Greek banks are normally open Monday to Thursday 8.30am-2pm, Friday 8.30am-1.30pm. Certain branches in the major towns or tourist centres are open extra hours in the evenings and on Saturday mornings for exchanging money. Always take your passport with you as proof of identity and be prepared for at least one long line.

Outside these times, the largest hotels and travel agencies can often provide this service, albeit sometimes with hefty commissions. On small islands with no full-service bank, "authorized" bank agents will charge yet another extra fee (1-2 percent) to cover the cost of posting a travellers' cheque to the main branch.

The safest, though most expensive, way to carry money is as travellers' cheques . These can be obtained from banks (even if you don't have an account) or from offices of Thomas Cook and American Express; you'll usually pay a commission of between one and two percent, though it pays to be aware of any special commission-free deals from your travel agent or your home bank. You can cash the cheques at most banks, though rarely elsewhere. Each travellers' cheque encashment in Greece will incur a minimum commission charge of ?1.20-2.40 depending on the bank for amounts of up to ?60 equivalent, so you won't want to make too many small-value transactions. For greater amounts, a set percentage will apply. Make sure you keep the purchase agreement and a record of cheque serial numbers safe and separate from the cheques themselves. In the event that cheques are lost or stolen, the issuing company will expect you to report the loss forthwith; most companies claim to replace lost or stolen cheques within 24 hours.

Small-denomination foreign bank notes are also extremely useful, and relatively unlikely to be stolen in Greece. Since the freeing up of all remaining currency controls in 1994, a number of authorized brokers for exchanging foreign cash have emerged in Athens and other major tourist centres. When changing small amounts, choose those bureaux that charge a flat percentage commission (usually one percent) rather than a high minimum. There's also a small number of 24-hour automatic foreign-note-changing machines in a few resorts, but again a high minimum commission tends to be deducted.

In 1998, the Greek post office largely abandoned the business of changing money - a nuisance, as many tiny islands have a post office but no bank. If you have a UK-based Girobank account, you may still be able to use your chequebook to get money at some remote post offices. You may also find that main post offices (in provincial capitals) are the designated receiving points for Western Union money transfers.

Finally, there is no need to purchase euros before arrival unless you're coming in at some ungodly hour to one of the remoter land or sea frontier posts, or on a Sunday. Airport arrival lounges will always have an exchange booth or cash dispenser for passengers on incoming international flights.

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