Μake us preferred on Google The first weekend of August has triggered the annual holiday exodus from Athens, with thousands of vacationers leaving the Greek capital for island destinations across the Aegean and Crete. Passenger traffic at Attica’s ports has surged as ferries operate at high capacity to accommodate the peak summer travel season.
The Hellenic Coast Guard has been placed on heightened alert, introducing additional traffic management and security measures to ensure the smooth and safe boarding of passengers and vehicles amid the increased demand.
Traffic is expected to remain particularly heavy on Sunday. A total of 23 ferry departures are scheduled from the Port of Piraeus to destinations in the Aegean and Crete. Another 55 sailings are planned for the Saronic Gulf islands, including 31 high-speed ferries and 24 conventional vessels.
Elsewhere, 15 ferry departures are scheduled from the Port of Rafina, while 13 vessels are set to leave from Lavrio.
Saturday’s figures underscored the scale of the seasonal getaway. From Piraeus alone, 23 ferries carried 29,966 passengers to island destinations. Services to the Saronic Gulf also recorded strong demand, with 57 departures transporting 11,586 travelers.
Rafina handled 15 departures, serving 11,324 passengers, most of them heading to the Cyclades. Meanwhile, 14 ferries departed from Lavrio with a total of 8,976 passengers on board.
In total, more than 61,850 travelers departed in a single day from Attica’s four main ferry gateways, highlighting the first weekend of August as one of the busiest periods of Greece’s summer holiday season.
