Greece has long become more than popular among Russian tourists, as a country with an impeccable level of service and as a beach holiday destination. It is often called the cradle of our European civilization. Many historical and cultural attractions have been preserved here. In addition, this country allows for unprecedentedly successful shopping. People come here on the so-called fur coat tours. Everyone can choose a corner in this southern European state for a cloudless vacation. Wealthy travelers choose the islands of Crete, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu. Young people and couples are more attracted to mainland Greece. You need to know the time zone in which the country is located. After all, you can be trapped by being late for a bus or ferry that departs according to 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 encompassing almost two thousand islands, which, like a scattered necklace, spread over the 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 this is all - without leaving the borders of one country.
But the time, moving from place to place, does not need to be changed, because the time zone of Greece, unlike the vast Russia, is only one. It's called UTC + 02: 00. This means that in winter in this country there is two hours more than the Universal Time dial of our planet shows. It is calculated by which lies near London. From the end of October to the last Sunday in March, the UK lives on this UTC. Its time zone is UTC 0.
And what about summer? At the end of March, as well as those that lie to the west of it, switch to a time called GMT. According to the rules of the European Union, all its members also move the hands of their dials forward one hour. Thus, Greece's time zone is called EET in summer. This abbreviation stands for Eastern European Time. In addition to Greece, a number of European countries live along it: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Turkey.
But time zones extend not only along one continent. They cover huge zones stretching from to the South. Therefore, in winter, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria in Asia, and in Africa - Burundi, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Swaziland and South Africa fall into the Greek time zone. But these southern countries do not switch to daylight saving time. All year round they live in UTC + 02: 00 time zone.
So, let's summarize. Arriving in Athens from Kiev, you do not have any need to translate the hands on your wristwatch. In winter and summer, the time in these two countries is the same. It's more difficult with Russia. The Kremlin, for one understandable reason, abandoned the true winter time and introduced a constant daylight saving time for the whole country. And the time zone of Greece - EET (or as it is also called GMT + 2) - is changing according to EU rules. 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 it is two.
When preparing for a trip to sunny Hellas, do not forget to clarify the time zone of Greece and the time difference with your hometown: this useful information will save you upon 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 been using Eastern European Time (EET) with daylight saving time. Greece time 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 Daylight Saving Time has been in place in Greece since 1975 and takes place on the last Sunday in March. One hour of sleep deprivation is rewarded with a long spring evening, and for a true Greek, an evening is always full of pleasure.
Changing to winter time in Greece on the last Sunday in 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.
On the other hand, Athens has no difference with Kiev - 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 brotherly state of Cyprus (UTC + 2) is no different from Greece.
Difference in time:
Below we will 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 by how many hours the indicated 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
- Kiev: absent
- Berlin, Rome and Paris: -1 hour all year round
- London: -2 hours all year round
Other useful information about time zone and time in Greece
- Remember, flight schedules always show 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 melodic female voice announcing the exact time, but by the voice of the police station on duty.
- It is not customary to call your 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 hour!
When going on a tourist trip to a European country like 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 the time difference 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. Several 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 figuring out what time it is in Athens, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes or another seaside resort.
Greece's time zone in winter is UTC + 2. On the last Sunday in March, the Greeks' clocks are shifted 60 minutes forward, and the entire European country for the summer goes into 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 the 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 the winter period is equal to 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 in a European state the clock will show the same time).
Difference with the regions of the Russian Federation
The time difference with Greece is important not only for Moscow residents, but also for all other Russians. Due to the large number of time zones, different regions of Russia will outpace (and in some cases lag behind) the resort European state by a different number of hours:
- in winter in Kaliningrad and Athens there is no time difference, but in summer the Kaliningrad region will lag behind the Greeks by 60 minutes;
- in St. Petersburg in the summer months, the clock will show the same amount as in the Greek territory; from November, the northern capital of Russia will be one hour ahead of the European state;
- in winter in Samara more than in a resort country by 2 hours, in summer - by 60 minutes;
- Yekaterinburg and many other cities of the Urals are ahead of the Greek resorts by 3 hours (from November to March) and by 2 hours (from April to October);
- in Omsk more than in the European regions of the country by 4 hours in the winter months and by 3 hours in the summer, in Krasnoyarsk - by 5 hours and by 4 hours, in Irkutsk - by 6 hours and by 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 the query "The exact time in the cities of Greece now" in the search bar of your Internet browser or go to specialized sites with a tourism theme and get the necessary information online. In the age of 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 the summer, they will not feel any difference at all, and in the winter, the difference between the times will be practically insignificant. It will be much more difficult to rebuild for the inhabitants of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. To facilitate adaptation abroad, tourists from remote regions of Russia can use the following tips:
- 5-7 days before vacation, you need to 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's best to pack your bags 1-2 days before the trip;
- you should not take alcoholic beverages before the trip or already on the plane, alcohol will not help you better transfer 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 clean water on board the airliner in order to prevent dehydration;
- on the plane, tourists need to try to sleep, while using sleeping pills, no matter how good it is, is strongly discouraged.
Summarizing
Those planning 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 in preparing for a vacation is to learn about the time difference and tune your body to change time zones.
