Freight from Greece to the Czech Republic – overland or by ferry
We move goods from Greece to the Czech Republic either overland through North Macedonia and Serbia, which requires a transit document because the route leaves the EU, or by ferry from Patras or Igoumenitsa to Italy. A full truckload takes roughly 4–6 days from Thessaloniki (about 1,700 km) or Athens (about 2,300 km). Our calculator gives you an indicative price, and we send a firm quote by e-mail.
Greek loading points, their goods and the right trailer
Greek exports to Central Europe are led by food, alongside a handful of industries clustered around Thessaloniki and Athens, while farm produce is collected straight from the growing areas. The main loading points at a glance:
| City | Industry | What we typically carry from there |
|---|---|---|
| Thessaloniki | food, cotton processing, packaging | feta and other cheeses, cotton yarn, food, packaging materials |
| Athens and Attica | pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, food, building materials | medicines, consumer goods, food, building materials |
| Oinofyta (Boeotia) | aluminium processing | aluminium profiles, sheet and coil |
| Volos | steelmaking, cement works, port | steel products and structures, cement |
| Larissa | dairies and food processing, Thessalian farming | feta and dairy products, cotton, food |
| Veria (Imathia) | fruit growing and processing | peaches and canned peaches, kiwifruit, apples |
| Kalamata (Messinia) | olives and olive oil | olive oil, olives, honey |
| Drama | marble quarrying and processing | marble blocks and slabs |
The type of goods decides the vehicle long before distance does. Olive oil from Messinia, Laconia and Crete travels on a curtainsider, or in summer preferably an insulated trailer so the oil does not overheat. Fresh fruit from the north and cheese need a reefer, whereas tins and yarn are fine on a curtainsider. Long aluminium profiles go on a mega or side-opening trailer, and with marble we keep an eye on axle loads.
Farmed Greek fish such as sea bream and sea bass, and fresh cheese, need an unbroken cold chain, whereas oil and tinned fruit only need protecting from frost and heat. Shelf-stable products are covered on our food transport page, and Greek wine follows the rules set out under wine and beverage transport.
Three ways from Greece to the Czech Republic
- Overland through North Macedonia and Serbia – the shortest road from Thessaloniki via Skopje, Belgrade and Budapest. Neither country is in the EU, so the load travels under a transit procedure.
- Ferry to Italy – from Patras or Igoumenitsa to Ancona, Bari, Brindisi or Venice, then north on Italian motorways and across the Alps. The journey never leaves the EU, but it adds a night on board and Italy’s weekend lorry bans.
- Through Bulgaria and Romania – also entirely inside the EU, though usually more kilometres than the western Balkan road. Useful when the shipper would rather not open a transit declaration.
Which option we pick depends on where the goods are collected, what they are and how the borders look at the time. From Athens and the Peloponnese the Patras ferry is often the natural choice; from northern Greece the road tends to win.
Why the Balkan route needs a transit document
Greek goods have EU status and reach the Czech Republic duty-free with just an invoice and a CMR note. Once the truck drives through North Macedonia and Serbia, however, it leaves the EU customs territory and re-enters it at the Serbian–Hungarian border. To avoid clearing the goods twice, a transit declaration is opened in the electronic NCTS system at dispatch and discharged inside the EU. A customs broker working for the shipper normally lodges it; we agree the details and timing with them so the vehicle is not kept waiting. The Schengen external border also means passport and customs checks, and queues in peak season.
When to allow extra time
- Orthodox Easter and August holidays – Greece restricts heavy goods traffic on selected public holidays, and the dates differ from the Western calendar.
- Peach and kiwi harvest – in summer and autumn, reefers out of northern Greece are in heavy demand.
- Weekends in Italy – a ferry docking on Saturday may leave the truck parked until Sunday evening because of Italian driving bans.
From a single pallet to a full trailer
Regular groupage services run from the Thessaloniki and Athens areas, so we can move 1–6 pallets of olive oil or product samples without booking a whole truck, although groupage takes longer than a full load. From about 18 pallets, a complete 13.6 m trailer with 33 pallet spaces makes sense. For an indicative price use our freight calculator; other countries are listed in the EU overview, and the neighbouring route is on freight from Bulgaria.