Turkish visitors face up to nine-hour border delays during holiday trips to Dedeağaç

Turkish visitors travelling to Alexandroupoli (Dedeağaç) during the 29 October Republic Day holiday faced lengthy delays at the Türkiye-Greece border, with waiting times at the İpsala (Kipi) border crossing reaching as long as nine hours on 28 and 29 October.

The surge in cross-border travel coincided with Türkiye's Republic Day celebrations, prompting large numbers of Turkish holidaymakers to take advantage of the two-day break to visit the northeastern Greek city.

According to local news outlet Gnomi Online, waiting times at the İpsala border crossing were at least three hours throughout the period, with delays reaching eight to nine hours at particularly busy times.

HOLIDAY RUSH CAUSES BORDER CONGESTION

The report, citing the Trakya Facebook page, stated that waiting times on Wednesday, 28 October, reached four to five hours. By midday on Thursday, 29 October, queues had grown further, with some travellers reportedly waiting up to nine hours to cross into Greece.

Türkiye's Republic Day commemorates the proclamation of the Republic on 29 October 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Celebrations begin on the afternoon of 28 October, which is a half-day holiday, and continue throughout the official public holiday on 29 October.

TURKISH TOURISM FLOWS PICK UP

Many Turkish visitors used the holiday period to travel to Dedeağaç, with some extending their stays through Friday and the weekend.

Their presence in the city had reportedly increased noticeably in recent days, following a period of relatively weaker tourist activity from Türkiye.

The latest influx highlights the popularity of Alexandroupoli as a short-break destination for Turkish travellers, while also exposing the pressure that concentrated holiday traffic can place on border infrastructure.

Gnomi Online