“If you start now from the center of Athens, you’ll reach Rovaniemi faster than Marousi.” With this phrase, drivers humorously express their frustration over the traffic in the capital, which becomes increasingly unbearable as the Christmas holidays approach.

Live traffic maps are painted red—the color of heavy gridlock—from early morning until late evening, with movement reduced to a snail’s pace. “It’s the holidays; they’ll pass,” some might say, urging patience. However, transportation experts warn that we should get used to it—this is the new normal for commuting in Athens.

Holiday Traffic Chaos
Experts have observed that in recent weeks, as the holidays draw nearer, Athens’ traffic problem is evolving in both scale and geography.

Congestion is growing in volume, stretching over greater distances (with kilometers-long queues) and consuming more of drivers’ time. Moreover, areas already plagued by daily traffic jams are joined by new hotspots, worsening the situation further. On top of that, traffic persists throughout the day, easing only after 9 p.m. Why is this happening, and for how long?

Festive… Gridlock
“The increased demands of the supply chain and heightened commercial activity are causing traffic congestion beyond rush hours,” says traffic management consultant Kimón Logothetis in an interview with “Thema.” He highlights additional factors like the growing number of private vehicles and the slight drop in temperatures, prompting more people to travel by car.

According to Mr. Logothetis, what’s changed during the festive season is that now traffic builds up even in the late afternoon, both in Athens’ city center and in municipalities hosting decorative lighting and holiday activities. As a result, areas with bustling commercial markets see significant increases in traffic.

For instance, in already overcrowded Nea Smyrni, crossing Eleftheriou Venizelou Avenue and Omirou Street may take over half an hour. Similarly, notable delays are observed on Filolaou Street in Pagrati, Thisseos Street in Kallithea, Poseidonos Avenue toward Glyfada, Vouliagmenis Avenue in Dafni, Ilioupoli, Paleo Faliro, Kalamaki, Glyfada, and Piraeus, as well as in Peristeri and northern areas like Marousi and Kifisia. Double-parking also exacerbates the problem in these areas.

Central Athens and Major Arteries Overwhelmed
The streets of central Athens bear the brunt of the festive season traffic, particularly Amalias Avenue, Vasilissis Sofias, Vasilissis Konstantinou, and especially Stadiou Street. These roads attract shoppers, pedestrians strolling in the center, and through traffic heading toward other neighborhoods.

Congestion in the city center spills over onto major arteries such as Alexandras Avenue, which has long-standing traffic issues.

Kifisias Avenue: The Queen of Gridlock
The undisputed queen of holiday traffic is Kifisias Avenue, where congestion is so severe that travel times have more than tripled.

For example, last Monday afternoon, it was recorded that the trip from Marousi to central Athens—which normally takes just over 30 minutes—took 1 hour and 40 minutes via Kifisias Avenue.

Kifisias is paralyzed not only because it’s a key artery connecting the center to the northern suburbs but also due to the presence of commercial stores along its length, which are major destinations.

Even Alternative Routes Are Clogged
The volume is so overwhelming that even alternative routes, such as the main bypass of Attiki Odos, face significant delays, especially in the section from Fyli Avenue to Marousi.

“During the holiday season, we’re seeing traffic at all hours,” Mr. Logothetis notes. “When schools were open, heavy traffic was limited to 7:30–10:30 a.m. Now, due to extended holiday shopping hours, we’re also seeing congestion in the afternoon.”

The Most Difficult Period
“We’re at the peak of traffic challenges,” he explains. “This is the most difficult time of the year, with congestion occurring every day and at all hours, from 7:30 a.m. until about 9 p.m., when it gradually begins to ease.”

As more people rely on cars for holiday outings, traffic has intensified even on roads already prone to congestion. Those shopping or enjoying leisure outings are adding to the regular commuter traffic.

Unsurprisingly, highways like Kifisos Avenue up to the Metamorfosi junction, the Athens-Corinth National Road on the ascent near Schisto, and the descent toward the Aigaleo ring road are at a standstill. Thousands of drivers face delays from Palataki in Haidari to Aspropyrgos, while traffic jams plague Katechaki and Mesogeion Avenues.

Construction Projects Add to the Chaos
Construction projects are also worsening the situation. Last week, for instance, work on the southbound lane of Vasilissis Sofias Avenue caused significant disruption. A gas network crew damaged an electrical cable feeding the traffic lights at the Vasilissis Sofias and Papadiamantopoulou intersection. The repair required cutting into the pavement, closing two lanes from the Freedom Park area to NIMTS hospital, and causing severe delays extending back to the Kifisias Avenue nursing home area.

Permanent Problem
The holiday season is temporary, but traffic will remain… permanent. When it comes to the question of how Athens’ traffic problem will evolve (currently ranked as the 16th worst city in Europe for traffic congestion, with expectations to climb even higher), scientists and experts unanimously agree it will inevitably lead to a total gridlock.

