Greece Travel News

The 44th Athens Classic Marathon runs 1 November 2026, following the ancient route from Marathon town to the Panathenaic Stadium.

Chios Airport suspends all commercial flights from 15 November 2026 to 15 March 2027 for runway extension works. Plan travel via ferry from Piraeus.

Athens gains two new international winter routes from late October 2026: Sky Express to Barcelona from 22 October and Aegean to Dubai from 23 October.

Severe storms have flooded Skiathos and Evia and cancelled ferries from Piraeus. 112 alerts are active for eight regions as of 15 October.

Athens Classic Marathon 2027 is expected in early November (date to be confirmed): the original Marathon-to-Athens route and Panathenaic Stadium finish.

The Athens Epidaurus Festival runs June to August 2027 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Theatre of Epidaurus. Programme announced spring 2027.

Orthodox Easter 2027 in Greece falls on 2 May. Holy Week 25 April to 2 May: Epitaphios on Good Friday, midnight Anastasi on Holy Saturday.

The Spetses Armata festival returns in September 2027 with the fireship burning reenactment of the 1822 naval battle. Exact dates confirmed each spring.

AEGEAN Airlines launches direct Athens–Damascus flights from 2 December 2026, up to four times weekly. Athens–Dubai also resumes 23 October.

Ryanair closes its Thessaloniki base in October 2026, removing 700,000 seats and 12 routes for winter. Alternative airlines serve the city from Athens.

Greece marks Oxi Day on 28 October with military parades in Athens and Thessaloniki. What travellers in late October need to know.

Air traffic controllers in Greece are striking on five dates in October 2026, cancelling all flights. Affected dates: 5, 9, 10, 12 and 13 October.

ETIAS, the EU's €20 pre-travel authorisation, is expected to launch in Q4 2026 for all visa-exempt visitors to Greece and the wider Schengen area.

Greece's most prestigious film festival returns to Thessaloniki for its 67th edition, 31 October–9 November 2026. Programme, tickets, and travel guide.

Athens International Film Festival: 30 September to 11 October 2026. World cinema premieres, retrospectives and guest directors at venues across Athens.

Santorini's grape harvest begins in late September 2026, opening the island's wine tourism season. Best timing to visit, top wineries, and what to expect.

Greece logged 13.49 million arrivals in H1 2026, up 15.4% year-on-year, as last-minute bookings surge and the season stretches deep into autumn.

Athens marks World Car-Free Day on September 19–20 with Athinas Street pedestrianised for 24 hours, free museum entry, and overnight Metro service.

Athens Airport has unveiled a €950M expansion including a new North Terminal, due in phases from 2030. Summer arrivals face delays until then.

Athens public transport operator OASA expands its network from 18 September, adding new bus routes serving Megara and Lavreotiki for the first time.

The 14th Street Mode Festival hits Thessaloniki on 12–13 September 2026, with music, graffiti, breakdance, parkour and BMX.

From 6 September 2026, all non-EU travellers entering Greece face mandatory EES biometric checks with no bypass. Expect longer airport queues.

Aegean Airlines adds Athens–Rotterdam and Thessaloniki–Cairo routes in September 2026, boosting connections to northern Europe and North Africa.

The Armata festival in Spetses runs 8–13 Sep 2026. The reenacted burning of an Ottoman flagship on 12 September is Greece's most dramatic naval event.

The Aegina Pistachio Festival runs 17–20 September 2026. Sample PDO Fistiki Aiginis, catch traditional crafts, and make it a day trip from Athens.

Thessaloniki Metro's Kalamaria branch opened 27 August 2026, adding five new stations and cutting journey times from Kalamaria to the city centre.

The 5th Patmos Chamber Music Festival returns 24–30 August with 10 concerts featuring world-class soloists at iconic Aegean island venues.

Industry data shows Greece on course for record arrivals in 2026, with advance bookings and expanded flight capacity pointing to continued growth in 2027.

Greece's extreme fire risk alert is lifted for most regions from 14 August. Halkidiki is under control; Crete civil protection emergency continues.

Greece has published a Tourism Spatial Framework dividing destinations into five zones, with stricter hotel construction rules in high-visitor areas.

Greece opens 126 archaeological sites for free on the August full moon, 28 August 2026. The Acropolis, Delphi, Olympia, and Knossos are included.

Cyclades islands hit record 2026 summer bookings. Ferries to Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos and Ios are nearly sold out. Book now or plan alternatives.

American Airlines now flies nonstop from Dallas Fort Worth to Athens, making Greece more accessible from the US South and Midwest through summer 2026.

Greece has issued a Category 5 RED alert for the Viotia region west of Athens. Evacuations are under way in Porto Germeno and surrounding villages.

Bank of Greece reports tourism revenue rose 25.8% to €5.3 billion in H1 2026, with 12.1 million arrivals: Greece's strongest start to a year on record.

The E65 motorway between Athens and Trikala opened fully on July 23, 2026, cutting the drive to Meteora to around three hours from the capital.

Seajets SUPERSTAR returned to Rafina on 18 July 2026, resuming daily high-speed sailings to Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Paros and Naxos this summer.

The Parthenon's western facade is fully visible for the first time in over 220 years after scaffolding was permanently removed in a restoration milestone.

A wildfire on Rhodes on 18 July forced the evacuation of approximately 2,000 people including tourists from four coastal locations.

Civil Protection raised Kos, Crete, Samos and three other Greek islands to Red Code on 15 July as 45 fires burned across the country.

Greek airport delays are up 63% on 2025. Eurocontrol ranks Greece third-worst in Europe for disruptions, blamed on ageing radar and Middle East rerouting.

Official 112 emergency alerts were issued to residents in Thessaloniki and Evia on 14 July as active wildfires required helicopter and aircraft responses.

Active wildfires near Thessaloniki and across Chalkidiki, combined with temperatures reaching 39°C, are affecting travel conditions in Greece this July.

Philippi Festival 2026: July 2–September 7 at the ancient theatre near Kavala. Tragedy, comedy, world music. With tickets, transport and what to expect.

Athens Epidaurus Festival opens for summer 2026 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Note that June–September brings wildfire risk across Greece.

Santorini's 8,000 daily cruise cap is in force for 2026, with a €20 per person levy from June to September. What to know before you book.

Hydra island hosts its annual Miaoulia Festival on 27-28 June 2026, with a dramatic harbour fireworks display honouring Greek naval hero Admiral Miaoulis.

Greece's new EES biometric checks are causing 30–60 minute delays at Athens, Mykonos, and Santorini airports. What non-EU travellers need to know.

New seasonal routes from Prague, Kuwait, Dallas, and Addis Ababa connect to Greek island and mainland airports for summer 2026.