Airbnbs in Greece Fully Booked for Carnival Weekend

Photo source: Patras Carnival official website (carnivalpatras.gr)

Airbnbs and short-term holiday rentals at popular destinations in Greece are fully booked for the three-day Carnival weekend which culminates on Clean Monday (February 27).

Leading the way with 99.2 percent occupancy levels is the coastal town of Patra, followed by popular carnival hotspots Nafpaktos, Kalamata and Nafplio where occupancy is at 90 percent, according to data from the Panhellenic Network of E-Real Estates.

Indicative of the demand, Greek carnival town Patra is expecting more than 60,000 carnival goers for Sunday’s grand parade – back after a three-year hiatus due to Covid-19. Rates for Airbnbs in or near the city for three-day stays range from 987 euros to 1,904 euros.

Prebookings in Kalamata were at 65 percent with average rates for three nights ranging from 166 euros to 348 euros for 80-90m2 apartments located 1.5km from the city center.

In Nafplio, prebookings have so far reached 71 percent for next weekend with rates for Airbnbs near the center for three-days going between 201 euros and 400 euros.

At the same time, media reports add that prebookings for short-term accommodation reached 89 percent at popular winter destinations across Greece last month. Greece’s popular winter destinations such as Kastoria, Ioannina, Karpenisi, Metsovo and the villages of Arcadia and ski resorts including Kalavryta and Arachova welcomed the rising number of visitors.

Earlier this month, the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation (POX) said bookings for the February 25-27 Carnival weekend were “satisfactory”. Besides Patra, other favorite carnival destinations include of Xanthi, Ioannina, Drama, Kalavryta, Rethymno, Corinthia, and Kozani.

For the Clean Monday weekend, the hotelier association said average hotel room rates were higher by 10 percent compared to last year.