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Road Rules and Traffic Regulations in Greece - Driving Nuances
1. Despite strict regulations and heavy fines, traffic in Greece remains quite fast and somewhat dangerous. This is particularly true about large cities, where traffic is greatly complicated by the presence of the two-wheeled transport.
2. When riding, drivers are recommended to look around more often. Even if a moped or a motorcycle is not visible in the rearview mirror, it may be in the “dead zone”, so before making any maneuver drivers are recommended to make sure there are no hindrances.
3. Road planning is rather complicated in large cities. There are many dangerous turns, junctions, as well as one-way roads. Athens and Thessaloniki are known as the most difficult cities for drivers. They are really hard to navigate, so inexperienced drivers should be especially careful there.
4. In many large cities, drivers can feel the lack of usual road signs. Such signs as “give way” and “the main road” are quite rare, and this fact also complicates the orientation while driving. When approaching a crossroads, drivers should always slow down, regardless of the fact whether there is a road sign near the crossroads or not.
5. Crossroads equipped with traffic lights are another place, where drivers should be really careful. Do not start moving immediately after the green light appears. Local drivers have one really bad habit – they enjoy “slipping” at a crossroads when the traffic light has just switched to red.
6. Parking space should be selected with caution. Drivers should also take into account that parking is prohibited in the central part of some large cities.
7. The maximum allowed speed when driving in the territory of a city is 50 km/h. In the country the speed limit is 80 km/h, and on highways the maximum permitted speed is 130 km/h. It should be noted that local drivers often do not follow the abovementioned speed limit rules. Almost none of local residents will drive on a highway at a speed less than 150 km/h.
Nuances of Car Rental in Greece
To save on your rental, we advise to book your car in advance. You will save the most if you do this several weeks or even several months prior to your trip. Rental offices in Greece usually raise rental prices over time, based on the number of cars left available for the accounting period.
When looking for an exotic car (cabriolet, minivan or limousine), we advise to check in the rental offices located at airports, as they usually provide much wider choice comparing to offices in urban areas.
Upon receipt of invoices, bills and documents for your car at the rental location, please compare the obtained data with your voucher. Quite often, employees of rental offices in Greece try to add optional charges or services without informing customers.
It is very important to pick up your car at the rental office in Greece in a correct way. Prior to leaving the office, carefully inspect the car for various defects, and ensure that all the discovered defects are mentioned in your rental documents. In case of a non-compliance found, place a demand for correction to the rental officer.
You can always check our car actual rental offers in Greece. Simply use the search form at the top of the page. We guarantee that you will not find better prices anywhere else!
9. Autobahns are paid in Greece. The cost of a ride depends on the route and type of a vehicle. As a rule, the average cost of using a highway is from 2.5 to 6 euro. Payments are usually made in cash, so drivers are recommended to make sure they have coins and paper money in small denominations.
10. The road that links Patras and Corinth is usually marked as a highway in maps, but in fact it is not. The Patras – Corinth route is laid along the bay and is considered one of the most extreme roads in the country.
11. Truckers are the main danger on this road. They make very dangerous overtaking and other maneuvers, and even very experienced drivers find it hard to keep driving safely under such a pressure.
12. A large part of petrol stations, located along the country roads, are open until 19:00. Petrol stations that work round the clock can be found in big cities and close to large and busy highways that connect large settlements.
13. Driving at the red light is considered one of the most serious violations. The punishment for such a breach is severe - a fine of 700 euro, and suspension of the driving license for a period of 2 months. The police can also withdraw car’s registration number and certificate in case of a serious violation of the traffic rules.
14. When driving, the driver and all passengers in the vehicle must fasten seat belts. The fine for violation of this rule is 350 euro and withdrawal of the driving license for 10 days.
15. Driving in a drunken state is also considered a serious violation. The maximum permitted level of alcohol in blood is 0.5 ppm. When a driver is caught for the first time, he/she will have to pay a fine of from 200 to 2,000 euro. In case the driver is caught for the second time, a maximum amount of fine will be charged.
16. If a fine is paid within 10 days of its issue, it is possible to get a “discount” of 50%. Despite such heavy fines, local drivers do not bother to follow traffic regulations. Because of this disciplined tourists often become participants of car accidents on local roads.
17. Traffic police is quite rare on local roads, especially in coastal areas and in the countryside. Police officers are usually on duty on busy roads close to big cities, but the local drivers who often break traffic regulations seem not to care about this fact.
19. There are almost no traffic jams on toll roads. The reason for this fact is that local drivers move at a very high speed on highways, so traffic jams are possible only in case there is a serious road accident.
20. Roads in the country are the most terrible roads for foreign drivers. Despite the speed limit of 80 km/h, local drivers rarely move on them at a speed below 120 km/h. As a rule, two-lane roads have rather broad shoulders, so many cautious drivers prefer to move on them.
21. If a vehicle that moves behind wants to overtake, it is recommended to drive as close to the shoulder of road as possible and give way to driver in a hurry. Moving on the side of a road should also be careful, because it can end suddenly because of a ditch, a bridge, or a broken down and abandoned car.
22. Local pedestrians are also not distinguished by a diligent compliance with traffic regulations. They may start crossing a road in the wrong place, without paying any attention to the rapid car traffic. When approaching a traffic light, drivers should also not rely on vigilance of pedestrians. They do not always wait for the traffic lights to switch to the desired signal.
23. There are many unusual memorial structures on the roads of Greece. These are miniature temples with a candle inside them and pictures of people killed in car accidents. Every year, nearly a thousand and a half are killed on the roads of Greece.
24. While moving, drivers are not allowed to speak on the cell phone. This is almost impossible in the tense atmosphere that prevails on local roads - drivers need to monitor traffic and its participants without pauses.
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