Driving in Athens

Parking in Athens = difficult/impossible in downtown; difficult in near suburbs. Driving on the main toll road outside of Athens (A6) between the airport & Peloponnese is easy. Driving downtown can be very stressful; traffic is almost always heavy.. The Greek drivers are generally skilled, mildly aggressive, usually polite and definitely reluctant to damage their vehicles. They have often yielded to me when intentions were signaled and not being pushy. However, motorcycles & scooters are another issue entirely! Maximally aggressive and appear unafraid of contact with other vehicles. They will move between cars, sometimes putting their hands or feet on them, to get to the front. Maybe that is why the cars are driven with much less brio than Italy & Paris. GPS necessary; better with 2 separate units as often different info. It can be done but make sure you have a good navigator, insurance & an International Drivers ID. And no alcohol or drugs - you need to be alert. Good Luck.

You're a brave man.

Cannot imagine WHY you'd have to drive in. If you are coming from a far distant city --- 30 miles or so, Why not check the Metro network map and choose nice neighborhood nearby (i.e. Pangrati) and park y our car there. If y u need to go to a business meeting in Central Athens, after arriving at airport, no need to drive in city at all.

If at all possible avoid driving in Athens and forget about finding a place to park.

There are numerous options for public transportation and all are good and efficient.

Maybe if you explain your situation more you can get better advice.

Thanks for the advice from everyone! We're arriving at ATH and then driving to Hydra. Need to double back to Athens to pick up friends coming in several days after us and then head back out to the Peloponnese. Have decided to drive back to the Aghia Marina metro station and then ride into/out of central Athens.

Kevin, Kevin .. no no. I'm originally from Indianapolis & have many relatives there, I realizes how car-oriented they are (since they destroyed public transit, don't get me started!), but this business of "driving to Hydra" is WACK. you would just drive from Airport or Central Athens to Piraeus... and THEN what would you do with the car??? Put it in a garage while you go to Hydra?> Are you Made of Money?? No no. If you must go to Hydra (and I'm not sure why), you can use a good car service much more easily than driving! You do not make it clear if you are spending time sightseeing in ATHENS before your friends arrive... or going straight to Hydra & back. Either way, here are your options

• HOTEL FIRST - Use a good reliable car service from Airport to Central area hotel (Welcome Pickups charges the SAME as a taxi -- €38 flat fee). From there you taxi (€15 outside of rush hour) to PIREAUS & go to HYDRA. Return from HYDRA and take the #96 bus right from Pireaus in front of Metro Station to Airport -- OR use car service again. When your friends' plane arrives, THEN you pick up your rental car and drive NONSTOP, on big bypass highway Around Athens dtdraffic, not even tap a brake until you are over the corinth Canal.

• STRAIGHT to HYDRA -- Car service (or #96 bus, €6 fare per person) straight to Pireaus, then as above back, & to Airport.

This is from experience in 13 trips to Greece, in which Ive visited Peloponnese at least 8 times, mainly starting from Airport -- Makes NO sense to rent a car to leave at Piraeus, then drive city traffic to airport ... that's just part of the must-drive Hoosier culture.

I am with Janet, and if she comes across a little aggressive, hopefully you will get her point.

If you arrive at the airport and plan to go to Hydra, then it makes the most sense to use public transportation to the ferry and back. Or a car service if you have special needs.

Then when your friends arrive, meet them at the airport and pick up your rental there to drive to the Peloponnese.

I have driven in central Athens, as well as on the beltway highway. Both are nerve-wracking and I really do not recommend anyone drive in Athens.

And just a warning (learned the hard way), an International Drivers Permit is REQUIRED for renting a car in Greece. It is also the law for driving, but the rental agencies tend to be very strict about seeing it too.

We're arriving at ATH and then driving to Hydra

You CANNOT 'drive to Hydra'. It is an island with no roads and does not permit cars.

You can drive to a ferry terminal, park the car ( once you find a place) and then board a passenger ferry to Hydra.

If you are going to Hydra until your friends arrive you may as well get the car when they arrive ( or when you are leaving Athens for other areas). Having a car in Athens is about as useful as a concrete life jacket.

We're getting the car when we land and then driving around Athens to the ferry to Hydra at Metochi. It will be faster and cheaper than the airport to Piraeus to Hydra and back - and we're also stopping at Epidavros on the way. After we double back to Athens, which we may do via ferry depending on schedules and timing, we're driving across the Peloponnese to the Costa Navarino area. We'll then drive back to the Athens airport to head home. We have several other stops planned during our 2 week trip. I've driven off-highway in the Athens area previously and want to avoid doing so again as much as possible.

With 2, there is no reason to get a car. Americans think they need a car. You don't. Take the bus, or the metro.