Local time in Greece. Time in Greece: useful information for Russian tourists

When preparing for a trip to sunny Hellas, do not forget to check the time zone of Greece and the time difference with your hometown: this helpful information will save you on arrival in Greece from possible annoying misunderstandings, such as being late for dinner at the hotel on the first evening.

Since 1916, Greece has officially used Eastern European Time (EET) with daylight savings and winter time. Time in Greece differs from Universal Time (UTC) by 2 hours in winter (UTC+2) and by three hours in summer (UTC+3).

Clock change in Greece

Organized transition to summer time in Greece it has been held since 1975, and it takes place on the last Sunday of March. One hour of lack of sleep is rewarded by a long spring evening, and for a true Greek, an evening is always full of pleasure.

The transition to winter time in Greece on the last Sunday of October gives the Greek population an extra hour of sleep. After Russia canceled the seasonal clock change from February 8, 2011, the winter time difference with Greece increased. So, if earlier the time difference between Greece and Moscow was 1 hour, now in the cold season we are separated by as much as 2 hours - which, of course, is less convenient.

But with Kiev, Athens does not have a difference at all - neither in winter, nor in summer.

By the way, there is no division into time zones within Greece. Thus, the time in Crete, Athens, Thessaloniki, Rhodes and Corfu is the same. The time zone and time of the fraternal state of Cyprus (UTC + 2) is no different from Greece.

Difference in time:

Below we provide a small useful summary of the time difference between Greece and some cities in Russia and Europe from different time zones. The table shows how many hours the specified cities differ from Greece.

  • Moscow: +2 hours in winter, +1 hour in summer
  • Yekaterinburg: +4 in winter, +3 in summer
  • Novosibirsk: +5 in winter, +4 in summer
  • Krasnoyarsk: +6 in winter, +5 in summer
  • Irkutsk: +7 - in winter, +6 - in summer
  • Vladivostok: +9 in winter, +8 in summer
  • Kyiv: absent
  • Berlin, Rome and Paris: -1 hour all year round
  • London: -2 hours year round

Other useful time zone and time information in Greece

  • Remember that flight schedules always indicate local time!
  • In response to a short call *100* familiar to Russians from a landline phone in Greece, you will be answered not by a melodious female voice announcing the exact time, but by the voice of the police station on duty.
  • It is not customary to call the home phone or come to visit between about 15:00 and 18:00 without a special invitation from the hosts: siesta time.
  • The influence of time does not extend to nature and monuments.

That's all for now. Good time!

Greece has long been more than popular among Russian tourists, as a country with an impeccable level of service and as a place beach holiday. It is often called the cradle of our European civilization. Many historical and cultural sights have been preserved here. In addition, this country allows you to carry out an unprecedentedly successful shopping experience. People come here on the so-called fur coat tours. Everyone can choose a corner for a cloudless vacation in this southern European state. Wealthy travelers choose the islands of Crete, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu. Youth and couples are more attracted to mainland Greece. The time zone in which the country is located must be known. After all, you can get into a mess by missing a bus or ferry departing local time.

So how should we translate the hands on the clock face when we arrive in Athens? What is the time zone in Greece? The country lies in the south, also covering almost two thousand islands, which, like a crumbling necklace, spread over four seas. Yes, a traveler who arrives in Greece has an amazing opportunity to swim alternately in the Aegean, Ionian, Mediterranean and Cretan seas, and also - in And that's all - without leaving the borders of one country.

But time, moving from place to place, does not need to be changed, because the time zone of Greece, unlike huge Russia, is only one. It's called UTC+02:00. This means that in winter in this country there are two hours more than the dial of the Universal Time of our planet shows. It is calculated on which lies near London. From the end of October until the last Sunday of March, the UK follows this Universal Time. Her time zone is UTC 0.

But what about in summer? At the end of March, as well as those that lie to the west of it, they switch to a time called GMT. According to the rules of the European Union, all its members also translate the hands of their dials one hour ahead. Thus, in summer, the time zone of Greece is called EET. This abbreviation stands for Eastern European Time. In addition to Greece, a number of other European countries live along it: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Turkey.

But time zones extend not only over one continent. They cover huge zones stretching from the South. Therefore, in winter, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria in Asia fall into the Greek time zone, and in Africa - Burundi, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Swaziland and South Africa. But these southern countries do not change to daylight saving time. All year round they live in the UTC+02:00 time zone.

