Greece has long said they would be one of the first countries to reopen in a big way. They need the tourism Euros and, with all of their beachy islands, sure have what tourists want right now. And they were one of my top three picks for where you could expect to be able to travel this summer.
Greece has had a small number of COVID-19 cases, with less than 3,000 cases and fewer than 200 deaths. It males sense they would want to reopen, but they also have the challenge of trying to do so without bring the virus in. They may do random spot checks for COVID-19 on arrival, but don’t have plans to require proof of a negative test, nor test everyone on arrival. No quarantine will be required. Expect to have to wear a mask, though.
In this article
People from these countries will be allowed entry into Greece from June 15th
- Albania
- Australia
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Germany
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Japan
- Israel
- China
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Finland
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Lithuania
- New Zealand
- North Macedonia
- Malta
- Montenegro
- Norway
- Romania
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Switzerland
The only airports accepting international flights will be Thessaloniki and Athens. Flights from most countries to Greece have been paused but will be starting up again.
And no, if you are in another country, you can’t just fly to one of these and then continue on to Greece. (Although it’s not entirely clear how that will be enforced.)
Most International Flights and Entry Resumes July 1st
Just two weeks later, the entry gates will be widened. Whether or not July 1st will include entrance for those of us in the USA remains to be seen, given that we have, by far the most cases on Earth at 4X the number of cases and deaths as the next country (Brazil).
What’s Open?
Beaches and archaeological sites will be reopening. On the beach, people will be spaced out in a socially distant manner, with umbrella poles at least 13 feet apart. Swimming will be allowed. Beachside restaurants will have takeaway service but only for prepackaged items (fun!). Bear in mind that things still won’t be “normal” and a lot of services you expect may be closed, like sit-down in-restaurant dining.
With all of that said, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis does acknowledge that the situation will be fluid. If there’s a sudden onslaught in COVID-19 cases in Greece, this could all change on a dime.
When you are booking your trip, I think it’s fair to say that you need to be prepared for a last minute disruption. Definitely spend time looking at the cancellation policies for everything you book and what your travel insurance will cover.
Personally, I don’t know how I feel about flying so far for a “partial” Greece experience – the same reservations I have about going anywhere now. Of course, I have safety concerns as well.
Getting To Greece
I’d probably be thinking about the Newark to Athens route on Emirates up front if you are near New York/New Jersey, especially now that Emirates reduced their award surcharges. Else, you could look at flights on American or Delta.
What about you? Are you headed to Greece?
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