This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Greece: the three basics
Drives on the
right
The driver sits on the left and overtakes on the left. Roundabouts turn anticlockwise.
Your licence
EU licence is enough
An EU, EEA or Swiss licence is valid as it stands. A licence from anywhere else works alongside an International Driving Permit, which hire desks and police expect to see.
Motorways
Tolls by distance
Motorways charge for the distance driven, at barriers or by camera. Budget for it on a long drive; it is rarely trivial.
Motorways are tolled at booths, and the islands have none - a car hired for Crete or Rhodes never meets one.
Greek motorway tolls come at frequent booths, and a car hired for an island may never meet one.
Frequent toll booths on the mainland motorways, none at all on the islands.
Tolls are collected at plazas rather than on exit, so a long drive means several stops with cash or card at each.
The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.2 g/l for new and professional drivers.
Island roads are the reason to hire a car and the reason to take a small one. Village streets on Crete, Naxos or Rhodes are narrower than any hire category suggests.
Motorway speed is 130 km/h, and the mountain sections of the A1 and E65 carry lower posted limits that are camera-enforced.
Fuel is expensive by regional standards and rural stations close early on Sundays.
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