Athens Empties for Easter as 85,000 Vehicles Head for the Villages

08:03 10/4/2026 - Πηγή: iEfimerida

Nearly 85,000 vehicles streamed out of Athens on Holy Thursday as Greeks began the country's largest annual migration, flooding highways and filling intercity buses to capacity despite a 10 percent rise in ticket prices from a year ago.

Traffic police recorded the outbound surge between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the bulk of the exodus

heading south.

Some 48,000 cars traveled the Athens-Corinth National Highway, causing significant delays near the Elefsina and Megara toll booths before congestion eased through the evening.

The northbound Athens-Lamia route carried roughly 37,000 vehicles and remained clear throughout the day.

The city's main intercity bus terminals at Kifissos and Liosion were overwhelmed, operating at full capacity from morning.

Regional transit authorities authorized additional unscheduled routes to absorb the overflow.

Authorities enforced a ban on commercial trucks over 3.5 tons on all outbound lanes until 10 p.m. to keep traffic moving and prevent gridlock on the country's main arteries.

The Easter exodus is among the most deeply embedded rituals in Greek civic life, drawing city dwellers back to ancestral villages for the four-day holiday regardless of the cost.

This year's migration comes amid broader cost-of-living pressures, making the full buses and packed roads a testament to the hold the holiday retains on the national psyche.

A final wave of departures is expected Friday morning as the last remaining Athenians leave for Good Friday services, leaving the capital unusually quiet for the long weekend. Orthodox Easter falls on Sunday.

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Nearly 85,000 vehicles streamed out of Athens on Holy Thursday as Greeks began the country's largest annual migration, flooding highways and filling intercity buses to capacity despite a 10 percent rise in ticket prices from a year ago.

Traffic police recorded the outbound surge between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., with the bulk of the exodus heading south.

Some 48,000 cars traveled the Athens-Corinth National Highway, causing significant delays near the Elefsina and Megara toll booths before congestion eased through the evening.

The northbound Athens-Lamia route carried roughly 37,000 vehicles and remained clear throughout the day.

The city's main intercity bus terminals at Kifissos and Liosion were overwhelmed, operating at full capacity from morning.

Regional transit authorities authorized additional unscheduled routes to absorb the overflow.

Authorities enforced a ban on commercial trucks over 3.5 tons on all outbound lanes until 10 p.m. to keep traffic moving and prevent gridlock on the country's main arteries.

The Easter exodus is among the most deeply embedded rituals in Greek civic life, drawing city dwellers back to ancestral villages for the four-day holiday regardless of the cost.

This year's migration comes amid broader cost-of-living pressures, making the full buses and packed roads a testament to the hold the holiday retains on the national psyche.

A final wave of departures is expected Friday morning as the last remaining Athenians leave for Good Friday services, leaving the capital unusually quiet for the long weekend. Orthodox Easter falls on Sunday.

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Athens Empties, Easter,85000 Vehicles Head, Villages