Exodus of Athenians culminates for Easter

Generally good weather forecast with a few topical storms

The exodus of city dwellers for the Easter long weekend holidays is culminating on Good Friday. Athenians are leaving the city through cars, trains, ports and airports, with the volume of traffic on major exit roads being high. Greek traffic police are on alert for the exodus as emergency measures are in effect to facilitate the travellers leaving Athens. Thousands of Athenians left the city late on Holy Thursday, according to passings from the Elefsina and Afidnes road tolls, while the departures is expected to reach a peak today. The bus terminals of Kifisos and Liosia reported full capacity with extra routes scheduled to be included due to high demand. It is estimated that 1,000 bus departures have either taken place or will take place today and Thursday transporting 50,000 people. Traffic is also high in roads leading to the port of Piraeus, as many holidaymakers have chosen to spend Easter on the islands of Crete, Cyclades, Dodecanese, the Argo Saronic and Northern Aegean. Port authorities have urged travellers to arrive at their departure points early to avoid delays. 39 ships and ferries had left from the ports of Piraeus on Thursday and Good Friday. 41 ship departures have been scheduled for the Aegean islands for Good Friday. Many have opted to leave via air, with 2,630 flights leaving of scheduled to leave from Holy Wednesday till Good Friday. The islands of Paros and Corfu seem to be the post popular destinations, while Thessaloniki, Santorini, Larnaca, Heraklion and Chania are also high on the travellers’ lists. The Greek Meteorological Services (EMY) forecast relatively high temperatures for the days ahead with patches of clouds predicted for Good Friday and Saturday across the country. Some topical storms are forecast for Good Friday, while there is also a possibility of topical rains for Easter Sunday.