Tourist buses create gridlock in Athens

Anarchically parked tourist buses in some of the most central parts of Athens are a major cause of traffic bottlenecks during the summer, making an already bad situation even more unbearable.

With little parking infrastructure to speak of and a chronic lack of planning, traffic jams are intensified, especially when cruise ships arrive in Piraeus as thousands of tourists flock to the Acropolis, the National Archaeological Museum and Monastiraki.

About 250-300 tourist buses reportedly circulate in the historical center on a permanent basis.

"No parking areas have been designated for tourist buses. The biggest problems are located on Amalias Avenue, on Vasileos Konstantinou in front of the Panathenaic Stadium. In general, from the National Museum of Contemporary Art to the columns of Olympian Zeus in both directions, the burden on traffic is great," says traffic...