How to Read a Greek Bus Schedule

Even when the site is in English, the schedules may still show Greek names for the days. At the bus station itself, it almost definitely will. Here's my help: 

ΔΕΥΤΕΡΑ - Deftera - Monday
ΤΡΙΤΗ - Triti - Tuesday
ΤΕΤΑΡΤΗ - Tetarti - Wednesday
ΠΕΜΠΤΗ - Pempti - Thursday
ΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗ - Paraskevi - Friday
ΣΑΒΒΑΤΟ - Sabato - Saturday
ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ - Kyriaki - Sunday

The Greek days of the week are a classic case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. If you see "Triti" and look at the root as "tria" or "three", the temptation is to think, ah, the third day of the week, must mean my bus leaves Wednesday. Wrong! Greeks count Sunday, Kyriaki, as the first day of the week - so Triti is Tuesday.

Bus schedule in Sounio

What Day is it? Um, What Month Is It?

No, this has nothing to do with how much raki or ouzo or Mythos you put away last night. Remember that Greece puts the day first, then the month, opposite to what is standard in the United States (except, oddly, on the customs forms you fill out coming back into the United States). While it's unlikely you'll think "18" or "23" stands for a month instead of a day, unfortunately, the summer months make perfect 'sense' when reversed, so please be careful when booking that ferry ticket that you want August 7th when you select 07/08.

 

What do you mean the 15th is a Tuesday? I checked the Calendar!

Glancing at the calendar on the wall of the Greek bus or ferry office - or at your hotel? Please remember that Greek calendars start with Sunday unless they are designed to be bought by tourists for use back home, and even that isn't a sure thing.
Greek bus and other schedules use a 24-hour day. Here's help with that,too.

 

Reading 24-Hour Timetables & Schedules in Greece

Midnight/12:00am = 00:00
1 am = 01:00
2 am = 02:00
3 am = 03:00
4 am = 04:00
5 am = 05:00
6 am = 06:00
7 am = 07:00
8 am = 08:00
9 am = 09:00
10 am = 10:00
11 am = 11:00
Noon/12:00pm = 12:00
1 pm = 13:00
2 pm = 14:00
3 pm = 15:00
4 pm = 16:00
5 pm = 17:00
6 pm = 18:00
7 pm = 19:00
8 pm = 20:00
9 pm = 21:00
10 pm = 22:00
11 pm = 23:00

 

PM means AM and MM means PM

One last area for confusion, though the 24:00 time system makes this less frequent. In Greek, the abbreviation for "morning" is not AM for ante-meridian as it is in Latin, but PM for Pro Mesimbrias or πριν το μεσημέρι (prin to mesimeri) (before noon - think of the "pro" standing in for "prior to"). Afternoon and evening hours are MM for Meta Mesimbrias - if you like the candies, maybe you can think of M&Ms are chocolate and therefore MM means the "darker hours". In speech, however, hours are used normally - for example, someone will arrange to meet you at 7 in the evening, not 19:00 hours.