With everything going on with the Greek economy, and the immigration issues there, is it still safe to travel to Greece? I've read the State Department's consular information page about Greece, and it's not too encouraging. (I'm not sure how accurate those pages are-perhaps they're over cautions, because they don't want Americans abroad getting hurt, or worse?)
Posted by
195 posts
Hi Dave,
The overwhelming answer I've gotten is that yes, it is safe. You can see the similar thread that I had posted on this forum (currently, it is showing up right below your post, under "commila"). There are a few others too if you read back on the forum.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2127 posts
Yes, it's safe. We just returned from a month in Greece and couldn't recommend it more highly. Wonderful people, beautiful scenery. Go & enjoy.
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7039 posts
Here's the link to Commila's post: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/greece/safety-concerns-has-anything-changed
And here's another post that might help you: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/greece/is-greece-safe-in-summer-of-2016-a-good-place-to-visit-this-year
Posted by
Northeast Ohio, USA
683 posts
I was in Athens for a few days in late May, and everything was fine. More street beggars than I have seen elsewhere, but that is not surprising given recent years' events. The new airport (new to me), and connections to the city, are big improvements over the old ones.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32214 posts
dave,
There are never any guarantees, but in all likelihood you won't have any problems, but will have a wonderful trip. I don't think anything has changed with the economy in the last few months. If the "immigration issues" you're referring to is the migrants, I doubt that you'll find many of them around the usual tourist spots such as Santorini.
Posted by
OP
Centennial, CO
11 posts
I'm not worried about seeing any migrants, just anti-migrant violence. Thanks for the reply!
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1376 posts
Just back from Greece. We have many acquaintances from our Greek travels and in discussions with them the Greek people are overwhelmingly sympathetic to the plight of the migrants. At this point the migrants are being housed between the ferry and Cruise ship ports at Piraeus and are not even visible from either port. The rest are at the old airport. The only violence that has happened was when the Greek authorities moved the migrants from temporary shelter to the airport facility several months ago.
As long as one doesn't choose to go to an island close to Turkey, like Kos and Lesvos, Greece is safe and is still an excellent vacation destination.