10 interesting facts about Greece and Greeks

Charming little things you might want to know before your next holiday

Greece is more than sun, sea and good food. It’s a country built on personality, tradition, humour, warmth and centuries of habits that still colour everyday life today.

Here are ten small (and very true) facts about Greece and Greeks — the kind of things that make the country so lovable.

1. Greeks are incredibly sociable

The average Greek loves company.

Coffee houses, kafeneia, tavernas, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, bouzouki venues… no other country has so many places to gather, eat, talk and enjoy life together.

If you see a busy café at midnight — totally normal.

2. Coffee is a national ritual

No matter where you go in Greece, coffee is serious business.

It’s said that the first kafeneio opened in the 1820s in Nafplion. When Athens became the capital in 1834, cafés appeared everywhere — although at first, only men were allowed. Greek women only began visiting cafés a few decades ago.

Our favourite coffee spots in Skiathos:

• Meltemi Brunch Café

• Il Posto

• Ergon

• Bourtzi

Grab a freddo espresso and enjoy the view.

3. Mealtimes follow their own rhythm

Forget rigid schedules.

Lunch can happen anytime between 1.30 pm and 5.30 pm, and dinner often starts after 10 pm.

Your holiday stomach will adapt quickly.

4. Greeks talk with their hands — and their hearts

A Greek can’t fully express himself without his hands free. And “soft-spoken” often still means “audible from across the street.”

Unexpected political debates among strangers? Absolutely normal.

Greeks are passionate — and wonderfully loud about it.

5. Tradition and superstition still shape daily life

Hospitality runs deep.

It’s considered bad luck (and rude) not to offer refreshments to anyone who visits your home, even briefly.

And of course, the famous “evil eye” (mati) is everywhere — on jewellery, keychains, buildings, baby gifts — protecting you from negativity and envy.

6. Despite stereotypes, women run the household

Greek men often project “machismo,” but the truth?

In eight out of ten cases, the real boss is the wife or mother.

Even successful, independent men return to Mama for home-cooked meals, life advice and freshly ironed shirts. Some traditions never fade.

7. Plate smashing isn’t completely gone

Smashing plates in restaurants is no longer common (it started as a way to ward off evil spirits), but the tradition still exists during weddings and major celebrations.

Nowadays they usually smash plaster plates — safer, cheaper, less dangerous.

8. Greece has produced world-class writers

Modern Greek literature gifted the world two Nobel Prize winners:

• Giorgos Seferis (1963)

• Odysseas Elytis (1979)

Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek, never won but remains globally beloved.

And in Skiathos, literature lives on:

The island’s main street, Papadiamanti Street, is named after Alexandros Papadiamantis — an influential Greek novelist whose house (now a museum) sits near the port.

9. Reverse psychology works extremely well

If you want a Greek to do something, simply label it forbidden.

When potatoes were first introduced to Greece in the 1830s, locals refused to take them — until the police surrounded the sacks with guards.

Instantly, everyone wanted them.

Classic Greek ingenuity.

10. Greek islands truly are the lands of gods

Many Greek islands weren’t just holiday destinations — they were mythical playgrounds.

• Crete was the birthplace of Zeus

• Lemnos welcomed Hephaestus after Hera threw him from Mount Olympus

• Skiathos, according to myth, was named after followers of Dionysus (Skianthios)

Dionysus — god of wine, joy and celebration — still inspires Greece.

One of our favourite wineries in Skiathos, Parissis, embodies that same joyful spirit.

Another interpretation says “Skiathos” comes from:

• skia → shade

• Athos → the holy mountain Athos

Meaning “the shadow of Mount Athos.”

A poetic explanation for why Skiathos feels like a haven for those escaping the spotlight of everyday life.