Athenians have been queuing outside ferries in ports and intercity bus stations or on national highways since early morning on Holy Thursday, the traditional big “Exodus” day where the Easter holiday makers leave the Greek capital for the countryside, the islands and villages.
The ports in Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina have been exceptionally busy as the Easter travelers flocked to ferries on foot or in their cars to sail to the islands of Cyclades and the Dodecanese as well as to Crete.
A total of 20 ferries were scheduled to depart on Thursday from the port of Piraeus with at least 22,190 passengers, while ferries from Rafina and Lavrio were scheduled to carry over 12,000 people to their destination .
On Holy Wednesday, another 25,000 left the city by sea, while the peak of the mass departure is on Good Friday.
The Ministry of Shipping reported that passenger traffic at Piraeus has jumped by more than 20% compared to last year.
Equally loaded are the roads leading outside Athens creating significant congestion across major highways and key transit hubs.
Traffic delays were notably heavy along main arteries, including the Attiki Odos, where long queues and slow movement were recorded.
Pictures via newsit.gr
Road leading to Peloponnese and western Greece were desperately jammed, with motorists to need 5 minutes to cover a distance of just 50 meters, media reported earlier. From the city center to Elefsina toll motorists needed 1 hour and 45 minutes for a distance normally covered in less than half an hour.
On land, Attica bus services KTEL are operating at near-full capacity, with reinforced schedules to meet demand for mainland destinations. The president of Attica KTEL confirmed that occupancy exceeds 90% on routes to regions such as the Peloponnese, Epirus, Karpenisi, and Aetoloakarnania.
Air travel is reportedly also booming. At Athens International Airport, passenger traffic has returned to pre-pandemic levels. More than 110,000 travelers are expected to pass through the airport today alone, across both domestic and international flights.
Flights to island destinations including Corfu, Rhodes, Santorini, and Chania are fully booked, with airlines having added extra services to and from Athens to accommodate the surge in demand.
The “exodus” of Athenians on major holidays is a topic media love to report about. Their return to the city, too, of course. Year in, year out.