A few last minute questions
 

We take off on Monday - so excited. so a few last minute questions...

1. What are the tipping customs?
2. Do restaurants close after lunch at a particular time or do they generally stay open in the afternoons?
3. Do museums tend to close for lunch?

Thanks as always

TIPPING - RESTAURANTS - normally included in the bill ... what Greeks do is "round up" ... if you are paying 11.20 for lunch, leave 12. If u want to leave more, NOT more than 10%. For just a coffee bar, 0. TAXI - if its the flat-fee from/to airport, zero, unless he helps a lot w. heavy bags. Other taxi rides of 10, I round up or give €1. HOTEL ROOM - I leav €1 per night if theres a daily room & bath clean-up.

RESTAURANTS - If open for lunch, no closing. But of course, perhaps in off-hours not as much on offer, if it's a small place or in a small town or beach place. There are some "dinner only" places that don't open luntil 5 pm or so.

MUSEUMS - No.

Tipping

Restaurants
Tips are included theoretically, however everyone expects a tip..
Greeks never round up, they just leave their tip on the table.
For a bill of 20 - 25 Euro, i would tip 1.50 - 2 Euro.

Taxi's
We round up.. 1 Euro would be the max.

Hotels
Greeks never tip, the cleaning ladies are used to tips from foreign visitors.... often even the reception.... It is up to your discretion how much you will tip.

Opening Hours

Many restaurants in touristic areas are open non stop after noon..
especially the ones near /on the beach
We don't have the italian habit of a break between lunch and dinner.. where everything is closed....
Generally speaking, the most touristy an area is, the more you will find tourist friendly opening hours.....
Greeks for instance use to eat dinner after 21:00 hrs in the summer.....

Museums and archaeological sites have opening hours that you can find here http://odysseus.culture.gr/index_en.html
This is the official website of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

Major Museums and sites have extended opening hours till 20:00 hrs

excellent - that was what I was wondering. Most appreciated.

and Clausar, perhaps you can help me "get it" - as an American who normally eats dinner at 18:30 or so, if you eat at 20:00 hrs, what time do you get to bed, and how in the world do you get up for work in the morning. We experienced the same in France and Portugal, and while we adapted and had fun, I still have a hard time getting how folks not on vacation manage it (:

Laura, family dinner hour of 18:30 (6:30pm), with dad out watering the lawn by 7 pm was one big reason why I left Indiana for Manhattan at age 22 ...

Folks who live in countries like that established later dining many centuries before the advent of air conditioning ... in hot countries who wants to eat before sundown. And their daily schedule also adapted to the climate. They don't start serious business meetings at 8 am, and they don't run for a train at 5, and end all substantive conversation by 8.


Being an "owl" rather than a "lark" myself, I like their schedule just fine. Having been captive in a world of "lark rules" most of my life, I enjoy living on Greece time. So adapt and enjoy! Kalo Taxidi!

Greeks eat on the late side, 9-10 if I recall. Later lunches too. Spain was even later.
Six-thirty is quite early for dinner in all the places I have ever lived in the US too.

jan - had to laugh when I saw your "dad out watering the lawn by 7pm" - my dad was still having his before dinner cocktail at 7pm. (guess where I'm from).

As a person who not only has to get up very early for work, but actually prefers early mornings -whether at work, just at home, or on trips - I have found it pretty easy to adapt to the schedules in Italy, Spain, Greece. For one thing, the restaurants open earlier than the 'average' dining time - most are open by 7pm even if the locals don't generally eat till 9, so you can be one of the first there and still get a regular dinner. Also there are lots of more casual places if you don't need/want a sit down dinner every night. And you do find you adjust your day to be later than you are used to at home. In hot weather, going back to your hotel in the middle of the day for a nap allows you to both stay up late and get up early and enjoy the cooler and less crowded parts of the day early and late.

the trick is to nap in the afternoon,

I used to work internationally and our American mid colleagues would phone the UK at 1pm for the first review of the day (I know!) so we had to explain that the Belgians were still out to lunch and the Spanish would be out for another 3 hours, but if they called by at their noon we could catch-them-up. "when do these people work?".

BTW clausar is always spot on Greek behaviour.

thanks all - when in Greece, we shall take naps and eat as late as we can manage. I promise to trip report as we go - back to the packing!