It is late in the evening on a crowded Athens metro platform, a stranger shoves you, and a hand is suddenly in your bag. Or you are standing beside a rental car with a smashed window and an empty trunk. In moments like these, the one thing you want is a number you already know. Greece has two to remember, plus the U.S. Embassy in Athens for anything involving your own government.
What are the emergency numbers in Greece?
Greece uses two emergency numbers: 100 for the police and 112 for the EU-wide emergency line. The first is the one Greeks think of when they need an officer. The second works across the European Union, so it is the number printed on signs in many countries and the one a traveler may already know from elsewhere in Europe.
| Number | What it is |
|---|---|
| 100 | Police emergency number in Greece |
| 112 | EU-wide emergency number |
| +(30)(210) 721-2951 | U.S. Embassy in Athens |
When to use 100 or 112
Use 100 when the problem is a crime: a stolen wallet, a break-in, an assault, a threat. Use 112 when you are not sure which service you need, or when you are simply reaching for the number that works everywhere in the EU. Both are meant for real emergencies, so a lost guidebook or a question about a ferry does not belong on either line.
Most of what travelers report in Greece falls into a few familiar patterns. Pickpocketing and purse-snatching occur at popular tourist sites and on public transportation, especially the metro. A common tactic on the Greek metro is for one person to cause a commotion or push you while a second person snatches your belongings. The Athens metro is where visitors are most likely to run into crime and theft.
Situations that call for the police
Rental cars are a target. Thieves seek them out and break in to steal passports, valuables and luggage, so a smashed window and a missing bag is a case for the police line. Another is the clip joint routine reported primarily from central Athens: a single male traveler is invited to a bar and then handed an astronomical bill, enforced by thugs. If that happens, 100 is the number.
Resort towns have their own troubles. The U.S. Embassy has received reports of alcohol-induced attacks on individual tourists at some holiday resorts and bars in Greece. Faliraki on Rhodes has a reputation for theft, public indecency, sexual assault and alcohol-fueled violence, though it has calmed down since a new tough mayor was elected.
Earthquakes, strikes and demonstrations
Tremors and earthquakes occur regularly in Greece, and 112 is the line for an emergency during one. Strikes are a different kind of disruption. Domestic strikes, demonstrations and work stoppages are common throughout Greece and can become violent. Transportation strikes interrupt traffic, public transportation, taxis, seaports and airports, so confirm domestic and international flights before heading to the airport.
In Athens, demonstrators frequently gather in the Polytechnic University area, Exarchia, Omonia and Syntagma Squares. In Thessaloniki, the gathering places are Aristotle Square, Aristotle University and the Kamara area. Every year on November 17 there are demonstrations, and travelers are told to avoid all areas affected by them, including the U.S. Embassy in Athens.
How do you call for help?
You call for help by dialing 100 for the police or 112 for the EU-wide line, and by saying where you are before anything else. Location is the first thing a dispatcher needs, so have the street, the beach, the hotel name or the nearest landmark ready before you speak. On an island, the name of the village or the port tells the operator more than a general area does.
A simple script for the call
Start with where you are, then say what happened, then give your name and the number you are calling from. Speak slowly and keep the sentences short. If you are reporting a theft, say what was taken, and if it was a rental car, say whether passports were inside.
If the line is noisy, as it often is in a metro station or a bar, step somewhere you can hear and be heard. Stay on the phone until the operator ends the call, and keep the phone with you afterward in case someone needs to call back.
After a theft or a scam
If a bag is taken on the metro, the person who pushed you and the person who grabbed are usually working together, so the police will want to hear the sequence: who caused the commotion, who stood close, where it happened. After a clip joint bill, describe the bar and the street as best you can. If someone asks you to change a €20 or €50 note on the street, refuse, because you might get a counterfeit.
If your passport was in the stolen luggage, the U.S. Embassy in Athens is the next call, after the police. The embassy is at 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens, and its phone is +(30)(210) 721-2951.
Before you lift the camera
Some trouble with the authorities starts with a photograph. It is strictly forbidden to photograph military installations or other strategic locations in Greece, and authorities take violations quite seriously. It is also best not to photograph airports or any aircraft, even civilian ones, because Greek authorities can be very sensitive about it.
Many museums prohibit photography without a permit, some prohibit only flash or tripods, and many ask you not to take photos of objects with people standing beside them. Antiquities are a separate matter. All objects made before 1830 are considered antiquities protected by the Ministry, and exporting or buying any piece of archaeological value is illegal and can lead to arrest at the airport for trafficking.
Crossing the street
The greatest danger to travelers in Greece is probably the simple act of crossing the street. Traffic can be bad even in smaller towns and horrendous in Athens, and accident rates are high. If you witness or are part of an accident, 112 is the number to dial.
What help is there in English?
For an American, the clearest help in English is the U.S. Embassy in Athens, which you can reach by phone at +(30)(210) 721-2951. The embassy is at 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens, Greece, and its official website is https://gr.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/athens/. It is the place to turn when the problem involves you as a U.S. citizen, such as a stolen passport or a serious incident abroad.
| Contact | Details |
|---|---|
| U.S. Embassy in Athens, phone | +(30)(210) 721-2951 |
| U.S. Embassy in Athens, address | 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens |
| U.S. Embassy in Athens, website | https://gr.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulate/athens/ |
What the embassy is for
The embassy is not an emergency dispatcher. For an immediate danger, dial 100 or 112 first, then contact the embassy once you are safe. It is also the office that hears reports from travelers, which is how it knows about the alcohol-induced attacks at some resorts and bars.
Keep the number saved in your phone before you leave home. A lost phone in a foreign city is a much bigger problem when the embassy number was only stored inside it, so a note on paper in a separate bag is worth the minute it takes.
Calling the emergency lines when you do not speak Greek
When you call, speak slowly, say the word English if you need it, and give your location in the simplest words you have. A street name or a hotel name spelled out letter by letter often helps more than a long description.
If you have a companion who speaks some Greek, or a hotel desk nearby, ask them to place the call or to stay beside you while you make it. At a hotel, the front desk will know the street address that responders need.
When the problem is bigger than one traveler
Credible information indicates that terrorist groups continue plotting possible near-term attacks in Europe, and all European countries, including Greece, remain potentially vulnerable. Extremists focus on tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets and shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, places of worship, parks, high-profile events and airports. In a crisis of that kind, 112 and 100 are still the lines, and the embassy is the contact for U.S. citizens.
Good to know before you go
Save 100, 112 and the embassy number in your phone before you land, and carry the embassy address on paper as well. Keep your passport out of a parked rental car, since thieves look for exactly that.
Stay out of street currency exchanges, and in Athens, give the metro your full attention, especially when someone suddenly crowds or pushes you. Check your flight before you leave for the airport on a day when a strike is in the news.
Sources
- U.S. Department of State, U.S. Embassy Athens (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Greece.html), checked October 12, 2026
- U.S. Department of State, Greece travel information, safety and security (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Greece.html), checked October 12, 2026
- Wikivoyage, Greece, section Stay safe (https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Greece#Stay_safe), checked October 12, 2026
To plan your stay
- Best Time to Visit Greece: September and Late May to Early June
- Arachova: Parnassus Mountain Town, Formaela Cheese, Ski Season and Saint George's Day
- American Airlines Flights to Greece: U.S. Cities, Athens Arrivals and Onward Island Flights
- Greece on a Budget: Cash Machines, Cards, Beaches and Ferries