Overland Greece Travel
Currency to display:
Contents
- 1 Visiting Greece
- 2 Entering Greece with a Car or Motorbike
- 3 Driving in Greece
- 4 Gas price in Greece and Diesel price in Greece
- 5 Safety and Security Considerations
- 6 Camping in Greece
- 7 Navigation
- 8 Special Overland Travel interests
- 9 Vehicle Maintenance
- 10 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Greece
- 11 References
- 12 Helpful External links
Visiting Greece
Give a brief overview of what it's like to visit. How easy is the border, how safe is the country, are there great things to see and do, etc.
Entering Greece with a Car or Motorbike
Correct as of: January 2017
Required Paperwork
(To check if you need a travel Visa for Greece, application instructions and fees see: Greece Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)
Vehicle Registration, 3rd Party Insurance & Driving License are mandatory to enter to Greece
Process at border
Briefly describe the process at the border to enter with a vehicle
Cost of entry
Crossing land borders from Turkey, Albania, FYROM, Bulgaria & Italy (by ship) is free.
Permitted length of stay
A foreign registered vehicle can stay up to 6 months in any country within EU.
EU includes: Austria, Italy, Belgium, Latvia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Croatia, Luxembourg, Cyprus Malta, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Estonia, Portugal, Finland, Romania, France, Slovakia, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Spain, Hungary, Sweden & Ireland
However, you must pay extra attention and study carefully how long a person can stay in the Schengen Zone which allows only 3 months every 6 months per year.
The Schengen Member States include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland & Liechtenstein. More info about Schengen Zone Visa at: [[1]]
For example Switzerland, Norway or Liechtenstein belong to the Schengen Zone (which literally means free movement) but in the EU. Also countries like Serbia, Albania, FYROM, Bosnia or Belarus do not belong to any group (EU or Schengen Zone)
Extension of stay
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.
Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.
Exiting with a vehicle
Describe the paperwork requirements and process at the border to exit.
Driving in Greece
Recommended books for Overlanding in Greece
Travel insurance for Greece
World Nomads offer the most flexible Travel Insurance at the best prices for multi-country / multi-year trips. You can buy, extend and claim online, even after you've left home.
Vehicle insurance requirements
Vehicle insurance is mandatory for all vehicles. Any 3rd party insurance is acceptable according to the law. You can buy online through the web. A cheap company that offers policies online is [2].
The famous Green Card goes automatically (and free of charge) with the national insurance but the vehicle must be registered in EU. Just ask it from your agent.
However, for foreign registered vehicles you will need what in Europe is called Temporary Frontier Insurance. More info & costs: [3] [4] [5]
Cost of vehicle insurance
The cost depends mainly on the value and the age of the car (as always). Expect to pay roughly €100.00 EUR for a 10 years old car for a 6 month basic policy and around €140.00 EUR for the full package.
Where to purchase vehicle insurance
Mostly online but also through an agent.
Driving license
Any EU issued Driving License or International Driving Permit are mandatory and must be shown in case of control from traffic police.
Driving side of road
You are required by the law to drive on the right side of the road but sometimes local drivers would drive on the left side intentionally. All cars sold in Greece are left hand drive and locals never buy right hand drive vehicles because they are considered hazards by the goverment.
Right hand drive vehicles can be driven without problems in Greece but they cannot remain in the country for more than 72 hours but only if the vehicle is from another EU country, the right handed car can stay in Greece for 6 months.
Mandatory items in vehicle
Traffic police will not check or expect you to have any special items in your car.
Roads
General Road quality
Give a brief description of the general road quality. Mention if one way streets are common.
Road signs
Briefly describe the overall quality & existence of road signs for directions and hazards.
Toll roads
Toll roads is a mainstream for the Greek National Highways. Expect to pay from €1.50 EUR to €3.50 EUR for a sedan and less than €2.00 EUR for a motorbike. The HWY from Athens to Thessaloniki has about 11 toll stations for a distance of 550 kms and the cost is about €31.00 EUR (one way). A useful web resource with an interactive map is: [6]
Bribery in Greece
Bribery is totally uncommon in Greece. As long as you have all your documents (license, registration and insurance) sorted, you are fine. In case of traffic violations (speeding, seat belt) expect steep fines (over €200.00 EUR) unless you can flip the officials over (it can happen). Never try to bribe!
Checkpoints
describe the frequency of checkpoints (police or military and what to expect.
Traveling with pets
List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.
