🌞 Don't forget to subscribe and remember that you can always claim your Udemy discount! By the way, have you ever visited Athens? If yes, what were the things that surprised you the most?
I really enjoyed Athens. But what surprised me about Athens, there was signs in all toilets to not flush toilet paper, also there was almost never a toilet seat in the toilet, some toilets had no locks also. It also surprised me that when you want to buy from the street shops the owner or seller would stand right in front of you and just look at every move you make. (It was pretty annoying tbh). Also surprised me when we went to a restaurant, when i asked for the check he came back with the check and said if you liked the service please add a tip. Never tried before a waiter ask directly for tips. (I travel alot) Also surprised me how many people are depressed in Athens you can just see it in their eyes. Also surprised me how many smokers there is. Also surprised me how many gambling shops that are in like every other street you find these gambling shops.
Of course you CAN flush paper down the toilet … all toilets will allow paper, but what this video is stressing is that it is culturally not the done thing and for a good reason! Athens’ dense housing developed very quickly between the 1960s and 1980s and the older sewer systems were not really upgraded to cope so many blockages are caused by careless people who think that the guidelines aren’t meant for them or they are too grossed out to put toilet paper they are already holding in their hand in a bin instead of in the water! So if you want to cause blockages for your hotel or AirBnB hosts and create nasty problems for your neighbours and for the residents of Athens .. go ahead and flush away! Personally I love to use bidet sprays which are much more hygienic and natural!
Timestamps: 00:34 Tap Water in Athens 01:16 Drinking Alcohol in Athens 01:54 Public Restrooms in Athens 02:44 Parking Spots in Athens 03:28 Toilet Paper Disposal in Athens 03:58 Crossing the Street in Athens 04:54 Cycling in Athens 05:49 Smoking in Athens 06:06 Buying Tickets in Athens
Including the no flushing toilet paper? Asking because am planning on visiting Brazil...so need to know then if one can book airbnb or the 'western hotels'
This is very useful! Im going to Greek with my bf in this November. It’s surprising that you can’t dispose toilet paper. So im wondering if you have bidet there or you use toilet paper like other countries in Europe but you can’t just dispose? Im from a country that use bidet and we can’t throw toilet paper in the toilet either.
I saw no bidets in my travels of Athens & Piraeus, majority of places have flush toilets , esp. newer ones...just don't be throwing wads of toilet paper down them...which is pretty much common sense I would think. You might want to carry a small packet of baby wet wipes if you are concerned & throw that in the trash
Very good advice. I am a Greek from Melbourne.... second generation. The one thing I hate and frankly I am very shocked about in Athens is the graffiti. It gives the wrong impression that this is a very dangerous place. Also it is very ugly. Greeks keep their homes very clean but their cities are the exact opposite.
Go ahead and THROW toilet paper in Greek toilets, until they change the plumbing system! They did a GREAT job with the latest national highway systems, so next will the their antiquated plumbing.
Growing up in Sweden, but being Greek I think everyone should watch this before coming to Greece. Great video, with great adivce. I have visited Athens, I was surprised that people would give me their bus ticket if they did not need it.
You look very good! but the advice about drinking the tap water in Athens is a very bad one! I've lived in Athens for a while and just the smell of the drinking water was bad! However taking a shower and washing your hands was no problem. General advice from most people would be not to drink it. I always drink the tap water where I live in Sweden, but some parts in Sweden it's bad too.
The first time I walked around a Greek supermarket and saw an old guy smoking casually while shopping was a real 'woah' moment for me. The Greek culture is stubborn and it took 3 attempts and legal threats/implications for them to succumb to the indoor smoking ban. In private houses though it is still common for people to smoke inside and even the non smoking host will bring out their ashtrays for their smoking guest 🙂
In USA, after a car stops at a traffic light they can then immediately turn right (while the signal is still red). This is called “right on red”. Pedestrians need to be aware of this in the USA. Is this allowed in Athens? Thank you. Great video!
I visited Athens many times. It's dirty, chaotic, sometimes dangerous, but I love this City with all my heart. I Love to walk, shop, eat there. In the bottom of my heart, Athens, and Greece are my homeland.
What i dislike the MOST about Athens is the nastyyy ugly hateful graffities everywhere...if they were all erased..it could look a bit better and of course more ancient..
I was there late 2019. But I cannot remember being told not to flush used toilet paper down the toilet in Athens. But yes only when we were in Santorini. We enjoyed our holidays , people are friendly and easy going. Except watch out for pick pockets.
Πολύ ενδιαφέρον και σίγουρα βοηθάει τους ξένους που σκέφτονται να επισκευθούν την Αθήνα. Και η Αυστρία είναι φοβερή χώρα. Ζω τα τελευταία 2,5 χρόνια εδώ! Συνέχισε τα βίντεο! :-)
Reasonable alcohol policies are so nice, compared to the US. One of my favorite memories is enjoying the sunset on Kini Beach on Syros. The owner of a little market across the street from the beach prepared cups of ouzo for my sister and me. Then she thought we might be hungry, so she kindly opened a bag of crisps and poured some in a cardboard snack holder to go with the ouzo at no extra charge. 😊
As a greek i can say that when you get into a shop to pee without buying anything, the owner most of the times still thinks it's rude! But we all still do it anyway 😭
This seems to be a very charming place, I hope I can visit sometime in the future. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much!
Hey thanks for your video! We also have a chanel about travel & traveling the world. Thanks for sharing. These days we will vistit Athens so thanks for yur video.
Hi Vivian! It depends on the area - Plaka, Thisseio are considered safe but Omonoia, Metaxourgeio etc. are less safe at the wee hours of the night. I used to take a taxi home after midnight when I lived there. But that is because my neighborhood was not the best.
Thank you so much for making this video! All the essential info, all in one place. Especially mentioning the tap water is very helpful, because I am sure plenty of visitors would have bought plastic bottles automatically.
Yes … you should see the state of the rubbish bins on top of the Acropolis at The Parthenon …. They are completely full to the brim normally with empty plastic bottles. I think the Athens municipality does recycle these but it does seem very unnecessary
Your information was very helpful as I’m visiting Athens in 2023, so thanks. Just one thing … please don’t think that age has anything to do with driving skill or respect for the traffic rules. Bad and thoughtless drivers are in every age group - just hope you don’t come across many! 😎🇦🇺
one then that got me was # 1 cigarette smoke & #2 vehicle exhaust fumes.... the area of Piraeus especially & Athens is densely populated per square mile & streets very narrow & sidewalks are not necessarily flat
