Travel

Travel Note

Help with Travel--Irene Strintzis

Our very close family friend, Irene Strintzis, is a seasoned travel agent and has graciously offered to be available for our wedding guests as they make arrangements for travel. She can guide you on where to fly out of, how long flights will be, how much they will cost, as well as where you can stay in Athens and in Chios. Irene may be able to get you a better rate for travel/stay if tickets/rooms are purchased in bulk, so talk to your friends and let's get some group travel in the works! Please feel free to reach out to her for help. Thanks again, Irene - we love you! email: ctscmu@gmail.com phone: 412-371-8444

Travel Note

Getting to Greece

FROM OHIO There are no direct flights from Ohio to Athens, Greece. We often travel to Toronto and fly direct from there, which we highly recommend. The hotel below, if you stay at least one night there, will keep your car in their private parking deck for 15 days. Sandman Hotel https://www.sandmanhotels.com/signature-mississauga ATHENS, GREECE We highly recommend planning your trip with a few days just for Athens! More on this in the travel note "Where to Stay in Athens" and in the "Things To Do" tab of this website.

Travel Note

Where to Stay in Athens, Greece

You have lots of hotel or AirBNB options in Athens, as it is a big city, but the following are recommendations that Irene, our travel agent, recommends. I listed the average room rates below, but prices may vary in 2022. Royal Olympic: 5-star hotel, walking distance to tourist attractions, $200-$300 a night https://www.royalolympic.com/ Divani Palance Acropolis: $150-$1,800 a night--nice basic rooms or get the rooftop suite! https://divaniacropolishotel.com/ Astor Hotel: $100-$200 a night, provides a range of room accommodations and pricing https://astorhotel.gr/ Philippos Hotel: $160-$250, lots of room variety https://www.philipposhotel.gr/en/

Hotel

Where to Stay in Chios, Greece

Immediately following the ceremony, the reception will be held at: Erytha Hotel and Resort Karfas, 821 00, Chios, Greece We encourage guests to stay here while in Chios. To book your room, please visit https://erytha.reserve-online.net & use code VARONISWED22 for the discounted rate. BEFORE you start searching for reservation dates, enter the "booking code" at the top of the page and be sure it has been applied. If you search for dates first and try to enter a "coupon code" it won't work! You may also email Nadia for help reserving your room or if you have any trouble: erytha.reservations@gmail.com -- she is extremely helpful and lovely! NOTE: you must use this website to book and receive the discounted rate! https://erytha.reserve-online.net ... If you have any trouble, simply email Nadia!

Discount Code - VARONISWED22

Travel Note

Currency: Dollars to Euros

Most places will accept all major credit cards safely, so this won't create too much hassle for you. However, Greece accepts the Euro as their currency, not the dollar. When you arrive at the Athens airport you will be able to exchange some of your money into Euros. This

Travel Note

Getting or Renewing Your Passport

Everything you need to know about applying for or renewing your passport is available at the above-listed website. If you have any additional questions please feel free to reach out to us directly.

Travel Note

Alert your Credit Card Company of Travel Destination + Dates

For safety reasons, if your credit card company notices 99% of your charges take place at the Whole Foods in Rocky River, for example, and suddenly you're racking $300 bar bills in Greece, they may think your card has been stolen and shut it off. You do not want to be stuck overseas without a working credit card! To avoid this, you can call your credit card company ahead of time to let them know where you will be traveling and when--if you have layovers, please also mention those destinations in case you use your credit cards in the airport. This can be done far in advance so don't delay!

Travel Note

Cell Phone Service

Our best advice: call your cell phone carrier and ask them what their rates are for international service. It's typically around $10 a day. Doing this will allow you to use your phone like normal while overseas! Please make sure you ask them about texting rates, etc. so you aren't blindsided with an insane bill.

Travel Note

Taxis, Uber, Lyft

Lyft does not function in Greece, but a version of Uber does in Athens (not sure about Chios.) I've never used Uber in Greece but apparently, you can use the Uber app for UberTAXI - which is the ride-sharing variation of Uber. This is great news as many of you likely have the app already downloaded. If not, go ahead and download it, and connect it to your credit card ahead of time so that you're ready to roll. There are tons of taxis in Athens and drivers should speak English. In Chios, you will likely travel by taxi. Please check out the "Speaking Greek" Travel Note where we will supply you with a couple of key phrases that should help just in case.

Travel Note

Car Rental - Must Get International Driver's License in the US beforehand

https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html