Gas price in Greece and Diesel price in Greece
Last updated: July 2017
Currency and unit to display:
| Gasoline Grade | Price |
|---|---|
| Unleaded 95 | €1.47 EUR per Liter |
| Unleaded 100 | €1.68 EUR per Liter |
| Unleaded Super LRP | €1.60 EUR per Liter |
| Autogas | €0.76 EUR per Liter |
| Diesel | €1.22 EUR per Liter |
Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency
Gas stations are wide available everywhere like any country in EU, North America etc. SHELL, BP, Aegean, EKO, JETOIL, AVIN are the most common
Gas and Diesel Quality
The quality of fuels in Greece is of high quality in general terms. When it is ridiculously cheap or there is a huge difference compared to the competition, always avoid the gas station (its not uncommon). Expect to find unleaded gasoline of 95 & 100 octanes as well as Unleaded Super LRP
Diesel quality is lower than gasoline as they tend to mix it with diesel for heating (its not common but happens). According to the national regulations, diesel must have min 55 cetanes and contain 10mg/kg of sulfur. Normally, you can expect to find from 51 to 54 cetanes. In big cities, you can find also Premium/ Ultimate Diesel (available at EKO, SHELL & BP) with more cetanes and better additives.
Natural Gas (Autogas) is also wide available. Expect to pay €0.76 EUR per Liter
Safety and Security Considerations
Driving at night
Discuss driving at night and if it should it be avoided. Mention why.
Vehicle parking
Discuss if vehicles can be parked on the street, if they are considered "safe" at night. If vehicles can not be parked on the street, list the other options that exist.
Special driving considerations
A List of special things to be careful of (i.e. Unsigned speed bumps, abnormal road rules, people or animals on the road, etc.).
List any roads that are not recommended to drive for safety or other security reasons.
Security advisories and information
- Country Specific Information - U.S. Department of State
- Travel Reports and Warnings - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Travel advice by country - Foreign and Commonwealth office (U.K.)
- Travel Advice for Greece - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Camping in Greece
Organized campgrounds are abundant in North, West & Central Greece, Peloponnese and most of the islands. They cater for all types of travelers such as tents, caravans-trailers and RVs. The facilities usually include everything (hot showers, power, shared kitchen, laundry, restaurant, mini market, organized beach (most of them), wifi, playgrounds etc. An extremely detailed web resource with camping in Greece is: [7]
Average price can range from €5.00 EUR to €30.00 EUR depending on the location of the camping, the season (July-August is considered to be the high season), the number of the people and the space they occupy.
Wild camping is quite common in Greece. If in a vehicle, you won't have any problems to park your car in a beach and enjoy the surroundings. Peloponnese, Evoia, Crete & West Greece has to offer lots of them. Camping with a tent in a beach is officially forbidden but lots of Greeks do it during the summer. According to the law, if your tent is not standing, it is OK. Lots of people put them down during the day so police cannot charge them. In general terms, it is safe to camp everywhere and most beaches have plenty of facilities for the wild campers.
Camping guide books
List and link to books specifically for camping.
Drinking water
Tap water is safe to drink almost everywhere. In Thessaloniki, it is advisable to buy bottled water.
Paper maps
Reise Know-How are amoung the best paper maps. Purchase paper maps before arriving in Greece
GPS Maps of Greece
Review different GPS companies, quality and coverage (Tomtom, Garmin, OSM, Tracks4Africa). (with links to each).
GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in Greece
- iOverlander is a website and iPhone application designed by Overlanders, for Overlanders. It contains GPS co-ordinates and reviews for camping, hotels, propane, water, mechanics, borders and much more.
Link to sites that have a list of GPS co-ordinates (or directions) for camping locations (including "wild" campsites), propane filling, gas stations, repair shops, places of interest, etc.
Special Overland Travel interests
List any special items / places that are popular with Overlanders
Vehicle Maintenance
Dealers
4x4s / Trucks
- Toyota Global Dealer Locator
- Land Rover International Dealer Locator
- Mercedes Benz International (select country on bottom right)
- Jeep International site locator
Motorbikes
Local Garages
Add known good mechanics here.
Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Greece
Buy
Describe how a foreigner can buy a vehicle.
List any difficulties or limitations on where the vehicle can be driven.
Sell
Describe how a foreigner can sell a foreign-plated vehicle, or list not possible.'
References
Links to the source of any information - blogs or discussion forums, etc.
Helpful External links
Add any helpful external links here.
- Greece: Visa and Passport requirements | World Travel Guide
- Health Information for Travelers to Greece - Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Greece travel guides at wikivoyage
- Greece - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
