Greek Riots
 

My brother is in Paris and is suppose to fly into Athens tomorrow.
He is staying in Athens for 3 days and then onto the islands.
Any opions on any delays or cancelations due to the recent riots ?
Air travel ... ferry travel etc. Thanks

I have read of peaceful demonstrations and protests but I haven't heard of any riots.

Looks more like RIOTS to me. Tear gas .. injuries to police etc. Peaceful not so much !!!

Not exactly riots but not peaceful either I think.
The government vote has now taken place and the cuts are, of course, going ahead, but it is hard to say whether the protests will now continue or if they'll just accept the vote and buckle down to saving their country.

Perhaps instead of staying in Athens he can fly in, pick up a car and head outside of the city for his 3 days. Nafplio is about a 2-3 hour drive.....or there are many other locations where there are no demonstrations.

You don't say WHERE in Athens he's staying. The continued demonstration (peaceful) is on Syntagma square. A very small contingency were 'rioting' yesterday & today as they have been strike days, but that is the only bit they will show you on the news! Away from Syntagma & you would be unaware that anything was taking place unless you watched the TV. On a non strike day the gathering in Syntagma square consists of whole families, children & old folk included. It's actually been more like a party atmosphere at times, with souvlaki & other food stalls, people taking it in turns to speak for a few minutes (micrphone facilities set up). It's a demonstration of solidarity among the people.
So, bottom line, if he is not staying on Syntagma square he may never even know what is going on & the sites & places of interest are accessible without going near there. Just tell him to give the changing of the guard a miss at the moment!
I am in Athens regularly (average of once a month or so) & am currently planning a couple of days there in 2 weeks time. If I do go I may even be staying a matter of yards from Syntagma, it wouldn't even be a consideration if I thought there was any danger, or if I thought the real picture was as painted by the media.

As an Athenian i say, if you don't stay at a hotel that is located at Syntagma Square, you won't notice anything....
Today should be the peak of the demonstrations and the second and last day of the 48 hours strike.

yiassas ... They are staying at the Grande Bretagne Hotel. I am not concerned about the demonstrations. I was just thinking about problems with air travel from Paris to Athens. (ferries to the islands )
Hopefully everything will calm down by the time they get there.

Flights tomorrow are not a problem. The Grande Bretagne is right on the square, with a bird's eye view of the demonstrations.
Ferries not operating tomorrow, but all as normal after that. Historically, almost all strikes are on a Wednesday, other possibles are Tuesday or Thursday, weekends never, so if his travel days aren't midweek for any of his itinerary he has the best chance of no hiccups.
The main advice I can give is to be prepared to be flexible in case of disruptions & to plan to be back in Athens for any International flight out at least the day before.

Ferries were operating today from Rafina, so if he is going to Mykonos Naxos or Paros, there is always an alternative

Thanks for all the replys

We were in Athens during the last big demonstration (June 15) and as Yiassas and Clausar note, if you're not in Syntagma Square, you won't notice anything. The demonstrations were mainly peaceful, with the small band of anarchists coming only later in the day (when, as far as I could tell, the larger group of demonstrators retired to Monastiraki Square for souvlaki and beer). That said, under the circumstances I was not up for staying at the GB (a little too Marie Antoinette for my taste) and ended up changing hotels.

We were in Athens for two days walking. Once on the 24th of June and then on the 3rd of July. We found NO problems,eeven in Syntagma Square. However, those two days were on a Friday and a Saturday. I think it's been said, problems usually happen during the mid-week. No problem on the blue line from the airport to Syntagma Square on the 24th. Richard

If I haven't booked a hotel in Athens yet, should I still avoid staying directly by the square just in case? I'm planning on being there Sept 12-14 (Mon-Wed).

to stay on the safe side try a hotel near the Acropolis ( Athens Gate, Herodion, Parthenon, Divani Acropolis, the Royal Olympic, Philippos or the Athenian Calirrhoe.... as you see there is plenty of choice... ( there are even more hotels than the ones i mentioned...)

Yes. Focus your hotel search on the area next to Monastiraki Square so you have easy access to the Plaka District and the Metro to both the airport and the ferry port as well as to other areas of Athens. You'll be far enough away from Syntagma to most likely not even notice anything out of the ordinary.

Some hotels in that area: Attalos, Cecil, Plaka, Metropolis, Pella Inn, Magna Grecia, Acropolis View.

TO be clear, the 2 contributors above have suggested TWO alternatives to being right by Syntagma.... One area is to the East-ish, nearer Monastiraki Metro Station, one is SOUTH of the Acropolis, nearest to the Acropolis Metro Station (Herodion etc.).

Here's s simplified Map making this clear: http://www.cretetravel.com/Athens/At...Athens_map.htm

Oops I mean to the West-ish, nearer Monastiraki ...

brotherlee a small correction
Acropolis View is near the Acropolis and far away from Monastiraki Station... ( it is located practically in Koukaki....)

Thanks for the correction. I must be thinking of another hotel with the word "Acropolis" in the name.