, you might think of the whitewashed buildings and blue domed churches of the cities on the Mediterranean, but the majority of Greece is actually mountains. According to the Official Greece Tourism Site, Greece is one of the most mountainous countries in Europe!

Greeks love good food

Known around the world for its healthiness, Greek cuisine mainly includes vegetables, fruits, and olive oil, as well as seafood and meat. You won’t find much ketchup, ranch, or béarnaise sauce in a Greek kitchen as the food simply tastes good without any sauce or condiments besides fresh herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper. Even if you only eat a humble horiatiki (Greek salad), you will be amazed at how good it tastes.

Greece has many colorful beaches

If you think that Greek beaches have only one color, you are mistaken. Greece has beaches of many different colors, from white, black, red, yellow, to turquoise, green, and blue. These colors are created by natural elements such as sand, rock, sandstone, coral, or seaweed. Some examples of colorful beaches in Greece are:

  • Red Beach in Santorini:A beach that stands out with the red color of sand and rocks, due to the influence of volcanic activity.
  • Balos Beach in Crete: A beautiful beach with a turquoise color of sea water, due to the reflection of sunlight and coral fragments. This beach also has a white sand beach and a small island with an old castle.
  • Sarakiniko Beach in Milos: A unique beach with white limestone, due to wind and wave erosion. This beach also has alcoves, caves, and crevices, creating a lunar-like landscape.

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