Driving is on the right with overtaking on the left. Give way to the right when vehicles are approaching an intersection. Care should be taken especially on left turns as following vehicles may be trying to overtake you at the same time! Driving defensively is also a good idea. Watch out for people who cut lanes and cut corners.
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On the three lane highways the middle lane is used for passing. Don't obstruct the fast lane. Take car when driving on Greek roads as the quality can vary greatly. In some of the most beautiful places paved roads will give way to gravel roads and so your speed should be adjusted accordingly. Greece also has a high proportion of accidents compared to other European countries. Some of the most dangerous areas are the single lane mountain roads where you have to pass into the oncoming lane of traffic to overtake. Most gas stations are open for twelve hours between 7am and 7pm but closed on Sundays.
By law one gas station per area should remain open at night and on Sundays so if you are low on gas out of hours get a local to direct you to that gas station. In Greece there is a system of heavy fines of hundreds and even thousands of Euros for the following offence: running a red light, crossing a double white line, not stopping at a stop sign, talking on a mobile and parking illegally on a national road.
Do not move your car, unless it is in a dangerous position which might lead to another accident, and wait for the police to arrive. You can call them on 199. In the meantime swap insurance information and addresses with the other driver. Don't argue with the police and be polite and patient, ideally speaking Greek if you know how. If you have a camera handy take pictures of the accident for police and insurance purposes. You should give a copy of the police report to your insurance company.
Children up to the age of four must use protective child seats while seatbelts are mandatory for all other passengers. Children under 10 years of age should not sit in the front seat. The fine for not wearing a seat belt is 350 Euros per passenger not wearing a seatbelt.
Motorways show a picture of a motorway on a blue background. A highway is known as ethniki odos in Greek. Other signs are standard as you would expect to find in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world.
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The price for unleaded 98 is 1.292 Euros, 1.099 for unleaded 95 and 1.005 for diesel.
The drinking limit is 50 mg of alcohol per 100 mg of blood. There are heavy fines or jail time for drinking and driving.
You need to have an international driving licence along with your EU or American licence, both of which are valid. Other documents which it is a good idea to have are your passport, some proof of insurance (including third party fire and liability insurance) and your vehicle registration information.
Yes, as long as it is in a Roman alphabet language. Otherwise you need an international driving licence.
Motor oil - ladi michanis
Gas station - venzinadiko
Car rental agency - grafio eniciaseos aftokiniton
Parking - choros stathmefis
Exit - exodos
Unleaded gasoline
amolivdi venzini
Entrance - isodos
Detour- parakampsis
Hospital - nosokomio
Police - astinomia
Police station - astinomiko tmiha
Embassy - presvia
Diesel – Petreleo
The main toll roads both go from Greece's capital Athens, one to Thessaloniki and one to Peloponnesus. Toll roads are known as odos me diodia – the Greek word for toll is diodia. These tolls are inexpensive and cost between $1-3.
50 kilometres per hour in built up areas.
80 kilometres per hour on open roads.
100 kilometres per hour on highways.
The conversion from kilometres to miles per hour is one kilometre = 0.62 miles per hour. Therefore the speed in built up areas is 31 miles per hour.
To drive in Greece you need to be at least 18 years old with a minimum of one year's driving experience, though some rental companies may charge you extra for being a young driver. Some rental companies have a maximum rental age of 70.
The emergency services number is The United States Embassy in Greece is located at
91 Vasilissis Sophias Blvd, GR-101-60 Athens. You can call 30 01 721 2951 or 721 8401. The after hours number is 30 01 722 3652.
You will not find any street parking in Greece's major cities and if you do not park legally in one of the car parks then you could get a heavy fine, have your car towed or even have your licence taken away. If you park on the road outside of cities you should park on the right so that your car is not facing traffic. Yellow and red road lines mean no parking, and it is illegal to park next to a fire hydrant. It is illegal to park within 15 metres of a bus stop.