What's it like to travel in Greece right now?

First trip to Greece, we will be there until mid-September. <br><br>TL/DR: Prices are astronomical. Tourists begin to dwindle. <br><br><br> TL/DR<br><br>Basic Info:<br><br>We booked a hotel room for one week at Lycabettus hotel in late August. The hotel is a 2.5 star, but is very neat, tidy, well-run. They had separate pool hours for men and women, but since there's not enough visitors they allow us to swim together. The gentleman concierge is quite the character, he bookmarked every restaurant and cafe for me so I could find food that's not extortionately expensive.<br><br><br> The hotel has a mini fridge. There's no freezer, so I can't buy ice cream. But I got a bottle of wine, and put it in the fridge and then every time I take a scoop out, I immediately return it to the fridge and that seems to keep it cool enough for 3 snacks. Put the scoops in a cup or on a plate, or you'll end up with wine that tastes like plastic. The mini fridge is a normal size fridge, so I say mini fridge only because it comes with the room and isn't a separate purchase. The mini fridge is a normal size fridge, it's only mini compared to the fridges we call normal fridges at home. <br><br><br>We booked a second week at the same hotel, but they said they couldn't guarantee us a room on the top floor, so we might be moved. But they said we would still get breakfast and access to the rooftop pool. <br>It's still very hot outside, and the hotel has turned off the air conditioning. <br><br>Air Conditioning:<br><br>We don't have separate controls for the air conditioning, and we cannot turn it on ourselves. This is a common thing here in Greece, where the hotel decides for you when and if the AC is on. The value is 3.5€ per day for AC (if you buy a daily pass), so 105€ per month. The problem with the AC is that it's a central unit, so if one person leaves their balcony door open, the AC will suck out the cold air and warm up the room. So it's a waste of money if people don't close their balcony doors. <br>I don't want to pay 105€ per month for AC when the hotel doesn't guarantee that it's turned on. Instead, I can buy fans for 30€ that will produce better results since it's already a dry heat. I'm only here for 2 weeks, but my brother will be here with me for a month. The central AC is an absolute rip off. <br>When you arrive in Greece, you bug out at the prices of everything, but after a while you get used to it. <br><br>Food and Drink:<br><br>I have an allergy to raw onions, and I get relief from antihistamines. <br>I ordered a gyro with tomato and onion and cucumber. I told them no onion because I'm allergic, and they said that's fine. The whole gyro tasted like onion, I'm guessing because the tomato and cucumber were also exposed to onion on the cutting board. I got sick for two days, but it was worth it. <br>When you walk around Athens, there's a smell of lamb and onions, and I get dizzy whenever I smell that out here. <br><br>For example, if you're at a cafe and you don't order any food, you have to pay 2€ for a glass of water. If you order food, they will give you water for free. But if you want a bigger glass of water, you have to pay 2€ for that. <br><br>Feta cheese is more expensive than lamb meat. The produce is fresh and tastes amazing, but it's also expensive. But since the cheese is more expensive than meat, the cheese portions are smaller than the meat portions. But it's worth it. <br>When you order a salad or a plate of falafel, they'll throw in a small chunk of lamb that they roasted. <br><br>For example, if you're at a cafe and you don't order any food, you have to pay 2€ for a glass of water. If you order food, they will give you water for free. But if you want a bigger glass of water, you have to pay 2€ for that. <br><br>Restaurants are expensive, so we snacks at the cafes. <br><br><br>Tourism:<br><br><br><br>Prices:<br><br><br><br>Public Education:<br><br><br><br>Public Healthcare:<br><br><br><br>Public Transportation:<br><br><br><br>Cost of Living:<br><br><br><br>Pointers:<br><br>- Be sure to go to the Acropolis when it's not too sunny. It's a bigger problem if you're wearing a hijab. <br><br>- DO NOT buy a tour ticket at the line. There's a ticket office that is also at the line, and they speak English. They will also give you a ticket for the public bus. The ticket is 20€ PP for a 5 day ticket. You just have to show them your passport or ID, they don't check your age if you say you're under 18 and going free. The ticket will give you access to a lot of tourist sites: Acropolis, olive tree, museum, theatre, etc. <br>- The ticket office is cash only. <br><br>- If you want to get your ticket at the ticket office, get there at 7am. The ticket office will close at 6pm, but you can still buy tickets online. If you buy your ticket online, you can go straight to the tourist site and they will let you in with your phone. <br><br>- They turn off the tap water in the Acropolis at 6pm and turn on the bug zappers. <br><br>- Be sure to only buy bottles of water that are 100% recyclable. You can tell from the recycling logo on the bottom of the bottle. <br><br>- Be sure to bring a refillable water bottle. All the tourist sites have free water fountains, but they are not turned on at all hours. <br><br>- Even if you have a refillable bottle, bring at least one of the 100% recyclable plastic bottles and you'll see why. Bring a full litre of water with you if you can. The plastic bottles are cheap and inexpensive, and the security guards at the tourist sites will let you bring it in. <br><br>- Be sure to bring sunscreen with you, and apply it often. Very often. <br><br>- The elevator is free. But if you're riding the bus back down, you'll pay the bus fare. You should walk down from the Acropolis, it's not as bad as it seems and it's good exercise for you. You can walk down from the hill and get on the bus. <br><br><br>Heroes and Zeroes:<br><br>Heroes: <br><br>1. Security Guard at the Acropolis<br><br>Zeroes: <br><br>1. Hotel manager at Lycabettus Hotel. <br><br>Conclusion:<br><br>The prices are astronomical and there's no public education or public healthcare. Public transportation is also very expensive. We would love to stay longer and explore more of Greece, but it's just not possible. I recommend visiting Greece, but go to Istanbul instead. <br><br>The cafe and restaurant workers are the hardest hit, and they deserve better. The people here are very kind and welcoming, and they are beautiful inside and out. <br><br>It will take a lot for me to ever come back here.