Driving in Greece

Hi Jim from LA
Follow this link for SUPER info on Greece. Matt knows it all, seriously.
http://www.greecetravel.com/

I've been to Delphi via bus - a long (3.5 hrs.) boring trip. Matt suggests renting a car through his recommended travel agent. Basically they leave you on the highway in the outskirts of Athens and meet you at the same place when you return. If I had to do it over I would do this. This is the best of both worlds. No driving in the city but a rental car for the country. The driving to Delphi, once you're out of Athens, seemed basic. Just mountainous but nothing crazy. The bus ride was painless but pretty lame and there were many cute villages that we would have loved to visit. Just an idea. Enjoy :)

For Jim: You will have very little difficulty driving in Greece. The roads are good and compared to LA the traffic is very light. Get a good Michelin map. A manual is fine but we actually rented an automatic from Hertz. Enjoy Greece.

We returned from Greece in Nov where we had rented a car for 3 of our 4 weeks there. Generally I found driving in Greece more challenging than North America.

The road from Athens via Corinth to Nafpilo is good.

We drove in Crete, Lesvos, the Peloponese and Thessaly as far as Kalambaka and in Athens.
The Greeks are good drivers but agressive. They pass on double lines, on corners, love to speed and on 2 lane roads they try ro make four lanes.

Road quality varies, generally it is better on the mainland than on the islands. Greece being very mountainous, there are lots of hairpin turns going up and coming down. We encountered falling rocks, sheep,goats, horses and a bull on the roads. The roads can be very unforgiving if you have a careless moment.

Nevertheless, it was fun to drive as long as you are attentive. We would certainly do it again.

Steve

Hi Jim, definitely rent a car. We arranged for the agent to meet us at our hotel in Athens and drive us to the highway to pickup our car so we wouldn't have to drive in Athens. We drove Athens to Corinth, south to Nafplio and had a great time. From Nafplio, we drove to Olympia over the mountains and back to Nafplio along the sea. The mountains can be a little exciting, but not a bid deal. Had a great experience. The only problem I found was finding a good map. Michelin maps of Greece I tried to get in the stats were basic and even the local book store in Athens didn't have much of a selection. We still did fine. Have fun!

I laughed till I cried reading these posts. Having driven all over Europe and good parts of Asia if the rental car company drives you to the outskirts of the city that must be some kinda nightmare driving in town. I've turned in rental cars in downtown Paris and Florence (not recommended by the way) so if my rental car company said they'd drive us to the outskirts I'd damn well take them up on the offer!

Rented a car from the Athens airport a few years ago. Had no problems getting out of the city. Drove to Pelopenesia, Delphi, Olympia, you name it. Had no trouble driving. Even I drove in the countryside, and I am somewhat timid in that regard. The other poster's comment about Greeks being aggressive drivers is true. It can be a little frightening when they attempt to pass you in the same lane in which you are travelling. Stay close to the right. You will be fine. I'd recommend getting the car versus public transportation.