Greece 2009: summer holiday planning guide

Last year’s box-office hit was the feel-good film Mamma Mia!, largely shot on the Greek island of Skopelos – and an escapist week or two on a Greek island this summer may be just the ticket to banish recessionary blues.

* Greece 2009: cost-cutting tips
* Greece 2009: accommodation options
* Greece 2009: activity holidays

Alternatively, you may want to put a visit to Athens at the top of your wish list. The £120 million New Acropolis Museum is due to open in March (see www.newacropolismuseum.gr for the latest information), and it sounds spectacular.

Discovering Greece's classical sites

Greek mythology has a way of righting injustices, though, and the very labors meant to destroy Hercules served to make him a hero instead: The name of Hercules became synonymous with strength and daring. Nobody ever heard of Eury-something-us.

As for Mycenae, it remains — equal parts myth and stone — on a hilltop in Greece's Peloponnesian Peninsula. It's one of three essential stops on a circuit of classical Greece archeological sites beyond Athens.

Olympia gets more coverage, especially during an Olympic Games year. And Delphi inspires more curiosity because of its oracle. Both of those places attract bigger crowds. But at Mycenae, the course of Western civilization shifted to embrace the heroic.

Greece from the deck of a yacht

To me, seeing Greece from the deck of a yacht -- away from noise, pollution, crowds and a frenetic pace of life -- seems to me the perfect choice! We chose Seapaths as the company because it offers all-inclusive yacht charters around the Greek islands.

I look forward to being able to decide where I want to go and having our own private cook who gets up at dawn to go into the quaint little fishing village whose marina we're docked at -- and brings back yogurt, fresh honey and fruits -- isn't bad either! I'm already dreaming about eating breakfast al fresco on the deck and watching the sun rise over white houses and colorful wooden fishing boats, turning the crystal clear waters of the Med into turquoise and azure blue. I'm already thinking about enjoying the exhilaration of flying over the water, feeling the wind on our faces and taking a turn at the wheel.

After a nap, we'd sail to a new island, exploring the historical and cultural treasures, getting to know the locals and enjoying the "real" Greece, not the tourist traps.

Telegraph Readers Vote Greece Second Most Popular Destination

Greece's ranking ahead of Portugal and the traditional British holiday destination of Spain is an encouraging sign that the injection of €40 million by the country's Ministry of Tourism in 2008 is bearing fruit - with recent figures released by the National Statistical Service of Greece also showing that turnover in the tourism sector has increased by 2.7% in Q2
2008 compared to the same period in the previous year.

Recent visitor figures are also positive, showing that during January to September 2007 arrivals in Greece by UK tourists grew by 6.4% compared to the same period in 2006, according to the Greece Tourism Report Q3 2008. In addition to this, Greece is predicting 2.7% economic growth in 2009, when the majority of Europe is bracing itself for declines.

Wrangling over Agathonissi Island

A comment by Socialist deputy Andreas Loverdos made on President Karolos Papoulias' visit to the Greek island of Agathonissi in the eastern Aegean has sparked wrangling between the government and the Socialist party (PASOK). Touching on press reports expressing the Foreign Ministry's dissatisfaction over the President's visit to the island, Andreas Loverdos said that when there are more than one decision-making centres on foreign affairs, it goes without saying that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the decision-making centres, will be permanently dissatisfied. Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis argued that this is not the first time the PASOK deputy has dealt with non-existent issues, further adding that serious matters require greater responsibility.

Drivers told to use chains due to freezing weather

Drivers in various parts of the country, including Drama, Serres, Pella, Kilkis, Xanthi, Kastoria, Florina, Kozani as well as areas of central Greece were advised to put snow chains on their tires before venturing out onto the road, following heavy snowfall over the weekend. Heavy rain caused several pile-ups on the Athens-Lamia national road on Saturday but there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.

Fresh tension arises in the Aegean

NEWS
Fresh tension arises in the Aegean
Turkish message to Greek pilots over Farmakonisi raises concern in Athens, as president stands firm

Tensions in the Aegean are on the rise again after Turkey suggested that Greek helicopters were violating the neighboring country’s air space while flying over the small Dodecanese island of Farmakonisi.

The move has prompted President Karolos Papoulias to call Turkey a “fractious neighbor” and to make Agathonisi, another small Dodecanese island, one of his stops for the Epiphany celebrations on January 6.

The alarm was raised in Greece when, on New Year’s Eve, Turkish air defense control communicated with Greek helicopters via the wireless and asked them to leave the area because they were violating Turkey’s national air space.

Greece and Turkey have a longstanding territorial dispute over the Aegean. Turkey insists Greek air space extends only 10 kilometers offshore, not 16 kilometers as Greece maintains.