The most complete information guide about Athens, Greece
Business
in Athens
and Greece
What started 6.000 years ago in the Ancient Agora, still is true
in the modern Athens of today. The city always has been a major
business center. The Greek Drachma was replaced with the Euro,
the common European currency, in 2001 making it even easier for
the city with its good banking facilities, big and small companies
and many ATM machines to do business.
General etiquette in Athens
Athenians
are not much different from the rest of the Greek population.
As all Greeks, they will appreciate you even more when you try
to speak some Greek words or basic phrases. Like in any other
place, Athenians expect common courtesy and respect. When visiting
religious places, men have to wear trousers and women skirts.
Atheneans
love eating and they take their time to do so. Be prepared for
a lengthy meal when meeting over lunch or dinner.
Athens business hours
Most
business in Athens will be open from 08:00 to 14:00 from Monday
to Thursday and from 08:00 to 13:30 on Friday. Business hours
can however vary greatly depending on the industry. Shops in tourist
areas may also be open in the afternoon and in the evening. In
Plaka and Monastiraki, shops will be open till 21:00 or later.
On public holidays, most businesses will be closed.
Banking system
The
banking and financial sectors have been liberalised considerably
since 1987 and are now basically free of state interference.
The Greek banking system consists of a Central Bank (the Bank
of Greece), 41 commercial banks, 3 investment banks, 1 specialized
bank (Agricultural Bank of Greece), 7 local co-operative banks,
the Postal Savings Bank and the Consignments and Loans Bank. Twenty-two
of the commercial banks are foreign, including four American banks.
Of the Greek commercial banks, the largest is the National Bank
of Greece, which accounts for about one-third of the country’s
banking business.
The Greek banking industry has matured considerably over the last
five years. Credit analysis has been improved, provisioning levels
have increased, IT systems have been overhauled, Internet banking
services have been set up by several firms and the standard of
management is now extremely high. Partly because of these changes,
the sector is extremely profitable. Most banks make a return on
equity of 25% and a return on assets of 1.5%.
More information on banks operating in Greece is available at
the web site of the Hellenic Bank Association: www.hba.gr
International
banks in Athens
You will find foreign exchange outlets at the airport, post offices,
tourist offices, train and bus stations, in tourist shopping areas
and some hotels and restaurants but you will get the best exchange
rate in banks. The many ATM machines in the city also will give
you the best exchange rate. They operate 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. See our International
Banks page.
Athens Internet access
More
and more internet cafes start appearing in Athens. Hotels and
hostels also increasingly provide internet access through the
use of computers they set up or through internet connection in
your room. Some hotels also provide paid internet connection through
the tv in the rooms. See our Internet
Cafes in Athens page.
Athens pharmacies (Farmakeia)
The
many pharmacies in Athens are easily identified by their neon
light outside (a green cross on a white background). They are
open from 08:30 to 14:00 as well as on Saturday mornings. For
evenings and weekends (07:30 to 14:00 and 17:30 to 22:00) you
will find a notice posted on the door or window informing you
of the nearest pharmacy that is open.
"Filoglossia": learning Greek
as a foreign language through Internet
The Greek Foreign Ministry wants to make the Greek language more
familiar to its visitors, to the extent of existing capabilities.
Therefore they support the effort undertaken by the Greek Institute
for Language and Speech Processing (ILSP), through its programme
"Filoglossia", to offer the possibility to learn Greek,
as a foreign language, on the Internet. You can access the services
provided by "Filoglossia" by connecting to the relevant web
page.
Dress code
Greeks
used to dress quite formally when dining out but over the last
10 years this has gradually changed. The older generation will
still dress up whereas the younger Atheneans wear whatever is
comfortable. However, Atheneans will still avoid dressing like
tourists (shorts, sportswear, skimpy tops). Even though they will
still be polite, Atheneans do not like tourists walking around
without a shirt, however warm it is. You can do so at the beach,
not in the city center. Most expensive restaurants will request
you to dress formally. See our Eating
and drinking pages for an extensive list of addresses of restaurants
and taverna’s.
Embassies and consulates
Greece
is represented abroad by:
-
78 embassies
- 9 permanent missions
- 48 general consulates
- 11 consulates
- 1 Institute (of Byzantine and post Byzantine studies, Venice)
- 2 liaison offices