You are touring Greece and sometimes you feel you’ve payed too much for a bottle of water, a snack or a coffee?
EKPIZO -or ΕΚΠΟΙΖΩ in Greek- is an NGO for consumers’ rights. It has published a guide titled “Checking our food during vacations”. I assume that every tourist has a general knowledge about what to eat and what to avoid when in vacations away from his/her country.
What I found most interesting for tourists visiting Greece is that there is a governmental ‘price fixing’ for certain goods at certain places. And here I’ve translated below:
When you visit the canteen or the coffee shop of an archaeological site, a hospital, a sports stadium, a municipal or state beach, an airport, a theater or cinema, when you buy snacks and drinks on buses, trains and ships you should pay:
Bottled water 500ml – 0.50 €
Bottled water 750ml -to 0.70 € *** in most airports and ships you will not find 500ml water but 750 ml!
Toast with ham + cheese – 1.80 €
Sandwich with ham + cheese – 1.70 €
Greek coffee (single) – 1.60 €
French Coffee Filter (single) – 1.60 €
Espresso (single) – 1.70 €
Instant coffee (warm or cold “Frappe”, single) – 1.60 €
Tea – 1.60 €
The above prices are final.
This ‘price fixing’ applies only to those drinks and snacks that consumers buy by themselves, do not sit in the coffee shop/canteen and do not give orders to a waiter.
The price of coffee does not differ if milk or sugar are added.
In a restaurant:
Be sure to get a normal receipt and not a piece of paper showing your order handwritten in something that looks like Greek.
When you order fresh fish… Fish heavier than 230 grams should be weighed raw.
My father’s secret for ordering fresh fish. If you go to restaurants’ fridge and choose fresh fish for your dinner, you can ask the restaurant owner to cut off the fish tail in front of you. This will guarantee you will eat the fish you ordered.
The restaurant is obliged to offer you tap water for free. If you prefer bottled water, wine, beer, ouzo and soft drinks they should be opened in front of you.
Before giving an order: if you feel the restaurant is too expensive, you have been waiting too long or there are other things that disturb you… just stand up and go!
