Emergencies in Athens: 112, heat, fires, quakes

Triple zero won't work here. Save 112, learn what the alert tone means, and you're most of the way there.

The short version

112 is the European emergency number and works in Greece for police, ambulance and fire. Specific numbers exist too: 100 police, 166 ambulance, 199 fire, 1571 tourist police [1].
Greece's civil protection sends 112 alerts straight to smartphones for fires, storms and earthquakes, with an alarm sound. Don't switch them off [2].
Athens heatwaves regularly hit the high 30s and low 40s. When they do, the Acropolis closes in the afternoon and outdoor work is halted [3].
Wildfires on the edges of Attica are a summer fact of life. If a 112 message tells you to evacuate, go, using the route it gives [2][4].
The Australian Embassy in Athens answers on +30 210 870 4000, 24 hours a day. After hours, calls may divert to Canberra [5].

The numbers to save today

Put these in your phone before you need them. Greek dispatchers on 112 handle calls in English as well as Greek, but the specific services are worth knowing.

Number	Service	Use it for
112	European emergency number	Any emergency, any phone, including a foreign SIM
100	Police	Crime in progress, violence, road incidents
166	EKAB ambulance	Medical emergencies
199	Fire service	Fires, including grass and forest fires
1571	Tourist police	Theft, scams and problems for visitors, in English
1016	SOS Doctors	Private doctor house calls
210 779 3777	Poisons centre	Suspected poisoning

Source for the list: Visit Greece, the official tourism site [1].

What's different from home

No triple zero. Calling 000 from a Greek phone won't connect. Australian phones do redirect 112 at home, so it's a good habit either way.
Ambulances can be stretched. In central Athens many people take a taxi to an on-duty hospital emergency department for anything that isn't life-threatening. Public hospitals take turns being on duty (efimeria) on a rota, so check which one is on call tonight.
Pharmacies are your first stop. Greek pharmacists give more advice than Australian ones, and an on-duty pharmacy (efimerevon farmakeio) is open late in every area.
Medicare doesn't work here. Australia has no reciprocal health care agreement with Greece, so have travel or health insurance from day one.

How 112 alerts work

Since 2019, Greece's civil protection agency has pushed emergency messages through cell broadcast. Smartphones sold in Greece have it switched on by default, and the message pops up with a loud alarm, even if your phone is on silent [2]. They cover forest fires, severe weather, earthquakes, industrial accidents and practical measures like road closures or school shutdowns [2].

You'll recognise one: a loud siren-like tone, then a message in Greek and English. Typical wording tells you to stay home, or to leave a named area toward a named town.

Using a phone without cell broadcast, or a landline? You can register for 112 alerts by SMS, email or voice call using the civil protection online form or by calling 112, and set the area you want alerts for [2]. That's worth doing for an older relative or a holiday house.

The alerts are also posted on 112's official Facebook and X accounts [2]. Follow both. Australians on roaming plans should not assume they'll get the cell broadcast; a local SIM is the safer bet.

Heatwaves: an Athens summer is not a Perth summer

Athens heat feels different. Apartment blocks and asphalt trap it, nights stay warm, and older buildings often lack insulation.

During the July 2025 heatwave, temperatures up to 42°C were forecast in parts of Greece and 38°C in Athens. The Acropolis closed until 5pm "for the safety of workers and visitors", and the labour ministry ordered a halt to outdoor work from 12pm to 5pm in affected areas, mostly affecting construction and delivery riders [3]. Officials had ordered similar Acropolis closures in the two previous summers [3].

What locals do, and you should too:

Shop, exercise and walk the dog before 10am or after 7pm.
Keep shutters closed in the day and open windows at night if it cools.
Ride the metro rather than walk between stations at midday. It's air-conditioned.
Use municipal air-conditioned halls. The City of Athens and other municipalities open cooling spaces during heatwaves and announce them on their websites.
Check on elderly neighbours. Greek families do this as a matter of course.

Heat and fire go together. On the same days, civil protection warned of high fire risk across greater Athens [3].

Wildfires: the edge of the city is the danger zone

Athens itself doesn't burn, but the pine-covered hills and coastal suburbs around it do. In recent summers, fires have hit areas such as Varnavas and Marathonas in the north-east, Keratea and Palaia Fokaia in the south-east, and the slopes of Mount Penteli.

In August 2024, a fire near Varnavas spread rapidly in strong winds. Residents of many villages were evacuated after a 112 cell broadcast, and crews included 250 firefighters, 7 helicopters and 12 aircraft on the first day [4].

If you live in the northern suburbs, the Mesogeia, or anywhere near forest:

Know two ways out of your street, and which towns 112 is likely to send you toward.
Keep a go-bag by the door from June to September: passports, residence permits, AFM and AMKA papers, medication, chargers, water and a cotton face cover.
Clear dry vegetation from around the house. Greek law requires owners to clear plots, and municipalities enforce it.
Follow 112, not social media rumours. Evacuate when told, by the route given [2].
Never take the coast road toward the fire to "have a look". Roads clog fast.
If trapped, go to a large cleared area, a beach or the sea, and call 112.

The daily fire risk map from civil protection is published every afternoon during the season. Risk category 4 and 5 days are when you shouldn't light anything outdoors, including a barbecue. That rule will feel familiar from a total fire ban at home.

Earthquakes: Greece shakes, mostly gently

Greece is one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. Most quakes Athenians feel are small, but older buildings and crowded streets raise the stakes.

What to do when it shakes:

Drop, cover, hold on. Get under a sturdy table and hold it, away from windows and bookshelves.
Don't run outside during the shaking, and don't use lifts. Many injuries come from falling glass and balconies.
After it stops, leave calmly if the building is damaged and head to an open space such as a square or park.
Expect aftershocks and expect a 112 message if civil protection wants you to act [2].

Ask your landlord which year your block was built. Buildings designed under the newer seismic codes generally perform better than older stock.

The Australian angle: who to call from home

When something goes badly wrong, here's who helps:

Australian Embassy, Athens: +30 210 870 4000, open for urgent consular or passport calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Between 4pm and 8am Central European time, calls may be redirected to the Consular Emergency Centre in Canberra [5].
Consular Emergency Centre, Canberra: +61 2 6261 3305, if you can't connect to the embassy [6].
Smartraveller: subscribe to updates for Greece so you get changes to travel advice by email. Our consular help guide explains what the embassy can and can't do.

Consular staff can help with lost passports, arrests, hospitalisation and contacting family. They can't pay your hospital bill or get you out of a Greek legal process. That's what insurance and a good local lawyer are for.

Tell family in Australia where you live and leave a scan of your passport with someone you trust. Then join Cooee Greece, our Facebook group for Australians in Greece, at /join/. During fire season, members share road closures and spare rooms faster than any official channel.

Emergencies in Athens: 112 alerts, heatwaves, wildfires and earthquakes