Business Hours and Shopping Hours in Greece

The Fine Line Between Tradition, Lunacy, Socialism and Tourism

Its is with much sadness that I announce the end of an era. Now the law is that there is no law. There is no one set of hours any more. Retail stores can stay open as long as they want except on Sundays. So its pot luck people! The unions and tenured civil servants don't like this one bit either so more developments are expected. Still, this page will give you some idea of what to expect here on your Greece travels.

Greek Retail Shopping Hours

The Old Greece, much like Mexico and Spain, enjoyed the charming custom of traditional siestas every afternoon on working days all year; Monday thru Friday. Mostly due to the hot climate and continual sun in summer but carried over into the winter too, probably for the sake of continuity.

In Greece at least, that meant that stores opened at 8:30 am and closed at 1:30 pm and then re-opened at 5:00 pm and closed again at 8:00 PM. It was too stupifyingly hot to work, so siestas seemed to make sense to me, an American raised child visitor used to 9 to 5 schedules and cooler climes. This obviously doubled work commutes and consequent traffic jams from the git go.

There weren't 2,000,000 cars in Athens then and air-conditioned malls were unheard of, much less multi-national European chain stores like Carrefour, Praktiker, Continent and others. Heck they didn't even have TV till 1970.

As time went on, and Greece and the rest of Europe modernized, Athens' traffic got so bad that they decided to tweak the hours retail sotres could be open and shortened Thursdays and Saturdays hours to 8:30 - 3:00.

So now you had to remember what day was what.

Pharmacies in Greece for the the Greek Traveler

Then they tweaked them again and made hours 8:00 to 8:00 for certain kinds of multi-national concerns and all supermarkets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. However, these rules never applied equally to Pharmacies which are closed on Saturdays and Sundays except for emergency ones in each neighborhood. Pharmacies have their own Byzantine system of hours so if you see one open: shop. If you see one closed, they are required to have a list in the window of other pharmacies that are open, when and where. The newspapers also have lists which are often wrong, even on line. I know from personal experience. So call in advance and make sure they are really open.

So now you had to remember what day was what and what business was open what time and what day.

Greek Post Offices and Greek Banking Hours

Of course this never applied to Banks and Government Ministries and the interminable transition from the Old Greece to the New Greece has changed nothing for them, they still close at 1:30 pm. There are automated tellers for banks at least, in parts of the New Greece and mail boxes for those that buy stamps for their home country all at once.

Greek Post Offices and banks aren't just places to mail things or deposit money, however. They offer Greeks the convenience to pay other state or quasi-official type bills such as taxes and state run insurance, phone, water and up until very recently, electric bills. Expect long lines at banks and at the busier Post Office's, really long lines.

As you wait in these lines, sometimes sitting, sometimes standing, you'll be glad you took a number from the dispenser as you entered. Exactly like a deli service number back home at the super market or bakery. Look around for the dispenser, its usually near the entrance but can be blocked by large crowds or potted plants.

Activities While in Line in Greece for the Greek Traveler

If you plan ahead there are a myriad of things you can do while in line at a Greek Post Office or bank. I wont list them all for you here but, you could, for example, practice your Greek language phrases.

Ti Pati-sa-me would be appropriate in this situation and means: "we stepped in it'.

A good book is always recommended when going to the Greek Post Office or bank! A chair or folding stool and a pic-nik lunch are other possibilities along with a transistor radio or portable TV.

Greeks never pay any bills by bank-check via envelope and mailbox because they don't have checking accounts. Instead they have pass book accounts. Only businesses have checking accounts or rich people. Also, if you gave Greeks checking accounts, not only would people write bad checks but people who worked as tellers or in other related jobs would loose jobs maybe? The Socialists don't want this to happen as it would cost them votes!

Business Hours in Modern Greece for the Greek Traveler(subject to change)

Monday,Wednesday, Saturday
9 to 3 and 5:30 to 8:30 but in summer they change to
8:30 to 3 - 5:30 to 9 p.m. Then on
Tuesday, Thursday, Fridays its:
9 to 2 and 5:30 to 8:30 &
8:30 to 2 - but in summers its
5:30 to 9 p.m.

These hours are loose except for banks and post offices and anything else official which close at 1:30 and 2 PM. There are usually long lines so go early. Private money exchanges keep longer hours, are quicker and the rate, as good or better usually.

Larger grocery stores are allowed to stay open from 8 to 8, Monday through Saturday and stores in tourist areas can stay open longer. Sundays most museums are free and a lot of tourist type things are open.

Recently Greece has seen the advent of the Super Store ala Wal Mart or Sams-Cosco-BJ's Warehouse outlets, even though none of these Greek situated places carry Mexican Salsa or Hot Sauce of any kind they are your best bet for shopping like you do back home. Of course you may need a rental car or Paul the honest Greece Taxi Driver to get to them and to carry all your stuff back to your yacht or villa or wherever.

'Continent' is a major European chain that you'll find on Leoforos Vouligameni near the yacht basin and in

Remember as you enter this store that you will immediately be incontinent.

There are plenty of smaller local stores with a lot more personality and easier to access although they may cost more and have less in stock.