Off to Greece finally next week. My trip will involve a few private taxi transfers, any ideas on how much to tip for taxis, etc.? And how open are the beaches, I am hoping NOT to have a two-tone face tan, although I realize masks are required everywhere but hopefully not the beach?
Posted by
172 posts
My observation on Greek mask wearing: indoors stores and public areas almost everyone is wearing a mask. Outdoors just walking around 50% wear masks and half of those masks are below the nose. Outside cafes and restaurants nobody wears a mask except the servers. Haven’t seen anyone wearing a mask at the beach! Relax and enjoy.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
I can’t comment on Greece, but mask wearing outdoors was required in Spain when I was there last October, including on the beach but not whilst in the sea. The police visited the beach occasionally and told people to wear their masks when talking to others. Assuming Greece is similar, keep your mask to hand. I think they will be more concerned about the transmission of Covid than your tan!
Posted by
585 posts
Re tipping. In Greece it’s usual not to tip in the standard North American way…just round up; for example if taxi costs 43€ round it up to 45€. The same for meals, or just leave a couple of Euro on the table. If you receive extra service then tip as you would here. For example, I had a prepaid car to take me from Athens to the port; when loading my carry-on spinner, the handle broke and the driver tried to fix it, without success. So at the port he found a luggage store and helped me purchase a new case at a reasonable price and dispose of broken case. I was happy to give him a good tip.
Posted by
74 posts
There was a thread on this earlier. Someone said the police were fining people and that they are required unless you are actively exercising (like running or biking not "walking" from spot to spot) or eating. I've read that many of the Greek islands have high vaccination rates, so at the risk of inflaming some, it is a shame that they elected to do vaccine or test for tourists as I suspect the "or test" option is triggering the mask requirements.
Posted by
172 posts
As of today, June 24, the Greek government dropped the outdoor mask wearing requirement.
Posted by
OP
California
11 posts
I arrived in Mykonos today and was really surprised at how many people (mainly young people), are not wearing masks - this explains it! I will remain prudent wherever I think needed. Thanks for the update.