If you’re planning to visit Greece, this Greece travel guide and has all the information you need. Whether you’re travelling slow in a campervan or motorhome, or hiring a car and staying in local guesthouses, a road trip through Greece is an excellent way to see the country.
From the capital of Athens, to the country side with dramatic coastline to snow capped mountains, ancient archaeological sites to bustling beach towns Greece has so much worth seeing. And that’s just the mainland! Having your own vehicle opens up parts of Greece that most tourists don’t get to see.
We visited Greece in late 2025, and although it was winter, which meant almost everything on the islands was closed, we found plenty to see and do. The weather was mild most of the time, and we even had some warm sunny days (we also had a lot of rain in late November). Most places were relatively uncrowded.
It had been 30 years since we last visited Greece, and while many things seem just as we remember, on the whole the country seems a lot more modern.
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Greece Road Trip Travel Guides
During our Greece Road Trip we produced Adventure Travel Films and City Guides for our YouTube Channel. We have also written a couple of travel guides and blog posts with more to come over the next few months. Make sure you join our newsletter list to be kept up to date.
- 14 Amazing things to do in Nafplio, Greece
- Hidden Gems in the Peloponnese – 7 places most tourist miss
- How to see Athens in one day
- 7 Day Peloponnese Itinerary – A Road Trip through Greece’s Ancient Heart
- Mani Peninsula Road Trip – The Ultimate Travel Guide
- Top 10 Best Places to Visit in the Peloponnese
Why road trip around Greece?
Greece has so much diversity, from mountains to beaches, incredible history and ruins, and delicious food and wine!
Ancient History
Greece has some of the best archaeological sites not only in Europe, but in the world. From the incredible Acropolis in the centre of Athens, to little known (and almost untouched) sites on the Peloponnese like Argos and Messene). Walk in the footsteps of Agamemnon, Odysseus, Heracles and other heroes of Greek Mythology.
Islands and Beaches
The Greek Islands are famous the world over for fun in the sun. While it does require a bit of forward planning to visit many of the islands as part of a road trip, others are relatively straightforward, like Corfu, Elafanossis and even Lefkada, which can be reached by a bridge.
Religious History
From monasteries perched on top of rocks in Meteora to Byzantine churches at Mystras, if you enjoy Orthodox art and culture, you will love Greece.
Delicious food (and wine)
Greek cuisine is so good! Here you can enjoy delicious seafood, fresh fish and calamari. Local olives and olive oil, Greek Salad with fresh tomato and cucumber, cheeses like Feta and Halloumi. And I think we ate our weight in Gyros (spit roast meat wrapped in Pita bread with garlic yoghurt sauce, tomato and onion). Sue loved the vegetarian options with a veggie burger in place of the meat. And then there’s moussaka… oh we could go on!
To be honest, we had very low expectations of wine in Greece, based on our experiences from 30 years ago, but we were really surprised with how good the Greek wines are. The Greeks have really worked to develop their wine industry over the last few decades. The Agiorgitiko from Nemea on the Peloponnese is amazing.
Road Trip friendly
The roads in Greece are very good, and fast motorways connect most major centres. But beware, the tolls on these roads add up quickly! Distances between the main attractions are fairly short, and there are plenty of campsites and guesthouses for overnight stops.
Budget friendly
While Greece certainly isn’t as cheap as it was 30 years ago, we still found good value here, especially compared to Western European countries. The two of us could have a simple meal out for around €30 and campsites generally cost €15 to €20 per night.
How to get to Greece
Greece is located at the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula. It is bordered by Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkiye to the east.
By Air
Greece has several international airports. Athens and Thessalonaki are major hubs, and several budget airlines also fly into Kalamata and many of the islands from other European cities. Check SkyScanner for flight availability and pricing.
By Car
Greece is well connected to all it’s land neighbours with both larger motorways and some smaller roads. If you’re flying in to Greece, you can hire a car from the airport for your road trip.
By Ferry
You can take a ferry to Greece and arrive at Igoumenitsa, Patras or Piraeus. We have taken several ferries within Greece with our campervan. We always book our ferries at Direct Ferries – this site checks the pricing and timetables for different ferry companies. Be prepared for a little bit of chaos at ferry terminals though, but that is all part of the adventure!
By Train or Bus
There are currently no international trains running to Greece. The main domestic train lines run from Athens to Thessalonaki, and Athens/Piraeus to Patras.
You can catch a bus from neighbouring countries to Thessalonaki and take the train from there to Athens. For bus timetables and bookings, check Omio.
Driving in Greece
Roads in Greece range from well maintained, fast motorways (with tolls) to narrow, winding mountain roads through small villages. Often the roads in the villages are only one lane. On the smaller roads you may also need to slow down for farm vehicles or sheep in the roads.
The main centres are connected by toll roads, and we struggled to figure out just how the tolls work. Unlike other countries where you collect a ticket and pay a toll when you exit the section of motorway, in Greece, you’ll simply stop and pay a toll at seemingly random places. We normally avoid toll roads, but will sometimes take them to avoid lengthy traffic delays. We do recommend taking the toll roads around Athens if you need to get from one side of the city to the other.
