Want to rent a car for the Greek islands? Smart decision. You will need it even for the smallest islands like Milos. Unless you prefer to take a bus tour or taxi. But in reality taking a taxi or bus on smaller islands can become more of a pain than a benefit.
Be careful for random goat crossings too, Day and night. I almost hit one in the middle of the night on a highway doing 80 mph going to Olympia.
While in Crete, me and my girlfriend saw 3 car accidents in 3 days. A local on a motorcycle was hit by a taxi and fell bleeding all over the street. Luckily he will be find buy got scratched up bad. We saw a crash coming back from Elafonissi Beach, a tourist tried to pass another car and spun out on some gravel in the highway and hit the siderail. And the 3rd car accident was from a rockslide onto the road.
What car should I rent for Greece? I rented an AWD Mercedes SUV. It had great handling, never slipped even on gravel roads, (dont test is) and the most room for luggage with a comfortable ride. It also gripped the road perfectly. Something you want for these sketchy mountains, many roads dont have guard rails too. So you should drive slow around all mountain corners. If you have a car in front of you leading the way, perfect. This helps you to see oncoming traffic sooner by looking at their tail lights.
If you will be staying in downtown Athens you will NOT NEED A CAR. If you want to drive outside of Athens and visit other places like Olympia, the worlds first Olympics, its about a 3 hour drive from Athens. You will need a car, or you can take a bus tour. I prefer a car, to stop at all the exciting places and secret locations on the way. If you are an elderly couple or have a family maybe taking a bus is a simpler way.
What to Know before Renting a Car in Greece? The most important thing is to know how they handle the ‘car insurance’ there. Which ever rental company you book with, buy their insurance, it’s usually about $200 and covers the entire car except rollovers. (Yes it happens). Driving around the mountains in Greece is no joke, especially on the Islands. To be specific, Elafonissi Beach, is a famous and beautiful beach in Crete, Greece. But getting there by car can be stressful, so it’s highly recommended you take a tour bus there. Driving Greek mountains are not for the weak hearted. Especially in Naxos Mountains. Do not rent a car and buy a different companies car insurance, the car rental company (SIXT) will make you put a $2,000 hold on your card if you do this.
