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Greece

4,774 bytes added, 18:59, 25 September 2018
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{{infobox Country
|country = of Greece
|map= <map lat='39.7916548352534258' lng='21.4672851562547' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' />
|language = Greek
|capital = [[Athens]]
|hitch = <rating country='gr' />
}}
'''Greece''' is a country in [[Southern Europe]], bordering [[TurkeyAlbania]], [[BulgariaRepublic of Macedonia|FYRoM]], [[Republic of Macedonia|MacedoniaBulgaria]] , and [[AlbaniaTurkey]]. It is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]].
Contrary to belief, Greek drivers will rarely, if ever, ask for money[[File:IMG_2349. Because there are few jpg|thumb|250px|Hitchhiker [[highwayUser:Whisperingofthestars|motorwaysJason]] thumbing in Greece, June 2008. His hips have seemingly turned inside out.]] Hitchhiking in Greece can vary between very slow and very fast. A few useful Greece-particular tips to make it faster: 1. '''Signs''' are usually very helpful. Write the national roads become great havens of locals closest reasonably big town - not road numbers and long distance drivers pouring in from the south east to west not a faraway destination. The Greeks generally will take your sign very literally and vice versawon't stop if they're not going that far, up into even if it's the northsame direction. Hitching Write the signs in Greece both Greek and English. 2. '''Local roads''' during daytime can be very fast and hitched without a little slow because sign. After dark people won't be going far and many Greeks seem to be afraid of Albaniansthem won't stop. It 3. '''Motorways''' - Sliproads, ramps etc generally don't work well (unless you're in a big city and many cars are taking the road you need). If there's a motorway, the best (though not safest) option will be to ask too much about stand on it as something close . Officially it's illegal, and some hitchhikers have been asked to move by the police, while others have had no problems at all. It's better to stay away from tollbooths, bridges and tunnels, since you might be seen by people or by cameras.Safety-wise, there is usually room to racism stop, and prejudice comes outsometimes you can walk on the external side of the fence until you get to a good point. * Petrol stations are very small and rare on motorways, so hitchhiking from one to another is not a good option. Better stay on the motorway itself. 4. You '''Locals''' can cross give very good hitchhiking advice (locations, routes, and sometimes they'll even find the next ride for you). Make sure they understand that you're hitchhiking all the border by footway (not just to a bus station) and tell them where you want to be today. They might be able to help!
[[File:IMG_2349Many Greeks seem to be afraid of immigrants. It's best not to ask too much about it as something close to racism and prejudice comes out. Greeks who have lived abroad or have travelled around seem to be much more open to picking up hitch-hikers, as are foreign tourists.jpg|thumb|250px|Hitchhiker  Because there are few [[User:Whisperingofthestarshighway|Jasonmotorways]] thumbing in Greece, June 2008the national roads become great havens of locals and long distance drivers pouring in from the south east to west and vice versa, up into the north. Also, tolls have increased as of recently, making motorways less attractive for long distance drivers. Greek drivers will never directly ask for money. His hips In very few cases, some might say they don't have enough to pay the tolls, or that they have seemingly turned inside outnot enough petrol to arrive to their destination and no money to buy more.]]
It is very hard to hitchhike using mainly [[petrol station hitchhiking|petrol stations]] – it You can cause long waits since they are a little off cross the motorway border by foot!EDIT- If you´re crossing border to Turkey between Alexandroupoli and quite small Tekirdag it´s not possible to go by Western standardsfoot. Besides, Between greek and turkish border there is a bridge and soldiers will tell you can barely find any in the northern parts that you have to go by car on this bridge of course because of Greecenational security. The best way to get lifts is to hitch right on the road (if it is not a motorwayChecked in Semptember 2016). It is not recommended to thumb on the motorways, although some hitchhikers do so anyway since the cars are more likely to stop, and the police are pretty liberal about it; however, it is at your own risk.
It would be smart not to mention "Macedonia either – " as a country. Greeks call "Macedonia" the northern part of Greece. If you're going to the [[Republic of Macedonia|former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia]], and want to avoid the political conversation, just say that you're going to "FYROM" or [[Skopje]] issue might be emotional for many (older) Greeks.
[[File:Greece-map-license-plates.jpg|thumb|300px|Map of licence plates.]]In summer it can get very hot in Greece, so be careful that you don't get sunburned and carry plenty of water with you. It is also wise to have a large cardboard sign which you can use as makeshift umbrella while you're waiting for cars.
== Number plates ==
The number plates of Greece usually consist of 3 letters (from which the and 4 digits. The first two 1 or 2 letters represent a city) and a numberstate. The plates are valid for the whole life of the vehicle even if its owner moves to an other town, so you can not be absolutely sure about where the vehicle is from.
== [[Camping|Free Wild camping]] ==Free Wild camping in Greece is not allowed, but fortunatelyforbidden by law. If you camp next to hotels, compared with the organized campgrounds or other Mediterranean EU countrieskind of tourist accommodation, there are still a lot of of beaches where you their owner can camp for free and without call the police. [[policePolice]] problems. Police may fine you (150 euro) during the summer months (July and August especially), so it's best to ask other free wild campers when you arrive at a beach.
Compared with the other Mediterranean EU countries, there are still a lot of of beaches where you can camp for free and without police problems. You can camp freely anywhere in the mountains, valleys, hills, river beds etc. Nobody is going to chase you off. Anyway the law that forbids free camping was created due to economical reasons so that hotels, organised campgrounds and all kinds of tourist accommodation can flourish, which means that if you camp where there is no tourism nobody will come after you.
== Cities ==
* [[Athens (Greece)|Athens]]
* [[Thessaloniki]]
* [[Patra]]
* [[Ioannina]]
* [[Kalamata]]
* [[Florina]]
* [[Igoumenitsa]]
* [[Florina]]
* [[Patra]]
* [[Greek islands]]
* [[Kavala]]
* [[Xanthi]]
== Getting away ==
* To [[Ferries between Italy and Greece|Italy]]
You can get a ferries from Igoumenitsa or Patra. A lot of trucks going through Igoumenitsa.
Ferries are expensive and time consuming, but there is a shower and you can sleep on the deck. Crossing in the truck cab - dangerous and illegal. There are discounts for students. If you are under 25 - ask for a discount!
 
