Driving In Greece

This page provides the basic rules of the road for driving in Greece.

Telephone Numbers
Emergency Services:

Police	100
Fire	199
Ambulance (Athens)	166

As with most of Europe you can also 112 to get through to emergency services.  This number is multilingual.

Further useful numbers:

Forest fire	191
Coastal guard emergency intervention	108
Counter-narcotics immediate intervention	109
Greek tourist police	171
Auto Road Assistance - ELPA	104
Auto Road Assistance - Express Service	154
Telegrams - Domestic	155
Telegrams - International	165
International dialling instructions (English, French & German)	169
Directory Enquiries	131
Wake-up Call	182

The international dialling code for Greece is 30.

Speed Limits
Speed limits in the Greece are measured in KPH (Kilometres per Hour).
Ensure you check the road signs as speeds can vary greatly.

Area	Cars	Motorbikes
Expressways	120kph/75mph	90kph/56mph
Urban stretches	110kph/68mph	70kph/44mph
Dual carriageways	120kph/75mph	90kph/56mph
Outside built-up areas	110kph/68mph	70kph/44mph
Built-up areas	50kph/30mph	40kph/25mph

Toll Information
There are only a few toll roads in Greece, they are called Ethniki Odos and must be paid in cash. The amount to be paid varies.

General Tips and Road Information
Many roads are three lanes wide: the middle lane is used for passing in both directions. If there is little room to pass on the road, fast drivers expect slow drivers to pull onto the shoulder in order to let them by.
Greece suffers Europe's worst accident rate in terms of the number of collisions per vehicle and red traffic lights are consistently ignored.

Parking:
You are not supposed to park within 3 metres of a fire hydrant, within 5 metres of an intersection, or within 15 metres of a public transportation stop, though practically no one follows this rule. If you park in a No Parking zone in Athens or certain other areas, the police may remove your licence plates if you owe a traffic fine or fines.

Fuel:
Many stations close at 7pm. Some stations accept credit cards. Lead-free is widely available. Regular unleaded petrol has an octane rating of 91 or 92; the octane rating of super is 96 or 98. Unleaded petrol is called amoliwdi wensina. Unleaded super petrol has an octane rating of 95. 

Requirements

Minimum driving age:
The minimum driving age in Greece is 17.

Seatbelts:
Seatbelts are compulsory in the front seats.

Children in the front seat:
The minimum age for a child in the front seat is 10 years old.

Required equipment for your car:
A warning triangle, first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

Motorcycles:
If you ride a motorbike in Greece you must wear a helmet and obey the lower speed limits as listed above.

Road Signs
Road signs are written in Greek and repeated phonetically in English.  Unfortunately we have no pictorials available at this time of the signs.

Useful Links and Further Information
For further details regarding driving in Greece, please visit http://www.greektourism.com