Hell on the Road to Greece: Crowds, 40°C, and Hours of Waiting Expected This Weekend
The combination of Ilinden, tourist rotation, heatwave, and the EES system creates the biggest traffic jams of the season at border crossings to Greece.
The combination of Ilinden, tourist rotation, heatwave, and the EES system creates the biggest traffic jams of the season at border crossings to Greece.
Travelers heading to Greece this weekend, August 1 and 2, 2026, must prepare for extremely challenging conditions on the road. According to the portal Kurir.rs, hours-long waits are expected at border crossings, with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. The reason is a combination of several unfavorable factors, the traditional tourist rotation at the beginning of the month, the major public holiday of Ilinden in North Macedonia, and the additional procedures of the new EES system at the borders of the European Union.
Milan Lainović from the National Association of Tourist Agencies (YUTA) and Secretary General of the Association of the Tourism Industry of Serbia, told Kurir.rs that traffic frequency is at its peak:
"Traffic is very heavy; in some intervals the wait is half an hour, in others an hour or an hour and a half, but generally we do not expect major problems if people prepare well."
Kurir.rs lists several key reasons. The first weekend in August traditionally marks the tourist rotation, many are finishing their vacation in July, while others are starting in August. This year, Ilinden on August 2, a major public holiday in North Macedonia, adds to the congestion. On that day, a large number of citizens from that country head en masse to Greece, further burdening the border crossings of Bogorodica and Evzoni. On top of that, a heatwave with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius is in effect, and the EES system continues to prolong the border crossing procedures.
This weekend is just the beginning, warns Kurir.rs. Besides August 2, August 15 should also be avoided, as it is the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (Velika Gospa) in Greece, a non-working day when Greeks massively head to the coast or return. Then, on August 28, there is another holiday in North Macedonia, so huge queues are expected at the Dojran and Evzoni crossings. Experience shows that the 1st and 15th of the month are the worst dates because travel agencies carry out large guest rotations.
Lainović appeals to travelers to set off as early as possible, while temperatures are still lower.
"We appeal to travelers to set off as early as possible to gain time while temperatures are still low, as it is much easier to endure any delays then,"
he says. He also emphasizes that people's health condition is most important:
"What is most important to us is that there are no severe cases with health issues; people's health condition is our top priority."
He advises travelers to have enough fuel and water in the car and to be patient. Regarding alternative routes, Lainović notes that there are no significantly faster crossings now:
"Navigation sends you where there is the least traffic, but generally it is similar everywhere and there is no crossing that is drastically faster this weekend."
An additional challenge is the Thessaloniki ring road, where construction on the Flyover system is underway. Kurir.rs recommends avoiding that section during peak times: in the morning from 7 to 10:30 a.m. and in the afternoon from 3 to 7 p.m. For real-time traffic updates, drivers can use the websites flyover.imet.gr and Borderalarm.com, as well as Google Maps with the traffic layer enabled. The AMSS automobile club also offers live cameras from the crossings, but they only show the situation at the Serbian border, not in the intermediate zone.
Similar jams are seen on other routes; for example, the journey from Podgorica to Tivat takes hours, as does the route via Bulgaria, heavily used by Turkish citizens and Romanian tourists. In addition, many travelers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary are also on the roads, further burdening all crossings. Many tourists therefore decide to spend the night in Skopje or Ohrid to reach the border in the early morning hours.
All in all, Kurir.rs concludes that crowds are inevitable, but with good preparation and patience, the worst can be avoided. The most important thing is to arrive safely at your vacation destination.
