Greece in March/April

Driving is a challenge but not impossible. Road signs are in Greek and phonetic English. Just don't try driving in Athens. It's a nightmare. Be sure to go to your local AAA office to pick up an International Driving Permit, no test or membership required. All islands are accessible by ferry all year long because they all have permanent populations. What might not be available to you are the convenient ferry routes, so choose your islands carefully. Once the ferry schedules for the upcoming season are finalized you'll find them here: http://www.gtp.gr Here's a good map of the ferry routes. It's not perfect but it's a good start: http://www.greeceathensaegeaninfo.com/ferry-info-greece/greek-islands-ferry-chart.htm The weather will be unpredictable in March and April. Those are the transition months between Winter and Spring. Expect cloudy skies, some rain, wind and chilly nights. The best suggestion I can make is to wait until at least mid-May if at all possible. Find a copy of a good guidebook for Greece to help you decide where to go and what to see.

I found driving to be very easy once outside the metro Athens area. Avoid driving in Athens but even the highways around it can be nerve-racking. But rural areas are quite easy: little traffic, few roads (making it hard to get lost), well marked in English and stunning scenery. Two things: You MUST have an IDP. Greek rental firms will not rent a car without one. And stay to the right on rural roads - passing is down a shared and unmarked middle.

Holly, I'd suggest budgeting for really good CDW for the rental car, so you don't have any problems. As I recall, Greece is one of the more "risky" places to drive in the E.U., so you'll want to have good insurance. As the others have said, NOT a good idea to drive in Athens as the traffic is horrendous! Which parts of Greece will you be travelling to? Regarding the Ferries, I'm sure they'll be "running" but at that time of year possibly not as often as during the peak season. If you're visiting the islands, it will probably be "quiet" at that time of year and not all tourist facilities may be operating. You may find it helpful to read Matt Barrett's www.greecetravel.com as there is LOTS of information on all aspects of travelling in Greece. Happy travels!

One rental company I checked with specified that the insurance you buy from them doesn't cover taking the car on a ferry. I don't know if that's an universal policy, but you wouldn't want to pay the fare for a car anyway. We're going in May, but if we want a car on an island, will rent there. Have a great time exploring - traveling "unguided" is great fun in Europe - and a lot easier than you expect.

You will love Greece although you are just a little early for the islands. Suggest that you explore the mainland first and leave the islands to the end of your trip. Be aware that Easter (late this year) is a major Greek family holiday and that this means serious travel disruptions. Excepting Athens, we drove everywhere. The roads are acceptable, the cars small, and the traffic normally very light. Get famillar with Greek road signs before your trip. We didn't have GPS but I'm sure that it would be helpful.