What should I prepare for when moving from USA to Athens?

[Crystal_Kleinowski]

I live in the United States and always have. I am Greek as both of my parents' sides are Greek. In fact my Dad was born in Athens but was adopted as a child and brought to the US. I have always been proud of my heritage and my husband and I are highly considering moving to Athens even if it's just for a year. I unfortunately know very few words in Greek but I am looking in to learning the language fluently.

My question is: what are the main important things I should be prepared for if moving to Greece? Or anything else important I should know?

What are some of the main standards/ways of living that differ from the US?

[Danai]

Where do i start ?
Prepare to be shocked both pleasantly and unpleasantly.
If i had to list them and start from the positives i think you should expect is:

• Wonderful climate! Athens especially has the most perfect climate from all Greece. Not much rain all year long and very mild winters

• Be prepared to gain some weight (lol!) Greek food as you already know it's delicious with tons of options. In addition to that, portions in Greece are really big if you compare them with other european countries.

• Everything is cheap! Overall Greece is a very cheap country to live. Very cheap rent, groceries, transportation and of course food! You can have a souvlaki with 2 euro and you will be full and happy !

• Tons of places to see! Athens is the capital of Greece with the most means of transportation available. You can fly,take the boat or train and visit in less than 2-3 hours many islands and cities. (It worths going even futher Of course)

• People overall are very polite and greeks are generally known for their hospitality so you will make friends quite easily.

Now onto the negatives:

• Prepare yourself for a loooooot of bureocracy. Depending on your occuupation and your activities in Greece you need to do some paperwork that will propably take an unexplicable amount of time

• Apart from bureocracy you see a lot of disorganisation in many areas. Things are not running so smootly here so lower your expectations when it come to make a schedule and meet a deadline. Everything will be delayed

• Alwways doublecheck before taking a big decision. Make your research, ask locals, friends other foreigners. Due to lack of strict laws you might find a few frauds on the way, so always ask questions and make your homework before deciding on something serious!

[George_Laitmer]

Dear Crystal,
There are a couple of practical things that differ in Athens.
Public transportation is not easy except if you live close to a metro station.
Parking your car is either very difficult or expensive.
The center of Athens has on off circulation for cars with odd and even numbers.
Dealing with local authorities needs a lot of patience.
Voltage is 220 instead of 110 and plugs are European shuko completely incompatible with US ones.
Please let me know any specific concerns you have.

[Crystal_Kleinowski]

Thank you for the useful information!

I have a couple more questions.

Can I use a United States credit card and debit card to pay for stuff there? Or will ATM machines allow me to use my debit card to take out cash? Or will I have any difficulties with my money?

I see you mentioned the plugs being different. I believe I would then have to get a converter that plugs in to those outlets that allows US plugs to go in to it since my husband will be working for his job on his laptop there.

Do you know if it is difficult to get a Visa to stay a long time? I am also considering looking in to dual citizenship since my Greek father was born in Athens.

[George_Laitmer]

Credit/debit cards usage is ok.
Www.schengenvisainfo.com/us-citizens

[Anthony_Gkinopoulos]

Dear Crystal,

About credit cards, Us ones are accepted, because of VISA / MasterCard network but you should pay attention to the charges applied for cash advance (ask your bank in US for that).

Also ask the embassy in Athens (reachable through email) about your dual citizenship and of course as Danai mentioned before be patient with bureaucracy.

Plugs are different but as you mentioned this can be easily solved with an adapter - BUT there is also a difference in the voltage (220W vs 110W in US) which you have to pay attention in case you bring your devices from the US (all of them have switched to change to the European voltage).

Fell free in case you need something more.
Cheers for now