Why Is the Forest Closed on Halkidiki Today?
If you're on Halkidiki, stay out of the forest today: the movement ban runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and breaking it costs 300 euros.
Planning a walk through the forest on Halkidiki today? Don’t, because from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. a full ban on pedestrian and vehicle movement is in effect in certain forest areas, and breaking it costs 300 euros.
The ban was issued by the deputy governor of the Halkidiki regional unit, Ioannis Koufidis, and it applies today, Sunday, August 23. The decision is based on the daily fire risk forecast map and recommendations from the relevant Greek authorities, who assess the risk day by day and close the forest to the public whenever needed. That means the measure does not necessarily repeat tomorrow, but it can just as easily be reimposed the very next day if the risk stays high.
Which areas of Halkidiki are closed?
The ban covers forest areas in three municipalities: Kassandra, Sithonia and Aristotelis. These are the parts of the peninsula with the largest number of Serbian visitors, home to its best known beaches and pine forests that stretch right down to the coast. The ban applies only to forest areas, the beaches and the coastline are not included.
How much is the fine, and who enforces the ban?
Anyone who breaks the ban faces an administrative fine of 300 euros. Checks are carried out at the points where forest roads meet provincial and municipal roads, with the Greek police, the fire service, the forest service and municipal police all taking part in the operation.
Patrol vehicles remove anyone found in the closed zones, and the license plates of vehicles found in the forest are also recorded. The only exception applies to members of volunteer organizations taking part in fire protection operations, who are allowed to remain in the field.
Deputy governor Ioannis Koufidis’s decision spells out exactly how the checks will be carried out:
Checks will be carried out at points where forest roads meet provincial and municipal roads, with the assistance of the Greek police.
In the same decision, Koufidis explained the reasoning behind the measure:
The measure is aimed at preventing and deterring the outbreak of forest fires.
Is this the first such ban this summer?
No. The same measure has already been imposed on Halkidiki on August 16, 17 and 22. That means authorities have judged the fire risk too high on four separate occasions in the past week alone, today included. For tourists, that means the ban is not a one-off piece of news but a pattern that repeats every time temperature and wind create conditions for fire to spread quickly.
We previously wrote about the crowds at the border, specifically about the wait at Batrovci, which can run as long as two hours. The Halkidiki ban is the other side of the same summer. Serbian tourists currently at the coast, or getting ready to head back, should first check whether they’re even allowed into the forest, and only then plan when to set off for the border.
If you’re on Halkidiki today, save the forest trails and shortcuts through the pines for another day. The ban only runs until 8 p.m., so an evening walk after that time carries no risk of a fine. The beach and the coastline aren’t part of the ban at all, the restriction applies only to forest areas in Kassandra, Sithonia and Aristotelis, and only until Greek authorities judge that the fire risk has dropped.
