Greek Strike Traps Serbian Tourists at Evzoni Border
A general strike in Greece over the weekend blocked border crossings. Kilometre-long queues formed at Evzoni, cars were let through every ten minutes, with children and pregnant women waiting in the heat.
- A general strike in Greece over the weekend of July 26 and 27 disrupted traffic and slowed border crossings.
- At Evzoni, vehicles moved under a strict regime, with passenger cars let through every 10 minutes.
- Families with children and pregnant women were stuck in the queues, waiting for hours in the heat.
- The advice: check border conditions before setting off and pack plenty of water.
Set off for the coast this weekend and got stuck at the border? You are not the only one, and it is not your fault. A general strike in Greece over the weekend of July 26 and 27 blocked traffic and turned the crossing to popular resorts into a real ordeal for Serbian tourists.
The worst of it was at Evzoni, the crossing most of us know as Bogorodica on the Serbian side. Vehicles were let through under a strict regime, and travellers describe scenes you never want to face with kids in the car. Blaring horns, frayed nerves, people stepping out of their vehicles to stretch while the line refuses to budge. All of it under temperatures that easily top thirty degrees this time of year.
What exactly is happening at the border?
Greek customs officers walked out, and that slowed the entire chain. At Evzoni, passenger cars were released roughly every ten minutes, so the queues stretched for kilometres. Alongside Evzoni, backups were also reported at the Dojran and Niki crossings, so switching routes was no magic fix.
The problem was not just the length of the line but who was in it. There were families with small children, there were pregnant women, and there was no shade anywhere. Travellers describe a collapse and chaos, and it hit hardest those who set off early in the morning thinking they would beat the crowds. It turned out the other way around.
For anyone who nips down to Halkidiki or Paralia for the weekend, a situation like this can eat up half your break before you even glimpse the sea. And that is the most frustrating part, not the strike itself but the feeling that you have no information at all while you sit in the queue.
How to prepare if you are travelling these days?
You cannot cancel someone else’s strike, but you can prepare so it does not catch you off guard. Here is what is worth doing before you get behind the wheel.
First, check conditions at the border crossings before you leave. The border traffic authority and driver groups on social media usually report in real time where the worst jams are, so you can pick a crossing or push your departure back by an hour or two.
Second, pack more water than you think you need, and for everyone in the car. If the line is not moving, the air conditioning burns fuel, and the heat inside a stationary car is a serious matter, especially for children and older passengers.
Third, count on longer delays and do not plan your apartment check-in down to the minute. If you are travelling with a baby or a pregnant passenger, consider leaving in the late afternoon or evening, when it is cooler and when these morning strikes usually end.
Fourth, charge your phone and bring a car charger. It sounds trivial, but when you are stuck in a queue for hours, a dead battery means you cannot check conditions or tell your host you are running late.
Greece remains the top destination for Serbian tourists, and one strike will not change that. But weekends like this are a reminder that a little preparation beats stewing in a queue. Would you rather set off at dawn, or wait for the crowds to thin out?
