Strikes In Greece And How They Might Affect You

Strikes in Greece might affect your Greek vacation, especially if you are not prepared. Here is everything you need to know about strikes in Greece. 

Strikes in Greece

Strikes are a fairly frequent occurrence for people living in Greece. Looking back on a calendar of strikes in Greece, you will see that, on average, there are at least 3-4 strikes a month.

The majority of those strikes in Greece, however, are very unlikely to affect visitors. For the most part, they are organized by several workers’ unions that have nothing to do with the tourist industry.

Who goes on strikes in Greece?

There are several categories of workers who can be on strike in Greece. This depends on the profession, and to a certain degree on the union they are affiliated with.

The main categories of people who are likely to go on strike in Greece are doctors, nurses, teachers, cleaners, museum employees, bank employees, customs employees, garbage collection employees, journalists, and everyone working for the wider public sector.

Strikes in Greece - A banner

These unions generally go on strike for a day or two at a time, apart from extreme cases, when a 3-day strike, or longer, is announced. This is more common for people working in public hospitals, though in practice hospitals never really close down.

Public transportation strikes in Greece

So far so good though, as those professions are generally not related to tourism, apart from museum employees. Right? Wrong!

Strikes in Greece

If you are visiting Greece, you *could* be affected by transportation strikes. Ferries, trains, airport traffic controllers, the Athens metro, taxis, trolleys, buses and the tram, all these people go on strike from time to time.

Sometimes the strikes last for a whole day, or 24 hours. In other occasions, there are work stoppages for only a few hours. This is fairly common for the transportation in Athens, like the metro, buses, trolleys and tram.

What happens on a transportation strike day in Greece?

There are a few different ways you can be affected during transportation strikes in Greece. 

Ferry strikes in Greece

A ferry strike in Greece is probably the one which is most likely to affect your travel plans. When there is a ferry strike, ferries in certain areas of Greece won’t run.

This will depend on the exact unions that are on strike. In general, the routes departing from the Athens ports, Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrion, are more likely to be affected, whereas local routes between islands often go ahead.

If a ferry strike is announced, keep checking for the most recent announcements closer to the time. You can find the latest information through the local port authorities, a local travel agent, your hotel, or your ferry company.

If you’ve booked your ferry ticket through Ferryhopper or Ferryscanner, they will usually send an sms on the mobile phone you used to complete your reservation.

Strikes in Greece - Ferry strike in Greece

If your trip is cancelled due to a strike, you are entitled to a full refund. So, if the island where you are has an airport, you could always fly back to Athens – though, unfortunately, a last minute ticket is likely to be very expensive.

If you are travelling between Greek islands and your ferry is cancelled, get in touch with your next accommodation as soon as possible. They may be nice and not charge you for that night’s stay.

Greek air traffic controllers on strike

Greek air traffic controllers are very rarely on strike. Sometimes, they announce a future strike, but these are usually cancelled at the last minute.

In case of a delayed or cancelled flight, check the EU regulations for any compensation that you might be able to claim. I was once eligible for a 250 euro refund, because my domestic flight in Greece was delayed for several hours.

Greek taxi drivers on strike

Taxis in Athens, and the whole of Greece, are very rarely on strike, but it happens now and then.

If taxis in Athens are on strike and you need to get to the Athens airport, you can take the airport metro or airport buses.

You can also get in touch with a reliable transfer company, Welcome Pickups – though they are often booked for a strike day. Another idea is to talk to your hotel, as they should be able to help you find a private transfer. 

Train strike in Greece

When there is a train strike in Greece, trains to Thessaloniki, Kalambaka or other areas in North Greece won’t run. Neither will the suburban railway which serves the Athens area and the airport, and goes to Kiato in the Peloponnese .

A train / suburban railway strike usually affects the airport metro line. This is because the part of the metro line from the airport to Doukissis Plakentias metro station is actually owned by the train company.

Unless the metro employees are also on strike, the urban part of the Athens metro is not affected by a train / suburban railway strike.

Strikes in Greece - Trains

If you need to get to the airport, you can use the Athens airport bus – but make sure buses aren’t on strike as well, and leave early. Alternatively, you can get a Welcome Pickup transfer to the airport.

