Money
Greece today is far more expensive than five or six years ago. This is probably a direct result of joining the European union.
As of this year, (2002), Greece will be one of the European countries that have changed to the euro(€). At the present time the exchange rate is around
€1.57 = £1.
You may get a better rate in corfu, we always did with the drachma.
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Bars

The price of drinks are much the same in all the bars in sidari,
soft drink===£1.00 - £1.30
pint of beer = £1.50 - £1.70
cocktail ====£2.00 - £3.00
                                     spirits =====£1.50 - £1.70 (the measures can be much larger than in england)
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Restaurants

Not much difference between the many restaurants in sidari. Most have "dish of the day" which will be cheaper than the menu price and you may find a couple which are cheaper than the rest. Small cafes are the best for full english breakfast, chalkboards advertise the prices outside most of them.
full breakfast (with tea or coffee) = £2.00 - £3.00
club sandwich (with chips & salad)=£2.00 - £3.00
steak dinner =============£4.00 - £4.50
special meals (lobster etc)=======£9.00 - £12.50
Note:- some places have hidden extras which are not on the menu such as  bread & butter, salad etc

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Car hire

The local hire shops will be much cheaper than international hire companies but you should always check the insurance cover you recieve when hiring from them.
Most will not cover you for tyres.
All prices based on three day hire.
small car ============= £50 - £65
medium car=========== £60 - £75
open top jeep ========= £75 - £90
seven or eight seater ==== £70 - £85
 

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Scooter and byke hire

There are loads of scooter and bike hire shops scattered around sidari, if you hire one for a longer period, the daily rate works out cheaper.
Be safe ......use the helmet provided.
peddle bike = £3.00 - £4.00 per day
50cc ===== £10 per day
125cc =====£12 per day
motorbike ====== £15 - depends on cc
Note:- you will not be covered by your travel insurance for accidents involving scooters.

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Shops

If you are going self catering the cost of eating out can work out just as cheap as buying groceries.
Bread will be a lot dearer than it is in the uk. Brand names like Heinz can cost almost double uk prices and most of the pre-packed meat is labelled in greek. The fresh fruit and veg are really fresh, probably just picked from a tree out the back.
Gift shops are plentiful and you will find bargains on leather belts and clothes. The shelves are also stacked with the usual ornaments and bric-a brac.
Jewellers have a varied range of rings, necklaces, bracelets etc. Greek gold is mainly 14 carat, ( i haven't seen 9 carat gold in any jewellery shop). When buying gold you will almost certainly be told to get it valued when you get home as the value will almost certainly be double what you pay in corfu.
Always check the quality of any item before you buy. I bought a bracelet for my wife and a couple of months later one of the links broke, luckily we visit corfu twice a year so i took it back the next time we visited and it was repaired without any fuss.

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Cigarettes & tobacco

If you are a heavy smoker take plenty of money and an empty suitcase, ( you could save a small fortune).
pack of 20 =====£1.50
tobacco 50g =====£4.00

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