Health & Safety

Athens is a polluted city but has come a long way since the eighties. New technology cars and buses and the transfer of all heavy industries outside city limits have reduced emissions to a bearable level for a city of its size. Depending on atmospheric conditions though, you may still get the odd smoggy day and feel like you just woke up in Mexico City!

There are no widespread infectious diseases that should be of concern to the visitor and no vaccinations are required prior to your visit.
Greece has a relatively low (but steadily and alarmingly rising) level of HIV infections. Complacency among young people leads the authorities to run awareness-raising campaigns every so often.
Tap water is chlorinated and perfectly safe. Or so the public water company says!
If you prefer bottled mineral water you can buy it everywhere cheap. Its street price is strictly regulated (50c for a half litre bottle and 1 Euro for a 1.5 litre bottle) as it is considered an essential amenity during the long hot summers.

Athens is one of the safest European capitals (then again, most guides for most capitals tend to claim the same). But here we actually mean it. The good old cliché ‘if you don’t go looking for trouble you’ll be perfectly fine’ applies here too. Petty crime does exist, but if you avoid certain areas, such as those around Omonoia and Vathis Squares and the Metaxourgeio district, especially as a sole traveler, and keep an eye on your belongings, your stay in Athens will be trouble-free.
Women traveling alone may encounter the Mediterranean temperament of some local men but this rarely goes beyond a stare or a whistle.

Finally, you will definitely get thrown out of a bar if you get plastered and cause trouble.
But that’s fair enough, isn’t it?