We had a fantastic trip to Greece this fall, and since I’m done blogging about the trip, it seemed like a good time to share some tips for those who might be planning a trip to Greece. Here are 17 things you should know before you go!

Briefly acquainting yourself with Greece’s history can really help in your understanding of archaeological sites, museums, etc. during your time in Greece. Ancient Greece or the Hellenistic period are of course what they are most known for, but the Byzantine and Ottoman periods are fascinating as well. Good places to start are this timeline of Greek history or the Understand: History section of the Wikitravel page for Greece.

Nearly everyone we met while in Greece spoke at least some level of English, but it’s always good to learn a few things. Knowing the letters of the Greek alphabet and their sounds helped quite a bit when there were not in English/the Roman alphabet. A few other simple phrases will go a long way – please/thank you, good morning, good afternoon – so be sure to pick up a language guide or download an app on your phone to learn a few!

Greek mythology is fascinating, and has influenced storytelling and Western culture for so long that it’s worth studying whether you’re visiting Greece or not! If you are visiting Greece, it will help give you context to some of the ancient religious sites, artifacts, and artwork that you’ll see. Above is an infographic with some of the most important gods and goddesses. I also re-read Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton before/while I was in Greece and I recommend doing that to enrich your visit!

Wearing comfortable shoes is good advice pretty much anywhere you go, but for Greece I’d additionally recommend that they have some kind of grip on the bottom, and be careful if your chosen kicks don’t have ankle support. If you’re visiting archaeological sites you’ll be doing a lot of walking around on old rocks, and even if you aren’t there are cobblestoned streets to take into account. Also, as I may or may not have found out from experience, all those marble steps everywhere end up coated in marble dust and can be really slippery!

I don’t know a lot about architecture, but I thought it was fun to know a bit about the three orders of columns so I knew at least a little more what I was looking at! You can read this article for more info, but above you’ll see the three orders of architecture that you’ll see on temples in Greece. Doric is the oldest and simplest, as seen on the Parthenon. The next order, Ionic, features scrolls at the top of its columns and was used on buildings such as the Temple of Athena Nike on the Acropolis. The final Greek order, Corinthian, is more elaborate and less common. One noticeable example you might see is on the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens.

About 98% of the population of Greece is a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. You may see evidence of this during your travels, such as roadside shrines or all of the beautifully-painted religious icons you will see in homes or for sale in shops. Also remember to dress conservatively if you are visiting any of the churches in Greece. For example, the monasteries at Meteora required that shoulders be covered and then women wear skirts below the knee and men pants. Be respectful of these traditions and take the chance to learn a bit about the religion while you’re in Greece!

As with any trip overseas, you’ll want to make sure you have the correct outlet converter and/or adapter for your needs. Consult this guide to Greek power outlets to find what you’ll need. Free wifi was available at many restaurants and establishments in Greece, so you shouldn’t run into any problems there! Be aware that some of your hotel rooms may have a little slot in the wall for your room card–this allows you to use the lights when inserted so the hotel can save electricity during the day, and is a fairly common practice in Europe.

Greek food is amazing and you should be sure to try anything you can get your hands on: gyros with tzatziki sauce, saganaki (fried cheese), moussaka (a sort of eggplant-and-meat casserole), souvlaki (meat grilled on a skewer), dolma or dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita (spinach pie), loukoumades (Greek donuts), and baklava (pastry that consists of flaky layers of filo dough with nuts and honey). We tried all of the above and really enjoyed it! Greek meals very often include a delicious (and healthy) Greek salad and bread (generally accompanied by olive oil), as well as sometimes a dessert. This is one of the best parts of a trip to Greece so be sure to enjoy and try as many new things as you can!

