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Greece is now a popular tourist centre.
Most visitors arrive in Athens and spend a day or two exploring the astonishing Acropolis, with its Parthenon, Erechtheion, Ancient Theatre of Dionysos and Propylaia gate, as well as an excellent view of the sprawling city. Other attractions include the enormous Zeus’ Temple, Panathenaic Stadium, National Archaeological Museum, Agora ancient market and the amazing  lively Plaka district.
The closest islands to Athens are the Saronic Gulf islands - Salamis, Aegina,  Agistry, Hydra, Spetses and Poros are all over-visited. To the north, the Sporades islands, an archipelago comprising of Skiathos, Skopelos, Alonnisos and Skyros are also popular and easy to get to.
A five hour ferry ride away are the picture-postcard Cycladic islands, epitomising the Greek islands atmosphere and image. Santorini is a spectacular volcanic caldera, Paros is central and family orientated, Mykonos is camp and lively, Ios is for a younger party crowd, while Andros, Kea, Serifos and Sikinos, Anafi and Naxos are visited infrequently.
Crete is somewhat remote and popular with package deals, flying directly there. Strung along the coast of western Turkey are the Dodecanese, rich in history and culture, particularly, Rhodes,Kos, Symi and Patmos. There are seven major islands in the northeastern group: Samos, Chios, Ikaria, Lesvos, Limnos, Samothraki and Thasos. Isolated and somewhat exclusive, they are lush and humid with mountains skirted by pine, sycamore and oak-forested hills.
By car you can explore all Greece inland sceneries the Peloponnese (south), Meteora monasteries and Mount Olympus (north), and some of the islands: Corfu, Santorini, Crete etc.

Tips for drving in Greece

Observe Local Speed Limits: The speed limit in Greece is approximately 50 kilometers per hour inside the city and residential areas, 80 kilometers (50 mph) on small Highway and open roads and 100-120 kilometers on the most Highways throughout Greece. Be aware of monitoring speed methods, such as laser technology, while in other areas, cameras monitor speed.  

Safety Seat belts: Seat belt is obligation in Greece. With today’s safety technology in modern cars, the safety features of an airbag are effective only when the driver and the passengers use their seatbelts. The Greek Police closely monitor the use of seatbelts.

Don't Drink & Drive:Be careful not to drive while intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance. The blood alcohol limit is 0.05 percent. If you are above this you will pay a fine. If your blood alcohol content is over 0.08 percent it is a criminal offence and in most cases the driver will be detained. The alcohol level is monitored with breath tests carried out at random road stops.

Parking: Park only in designated parking areas, where it is permitted. Parking in a prohibited area will result in a Police parking fine and possible license plate removal or towing of the rental.

Stored Items: If you must, make sure your valuables are not visible when you leave the car unattended. It is best to place them in the trunk or glove compartment before you start your travels. It is not uncommon, in any major city, to have your visible valuables stolen while the rental is parked or at a traffic light.

Choosing the right rental car: When selecting a car category determine with the help of vehicle pictures and description to make sure your ttravel will be comfortable and safe. Is the space for luggage is enough?. Feel free to review all vehicle details and trunk capacity by clicking on the category you request.

Recommended drives in Greece

THE NESTOS VALLEY

The Nestos River marks the boundary between Thrace and Macedonia in north-eastern Greece, a part of the country where few foreign visitors other than the adventurous backpackers venture. It’s mainly a low-lying landscape of cotton fields and tobacco plantations, but to the north are the Rodopi Mountains that separate Greece from Bulgaria.

The two major towns at either end of the valley are Drama and Xanthi. Xanthi has a delightful eastern feel to it, letting you know that Turkey isn’t too far away, and some impressive mansions that once belonged to wealthy tobacco barons are one of the town’s most attractive features. Take the road north to Stavroupoli, where the main road meets the Nestos River and heads off into the foothills of the mountains. Or, in winter, sometimes doesn’t: winter snow can block this road, so watch for the warning road signg.

At any other time of year it’s a wonderful drive, partly through wooded areas, and passing by (or stopping to visit) several remote rural villages along the way. At Paranesti the road leaves the river valley (the river rises in Bulgaria), and instead heads south to run alongside the railway tracks and down into Drama – appropriately enough for this dramatic drive.

THE AMARI VALLEY

On Crete the tour buses head east from Iraklion to do the circular drive around the Lasithi Plateau. It is a beautiful drive, though the sheer numbers of tour buses and other drivers can spoil it a little. If you have your own wheels head west from Iraklion, and south to the Amari Valley, a much quieter but equally beautiful part of the island, also easily accessible from Rethymnon on the north coast or the resorts of Ayia Galini and Matala in the south.

From wherever you start, you can do a circular tour of the Amari Valley to get you back to base, or drive through the valley while heading from one coast to the other. Just be sure to include the town of Amari itself, the main one in the valley though no more than a large village, with a tiny main square where there’s the inevitable friendly taverna with a few rooms. Yerakari is another must-see, the centre of the cherry-growing trade in the valley.

The whole of the Amari Valley is fertile and filled with orchards, olive groves and vineyards. Surrounded as it is by mountains, with the Psiloritis range to the east, it’s a fabulous place to tour and see the Crete that lies beyond the tourist resorts.

IOANNINA TO METEORA

The region of Epirus in north-west Greece is one of the most stunningly beautiful in the whole country… indeed, in the whole of Europe. There are pretty lakeside towns like Ioannina and Kastoria and the awe-inspiring Pindus Mountains. A drive east from Ioannina takes you through the mountains, over a high pass that can be closed in winter, and down into the region of Thessaly, and one of the most distinctive and magical sights in the world: the monasteries of Meteora.

The capital of Epirus, Ioannina, has a character all its own. It sits on the shores of a lake in the middle of which is a small island called Nissi, which means ‘the island’. You could easily spend several days in and around Ioannina, and you should drive out on the road towards the Perama Caves – well worth stopping off to explore the cave network. The road then rises around the lake to give lovely views back of Ioannina, before winding upwards into the mountains.

Another essential stop is the mountain town of Metsovo, a ski resort in winter and another very distinctive Greek community. Beyond here is the Metsovon Pass, the highest in Greece at 1705m, but don’t set out on this drive in winter without checking the state of the roads. Even if the pass is open, the sharp bends and sheer drops can be dangerous for the driver unused to them.

KASTORIA TO PRESPA LAKES

Only a short drive, but one that will live long in the memory. Like Ioannina, Kastoria is a pretty lakeside town of the kind not normally associated with Greece. There are handsome mansions, one of them now a folk museum, and a wealthy history because of its fur-trading past. Head north out of the town and you climb through woods and head towards Greece’s northern frontier.

It’s only just over an hour or so until you start to descend, and round a corner you will get your first glimpse of the Prespa Lakes. The whole area here is a National Park, and there’s wildlife in abundance. There are small fishing communities on the shores of the lakes, and it is one of the most peaceful areas of Greece. A visitor centre in the main village of Ayios Germanos gives information about walks and wildlife, and you may be able to take a boat trip out onto the lakes with one of the local fishermen, if you ask around. In the middle of the Great Prespa Lake is the border point where Greece meets Albania and the new country of Macedonia. You can’t get much more off the beaten track than this.

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