I am travelling to Athens, Greece, shortly, and have seen reports of recent unrest. Should I be worried? Should I cancel my trip?
Update
It's fine, taxis are currently on strike, but Syntagma Sqaure is fine:
8
-
Where in Greece are you heading? Some areas are worse then others in regards to rioting.– trip0d199Commented Jun 24, 2011 at 18:20
-
Where are you going in Greece, and how are you getting about? Strikes may be more of an issue that riots, depends on where you're off to and how!– GagravarrCommented Jun 24, 2011 at 19:59
-
@trip0d Athens...– fredleyCommented Jun 25, 2011 at 0:42
-
2Another thing you should consider is if you have travel insurance or not (it may not cover civil unrest - check your policy) and/or return policies on some of the events you have already scheduled. I would hate to waste large amounts of money.– trip0d199Commented Jun 27, 2011 at 12:02
-
2@Stuart That's absurd. The idea that Greek Euro notes could suddenly become worth nothing is completely wrong.– fredleyCommented Aug 22, 2011 at 12:19
|
Show 3 more comments
3 Answers
I suggest you don't cancel your trip.
I have been working in Athens during a period of unrest.
I can't predict what will happen, but usually many people demonstrate peacefully, then a small group of a hundred people starts facing the police for an hour, then a few people start throwing rocks/tear gas, and run a bit. Actual violence is very local, like one kilometer of a given avenue, during an hour. (I know this because I was inside the rock-throwing group taking pictures).
It is a very localized risk, so just stay away and you should be fine. Athens' traffic is probably a bigger danger, statistically.
My advice if you are worried would be: If you ever happen to see or hear unrest, just walk the other way and take a taxi to your hotel.
Of course, be prepared to delayed trains/buses/ferries due to strikes.
-
I think that strikes are by far the biggest annoyance you will have to face.– user766Commented Oct 20, 2011 at 20:54
-
is it wiser to rent a car than take taxis in order to get around? Commented Jul 5, 2015 at 17:59
We were in Athens last week. The local sentiment was that of peaceful resentment. We were instructed to stray away from any sort of congregation. Though, we did hear that tourist areas are immune to this (we are after all bringing in much-needed foreign funds)...
The problem in Greece is not the "riots", it is more like everywhere where poverty is rising the risk of getting your things stolen. In hotels this is not a risk usually, but don't go out at 3 in the morning, expecting safety there. You are alone with the Pakistanis, Afgans, heroin addicts (and we've got a lot of them too...).
In the daytime Athens is safe. As for violence, it is directed towards police, and from police directed towards everyone who happens to be around. So don't be around demonstrations, unless you want to take photos for your news agency ... :)
-
2Are you stereotyping particular immigrant groups as dangerous ?– SimonCommented Mar 11, 2013 at 13:23