Fuel
We found that fuel prices were similar to other EU countries, we were paying around €1.50-1.60 per litre for diesel. If you’re arriving from North Macedonia, do fill up your vehicle before you cross the border, as fuel is significantly cheaper there.
Parking
Most of the main archaeological sites have free carparks that can accommodate campervans, although none of them are particularly large. In Athens, we parked the campervan outside the city near the airport and caught a train into the centre of town.
Greece Travel Guide – Essential Information
Language
Greek is the official language here, and we found English was quite widely spoken in tourist areas, shops and restaurants. We found many older people speak German rather than English as a second language.
Most road signs will be in the Greek Alphabet and English. We found the camera function on Google Translate to be really helpful when on a few occasions we were given a menu ONLY in Greek (that’s when you know its a great local restaurant!)
Currency
Greece is a member of the EU and the eurozone, and as such, the Euro is the official currency (although Greece almost left the eurozone in 2015 during a debt crisis).
ATMs are quite common, and cards are accepted for most purchases. Carrying cash for market stalls and smaller restaurants is always a good idea.
Visa Requirements
Greece is part of the Schengen zone, so visitors from non-EU countries like Australia, NZ, USA, Canada and the UK will be subject to the Schengen 90 day rule. You may enter the Schengen zone and remain for 90 days in any 180 days.
Since the introduction of the EES in October 2025, there have been facilities at airports and land borders for capturing biometric data, however, when we entered Greece from Albania in November 2025 we were just waved through with a stamp in our passports. We questioned the border guard who dismissed us with a wave of his hand, saying “it’s too slow!”
In Q4 of 2026, an ETIAS is due to be implemented whereby travellers will need to complete an online registration (and pay a fee) before travelling to the Schengen area. This program has been delayed several times already. You can sign up for updates on the ETIAS website.
Phone and Internet
Greece has a really good mobile network, though it can get a little patchy in the mountain areas. We had good 4G or 5G speeds everywhere we stayed. We use and recommend the Holafly eSIM when we travel (use code NIGELANDSUE for a discount).
FAQs
When is the best time to visit Greece?
Greece gets very hot in summer, and very crowded, especially on the islands. Spring and Autumn are much more pleasant, but if you’re planning on visiting the islands, pretty much everything shuts down from October to April. We visited Corfu in November and apart from the main town Kerkyra, almost nothing was open.
Winter in Greece can be really beautiful. There is an exodus of van-lifers from northern Europe down to Greece each winter. You’ll find people parked up on beaches in the Peloponnese (and in places like the large port carpark at Nafplio) for weeks on end, enjoying the mild weather. We would have stayed longer if not for that darned Schengen 90 day rule!
Is Greece campervan friendly?
In early 2025 there was panic in the Vanlife Europe community. Greece had changed it’s highway code making it illegal to park a campervan or motorhome anywhere that wasn’t a designated campsite. People were reporting €300 Euro fines just for being parked up at the beach.
In June, a new law was passed that differentiated between parking and camping. Camping is defined as any activity OUTSIDE the perimeter of your van. So, if you’re sitting (or sleeping) in your van with no tables and chairs outside, no awning rolled out, no step out, and windows closed, then you’re officially parking and not camping.
We did see several No Camping signs in some beach areas, but if there are no signs, you should be fine to stay in your campervan, especially in the off season.
What we did love about wild camping in Greece, is that we often had visits from locals wanting to sell us their home produce, from fruit and honey, to olive oil and even wine! We always spent money with these locals, and jokingly call it the “tourist tax”.
Is Greece safe for tourists?
We felt safe while we were in in Greece.
However, we read about vehicle break-ins at the Messene archaeological site parking lot, and there is a warning sign at the gate. After spending almost a year in the Balkans we were quite surprised to see and hear such things!
We were also warned about pick pockets on public transport and around tourist sites in Athens. We personally had no problems, but as always, try to avoid standing out as an obvious tourist, and use common sense.
Is Greece expensive for tourists?
If you’re comparing Greece to other Western European countries, then probably no. If you’re comparing Greece to its northern Balkan neighbours, then yes, it probably is a bit more expensive.
While we could still eat out at a restaurant for around €30, we found the archaeological site entry fees expensive at €20 per person. If you’re visiting during the winter, (October to April) the museums and archaeological sites are free on the first and third Sundays of the month.
Watch our Greece Road Trip travel films
As we travelled through Greece we filmed several vlogs and Top 10 style videos for our YouTube Channel. Why not binge watch the full Greece Playlist?
Final Thoughts
Greece is a dream destination for a vanlife road trip. From it’s amazing history and ancient ruins, turquoise seas and sandy beaches, to its delicious food, Greece is a destination that rewards slow travel.
Things in Greece still work on “ish” time, so relax and enjoy, rather than rushing from one highlight to the next. We hope you enjoy your Greece Road Trip! Let us know if you have any questions.