Best VPNs for Greece
For the most part, residents and visitors to Greece enjoy unrestricted access to the internet so you will still be able to chat with your friends on Twitter and share your holiday snaps on Instagram. There are some things you won’t be able to do without a VPN, however, including accessing US-only content and visiting any one of the thousands of online gambling, gaming and streaming sites currently blocked by Greek authorities.
Not only will a VPN give you the freedom to access whatever content you want, but it will also enable you to bank online from Greece while ensuring your private data remains where it should be – out of sight of prying eyes and out of the reach of cybercriminals.
For the best VPN in Greece, we recommend Express VPN.
What Are The Best VPNs for Greece?
#1 ExpressVPN Greece Lightning
Whether you’re skipping around the Greek islands, tanning on the beach, or discover the mysteries of Crete, ExpressVPN will give you reliable connections in the most remote corners of this European paradise. When traveling, most of us make use of public Wi-Fi connections to keep track of life back home, rarely considering the possible consequences of baring all on an unsecured public network.ExpressVPN will encrypt all the traffic traveling over that network, protecting you against possible man-in-the-middle attacks and other cyber threats.
With a huge network of servers encompassing 94 different countries, ExpressVPN is perfectly positioned to provide reliable and speedy connections from every conceivable corner of the world. By providing an AES-256 encryption code, ExpressVPN ensures that no government agency or cybercriminal will have a cat in hell’s chance of hacking into your private communications or tracking your online activities.
A major benefit of traveling with a VPN is that it can create a fake IP address for you anywhere in the world. So, if you want to stream March Madness while taking a break from the architectural wonders of Athens, ExpressVPN can give you access to the appropriate US live streams. Similarly, if you can’t live without your regular Netflix fix, ExpressVPN can navigate its stringent restrictions and sneak you in through the back door, so to speak.
Privacy is not a problem with ExpressVPN – a service known for its commitment to private browsing and dedicated to implementing standards to boost the VPN industry’s transparency and trustworthiness. ExpressVPN’s no-logging policy is thorough and dependable while the lack of data retention laws in ExpressVPN’s base of British Virgin Islands gives additional peace of mind.
Reliable speeds, cutting-edge encryption, and an international server network make ExpressVPN our number one choice as the best VPN for Greece. Take our word for it and sign up with ExpressVPN today or, if you need a little more convincing, find out what all its bells and whistles do in our full review.
If you decide you love ExpressVPN during your trial, bear in mind that they’re offering a SPECIAL DEAL to Secure Thoughts readers: 3 months free (49% savings) on their annual subscription plan.
#2 SurfShark VPN – Best Cheap VPN For Greece
It may be a newcomer compared to VPN giants like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but SurfShark VPN has made quite a splash in its first year of operation. Not only is this powerful VPN offering unlimited bandwidth, it’s also offering unlimited simultaneous connections. While that may not appeal if you’re aiming to travel light and only take the necessary gadgets with you to Greece, when you get home and find everything from your router to your daughter’s smartphone is covered, you’ll be glad you made the investment.
SurfShark VPN only has around 500 servers which makes it pretty small-fry, especially when you consider that NordVPN has over 5,000! Nevertheless, SurfsShark VPN has ensured their servers are strategically positioned to give the most reliable and fastest connections. Surprisingly, SurfShark VPN manages to compete with ExpressVPN both in terms of speed and its agility in navigating geographically restricted websites like Netflix. That means you can keep up-to-date with all your favorite shows even while exploring the ancient history and golden beaches of Greece.
As it attempts to establish itself as one of the best VPNs for Greece, SurfShark VPN is pricing itself competitively. Although it doesn’t offer a free trial, you can benefit from SurfShark VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee so you basically have 30 days to decide whether this is the VPN for you before making a financial commitment.
SurfShark VPN has servers in Greece as well as Turkey, meaning you’ll have access to a secure connection wherever you are in the country. Additional security features such as CleanWeb will prevent annoying and potentially malware-infested adverts from interrupting your browsing experience, making it both faster and cleaner.
