Assumption Day: 24 ships and 2 million vehicles at the tolls

The exodus of holidaymakers for the Assumption Day holiday is reaching its peak. On Thursday, August 13, 24 ships depart from Piraeus for the Aegean islands. 15 ships depart from Rafina and 9 from Lavrio. For the Argosaronic, 22 routes are operated by conventional ships and 33 by high-speed vessels and flying dolphins. Occupancy rates for popular destinations are reaching 96%.

The top destinations for these days are Tinos and Paros, because of the celebration of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary on Saturday, August 15. The pilgrimage to Tinos draws thousands of visitors every year. Occupancy at accommodations on the island stands at around 95%. Routes to these destinations are among the first to sell out. Passengers are urged to arrive at the ports early, especially in the morning hours.

The picture on the road network is similar. From July 28 through Wednesday, August 12, more than 2 million vehicles passed through the toll booths of the Athens-Corinth and Athens-Lamia national roads. The figure reflects the overall traffic during the summer holiday period. These two routes are the main arteries out of Attica. Traffic on them peaks in the afternoons before holidays.

Piraeus Traffic Police commander Silvestros Karagiannis, speaking on “Koinonia Ora MEGA,” described the picture for the coming days. “These are the last two days, and on Assumption Day itself we will have crowds, mostly heading out to Tinos,” he said. He also stressed that “prevention is far more important than enforcement” and that “the entire Traffic Police force is on standby.” The service’s forces have been deployed at the port’s entrances and exits. The goal is to avoid congestion at boarding points.

During the three-day period from August 8 to 10, 90,000 passengers had already departed from Piraeus. This figure gives an indication of the scale of the movement. The port of Piraeus remains the main gateway out to the islands, followed by Rafina and Lavrio. The distribution of routes across the three ports serves different groups of islands. Passengers are urged to confirm their port of departure before traveling.

Alongside the increased traffic, the weather is imposing constraints. Winds in the Aegean are reaching 7 and locally 8 Beaufort, with intensification expected on Friday and Saturday reaching locally 9 Beaufort. Decisions on sailing bans are made by ship type and by route, with high-speed vessels affected first. As of Thursday midday, no general sailing ban had been announced by any port. Passengers are advised to follow announcements from port authorities.

The Hellenic Police has drawn up a special plan of intensified road safety measures for the period. The plan also includes a ban on trucks over 3.5 tons at specific hours. See the related Traffic Police measures for the Assumption Day holiday. Drivers are urged to follow the Road Traffic Code and exercise patience. More from Greece on the Greece page.