I-Heart-Mykonos-tank-top.jpg
Greek-flag-socks.jpg
Santorini-luggage-tag.jpg
save-water-drink-ouzo-t-shirt.jpg

Driving in Greece

My first time driving in Greece was a baptism of fire. I was asked by the AA to write their Essential Mainland Greece guide, and although I’d been going to Greece at least once a year ever since I was a teenager, I’d never actually driven in the country. I nervously drove out of the old Athens airport, immediately took a wrong turn and found myself headed into the city instead of out to Cape Sounion, where I’d planned to spend the first night. And there was a month of this still to come.

Made It!

Four weeks later, however, I was even able to drive across Athens to return the car to the airport, with several thousand miles on the clock and not even the hint of a dent. Mind you, I was lucky to escape being dented myself when I parked the car one Friday night in Kastoria, not realising I was right where the Saturday morning market was going to be held. I thought it had been easy to find a parking spot! Next morning I only escaped because there was a torrential downpour, and I managed to maneuver the car out from between two stalls before the frustrated stallholders could get to me from their shelter.

Driving in Greece: The Hazards

Markets are one of the hazards they don’t warn you about. You expect to find herds of sheep wandering along mountain roads, you expect to find Greek drivers overtaking you on blind bends like maniacs (though these are very much a minority) and you expect the roads to be in a poor condition when you get into more remote areas. But you don’t expect a big static object like a market to be a problem. But they are. The normal route through a town can be blocked, and of course local drivers know this and avoid the area or make a diversion on market days. No road signs warn the innocent visitor, though, and as happened to me in Volos one day, you can find yourself with nowhere to go but up through the middle of a street full of stalls, with less than a foot to spare on either side, and irate shoppers and sellers staring at you. 

Other Road Hazards
Photo by Donna Dailey

Such experiences are the exception rather than the rule, though, and since then I’ve driven thousands more miles in Greece and the islands, discovering what a wonderful country it is when you’ve got the freedom of the road. From the mountains of northern Greece and of Crete, to the harsh, hot landscape of the Mani in the southern Peloponnese, Greece has enormous variety to offer the visitor. Fewer people think of it for a driving holiday, in the same way they think of going to France, Spain or Italy, say, and as a result the roads are emptier and there’s much more of a feeling of freedom and discovery. 

Driving in Greece: The Best Drives

We've chosen just five of our favourite drives, although we could have picked twice as many and still not run out of ideas. If all you’ve seen of Greece so far has been the quiet islands, the beaches or Athens, then hit the road sometime and discover why for a four-wheel holiday it’s a five-star destination. See the choices on our Best Drives in Greece page.

Driving in Greece: The Practicalities

See our Driving in Greece Practical Information page.


Other driving pages

  • This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

    A Drive around Attica

    This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

  • Santorini car rental companies include Budget, Hermes, VIP Rent a Car and Euro Dollar, with Santorini car hire at the airport, and around Santorini.

    Santorini Car Rental

    Santorini car rental companies include Budget, Hermes, VIP Rent a Car and Euro Dollar, with Santorini car hire at the airport, and around Santorini.

  • There are two sides to every Greek island, the tourist and the traditional, and this drive from Corfu Town through northern Corfu shows the two faces of Corfu.

    Northern Corfu Drive

    There are two sides to every Greek island, the tourist and the traditional, and this drive from Corfu Town through northern Corfu shows the two faces of Corfu.

  • Practical information on travelling around Greece by plane, by ferry, by bus, by train and by driving, including car rental, parking and other driving advice.

    Travelling Around Greece

    Practical information on travelling around Greece by plane, by ferry, by bus, by train and by driving, including car rental, parking and other driving advice.

  • This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.

    Amari Valley Drive

    This Amari Valley drive in southern Crete starts and ends in Ayia Galini, takes four to five hours and cover 100 kilometres or 62 miles.

