The busiest weekend of the year on the Greek islands is here. Ferry passengers should arrive an hour early.
Attica’s ports of Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio are all extra busy today, as Athenians leave the city for what’s known to be the busiest time of the year on the islands – the celebration of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary on August 15.
Passengers are asked to arrive at the port an hour before departure, and carry the necessary documentation to prove they are unlikely to be a carrier of Covid 19: a vaccination certificate if they have completed their vaccination at least 14 days before, a negative PCR test performed within 72 hours, a negative rapid test performed within the last 48 hours, or a certificate of illness.
Passengers moving between the mainland and the islands must also fill out a health statement, available at the ports and online here.
The passenger limit is 85% of capacity on ships with cabins, and 80% for ships without cabins. According to travel agents, the ships headed for the Cyclades are full, having reached that limit.
For today, 28 departures are planned from the port of Piraeus, 12 from Rafina, and 9 from Lavrio.
Yesterday, Thursday 12 August, 23 ships, carrying 19,743 passengers, departed from the port of Piraeus to various Aegean islands. 33 of them, accounting for 4,931 passengers, were headed for the nearby islands in the Saronic Gulf. 7 ships carrying 1,528 passengers also departed from the port of Rafina, and 7 ship with 1,893 passengers from Lavrio.