Strikes or disruptions in Greece
 

Hello, travelers -
We leave for Athens and Santorini in less than two weeks. Is anyone just back, or otherwise aware of any difficulties due to the strikes and protests we've seen in the int'l press? Just want to be prepared. Thanks so much.

We were there from 5th to 19th August and had no troubles at all. We didn't visit Athens, we went to 3 of the islands, but heard of no disruptions anywhere.

Hopefully someone in Greece will see this and have more idea of the current situation.

Kay

I would normally keep an eye out for announcements for you, but I am going away myself tomorrow until the 8th October & unlikely to have internet access.
Keep checking on here though,
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowFor...ns_Attica.html
The other locals are very good at posting info on there as it is announced. Please check regularly as the info is often only available a few days in advance.
There is a truckers strike for the second time recently, the previous one caused problems with fuel supply, but this time those deliveries are still ok.
Ocassional strikes are happening on some public transport, but it's too early to tell if there will be one when you are in Athens. Any strikes may affect your travel to/from Santorini (only small chance) but none should affect you while you are staying on the island.
The International press have made it sound so much worse than it really is (surprise, surprise), the reality is that most of the time there is no strike.
Some facts & figures posted by one of the most knowledgeable Athens experts (he lives in central Athens),
Quote:
<<<Strikes of a magnitude that can disrupt an itinerary took place for a total of appx. 8 days from the start of the year, these mainly being strikes at the airport. This is mainly what can really disrupt an itinerary.

Other than that we had some public transportation strikes for varying time durations, anything from 4hrs to 24hrs, 5 - 7 times from the start of the year. These don't really affect an itinerary, since alternatives exist on the odd day they take place.

So, on a total of 260 days from the start of the year, we had appx. seen 9 days disrupted, really less than what the Icelandic volcano caused.

Airport strikes are not preannounced, except on a period of appx. 2 weeks before. They usually lasted 24 hours with prior and next day being totally functional. All we do here is to provide these dates as soon as they are announced, if any.>>>

I hope that puts things in perspective for you! Just check daily on the TA Athens forum link above, especially nearer to your departure date.

The Voice of Sanity. Have fun in the Old Country, Yiassas!

thanks so much!