A few questions regarding car rental/driving while o. Greece trip.
1. Does one need temp international license for 1week trip?Current US license holder
2. For tolls-how to we pay?
3. Do gas stations take credit cards?
4. Plan to rent/return Athens airport and use major company such as Enterprise/Budget/Avis. Thoughts?
5.Trip itinerary:
arrive Athens airport 12:30 (overnight flight US). Drive to Nafplio April 3-5
Drive to Delphi April 5-7
Drive to Athens airport to drop off car and get Uber/bus/transportation to Athens city center April 7
Stay in Athens 7-10.
Departure flight on 10th is early. Accommodations are Air bnb
5. Know the distance between cities but what is the actual drive time? Athens airport -Nafplio and Nafplio to Delphi. Rick’s book suggests backtracking through Athens from N to get to D.
7.Other thoughts?
Thanks!
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
947 posts
Just one comment about getting from Athens accommodation to airport. Book a car and driver with Welcome Pick-ups. I have used them in Athens a couple of times and they provide excellent door to door service at slightly more than the regular taxi cost. You can pre-book and pay before you leave home.
Posted by
France Southwest
2172 posts
Some partial answers....
1: NO , but ask the rental company for confirmation, some do not apply the law.
2: Cash or credit card (Visa or Mastercard).
3: Of course, it's mandatory.
4: It's up to you. It is often cheaper with local companies, for the same service.
Posted by
Lynnwood, WA
31 posts
We were in Greece in 2021. We rented a car for two weeks from Athens Car Rental. They met us at the Athens airport with the car and then they were waiting at the airport at our scheduled time to take return of the car. We were very happy with their service and price.
We paid all tolls with our credit card even if they were just over 1 euro. We had no issues with gas stations taking our VISA.
We used Google Maps to plan the drives and generally found the drive times on Google to be fairly accurate.
Enjoy Greece!
Posted by
New Zealand
496 posts
Some European countries restrict rentals to under 70 or 75 - double check if this applies to you
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11692 posts
arrive Athens airport 12:30 (overnight flight US). Drive to Nafplio
Many would advise against making a 100+ mile drive ( 2-2,5 hrs) after an overnight flight from the US. All your other questions/concerns could be rendered moot if you do not survive the 1st day.
Posted by
397 posts
Don't drive when you are jetlagged after an overnight flight. It's as bad as driving drunk