Related article: How to book train tickets in Greece 

Metro strike in Athens

The Athens metro consists of three lines. The green line is owned by one company, and the red and blue lines are owned by another company. Weird, but it is what it is!

The two companies don’t necessarily go on strike on the same days, so the green line might be running when the others don’t, and vice versa.

Strikes in Greece - Metro strikes in Greece

When there is a metro strike in Athens, especially when the blue and red lines are involved, be prepared for some serious traffic jams. If you are going to the airport in either a taxi / transfer or on the airport bus, make sure you leave much earlier than you had planned.

Bus and trolley strike in Athens

In my experience, few visitors use buses or trolley buses in Athens. Finding the exact route information can be complicated for a non-Athenian – and even for an Athenian!

Strikes in Athens - Trolleys

With that said, many visitors use the airport buses, which connect the airport with several parts of the city. The most popular routes run to (a) Syntagma Square in central Athens and (b) the port of Piraeus.

In some occasions, both the airport metro / suburban railway (Athens urban rail transport) AND the airport bus are on strike. In this case, your only solution is to take a taxi / transfer from / to the airport.

Tram strike in Athens

The tram connects central Athens with various parts of the coast and the Athens Riviera. The ride is painfully slow, but it’s also a scenic and inexpensive way to get to the coast.

If the tram is on strike, it’s probably best to get a taxi.

How often do strikes happen in Greece?

There is no solid answer to this. In general, public transportation employees go on strike when the government suggests significant changes and reforms to their collective labour agreements. Sometimes, the strike is only announced on the previous day, or even a few hours before.

However, it’s not like strikes happen every day. This is a nerdy table for strikes in Greece, showing number of strike days for 2023. A figure of 0.5 indicates that the means of transportation was only on strike for a few hours, rather than the whole day. 

Number of strike days in Greece - 2023

You will notice that there were only seven days throughout 2023 when ferries, as well as taxis, were on strike – they are really not all that frequent.

One thing you should know, is that there is ALWAYS a massive strike on the 1st of May, which affects pretty much everything, especially ferries. The means of transportation less likely to be affected on that day are airplanes and taxis. Still, it’s best to avoid travelling around Greece on May 1st.

* In March 2023, there was a large number of suburban railway / train strike days, due to the fatal train accident in Greece on 28 February 2023.

Is there anything else I need to know about strikes in Greece?

If you are in a big city like Athens or Thessaloniki on a strike day, there will often be some marches or demonstrations. These will generally be peaceful, but you never know what might happen or if any of them will turn into protests.

Strikes in Greece - Metro banner

Speaking about protests, there are certain days of the year when demonstrations happen here in Greece. The 17th November and the 6th December are important dates for our recent history, and there are always some protests and riots.

You might want to avoid certain areas of downtown Athens on those days. In addition, you should know that several metro stations will be closed. This includes Syntagma, Panepistimio, Evangelismos and Megaro Moussikis, and sometimes others.

How can I find out about strikes in Greece? 

If you can read Greek, you can actually visit a Greek website, called apergia.gr, for updated information. Thinking about it, the fact that someone decided to create a dedicated strike in Greece calendar, must surely mean something to you!

If you can’t read Greek however, follow my FB page and join my FB group. I always post updated information about strikes in Greece.

Again, note that strikes can be announced pretty last minute, so no one will necessarily know in advance. Furthermore, sometimes information about a strike is announced, and eventually things change at the last minute, and the strike doesn’t go ahead.

In any case, if you hear any announcements about a strike, make sure you follow the news closely. You can also check with your hotel, inside the metro station, train station or at the ports and travel agents.

Strikes in Greece - A banner

Strikes in Greece

Have you ever been affected by a strike in Greece, and how did you handle it? Please let me know in the comments!

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Hiking from Fira to Oia in SantoriniHello! I am Vanessa from Athens. I love helping visitors travel around my country. If you are an independent traveller, my blog should help you discover new destinations. In addition, you will find some interesting facts about Athens and Greece! Follow me on my social media: 


 

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