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Athens Practical Information

Post Office and Mail Boxes

Signs denoting post offices are usually bright yellow, as are post-boxes.
If you need to send a letter there are stamp vending machines and post-boxes outside all central post offices. Stamps can also be bought at many kiosks. You want to avoid post offices just like you want to avoid banks because often you have to take a number and wait half an hour for your turn.

Parcels sent abroad must be inspected, so do not wrap and seal them beforehand. Brown paper, soft padded envelopes and cardboard boxes can be bought at the post offices themselves. Some post offices will mail large packages and some won't. Which is which I have not been able to figure out yet.

Many people pay their bills at post offices and banks so keep your eyes open for the fast moving line and avoid mailing letters on Monday. If you are having a package sent to you make sure your name is exactly what is written on your ID. It took me an hour to convince them to give me a package addressed to Barrett Family because on my passport my first name was not Barrett and my last name was not family. And when I got it and opened it, it was a package of slim jims and the DVD of the 40 Year Old Virgin, both for my daughter.