subject: Local Information For Living In Greece [print this page] Local Information For Living In Greece Local Information For Living In Greece
So after careful consideration you have decided you want to start a new life in the sun living in Greece. What springs to mind next is where exactly do you want to live, Greece is a very large country with many Islands to choose from.
We chose the island of Crete which is the largest of the Greek Islands with so many places to see and explore, there is so much history here you will not be bored.
There are 2 airports and numerous ferries from which you can get to other islands and to the mainland so that is very easy to travel around.
Crete is the most popular Island for expats to move to but there are so many others to choose from Corfu, Rhodes, Zante, Skiathos (where the movie Mama Mia was filmed), Kefalonia as well as Athens, Halkidiki, Peloponnese and Thessaloniki on the mainland.
Most of the local people in the main towns and cities are used to visitors as Tourism is the main source of income here in Greece so expats don't have so much of a problem when they come to live here.
Many people move over without having learnt much of the language so understanding from the locals is appreciated and we found them very willing to help.
In most of the schools English is taught so the younger generation especially so going about your daily tasks is not a problem until your knowledge of the language improves.
Greece is one of the top choices for British holiday makers and attracts more than 16 million tourists from all over the world each year and comes in 15th place in the world rating of tourist destinations.
Many visitors from Britain visit year after year and fall in love with the country and that is why so many want to make a new life here for themselves and their families.
Greece has been a member of the EU since 1981 and introduced the Euro in 2002, although it is one of the poorest countries of the European Union there is a new Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou who plans to improve the economy. Tourism and shipping are the biggest contributors to the economy.
Many people especially the younger generation are multilingual and are able to converse in English, German, Italian and Russian is being learnt now because of the numbers of Russian visitors.
Although there are lots of new hotels being built which are needed to attract more visitors there are still the old villages and agricultural areas that are the simple laid back way of life that appeal to many people who are looking for a less stressful lifestyle.
