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News from Greece's Three Main Cities

There was travel news this week from all three of Greece’s main cities: Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras.

Athens

Two bits of news from Athens. Firstly, Athens was named as the World’s Leading Cultural Destination at the World Travel Awards 2024, held recently in Madeira. Fifteen cities were nominated for the award, including Edinburgh, London, New York, Paris, Rome, Venice, Rio de Janeiro, and Beijing, but Athens stood out in the eyes of the judges. What is truly remarkable is that this is the third year in a row that Athens has been given this distinction.

There should be another improvement in Athens soon, too: an improvement in the driving. The city is installing 1,388 new traffic cameras across Athens in an attempt to improve road safety and to make sure traffic laws get enforced. Not a moment too soon. We once had to drive across Athens to return a rental car to the airport and catch a flight. We made it in one piece but it was a hairy experience.

The cameras are intended to catch speeding offences, people running red lights, and mobile phone use while driving. The latter two are the main causes of accidents in Athens. The new system should be in place by summer 2025, and will automatically issue tickets electronically. The government is also recruiting 200 more traffic police, who will operate with the assistance of drones.

Thessaloniki

The exciting news in Thessaloniki, which will benefit locals and visitors alike, is that the city’s Metro system is opening this Saturday, November 30th. The total cost was three billion euros, one-third of which was funded by the EU.

There will initially be 13 stations, five of which will also operate as museums, and two archaeological sites have also been incorporated into the network. The building of the Metro uncovered many important archaeological finds, which are being put on display.

It’s estimated that the Metro will remove 57,000 cars from the roads each day, with a reduction of 212 tons in carbon emissions. The Metro will be free for the first four days, and eventually will be extended to run all the way to the airport.

Patras

The news from Patras is less concrete but is a look to the future. The city plans to establish itself as a major cruise port. The city will be enhancing its port’s facilities, building a new marina and a new dedicated cruise terminal.

The plan will benefit the whole region, as cruise ship passengers could visit such places as Corinth, a 90-minute drive from Patras, or Ancient Olympia, a similar distance away. The plan is currently being evaluated by the Ministry of the Environment, and if approved will then pass to the Supreme Court, for their approval.

That’s it for this week. See you next time.

Mike and Donna

Greece Travel Secrets