Where Are Greeks Going for their 2025 Summer Holidays?

With ferry ticket prices and accommodation costs soaring, many Greeks are choosing to spend their holidays in villages and summer homes, staying either at their own home or with friends and relatives, in an effort to avoid the increasingly unaffordable costs of traditional vacations.

According to data from Greece’s official statistics agency, ELSTAT, one in two Greeks stayed in a summer home in 2024, and a similar trend is expected this year. For many, the solution to a carefree summer lies in free hospitality, rather than expensive hotels or rentals.

A Different Kind of Holiday Season

Although August remains the traditional month for holidays, with most people rushing out of Athens toward tourist destinations, the reality is very different for a large portion of the Greek population in 2025.

With inflation continuing to rise and ferry tickets reaching record prices, many people interviewed by MEGA say they either won’t go on holiday at all this year or plan to travel for just a few days to nearby destinations, often staying with friends or family.

Some are even choosing to remain in Athens due to financial constraints or work obligations that make it impossible to take time off.

Others feel fortunate to have relatives or friends living on the islands, allowing them to enjoy a few days of rest without the burden of high costs.

According to ELSTAT, Eurostat, and the Institute of Retail Consumer Goods Research:

• 46% of Greeks cannot afford a one-week vacation this year
• 52% don’t plan to go on vacation at all
• 50% of Greek travelers in 2024 stayed in summer homes or were hosted by family or friends

In 2025, average costs for a family of four traveling roundtrip from Athens to Paros include:  €543 in ferry costs, around €1,000 for four nights of accommodation.

Meanwhile, a similar trip to Kythnos is around €1,230, due to slightly cheaper ferry costs.

Athens to Stoupa, on the Peloponnese comes in at an average of €820, pending the family has its own vehicle to drive to the village.

As prices for ferries and stays become increasingly out of reach, a clear shift is underway: more and more Greeks are choosing budget-conscious holiday alternatives, avoiding the islands, or skipping vacations altogether.

Source: Tovima.com