• Greece is one of the top tourist destinations with nearly 16.5 million tourists visiting the country which is more than the total population, which is over 10 million.
• More than 2000 islands are present in Greece and the largest is the Crete.
• Athens, on of the oldest cities in Europe, is a birthplace of democracy, western literature, the Olympic Games, and western philosophy.
• The country enjoys over 250 days of sunshine a year.
• Almost 80% of the Greece is mountainous.
• When compared with most of the countries, Greece has more international airports.
• Greece produces 7% of the marble in the world.
• The government of Greece spends 6% of the annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the military.
• The national sport of Greece is Football or Soccer.
• A maximum number of the archaeological museums are present in Greece than any other country in the world.
• Made from the goat’s milk, Feta is the Greece’s national cheese and its average per-capita consumption is the highest in the world.
• “Taking the bull by its horns” is a saying which is originated in Greece.
• The most famous tourist spot in Greece is the city of Rhodes.
• In 776 B.C., the first Olympic Games took place in this country.
• With 116 species of mammals, 59 of reptiles, 107 of fish, 240 of birds and 18 of amphibians, Greece has the richest varieties of wildlife in Europe.
• Greek is one of the oldest languages in Europe which has been spoken for more than 3000 years.

The best car rental services in Greece are offered from Avis, Budget, Thrifty, ebookers, Easy Car, and Enterprise.

Sparta was a great and very powerful city-state in ancient Greece. Sparta emerged to be the biggest military force in Greece in 650 BC. Naturally Sparta was chosen to lead the Greek allied army against the Persian forces that came to conquer Greece in 480.
Sparta’s system was original and unique. It focused on strict military training of the males and to strive for excellence. Spartiates were the citizens and soldiers. Mothakes were non-Spartan residents born and raised as Spartans,. Perioikoi were free men living out of the city and live as farmers to feed the Spartans and themselves. Helots were considered as the lowest casts, the servants who were property of the state, non-Spartans either enslaved locals or prisoners of war.
Boys would be trained in battle, stealth, loyalty, tolerance, hunting and even dancing and singing through the Agoge from early childhood. The Agoge was very tough. The boys were also trained in tolerating not only pain but hunger. They were given only one clothing per year, a red cloak. At the age of 18, the elite boys were becoming the army’s reserve.
The syssition was a dish of black soup. It contained pork, the pork’s blood and vinegar, boiled. It was awful they say but good enough to stay alive. The honeymoon or month of honey before the training completes was a task, a challenge in which the boys had to servive one month only by eating honey. They had to speak to the point-Lakonizein they call this. Any male that failed to pass the Agoge was excluded and he would never get his citizenship.

So if you come to Greece and you need a car to visit Sparta, the car rental companies here are Hertz, Sixt, Europcar, Autoeurope.

The Greek Culture and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos on Monday, has launched an annual official tourism campaign named under the theme of “You in Greece” aiming to display the country’s various aspects beyond the present financial crisis.
This “You in Greece” which is supported by the foreign volunteers, is a short film made by the Greek state television will be broadcasted through the internet and the other media.
The government with an impact of the debt crisis is hoping to explore more in the Asian tourism markets such as India, China, Japan and Russia.
The minister, who will be travelling to Shanghai and Beijing in the coming days, has expressed a wish of developing strong and good relation with the Chinese markets in order to benefit he excitements of the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing and Athens.
He also added that a false image of Greece has been portrayed by some of the foreign media in relation to the financial crisis and so they are working hard to ensure the people that they are on the right track.
The hoteliers and many representatives of the tourism industry, under the government’s cooperation, is trying to lower all the extra costs and expenses in relation to any individual stranded in Greece like landing fees for airplanes, easily obtained visas for Russian and Ukrainian tourists, and even reduction in the car rental services at the airports.

Greece, also known as Hellas and officially the Hellenic Republic is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Greece offers an interesting mix of ancient archaeological sites, chic design hotels, rustic tavernas, family-orientated seaside resorts and energetic dance clubs. It consists of a mountainous, peninsular mainland jutting out into the sea at the southern end of the Balkans, the Peloponnesus peninsula and numerous islands including Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Chios, the Dodecanese  and the Cycladic groups of the Aegean Sea as well as the Ionian Sea islands. Greece is the birthplace of democracy, Western philosophy, the Olympic Games, Western literature and historiography, political science, major scientific and mathematical principles, and Western drama, including both tragedy and comedy.

Climate

Greece has a warm Mediterranean climate. In summer, dry hot days are often relieved by stiff breezes, especially in the north and coastal areas and the evenings are cool. Winters are mild in the south but much colder in the north. November to March is the rainy season.

Lightweight clothes during summer months, including protection from the midday sun are required. Light sweaters are needed for evenings. Waterproofs are advised for autumn. Winter months can be quite cold, especially in the northern mainland, so normal winter wear will be required.

Places to visit

Explore Athens, Delphi, former city-state of ancient Corinth, Mycenae, Olympia, Meteora, Thessaloniki, Minoan Palace, Mykonos and Rhodes Town. . The capital, Athens, has the world famous Acropolis with the Parthenon. The Peloponessos region has mountains, good beaches and warm waters. the ruined Byzantine city of Mystras which overlooks Sparta, the fortress town of Monemvasia and of course Delphi, thought, in ancient times to be the center of the world. Here people still go to seek advice from the Oracle. There are several other places where you can experience the typical Greek culture. However it is advised that you plan your trip well. Those who enjoy walking and mountain climbing will find ample opportunities, particularly on the mainland, where they will find dense forests home to the endangered brown bear, as well as wild cats, goats and roe deer. There are several beaches both on the Greek mainland as well as the islands offering wide ranging facilities.  It is no surprise that a Greece holiday appeals to so very many people

Airport

There are several airports in Greece which help you travel with ease. Greece is well equipped with both domestic and international flights. Also car rental facilities are provided at all airports to make transport easy.

Transport

Transport includes rail, bus and car facilities. However it is advisable to hire cars and travel around with convenience.