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Greece - Facts

Nov 12, 2025

Greece FAQs

Pre-Arrival Boat: E-Tepai (Greek Cruising Tax) must be applied for and paid online prior to arrival. See Clearance for details. Make sure all your Documents are in order, particularly VAT status.
Pre-Arrival Crew: If non-EU/Schengen then generally you will need a visa. See Immigration for details.
Where can I enter? Click on the anchor symbol in the blue “Explore Country” drop down, to see ports of entry. Some ports of entry are only open between May and October.
Are fees high to enter by yacht? This depends on the size of your boat (if over 12m E-Tepai fees are much higher). See Fees for further info.
What security concerns should I know about? Generally Greece is a trouble-free country for cruising boats. See Security for more info.

Greece Facts for Sailors

  • Important pre-arrival information: Greek Cruising Tax (TEPAI) should be registered for and paid online, in advance of your arrival in Greece. See Clearance for all the details.
  • Greece is a peninsula and mountainous country located in SE Europe, in the Balkans peninsula and has a land area of 128,900 km2 (49,769 sq. miles). The country has the largest coastline in Europe (13,676km) due to its numerous islands. There are 2,000 Greek islands, but only 168 are inhabited.
  • Athens is the capital of Greece.
  • The population is estimated at 10.7 million people.
  • The vast majority speak Greek, which is the country's official language. The other languages spoken are Macedonian (called "Slav-Macedonian" in Greece), Albanian, spoken in the centre and the south, Turkish, spoken by Muslim communities around the Aegean, Arumanian and Bulgarian. None of these minority languages has official status.
  • Greece is part of the European Union and the currency is the Euro.
  • The standard time is Eastern European Time (UTC+02:00). See General Info. for more details.
  • The climate along the coastline is Mediterranean in character: mild moist winters and dry hot summers. See Weather for more details.
  • The crowds are also seasonal and it certainly pays to cruise Greece outside of the peak summer months, ideally around Easter, which is the main holiday in the Greek Orthodox calendar. The autumn months are just as attractive; both winds and weather are more pleasant than in the Meltemi-swept months of high summer.
  • Although the more popular places on the Aegean are quite crowded, especially during the high season, there are still plenty of less frequented places dotted around the rim of the Aegean and some of the more remote islands rarely see more than a handful of yachts.
  • The recent expansion in yachting has been accompanied by a parallel development in facilities, but fortunately, none of the picturesque ports have been ruined by the construction of pontoons in centuries-old harbors. Most marinas have been built inside newly built breakwaters or reclaimed land and in most islands yachts still either come stern-to the existing quay, if there is space or stay at anchor. Most of the new marinas are on the mainland and this is also where the best repair facilities are.
  • If looking to take an annual contract in a Greek marina, be aware that it may well stipulate that you avoid the marina during the summer months, or have your boat on the hard during the summer. This may be due to the availability of space for charter fleets or for visiting yachts, which is where most marinas here make their money.
  • The greatest concentration of facilities is in the Athens-Piraeus area, where there are several boatyards with haul-out facilities and a full range of repair services. See Yachting Essentials for more details.

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Greece was last updated 3 months ago
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