As the Easter holiday season approaches, Athens and Thessaloniki are expected to see a surge in foreign visitors as demand for short-term rentals across Greece is rising. According to the latest report from AirDNA, which collects short-term rental data from public and proprietary sources, including Airbnb and Vrbo, data the strong start to 2025 for short-term rentals in Europe—especially in Greece—has created optimism for the rest of the year.
More properties in Greece are appearing on short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, as property owners seek higher earnings from short-term leases compared to long-term rentals, driven by rising tourism.
Among the most popular Easter destinations from Good Friday to Easter Monday are Corfu, Hydra, the Peloponnese, Ioannina, Patmos, Loutra Edipsou, Kavala, Thassos, and Pelion.
The data revealed a 77% increase in Easter Week bookings compared to the previous year in Greece. Specifically, demand for Holy Week has risen by 77%, while occupancy rates have increased by 3%. Greece ranks first in Europe for year-over-year booking growth (+45%), surpassing countries like Poland (+36%) and Norway (+35%).
Easter falls on April 20, 2025, for both Catholics and Orthodox Christians. Coastal areas are seeing the highest demand, as travelers anticipate better weather conditions compared to Easter 2024, which fell in March for Catholics.
This trend has resulted in an extended Easter holiday period, with demand spreading across the week before and after Holy Week.
In Greece, destinations like Crete, Rhodes, and Corfu are showing particularly strong momentum, with April bookings surging by more than 100% compared to 2024.
Beyond the popular island resorts, Greece’s two largest cities have also recorded a significant rise in bookings for the Easter period. Athens has seen a 40% increase, while Thessaloniki follows closely with 38%, reinforcing their status as top city-break destinations.
