Internet for Visitors in Greece

When you come to Greece for a visit and you want to connect to the Internet, there might be a few usefull informations I could share. This is not yet a country of cheap and readily available Internet connections, not to mention broadcast. Getting some hints may get you ahead though...

Updated: As of 2008/2009, a lot of information in this article is outdated. Please read the Update: Mobile Internet for Visitors in Greece 2009 too!

Come here with your own laptop computer? Your options are basically to connect with a modem over the landline phone system, use GPRS over your mobile phone, or leech a wifi connection somewhere. Don't count on an easy quest.

Getting a cable to the world

For the landline you will need access to some telephone jack. These are standard RJ-11 connectors most of the times, but there are older jacks with two contacts. Adapters are available at electricians outlets, most of the times you can get by with yanking the cable out of a standard phone device. So much for the hardware connection.

Dial in

If your "ISP from home" does not offer some international dial-in partner ISP here in Greece, you will also need an ISP login. No need to get something with monthly payments: At normal phone shops (and at the post office) you can buy "cards" for 5, 10, or 20 hours of Internet access. Examples are the "Forthnet Netkey", "Smile & Web", "UrNet" carads. On top of that cost (would be around 5 to 10 Euro depending on "size") you will also be charged connection cost on the phone bill. These are quite low, even lower than a local phone call, but the dual system makes it difficult for guests to take all the cost on themselves. There are also some numbers for "no advance cost" internet access. You don't have to pay for a card or monthly connection there, but the connection cost on the phone bill is quite high (something like 1.20 Euro per hour). This may be an option if you really want to connect just once. Hellas On Line is an example of a provider offering such a dial in number.

GPRS: Mobile, expensive and available

The next option is using your mobile phone, your providers Roaming plan, and a lot of money. Find out how your provider sets you up for GPRS access, find out how you hook up your Laptop and your mobile phone, and off you go. Charges are often high. But it's a connection that will work without having to get help from anyone, without borrowing someones connection. This may be the right thing if you really, really need to check mails and you are in your far out cabin on a far out island (like I was on Limnos in the Summer of 2004). Proper setup to keep download size low suggested. BTW: My initial thought was to get a "card phone" prepaid number in Greece to do this. Forget it. None of the Greek mobile providers offeres GPRS on their prepaid numbers.

Wifi and broadband?

As for leeching a broadband connection: My initial journey was trying to find an internet cafe that would let me get access to an Ethernet connector. No luck so far. Those kids don't have a clue, so they are affraid that you are doing some harm. Next I tryed to find an "open" hotspot. Again, no luck. At least at the time of this writing technology is way behind in Greece, so since the kids don't have broadband and wireless routers to leave open. You may get a chance for broadband if you come here to study at some university, or if you come here to work at a company. At least in Athens you have another option: Starbucks has started to conquer Greece and (at least some) of their Coffeeshops offer wifi access, charging 3 Euro for 2 hours.

Internet Cafes

Which compares somehow with a typical Internet cafe. These ask around 2-3 Euro per hour, and you can't work in the comfort of your own machine. But it's the option you have when you come to Greece with or without a laptop. For bringing stuff over to my laptop I carry a USB stick and a CD-RW rewritable CD. Some Internet Cafes have really crappy Windoze 98 machines, no USB of course. Sometimes there are CD writers though. For logging in to my server I use putty and S/key one-time passwords. You might consider packing a short list of S/key passwords, even if you don't plan on using Internet cafe connections.

Internet Cafes in Athens are not everywhere. There are some hidden close to the central Syntagma square, but most are nearer to Akadimia, Omonia and Patision Street (where the Polytechnicum and some Universities are). Outside Athens the Internet Cafes are found reliably in Tourist locations. I spent many an hour in Myrina on Limnos in a regular Cafe that had 2 hours of free Internet Access with buying 2 beverages.

Operating systems and things that look like them

Now, once you have gotten your own laptop almost ready to connect somewhere, don't expect any help, especially when you run anything but Windoze. Greeks might have heard that Linux exists, they might have heard someone mention that there is a company called Apple (but both possibilities are unlikely outside their user bases). OpenBSD is unheard off for sure. This is a country of Windoze and stolen software. Since not even Windows administrators actually know their own OS, this means that you are pretty much out of luck if you need help. Have fun, this might be a chance to learn some new skill!

Update 2007-03-06: See also Greece on Wireless: Come In We're Open

Updated: As of 2008/2009, a lot of information in this article is outdated. Please read the Update: Mobile Internet for Visitors in Greece 2009 too!