== Personal Experiences ==
" I was just crossing Greece from Bulgaria to Turkey and I expected easy way but it was totally different. I spent there about 4 days hitch-hiking full of depressions. Greeks just didn't stop and waiting time about 3 hours wasn't anything special. For me it was the worst hitch-hiking country ever. For me Greece was even worse than Italy or Spain!" (August 2016) => Local's answer : There's a big wave of refugees since the war in Syria and people are scared. A driver could be detained for trafficking, if he's carrying passengers who entered Greece illegally. If you try NOT to look like a refugee and speak to people in gas stations, East Macedonia + Thraki could be crossed in less than 48h.
 
Not looking like a refugee is easily the worst advice I've heard, I look like what most people would consider a hipster and still a very nice and helpful worker at a petrol station thought that I'm an Algerian for an hour even though I've said that I'm Hungarian in Greek, just because of my Mediterranean complexion.
However, I didn't have absurd waiting times but the existence of highways without good possibilities for hitchhikers to use them makes Greece easily the worst Balkans country to hitchhike.
== Links ==* [httpEarly September 2018://ideHitchhiking to Athens seems to be extremely easy. In fact we only needed one car all the way from Thessaloniki and even on the way back people were offering us rides to Athens on gas stations and certain points. Hitchhiking north however is an absolute nightmare! Barely anyone outside the bigger cities speaks even elementary English and it seems some pretend not to as to avoid conflict.li/modulesThe national road not only has an exit to every village (which means people go 5km ahead like on local roads) but it's also illegal to be on it.php?name=News&file=article&sid=218 14 hours of autostop] – We got displaced by the yellow inquisition multiple times for walking or hitchhiking adventures on it so if you're not the entrance you've got high chances you'll get to meet them too. The police doesn't seem to care but these guys are ruthless. Local roads are sometimes way easier to hitchhike (From Kastro to Tragana you have a good chance to ride in the back of a pick up truck) often with nicer people but their layout is a bit nonsensical, and drinkable water isn't a standard in a big part of Georgi Kalendarov Greece. Overall it's not an easy journey (at least in the southern and central parts) but definitely a fun challenge! SO if you're looking to test your willpower and Diljan Vulevstrength, this is the way to go! If you're looking for speed on the other hand and are going north of Bulgaria, Athens I recommend not settling for cars that will take you to villages/smaller towns. It might seem like it's taking longer but a single truck driver is way better than spending 2 days on some national road entrances in Greece the middle of nowhere.
== Hotels ==
* [http://www.lichnosbeach.gr/ Lichos Beach Hotel in Parga, Greece]
{{IsIn|Balkans}}
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