So let's sum it up. Arriving in Athens from Kyiv, you have no need to translate the hands on your wristwatch. In winter and summer, the time in these two countries is the same. Russia is more difficult. The Kremlin, for one clear reason, abandoned the true winter time and introduced a permanent summer time for the whole country. And the time zone of Greece - EET (or as it is also called GMT + 2) - according to EU rules, is changing. Therefore, the calculation of the difference in hours between Moscow and Athens depends on the season of the year. In summer it is minus one hour, and in winter - two.

Gathering in tourist trip in such a European country as Greece, Russians must take into account many important points. In addition to information about the weather, excursions and entertainment, travelers also need to find out what time difference there is between the regions of Russia and the Greek resorts. To see the time in Greece now, tourists only need a computer or smartphone connected to the Internet.

Basic information

The entire Greek territory is located in the same time zone, so the local time in Greece in different regions (both on the mainland and on the islands) will always be the same. A few years ago, our country refused to change the clock, but the Greeks still change the time in autumn and spring. This factor must be taken into account when determining how much this moment time in Athens, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes or other seaside resort.

The time zone of Greece in winter is UTC+2. On the last Sunday in March, Greek clocks are set 60 minutes ahead, and all European country for the summer it changes to the UTC+3 time zone. Cyprus lives in the same time zone. Therefore, for those who know what time it is in Greek resorts now, it will not be difficult to determine what time it is at the moment in Cypriot territory.

Difference with Moscow

Most Russians know that Moscow lives in the UTC+3 time zone. This means that the time difference between Moscow and Greece in winter is one hour, while the capital of Russia is ahead of the Greek cities by 60 minutes (if Muscovites see 14.00 on the clock, then the Greeks will have 13.00 at the same moment). From April to October, Greece and Moscow do not have a time difference at all (if it is 12.00 in the Russian capital, then the clock in the European state will show the same time).

The difference with the regions of the Russian Federation

The time difference with Greece is important not only for residents of Moscow, but also for all other Russians. Due to the large number of time zones, different regions of Russia will be ahead (and in some cases lag behind) the European resort state by a different number of hours:

  • in winter in Kaliningrad and Athens there is no temporary difference, but in summer period The Kaliningrad region will be 60 minutes behind the Greeks;
  • in St. Petersburg during the summer months, the clock will show the same as on Greek territory, since November northern capital Russia will be ahead of the European state by an hour;
  • in winter in Samara more than in resort country for 2 hours, in summer - for 60 minutes;
  • Yekaterinburg and many other cities of the Urals are 3 hours ahead of the Greek resorts (from November to March) and 2 hours (from April to October);
  • in Omsk more than in the regions of the country's euro by 4 hours in the winter months and 3 hours in the summer, in Krasnoyarsk - by 5 hours and 4 hours, in Irkutsk - by 6 hours and 5 hours, respectively;
  • Yakutia is ahead of the European state by 7 hours in winter and 6 hours in summer, Vladivostok - by 8 hours and 7 hours, Kamchatka - by 10 hours and 9 hours.

Where to look?

Finding out what time it is in Greece is quite simple. To do this, you can enter in the search bar of the Internet browser the query " Exact time in the cities of Greece now” or go to specialized sites with a tourist theme and get the necessary information online. per century modern technologies anyone who knows how to use a computer and has access to the Internet can find out what time it is in a particular country.

The easiest way to adapt to the Greek resorts will be those tourists who live in the city of Moscow and neighboring settlements located in the same time zone. In summer, they will not feel any difference at all, and in winter, the difference between the times will be practically insignificant. It will be much more difficult for residents of the Urals, Siberia and Far East. To facilitate adaptation abroad, tourists from remote regions of Russia can use the following tips:

  • 5-7 days before the vacation, you should try to shift your regimen and try to go to bed 1-2 hours earlier than usual;
  • on the eve of departure, you need to relax and sleep, so it is best to pack your bags 1-2 days before the trip;
  • you should not take alcoholic drinks before the trip or already on the plane, alcohol will not help you better endure the change of time zones (the same rule applies to coffee);
  • do not overload your stomach with fatty heavy food before the flight, you should drink on board the airliner clean water to prevent dehydration;
  • on the plane, tourists should try to sleep, while using sleeping pills, no matter how good it is, is strongly discouraged.

Summarizing

Those who plan to relax in Athens, Rhodes, Crete or other resorts in 2017 need to prepare in advance for the upcoming trip. One of the important points of preparing for a vacation is to learn about the time difference and set your body to change time zones.