Like ExpressVPN, SurfShark is situated in the British Virgin Islands, giving you the benefit of a no-logging service in a country with minimal data retention laws. With private DNS on each server, you can be sure SurfShark VPN will keep your online activity safe from prying eyes and government surveillance while giving you the freedom to access the content of your choice.
Try swimming with the big fish and sign up for SurfShark VPN today, or find out more about just what it can do for you by checking out our full review.
3 CyberGhost VPN – Most User-Friendly VPN for Greece
Back in the days when SurfShark VPN was still learning to swim, CyberGhost VPN was already haunting hackers and government agencies, giving users a level of online invisibility only the ghostly could achieve. These days, CyberGhost VPN is even more powerful, having done away with its controversial session recording scripts. That means it’s upped its game in terms of both privacy and its no-logging policy, bringing back up to par with the best VPNs for Greece.
CyberGhost VPN is well-known for its simplistic approach, and an easy-to-operate intuitive interface makes it possible for even the most technologically wary to get the best cybersecurity protection while torrenting and streaming to their heart’s content.
With a server network that is focused on Europe, CyberGhost VPN gives you the freedom to travel throughout Greece without ever having to risk a dodgy, unprotected Wi-Fi connection. Stream your favorite series on Netflix, and watch the latest homegrown sporting events without interruption and all at the click of a colorful button.
Despite being easy enough for a child to use, CyberGhost VPN is a powerful piece of software, giving users top-class encryption and access to over 3,700 servers. Compatible with a range of devices, CyberGhost VPN can protect you wherever you go, whether you’re an Apple addict or an Android enthusiast. CyberGhost uses its ethereal powers to block ads, malware, and online tracking, ensuring you get the smoothest and safest browsing experience possible.
While CyberGhost doesn’t have a free trial available, you can sign up and take advantage of its 45-day money-back guarantee and its competitive pricing. Although a one-month subscription is a little on the pricey side, if you’re willing to make a commitment of six months or more, CyberGhost rewards you with excellent value for money.
Affordable and user-friendly CyberGhost VPN comes highly recommended as a robust, effective yet easy to operate cybersecurity solution. Take our word for it and sign up for CyberGhost VPN today, or reveal its supernatural secrets by reading our full review.
4 NordVPN – Best VPN for Online Banking
If there’s one thing NordVPN does, it’s security and it does it better than most. Back in the early days of VPNs, NordVPN was one of the first to introduce the now industry standard of AES-256 encryption. It’s so focused on your privacy and anonymity that it even provides a range of additional security options that you can use to protect yourself when performing online transactions.
NordVPN has a DoubleVPN option that will send your most sensitive data, like your credit card information or online banking account details, via two secure servers instead of one. As the name suggests, this will give you double the protection. Unfortunately, all security tends to come at a price, and using the DoubleVPN feature will undoubtedly have some negative impact on your connection speed so you need to weigh up the pros and cons of security vs speed.
Although NordVPN has one of the biggest international server networks in the world, numbering in excess of 5,000 servers, it struggles to generate the same high speeds as some of its competitors. Nevertheless, with six servers in Greece alone, you should get the benefits of consistent and fast connections wherever you go.
One of the things we like best about NordVPN is the efficiency and helpfulness of its online live chat support. Any problem is solved within minutes, without any unnecessary product promotion. Not that a lot of problems arise, as NordVPN is surprisingly simple to operate despite its impressive technology.
Based in Panama, NordVPN doesn’t keep any logs of its users’ online activities and is safely situated outside the five and 14-eyes intelligence sharing alliances. With affordable prices and bonus features, such as CyberSec which blocks suspicious websites and flashy ads, giving you a safer and faster browsing experience.
