Greece Has Reopened to Travelers—Here’s Everything You Want to Know

On April 19, the Greek federal government declared that a phased reopening had begun, marking the very first time worldwide travelers could stop by because the borders closed in March 2020. There’s been a hurry of interest in trips to Greece considering that, according to AFAR’s reliable vacation advisors, but a problem lingers: Should you go now?

Is Greece prepared to welcome guests?

Vacationers who can’t wait to check out Athens or go island hopping yet again need to know that Greece is in the midst of a next wave of coronavirus cases, with about 2,779 everyday instances on ordinary, and has described a whole of just around 320,000 COVID-19 conditions and 9,700 deaths as of April 21, according to the Greek Countrywide General public Overall health Group.

A nationwide lockdown is in put right until Might 3, the working day after Orthodox Easter (May well 2), which features a everyday curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Vacation outdoors the residence is to be avoided other than for crucial good reasons, such as for operate, university, banking, grocery purchasing, or medical products and services. Outdoor exercise for physical workout is permitted.

There’s also a ban on vacation involving various areas of the nation, set to lift on Could 15, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis declared in a televised handle on April 21. Until eventually then, you can only cross concerning regions for wellness, business enterprise, or family factors.

Dining establishments and cafés will be allowed to reopen for outside services beginning May perhaps 3. Numerous shops have reopened. Masks are expected during Greece, indoors as nicely as outdoors. 

The country, which has a population of 11 million, has administered just about 2.6 million doses of COVID vaccines as of April 21, according to a Reuters COVID-19 tracker. The speed is on the lessen finish of the spectrum for European countries, according to these graphs, but there are also a great deal of European international locations shifting slower than Greece to get their populations vaccinated.

“While American travelers are welcome now, we suggest booking for June or July,” claims Marci-Beth Maple, marketing and advertising manager at Zicasso, a travel agency that specializes in Greece.

Maple adds that “while Greece is underneath some limits at the minute, we hope the region to have settled into the new benchmarks for vacation with security protocols applied throughout resort homes, dining establishments, and museums, and most restrictions lifted inside the initially few weeks of Could.”

She also recommends September and October soon after the peak summer months heat and crowds of August subside. For those people anxious about receiving entry to museums and other venues that may possibly be limiting potential, Maple notes that functioning with a Greece journey expert to safe reservations and map out an itinerary and journey facts will support.

Needs for touring to Greece

Effective April 19, travelers from the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates are authorized to enter Greece with no acquiring to quarantine if they meet up with specified situations.

These coming from the previously mentioned nations who’ve been given a total dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at minimum 14 days prior to arrival do not require to quarantine they also are not necessary to give a destructive COVID-19 PCR take a look at. Individuals who are not vaccinated will have to have to deliver a damaging COVID-19 PCR exam from within 72 hrs of arrival in Greece. Young children ages five and beneath are exempt.

Travellers can enter the region by means of 9 airports: Athens, Thessaloniki, Heraklion, Corfu, Rhodes, Kos, Chania, Mykonos, and Santorini. Land border entries are permitted at the entry gates of Promachonas and Nymphaio.

All tourists ought to fill out a Passenger Locator Kind no more than 24 hrs prior to arriving in Greece.

All global arrivals will be matter to random and necessary wellbeing checks in Greece, which can include things like a immediate COVID-19 antigen check. All those who take a look at constructive for SARS-Cov-2 will be transported to a quarantine lodge, paid out for by the Greek government, in which they will take a COVID-19 PCR check to ensure the effects. For travelers who check optimistic yet again, they will stay in quarantine for at minimum 10 times immediately after which they will go through a new spherical of testing to establish if they are COVID-absolutely free.

Necessities for returning to the United States

Effective January 26, all international arrivals to the United States—including returning U.S. citizens—must deliver proof of a laboratory-generated negative COVID-19 examination consequence procured no a lot more than a few times prior to departure, in accordance to a CDC buy issued in January. The checks will have to either be a viral antigen exam or a nucleic acid amplification test, these types of as a polymerase chain response (PCR) take a look at.

The examination outcome have to be possibly a paper or electronic doc offered by a laboratory. It ought to include things like the passenger’s identify, specimen collection date, and the style of test.

There is at this time no exception for people who have been vaccinated for COVID-19.

What airlines have flights to Greece appropriate now?

Starting June 3, United Airlines will resume its day by day summer season services to Athens from Newark Global Airport in New Jersey. On July 1, the carrier will start off traveling in between Washington Dulles International Airport and Athens.

Other carriers that currently provide immediate or connecting flights to Athens from the U.S. consist of Delta, Air France, Swiss, Lufthansa, Emirates, and Turkish Airways. Be guaranteed to check out on COVID-19-similar arrival and transit prerequisites for international flights with connections to Greece.

Where by to keep in Greece

For those people who equate Greece with a gorgeous villa escape, onefinestay has you included. The luxury household and villa rental firm recently launched a new collection of far more than 30 villas on the islands of Mykonos and Santorini, just in time for the country’s reopening. You can in all probability expect a pool and priceless Mediterranean views. Friends can also guide in-villa spa providers, personal yacht charters, and chef-geared up meals.

Another excellent solution for smooth villas on the Greek islands is Welcome Outside of, a effectively-curated, structure-ahead assortment of households with 22 houses situated through Greece. 

For a really luxurious stay in Santorini, the recently opened Santorini Sky offers complete-provider villas with plunge swimming pools and coastal sights. The spouse and children-welcoming Cretan Malia Park, which opened in 2020, is a secluded beachside retreat in Crete that embraces wellness with conditioning and yoga courses, high-quality Mediterranean dining, and offers actions this kind of as snorkeling and biking.

You can also search some of our beloved inns in Greece. Just before you e book be guaranteed to get hold of the property: Some might have closed in the course of the pandemic, and many others may perhaps have diminished ability and amenities (swimming pools, dining, and spa products and services might not be readily available).

Can you cruise in Greece this summer season?

Certainly. Superstar Cruises will mark its return to Europe this summer season with the launch of its new 2,910-passenger Celeb Apex in Greece—and individuals who are vaccinated, together with Us citizens, are getting invited to board.

The 7-night time sailings will kick off on June 19 out of Athens and cease at the Greek islands of Mykonos, Rhodes, and Santorini in Limassol, Cyprus and Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel. The cruises are currently accessible for reserving.

All crew and guests 18 and over aboard the Celebrity Apex will be necessary have a COVID-19 vaccine. Those less than the age of 18 ought to present proof of unfavorable COVID-19 PCR test success to board.

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have also introduced ideas to sail in Greece this summer time for those people who have been vaccinated.

Linked Push contributed reporting.