Greece Travel Guide: Schengen Rules, Island Tipping, and What to Know Before You Go

Greece is in the Schengen Area. For visa-exempt travellers (US, UK, Canadian, Australian passports among them), the limit is 90 days within any rolling 180-day period, counted across the whole Schengen zone, not per country.

The EU's planned ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is not yet required as of this guide's last update, despite earlier announced dates that have since slipped. Check travel-europe.europa.eu directly for the current status.

Cards are now widely accepted following a requirement for Greek merchants to have card terminals, but Greece still leans more cash-oriented than Northern Europe — family-run tavernas, traditional markets, rural shops, beach vendors and some taxi drivers still prefer or require cash. Carry some euros as backup.

At ATMs, always decline any offer to be charged in your home currency ('dynamic currency conversion') and choose to be charged in euros by your own bank instead — accepting the ATM's own conversion rate is a well-documented way to lose money on the exchange rate.

Athens has a metro, tram and bus network with a contactless tap-to-pay option now available directly at validators alongside standard tickets and passes. Fares are revised periodically, so check the transit operator's current pricing rather than an old quoted figure.

Santorini and Mykonos have introduced real, dated cruise-passenger crowd-management rules for 2026, including a daily cap on cruise arrivals and a limit on what share of passengers can disembark at the main port at once, plus a sustainability fee on cruise passengers that's higher in peak season. If you're arriving by cruise to either island, check the current rules directly, since caps and fees are set and adjusted by Greek authorities rather than being a fixed, permanent policy.

Check the bill first — a service charge is sometimes already included. Where it isn't, 10-15% is standard in restaurants and tavernas. Leave restaurant tips in cash even if you're paying the bill itself by card, so it actually reaches the server. For taxis, rounding up or a euro or two is customary, more for longer trips or help with luggage.

Peak season runs roughly July through August, most intense in the first half of August when European and Greek domestic summer holidays overlap — expect packed beaches, higher prices and queues. Shoulder season (April-May, September-October) is consistently recommended for a better balance of good weather and real space — note that late May on Santorini or Mykonos can already feel like peak due to demand, so early-to-mid May and mid-September onward tend to be the more reliable quieter windows.