  • Scenic Drives in Northern Greece, Ioannina, Meteora, Kastoria, Prespa Lakes

    Scenic Drives in Northern Greece

    Scenic Drives in Northern Greece, Ioannina, Meteora, Kastoria, Prespa Lakes

  • The travel tale Our Hire Car in Crete describes what it’s like when you go driving in Greece and get off the beaten track, resulting in kindnesses.

    Our Hire Car in Crete

    The travel tale Our Hire Car in Crete describes what it’s like when you go driving in Greece and get off the beaten track, resulting in kindnesses.

  • Driving in Greece practical information including speed limits, fines, drink-driving, buying petrol and other advice for driving in Greece.

    Driving in Greece Practical Information

    Driving in Greece practical information including speed limits, fines, drink-driving, buying petrol and other advice for driving in Greece.

  • The best drives in Greece chosen and driven by Mike Gerrard of Greece Travel Secrets including from Ioannina to Meteora, the Prespa Lakes and the Mani.

    Best Drives in Greece

    The best drives in Greece chosen and driven by Mike Gerrard of Greece Travel Secrets including from Ioannina to Meteora, the Prespa Lakes and the Mani.

  • Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.

    Athens Car Rental

    Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.

  • Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.

    Athens Airport Car Rental

    Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

RSS

  1. Athens Airport: New Curbside Pick-up Rules Take Effect June 7

    In efforts to improve the passenger drop-off and pick-up experience and in view of the expected increase in international traveler arrivals, Athens International Airport (AIA) announced that it would…

    Read More

  2. Study Reveals the Tourist ‘Types’ that Pick Thessaloniki for Holidays

    Art lovers, active types and foodies are among the ‘travel tribes’ that select Thessaloniki, as their holiday destination, found a visitor profile study released this week by the Thessaloniki Hotels A…

    Read More

  3. Greece to Protect Historic Athens Cinemas Ideal and Astor

    The Greek Environment Ministry’s Central Council of Architecture (KESA) has decided to protect Athens’ Astor and Ideal cinemas designating the two historic landmarks as cultural monuments, said the Gr…

    Read More

  4. Thessaloniki Metro Almost Ready, Greek PM on First Test Run

    Thessaloniki’s highly anticipated metro, to serve almost 250,000 commuters a day once completed, is almost ready with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis taking a test ride this week. Mitsota…

    Read More

  5. Thessaloniki Food, Nightlife Winning Over More Tourists

    The nightlife and food are two of Thessaloniki’s strong points attracting more visitors to the northern port city, found a satisfaction study released this week by the Thessaloniki Hotels Association…

    Read More

  6. Air Passenger Traffic to Greece Continues to Mark Sharp Rise

    Passenger arrivals across all airports in Greece marked a sharp increase in the first four months of the year up by 7.4 percent compared to pre-Covid 2019 and by 38.4 percent over the same period in 2…

    Read More

  7. Greece Among Top Choices of British easyJet Flyers this Summer

    British holidaymakers flying on easyJet are picking Greece this year, according to a poll conducted by the budget carrier. More specifically, according to the survey carried out on 2,000 British adult…

    Read More

  8. Uber Launches On-demand Boat Service on Mykonos Island, Greece

    Ride-hailing company Uber recently announced that it will launch a new seasonal private charter boat service on the Greek island of Mykonos. Available from mid-June to October, “Boat” will be an on-de…

    Read More

  9. Mykonos Tops Airbnb’s Most Searched Int’l Destinations by US Travelers in Q1

    The Greek island of Mykonos is the top most searched for international destination by US travelers seeking Airbnb accommodation in the first quarter of the year, according to the Airbnb 2023 Summer re…

    Read More

  10. Greece’s Regional Airports Outdo Pre-Covid 2019 Traffic Levels in April

    Greece’s 14 regional airports exceeded pre-Covid 2019 levels last month handling a total of 1.6 million passengers, said managing company Fraport Greece. More specifically, according to Fraport data…

    Read More