NordVPN’s most affordable pricing tiers inevitably require a longer-term commitment so, if you’re not willing to jump into a multi-year plan just yet, you can try it out for 30 days safe in the knowledge that you’ll get your money back at the end if you choose not to continue with the service. NordVPN is a sophisticated and reliable VPN that gives you cutting-edge protection and worldwide connectivity.
Get protected by NordVPN today, or check out our latest review.
Taking a Gamble on Greek Online Freedoms
Overall, visitors to Greece enjoy unlimited and uncensored access to the internet but that hasn’t always been the case. A few years ago Greece was in the stranglehold of an economic disaster which drove the authorities to instigate a number of capital controls that would prevent residents from spending money outside the country. This lead to the blocking of various online transactions that would see money traveling across the Greek borders. Accessing sites like PayPal became virtually impossible without a VPN and even those were hard to come by as a block was put on all internet services not based in Greece.
Fortunately, as Greece begins to see the light at the end of its economically challenged tunnel, so the capital controls are being lifted and freedom restored. To a degree, anyway. Unfortunately, according to Greek authorities, “internet-based communications are not covered by current privacy laws” which means law enforcement agencies can conduct surveillance on private online interactions.
The blocking of certain content isn’t beyond the Greek government either, and at the end of last year, authorities added 38 movie streaming sites to their list of blocked websites. While the move was made in an effort to combat online copyright violations, it’s nevertheless curbed internet freedom in the country and will no doubt prove a profitable move for the best VPNs in Greece.
It isn’t only sites like thepiratebay that have been blocked either and Greek gamblers are ruing the day authorities have blocked thousands of gambling sites over the past few years. In July last year, the Greek Gambling Commission added another 1,083 online gambling sites to its blacklist, bringing the total to 2,708. It’s not exactly putting a stranglehold on your online liberty, but it could be the start of more extensive censorship and surveillance measures, which is why it’s advisable to sign up to one of the best VPNs for Greece now before it’s too late.
Full Stream Ahead in Greece
Despite the authorities blocking some streaming sites, there are plenty of others that you can access if you have a Greek IP address. With one of the best VPNs for Greece, you can select a Greek server from anywhere in the world, and gain access to the top Greek streaming sites, which include:
1. DirecTV
Back in 2007, DirecTv added a couple of Greek channels to its selection, giving international viewers access to both AlphaTV and MEGACosmos. With one of the best VPNs for Greece, you can watch home-grown reality TV shows, series, movies, news, and live sports.
2. Fox
Launched in 2012, Fox gives viewers all over the world access to some of the best US and Greek TV series around, as well as reality and travel shows, live sports and news.
3. Statinos TV
Get access to local Greek TV channels and live sporting events with Statinos TV. You’ll also find religious broadcasts and radio channels available on this popular Greek streaming channel.
Bottom Line
While Greece is far from as restrictive as some countries, namely North Korea and China, it still exerts some pressure on online users by blocking certain streaming and gambling sites. More worryingly, there is nothing stopping Greek law enforcement agencies from observing your online activity. Although the authorities seem to be reluctant to impinge on their residents’ and visitors’ online freedoms, there have been a couple of incidents that have caused concern and outrage.
In 2012, a Greek resident was arrested and charged with “malicious blasphemy and insulting religion” after his Facebook page raised concerns. Although he was later acquitted, the arrest sparked concerns about the Greek government surveying and restricting online activities. To date, Greek cybercrime agencies have blocked thousands of online gambling and streaming sites and there’s nothing to say it won’t continue to flex its online muscle.
Economic issues also resulted in restrictions on certain online payment and shopping sites in an effort to restrict the movement of Greek capital out of the country. Although these limits are currently being reviewed, to ensure you have access to your usual content, and particularly online banking and streaming sites, Secure Thoughts advocates the use of one of the best VPNs for Greece.
So, if you’re heading off to the popular island of Santorini or the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delphi, make sure you’ve got sufficient security and freedom by signing up with one of our recommended VPNs today.
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