The port of Piraeus has been bursting at the seams, with Athenians streaming toward the islands as if the ferries were giving away complimentary cocktails and front-row loungers. The Dormition of the Virgin Mary holiday is the official excuse, but truthfully, any reason to escape August in the capital will do. Ferry companies, watching their occupancy rates flirt with 100%, scrambled to squeeze in extra sailings to keep the tide of travelers flowing.
- Piraeus: 27 ferry departures, plus 35 conventional and 18 high-speed ferries to the Saronic Gulf islands
- Rafina: 11 departures
- Lavrio: 9 scheduled sailings
Wednesday’s Numbers (because they are wild):
- Piraeus: 24,130 passengers on 25 ferries
- Saronic Gulf (from Piraeus): 7,783 passengers on 36 ferries
- Rafina: 6,806 passengers on 10 ferries
- Lavrio: 2,225 passengers on 8 ferries
By midday, the ports looked less like transport hubs and more like the opening scene of a disaster movie—except instead of zombies, the threat was running out of frappés before boarding.