This debate (whether going during off-season or peak-season is better) has been had by many people traveling to many different locations, and is often resolved with the advice: go during shoulder season. In Greece, peak season is July through August, since many Europeans are heading to Greece during their vacations then. Shoulder season in Greece is May-June and September-October. We went to Greece in December, which is definitely off-season. However, we had great weather (a bit too cool for swimming but a good temperature for the amount of time we spent outside) and really enjoyed our trip! If you go to Greece in the off season, you’ll have way fewer crowds (there were so many places we had basically to ourselves!) and everything will be much cheaper. The cons of this arrangement would be the unpredictability of the weather, reduced hours at many attractions (as well as earlier sunset), and less availability of some hotels and restaurants. When we were in Santorini, about half of all the shops and restaurants were closed for the winter! It’s really up to you which parts of the trip are most important to you, but for us the thinner crowds and cheaper accommodations were totally worth going in November!

Watch out for pickpockets! We had a close call with a pickpocket on the subway while we were in Greece. Like any other major tourist city, it’s important to keep an eye on your belongings in crowded places.

Holding your hand up, palm out (in the sort of gesture we would think of as meaning “stop” in the US) is a very offensive gesture in Greece, so be sure to avoid it! We only ran into it when a car would let us cross the street–our good old Midwest instincts were to wave our thanks to the driver but we had to make sure it didn’t look like this gesture! 😐

At least as of 2016 when we visited, one of the ways that Greece was trying to manage their economy was by restricting how much money citizens can withdraw from the bank. I don’t remember what exactly the limits were, but it was only so much per week or month, which of course can be hard for small businesses. Because of this, try to spend cash whenever you are dealing with a smaller business or restaurant, as it is always in a bit of short supply thanks to the restriction!

The airport in Athens is about 45 minutes (depending on traffic) by taxi from the main areas of interest to tourists. A taxi ride costs 38 euros, flat rate, plus tip, and there is a higher rate for trips between midnight and 5am. A metro ride is much cheaper, but when we weighed the pain of getting our luggage on a train and lugging it through busy streets as we tried to find our hotel, we decided we might as well take the taxi. Keep in mind the time it takes to get from Athens to the airport for planning, especially since you are most likely flying into and out of Athens! There is one hotel by the airport but the price is pretty steep, so it might be worth it to stay in Athens even if you do have an early flight–there’s much more to see and do in the city than out by the airport anyway!

You’ll likely want something to remember your trip by, and there’s no shortage of options in Greece, ranging from kitschy, like replicas of Greek sculptures, to refined, like hand-worked Byzantine-inspired gold jewelry. Be aware that haggling isn’t a common practice in Greece, though you can go so far as asking if it’s cheaper if you buy two items.

Ouzo is a good option to bring back with you, if you like it, otherwise there are many wonderful products made from olive oil. If you’d like to bring back olive oil, be sure to follow this guide to ensure it makes it home without being confiscated or soaking your luggage! A few of my favorite purchases include a St. George and the Dragon icon painted by the monks at Meteora, an olivewood mortar and pestle that I use all the time for grinding spices, and beautiful oriental rugs from The Loom.

I’d read that Greek drivers can be aggressive, and while that’s true, I don’t think it should discourage you from renting a car while there. We loved being able to explore on our own, seeing Meteora, Delphi, and Sounion. We rented a car in Santorini too to explore the island. I wouldn’t recommend driving in the middle of Athens–the traffic can be a little crazy, and you can pretty much walk or use the metro to get anywhere you’d need to go anyway–but if you’re picking up your car from the Athens airport and headed elsewhere you can avoid the traffic of Athens altogether. The ability to drive a manual will help a lot, since there are many more manual cars available (and they’re cheaper!), so keep that in mind. Besides that, you just need an International Driving Permit and you’re good to go!

Greece has a wonderful combination of friendly people, beautiful scenery, ancient ruins, and delicious food. There’s plenty to see and do, and you’ll want to make sure you bring  your camera and a journal to capture it all! I know you’ll have a great time, and I hope these tips were helpful!

How about you? Have you visited Greece, or do you want to someday? Is there anything I missed that you would add? Let me know in the comments!