“Every year, the traffic issue will worsen, and at some point, it will become unlivable,” says Athanasios Tsianos, president of the Association of Greek Transport Engineers, in an interview with Thema. He highlights that the average vehicle speed during rush hours, currently at 18 km/h, is decreasing annually by 2 to 5 km/h. As a result, within a decade, travel times for the same distance will more than double compared to today.

Traffic engineers have been anticipating a traffic blackout in Athens since 2005, initially projecting it for 2010—a prediction delayed only due to the financial crisis.

“The next two to three years will bring a continuous deterioration of the situation, to the point where we’ll be wishing for today’s conditions,” warns George Yannis, Professor and Director of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure at the National Technical University of Athens. Similarly, Kimon Logothetis notes in Thema that “we’ve already reached an unlivable state.” According to him, in 2024 alone, 120,000 additional vehicles were added to the city’s fleet.

Approximately 6 million passenger vehicles operate in the Attica region, all concentrated on specific road junctions.

Experts propose a range of measures, from revising the Ring Road restrictions to replacing 2,500 of the region’s 37,000 traffic light junctions with AI-controlled systems capable of adapting to dynamic traffic patterns. Other suggestions include improving public transport and establishing a metropolitan agency staffed by local experts to design and implement a strategic transportation plan.

So, where exactly will the problem escalate into complete gridlock in the coming years?

Southern Suburbs (Vouliagmenis Ave., Poseidonos Ave., Elliniko)
The problem: Traffic engineers agree that completing the Elliniko project will add significant traffic pressure to the broader area, especially on major road junctions like Poseidonos and Vouliagmenis Avenues.

The large-scale project creates an entirely new urban area, drawing in more residents and daily visitors, all without adequate infrastructure in place.

“If we haven’t yet seen significant traffic impacts from the Elliniko project, it’s because of the exemplary way heavy vehicles serving the construction site operate during nighttime hours,” says Logothetis. He predicts, however, that we’ll soon get an early taste of what’s to come.

“As soon as the shopping mall on Vouliagmenis is completed, we’ll see major traffic consequences.”

The solution: A comprehensive fix could come from extending the Ymittos Ring Road to connect with Vouliagmenis Avenue and the coastal front via a tunnel with three lanes in each direction and no exits.

The tunnel would run underground from the Kaisariani area to its connection point with Vouliagmenis Avenue, near the border between Agios Dimitrios and Ilioupoli, between the Agios Dimitrios and Ilioupoli metro stations.

With this project, a route that currently takes at least half an hour during peak hours could be completed in just 10 minutes. This solution is included in a proposal submitted by the consortium of GEK Terna (36%), Aktor Concessions (32%), and Avax (32%).

Lamda Development has also submitted additional proposals to facilitate transportation to and from Elliniko, such as extending the metro toward Glyfada and transforming Vouliagmenis Avenue into an expressway by removing traffic lights. For now, however, all of these proposals remain in the planning stages.

Kifisos Avenue and Athens-Corinth National Road

The Problem:
The largest arterial road in Attica receives the heaviest traffic daily (each lane accommodates 2,000 vehicles per hour). Traffic engineers agree that it has now exceeded the limits of what it can handle, making it the most congested roadway in Attica.

With economic growth, new uses—such as the expansion of logistics—are continually emerging, but the necessary infrastructure to support them is lacking.

It is estimated that over 20,000 daily trips are linked to businesses and logistics. According to the Association of Greek Transport Engineers, 20% of the traffic in each lane (400 out of every 2,000 vehicles per hour) consists of trucks, compared to only 3% in other parts of Attica.

These trucks are headed to or coming from the Port of Piraeus and the industrial zones or logistics hubs in Elefsina, Thriassio Plain, and Aspropyrgos.

Based on data from the Region of Attica, the worst days and times to travel on Kifisos Avenue are Wednesday through Friday, between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Conditions, however, vary dynamically depending on the section, lane, and direction. When incidents occur (62.5% vehicle breakdowns, 37.5% traffic accidents), gridlock is inevitable.

Additionally, Kifisos Avenue has the unique problem of narrowing like the neck of a bottle near Acharnae, where lanes are reduced. This creates further congestion. The avenue essentially serves three major routes:

1. The exit (or entry, heading inbound) from Athens.
2. Access to the northern and western suburbs.
3. Connections to both the Attiki Odos highway and the Athens-Corinth National Road.

The Athens-Corinth National Road, in turn, faces severe issues with traffic congestion on Schistou Avenue, Athens Avenue, and the Aegaleo Ring Road, which is currently accessible only through a challenging network of roads passing through Aspropyrgos.

While the drive from Metamorfosi to Faliro on Kifisos Avenue normally takes 15 minutes, during “hellish” hours, it can exceed one hour.

The Solution:
According to information from Thema, the Region of Attica has submitted a series of proposals to ease congestion on Kifisos Avenue, some of which might move forward soon. Since road widening is considered virtually impossible at this stage, re-striping the roadway appears to be the preferred option.

