Chop

We will be travelling to Greece in September for the first time and have been gleaning lots of great info from this site and others. We are both quite averse to cigarette smoke and whilst accepting that the Greek laws and culture regarding smoking are a lot more lax than ours (Australia), we would like to use hotels and restaurants who have smoke free areas (if these exist). I would like to hear from travellers who have recently been to Athens regarding their experiences with any smoking/non smoking policies.

Kristinelaine

We were in Greece this year in September. We ate almost every meal outside -- on a square, on the street, on a balcony, on a roof top. That mostly took care of the smoke problem.

Weadles

We visited Athens in July. I am very allergic to cigarette smoke, but there are plenty of open-air cafes w/ decent ventilation, so it never became a real issue. By the way, I don't remember seeing any smoke/free zones in restaurants or hotels, although they may exist. Good luck!

Weadles

I just wanted to add that unbelievably, the worst place in all of Greece for me was Athens Airport! I felt as though I'd walked into a smoke cloud.

mileaday

We spent two weeks in Athens and Santorini this past Sept. There was smoke pretty much everywhere with much of it coming from tourists. I noticed quite a few no smoking signs but they more often than not had a smoker puffing away right under them. We just tried to find outside tables where the wind would blow the smoke away from us. And we checked out the tables around us before we were seated to see if people had cigarette packs on the tables. I think the country did go smoke free a while ago but I didn't see any evidence of it being enforced.

GBC

To Chop...We share your aversion to smoke - especially when eating or sleeping. In 2005 we stayed in the Athens Electra Palace, Plaka. Perhaps we were lucky or perhaps they have some non-smoking areas, but we really didn't have a problem during our visit. You could contact them and inquire. The location, right in the Plaka, is very good and the hotel was very comfortable.

We were also lucky to find a small restaurant which allowed smoking, but we always went early before it became crowded, and they would seat us in such a way that we were a little separate from anyone who smoked. They were very considerate about it.

We were in Greece for just over a month and were, for the most part, able to stay away from the smoke filled areas. Breakfast in the hotel and eating dinner a little early, or outside, helps a lot.

Chop

Thanks GBC and others. Were the staff OK if you requested non smoking ? I'm concious of the culture and don't wish to offend people in their country.

GBC

You seem to be a very considerate person. I am certain that you will enjoy Greek hospitality - as we did. Learn about ten Greek words such as hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and beautiful and you'll ensure a very warm reception. Don't hesitate to request what you need, just do it in a courteous way. You'll be fine, and you may well wonder why you didn't visit Greece sooner.

nona1

Of curse you can ask if there is a non-smoking area! Just don't be rude and moan about smokers.

Funny, I went to Athens as a non-smoker and have absolutely no memories of it being a smoky hellhole or any different to other places. I'm not saying that it isn't, but it just didn't register on me at all.