There’s been quite a bit happening in Greece that will affect visitors, in one way or another, so here’s a run-down of some of the things that have been going on.
Seaplanes in the Sporades
The Hellenic Seaplanes company is doing test flights for a seaplane service to connect three of the Sporades islands: Skopelos, Skyros and Alonissos. They already operate seaplane flights in several places around Greece, including Volos, Patra, Tinos, Patmos, Sifnos, Kalamata and Kyllini. There’s no date yet for the launch of the Sporades seaplane service.
Improvements to Kerameikos in Athens
We’ve always enjoyed visiting the Kerameikos archaeological site in Athens, the ancient cemetery in what was the potters’ quarter of the city, from which we get the word ‘ceramics’. One of its charms was that it was a little bit out of the way and also a little overgrown, so there was plenty of wildlife to be found.
That might be about to change as the Greek Cultural Ministry has bought several abandoned buildings in the area. The plan is to redevelop these, or knock them down, and as part of this redevelopment there will be new facilities and a new entrance to Kerameikos on Agion Asomaton Street. There will also be a new welcome centre, cafe, museum shop, exhibition spaces and toilets.
More Motorway
The first time I drove from Athens to Thessaloniki I was surprised that what was a major highway between Greece’s two main cities would suddenly deteriorate - without warning - into a rough and bumpy surface, or into places where you might find a few goats wandering across. Well, that was a long time ago and now it’s a much smoother drive, partly on the E65 motorway. A new section of the motorway was opened this month, increasing the motorway-standard stretch of the drive to 136 kilometers (84 miles).
The motorway will eventually connect to the Egnatia National Highway in the north, making driving in northern and central Greece faster, easier and safer. After all, no-one wants to hit a goat at high speed.
Affordable Airbnbs
Rather surprisingly, Greece is one of the more expensive countries in Europe when it comes to short-term letting, and self-catering accommodation. In part that’s due to some places which are ridiculously expensive, like Mykonos (average 754.39 euros per night). They increase the average price enormously, hiding the fact that there are places in Greece which are amazingly cheap.
The analytics company AirDNA, which looks at stats from companies like Airbnb and Vrbo, has picked out three places in Greece where you can still find bargain accommodation. They all have at least ten accommodation options, and they are:
Soufli in north-eastern Greece, a silk-weaving village close to the Turkish border, with an average price of 37 euros per night.
Lamia, a town north of Thermopylae in central Greece that averages 44 euros.
Pavlos Melas, a municipality that’s just a few kilometers from the centre of Thessaloniki and where you can find accommodation for an average of just 49 euros per night.
Incidentally, demand for Airbnbs across Greece jumped by 22% in June, so if that’s your preferred choice of accommodation, better get booking.
New 5-Star Hotel for Chios
If you fancy visiting Chios and like your comforts then the island’s first 5-star hotel has just opened. It’s the Pearl Island Chios Hotel and Spa, and has 48 luxurious suites grouped around the Olympic-sized pool. Sixteen of those suites are swim-up, and there’s a bar in the centre of the pool. There’s also a cinema. Hmmm… we wouldn’t mind slumming it there for a few days!
Karpathos Airport Upgrades
The airport on the lovely but lesser-known island of Karpathos is being upgraded to cope with the increasing number of visitors arriving by air. Various improvements are going to be made over the next few years.
And that’s it. Tourism is definitely still on the up in Greece, which is good news for the country’s economy, and for those people discovering Greece for the first time.
Cheers!
Mike and Donna
Overtourism is definitely a thing in several places in Greece, degrading the experience for tourists and reducing quality of life for locals. Instead of “improving” an airport to handle an increased number of tourists, perhaps the number of tourists should be limited?