Over 56,000 ferry passengers depart Greek ports as August holiday exodus peaks

Peak weekend departure

Greece's second large wave of August holiday departures is underway, with Saturday 8 August marking the busiest day of the three-day weekend. According to port authority data cited by multiple Greek outlets, about 56,400 passengers were scheduled to depart from Piraeus, Rafina, Lavrio and the Argosaronic Gulf combined on Saturday alone. The exodus is driven by workers combining annual leave with the weekend ahead of the 15 August holiday (Dekapentaugousto), a major religious feast day in Greece.

Port-by-port figures

From Piraeus, 25 island routes were scheduled for Saturday carrying 31,392 passengers, while Sunday's 23 departures are projected to carry 34,441. Rafina has 14 Saturday routes with 9,700 passengers and 15 Sunday routes with 7,320. Lavrio scheduled 8 Saturday departures with 3,628 passengers and 11 Sunday departures with 3,167. The Argosaronic Gulf routes from Piraeus add another 54 fast-ferry and car-ferry sailings on Saturday with an estimated 11,701 passengers, rising to 58 routes on Sunday with 9,270 passengers.

Piraeus (Sat)31,392

Piraeus (Sun)34,441

Rafina (Sat)9,700

Rafina (Sun)7,320

Lavrio (Sat)3,628

Lavrio (Sun)3,167

Argosaronic (Sat)11,701

Argosaronic (Sun)9,270

Piraeus (Sat)

31392 passengers

Piraeus (Sun)

34441 passengers

Rafina (Sat)

9700 passengers

Rafina (Sun)

7320 passengers

Lavrio (Sat)

3628 passengers

Lavrio (Sun)

3167 passengers

Argosaronic (Sat)

11701 passengers

Argosaronic (Sun)

9270 passengers

Data from the article text

Cyclades at full capacity

Ships heading mainly to the Cyclades are sailing at or near 100% capacity, according to the Hellenic Coast Guard. The Cyclades and Argosaronic islands rank highest among traveller preferences, with additional demand recorded for the Dodecanese, the Ionian islands, and other popular coastal destinations. Port authorities have advised passengers to arrive early at departure gates, as heavy road traffic around the ports may cause significant delays.

Previous days' traffic

The surge was already visible on Friday 7 August, when Piraeus handled 23 sailings with 27,968 passengers, Rafina 16 routes with 7,685, and Lavrio 12 with 3,900. On Thursday 6 August, Piraeus recorded 23 sailings with 22,322 passengers, the Argosaronic saw 55 routes with 7,388, Rafina had 16 sailings with 7,057, and Lavrio 8 routes with 2,545.

Buses and border crossings

Intercity KTEL buses are also departing full, with services to popular destinations running as frequently as every hour from 07:00 onward. For many travellers, intercity buses remain a more economical option for short escapes outside Attica. At the Evzoni customs post on Greece's northern border, vehicle queues have formed with wait times exceeding 20-25 minutes at the exit, despite the suspension of biometric checks. Eleven gates have been opened for inbound traffic to ease congestion, but the high volume of vehicles continues to cause delays, a situation attributed partly to the gate allocation favouring incoming tourist flows.