Hi, my son and I are traveling to Greece this summer( July) and will be driving all around the country over one week. I am debating if I should rent a car or take the bus. We are going from Athens, Delphi,
Olympia, maybe Kardamyli and then back to Athens, We only have a week, so we are short on time. I am leaning toward car, but a little scared about driving there. Bus is easier travel, more time consuming and difficult with the language barrier. Car, may be difficult reading the signs.I need some advice, on which I should do? Thanks, Karen
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
For your trip, busses really won't work. Delphi and back is well served, but the Peloponnese is not. And there is not a central bus system that you can see online for routes and timetables.
Renting a car is not that bad and I have done it. You can get it at the airport and avoid driving in Athens itself. Rural roads are well marked and mostly light traffic. Signs are almost always in English as well as Greek. Use caution on rural roads for slow traffic, livestock and such. The roads are usually quite wide but be sure to drive along the right side - the middle is for passing only but not marked.
You MUST have an international drivers permit to legally drive and my experience is that most rental firms will require it to rent. AAA is the authorized vendor in the USA.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Is your son old enough to navigate? I did not find northern Greece's road signs to be different from the rest of Europe, except that when destinations are written in both the Greek alphabet and English alphabet, then it's more words to read. See some standard euro signage at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/driving-europe-tips.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
Yes, rent a car. The Greek bus system is dysfunctional. There isn't even one website that can give you timetables for the whole country. With only one week, you will waste too much time waiting for buses. I've driven in Greece and was a bit concerned, but after a while I actually enjoyed it. Because of the economic crisis, there isn't much traffic. The "national roads," which are like expressways, are new and easy. The drive between Delphi and Olympia is spectacular--be sure to add extra time for all the viewpoints along the way. Kardamyli may be too far for only a week, but it's a relatively unspoiled Greek village, so try to make it if you can. As far as driving is concerned, this greeklandscapes website has some good tips.