Greece trivia: 46 questions and answers

Athens. Athens won at Marathon. The Spartans had been asked for help but arrived only after the battle.

Leonidas. King Leonidas of Sparta died holding the pass. Pericles and Themistocles were Athenian statesmen, and Alexander lived more than a century later.

Aristotle. Aristotle taught Alexander until he was 16. Socrates had died in 399 BC, long before Alexander was born in 356 BC.

Athens. The 1896 Games took place in Athens, with the Panathenaic Stadium as the main venue. The ancient Games had been held at Olympia.

1453. Constantinople fell to the Ottomans on 29 May 1453, after a siege of 53 days.

True. True. Greeks remember it as Ochi Day, 'No' Day, with parades every 28 October.

False. False. It was won by Spyridon Louis, a Greek water carrier from Marousi, near Athens.

False. False. About 69% voted to abolish the monarchy, and Greece became a republic.

Cucumber. Tzatziki is strained yogurt with grated cucumber, garlic and olive oil, often with dill or mint.

Goat's milk. Under its EU protection, feta is made from sheep's milk, or sheep's milk with up to 30% goat's milk.

False. False. The Greek village salad is known for having no lettuce: just tomato, cucumber, onion, olives and feta.

Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki. The story says a Nestlé employee first shook instant coffee with cold water and ice at the city's International Fair in 1957, though iced 'Nescafé frappé' may be a little older.

Grilled on a skewer. Souvlaki is small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer. The name comes from 'souvla', a skewer.

Anise. Ouzo is flavoured with anise, which is why it turns cloudy white when water is added. Pine resin is what flavours retsina wine.

True. True. The klephts are said to have cooked meat in covered pits so the smoke would not give them away.

Nafplio. Nafplio, in the Peloponnese, was the capital of the new Greek state until 1834, when King Otto moved the capital to Athens.

Patras. Patras holds one of Europe's largest carnivals, with huge satirical floats and parades.

True. True. Ioannina lies at about 500 m above sea level on the western shore of Lake Pamvotis.

Athena. The Parthenon was the temple of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens.

Delphi. Delphi, home of Apollo's oracle, was marked as the navel of the world by a stone called the omphalos.

They sit on top of huge rock pillars. They sit on top of huge rock pillars of sandstone and conglomerate near Kalambaka, in Thessaly.

The Minoans. The Minoans built the first palace at Knossos around 1900 BC, long before the Romans, Byzantines or Ottomans.

Poseidon. Poseidon, god of the sea, had his temple at Sounion, looking out over the Aegean.

True. True. The theatre seats about 14,000 people, and plays are still staged there.

False. False. The Ottomans built it some time after they captured the city in 1430. Today it is a museum of the city's history.

9. The flag has 9 stripes, popularly said to match the nine syllables of 'Eleftheria i Thanatos', 'Freedom or Death'.

A semicolon (;). In Greek the question mark looks just like a semicolon (;), as in 'Ti kánete;'.

About 200. About 200: published counts range from 166 to 227 inhabited islands, out of between 1,200 and 6,000 islands in total, depending on the definition.

Cyprus. Cyprus adopted the Hymn to Liberty as its national anthem in 1966.

An ancient Greek device of bronze gears that predicted eclipses. It is an ancient Greek device of bronze gears that predicted eclipses. Found in a shipwreck in 1901, it is called the oldest known analogue computer.

True. True. Greek law and religious tradition keep women out of the area governed by the monks of Mount Athos.

True. True. With its many islands and bays, Greece has about 13,700 km of coastline.

True. True. The wider area of Mount Olympus was added in July 2026, bringing Greece to 21 World Heritage Sites.

Thank you. Efcharistó means thank you. You may know the root from the English word 'Eucharist'.

False. False. Nai means yes, even though it sounds like 'nay'. No is 'óchi'.

logariasmós. Logariasmós is the bill. Leoforeío is a bus, eisitírio a ticket and farmakeío a pharmacy.

True. True. You say parakaló when asking for something, and also in reply to 'efcharistó'.

Good morning. Kaliméra means good morning. Good night is 'Kalinýchta'.

Póso kánei?. Póso kánei? means 'How much is it?'. Ti kánete? means 'How are you?'.

I don't understand. Den katalavaíno means I don't understand, useful when the conversation gets too fast.

True. True. Geia sas works for both, and is the polite form. With friends, say 'Geia sou'.

No. It means no, often with a 'tsk' click of the tongue. A nod downwards means yes.

False. False. This gesture, the moutza, is a traditional and strong insult in Greece.

When you board. Validate it when you board buses, trolleybuses and trams. On the metro you tap in and out at the gates.

True. True. Causing a wildfire is a criminal offence in Greece even if unintentional, so never light fires outdoors in summer.

False. False. Men are expected to wear long trousers, and women a skirt below the knee, with shoulders covered.