This would, of course, be a temporary fix, as only specific infrastructure projects could provide lasting relief. GEK Terna has proposed a model project to construct a connecting arterial road from Elefsina to Oinofyta, a €500-million initiative.

This 40-kilometer axis would start from the Agios Loukas area in the Thriassio Plain and end at the PATHE (Athens-Thessaloniki National Road) near Oinofyta. Another project, awarded in 2022 to Terna, Aktor, and Intrakat, involves bypassing Kymi Avenue at a cost of €350 million. However, this has stalled due to difficulties in securing the necessary funding.

Another noteworthy project is the construction of the Skaramangas triple interchange, which could significantly alleviate pressure on the national highway by offering more options for drivers in the Thriassio Plain.

This interchange would directly link the national highway to Schistou Avenue, connect the partially constructed Aegaleo Ring Road at its southern end, and complete the long-delayed tunnels near Skaramangas and Lake Koumoundourou.

Attiki Odos

The Problem:
One of the most concerning trends for the future of traffic in Attica is the gradual saturation of the Attiki Odos highway.

Data shows that more than 255,000 vehicles use the urban motorway daily, an increase of 5% compared to last year. The exponential growth in traffic is evident: 240,000 vehicles used the road daily in 2023, marking a 10% increase from 2022, which itself was higher than in 2019.

During the Christmas holidays, daily traffic can reach 290,000 vehicles.

Attiki Odos bears the burden of drivers trying to avoid congestion on other arterial roads. Delays—ranging from 5 minutes to half an hour—are most commonly recorded in the following sections:

• Towards Elefsina.
• The exit for Lamia (National Road).
• Towards the airport, between Metamorfosi and Kifisias (entry from Lamia).
• Between Fyli and Kifisias.
• At the exit for Lamia

The Solution:

The solution of graduated toll pricing (based on time of day), as proposed by transport engineers, could temporarily address the problem, which, however, will only be permanently resolved once the highway expansions are completed.

Model proposals have been submitted for projects related to expansions towards Rafina, Lavrio, the Ilioupoli Tunnel, and the Elefsina-Oinofyta axis.

Athens City Center

The road network in the heart of the capital has long exceeded its designed capacity—the volume of vehicles it was built to handle.

According to the Association of Greek Transport Engineers, approximately half a million cars pass through the Small Ring (Mikros Daktylios) daily, with over 30% constituting through-traffic. Transport engineers claim that the Ring has already “crashed.”

A similar situation is gradually unfolding across other streets in central Athens, where peak hours render the area impassable—a problem exacerbated by the growing number of cars and the inability of public transport to relieve congestion.

Buses, in particular, suffer the most among public transport options, as they get stuck in traffic, even in designated bus lanes.

According to OASA (Athens Public Transport Organization), only 1 in 12 vehicles traveling along the 51.5 kilometers of bus lanes in Athens is a public bus. The rest are private vehicles that clog even these designated lanes.

The Solution:
The president of the Association of Transport Engineers of Greece (SES), Thanasis Tsianos, explained to Thema that to ease traffic congestion in Athens, transport engineers have proposed numerous measures to the government, including the abolition of the Small Ring. They suggest determining the number of vehicles the center can accommodate and setting pollution limits accordingly.

The plan initially allows vehicles emitting less than 120 grams of CO₂ per kilometer (the average emissions of a small, gasoline-powered city car) to enter the Small Ring. Over time and at regular intervals (e.g., every two years), this limit would be reduced, eventually excluding all but permanent residents.

In response, the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Vasilis Oikonomou, recently stated that the Small Ring “addressed the needs of another era and is now obsolete. The system, implemented continuously since 1982, has exceeded its capacity for years.”

Mr. Logothetis further proposes that “the bus lane network should be properly marked, and the number of surveillance cameras should be increased. In my opinion, taxis should also be allowed in these lanes, as is the case in other countries.”

Piraeus

The Problem:
Piraeus, too, has not escaped the nightmare of traffic congestion. The issue is most pronounced during the summer months when the country’s largest port handles more than 750,000 people, 420,000 cars, and 108,000 trucks every two weeks.

Grigoriou Lambraki Avenue, Mikras Asias Street, and all roads leading to the port become increasingly gridlocked. Adding to the complexity, traffic intensifies on holidays and during evening hours, due to the operation of waterfront establishments.

The Solution:
For many years, the Municipality of Piraeus has been calling for the undergrounding of Line 1 of the Electric Railway (ISAP) from Neo Faliro to Piraeus, as it essentially divides the city in two.

Recently, the Mayor of Piraeus, Yiannis Moralis, raised the issue with the Prime Minister during the official inauguration of the Piraeus Tower. The mayor emphasized that “this is not a local issue but a major infrastructure project that concerns not just the Municipality of Piraeus but also the operation of the country’s major and rapidly growing port, through which millions of people and corresponding vehicles pass annually.”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the importance of the project, stating that the government views it favorably, emphasizing “the significant role this project plays in the qualitative redevelopment of a part of Piraeus that requires further intervention.”