Athens, Greece Travel Community

My Athens travel advice: do not drive!!

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dpappas87

dpappas87

Active member
I know many of us love renting cars during our summer vacations, because it's just so comfortable and convenient. But Athens is not the place to drive! There is so much traffic, and the parking situation is just horrific. Skip the car rental while visiting Athens and just stick to walking, subways, and taxis!
 
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dpappas87 said:
I know many of us love renting cars during our summer vacations, because it's just so comfortable and convenient. But Athens is not the place to drive! There is so much traffic, and the parking situation is just horrific. Skip the car rental while visiting Athens and just stick to walking, subways, and taxis!
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This is so true, driving will waste a bunch of your time and money! I really suggest that you walk around the city anyways so you can explore
 
I think it depends on why type of trip/vacation you are having in Greece.

Going to an island or two for a few weeks and staying in a hotel that is near the busy areas, beach, etc then you will be fine without a car. If you are staying in or around the Athens or Thessaloniki areas and want to explore it is much more cost effective to rent a car and drive.

And if you have lots of family in Greece (if you are Greek) just ask family to take you around LOL. Remember all the times when relatives from Greece visit you and you drive them around everywhere, hahaha...
 
We have a car on the outskirts of Athens and we don't drive in Athens. Drive to the nearest Metro and use it to downtown. Very convenient as long as they're not on strike. Watch out for pickpockets though.
 
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That sounds like a much more feasible option. I tend to get lost on metros so I usually take taxis when I'm in the city
 
It definitely depends on what you want to do. If you are staying within the city limits, you can get by with taxis, walking, and public transportation. If you want to take extended road trips it's best to rent a car, otherwise you can book a tour that can take you on the excursions.
 
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