Related Posts
Coach
Describe your current deal in 10 words or less.
Additional Posts in Travel Recommendations
Best sushi places in San Diego county/city?
Rising Star
New to Fishbowl?
Download the Fishbowl app to
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
Personally I wouldn’t. Too big and hard to park- but depends on what your itinerary and plans look like. I was very happy on a quad bike with my hubby- although the unpaved dirt roads were a little bumpy (would have been in a car anyway) during our out of town excursions. Depends really on how you want to spend your time there.
Was in the islands there last summer and I wouldn't. All the reasons mentioned above. There are scooters, Uber, vans, etc to get around. Many of the places you can only get so close to some vis car and need to walk the last couple of hundred feet anyway.
Worth it in Naxos since it’s one of the largest islands. We enjoyed a road trip with the top down in a convertible.
I was in Paros last summer and we got a car (can't opine on Mykonos or Santorini, but would assume it's worse there, since there are more tourists). Assuming you are from the US: Roads are small, drivers are more aggressive than here. Most cars come with a manual stick, but there are options to get a car with automatic transmission.
Parking is limited, so if you do get a car, plan for either paying premium for parking garages or allot another 30 minutes to drive around and find parking. There are public transport options, but also require planning and it takes time.
All things considered, I am glad we had the car -- we were able to drive to more remote beaches and explore more.. But I know how to drive a stick and am accustomed to their style of driving, so it wasn't a problem.
The water in July was cold -- the weather was super hot, and going in the water felt like a cold plunge until you got used to it.
May it becomes more busy/crowded. Which makes driving tougher. Santorini is a big island and you would miss seeing some without a ride. Lots of people do 4 wheelers because the roads are dirt getting to the beaches. Off season definitely would say get a car....peak season I would say it really depends on how comfortable you are driving. The roads are small and the driving overall is more aggressive than stateside....but not undoable with a positive adventurous attitude.
We took our family of 4 and got rentals that would accommodate the family plus luggage and automatic. On Santorini we stayed in a cave house in Thira and had to park at the grocery store and walk about 1/2 a mile to the cave house. Toting the luggage was a hassle.
Main land Greece I would say is much easier to drive. We stayed in Athens and then drove and stayed in Kalamata.
Don’t rent a car in Santorini - it’s walkable, and the other side of the place is a 7 euro bus ride.
We did in Naxos but not Santorini or Athens. In Santorini, we stayed in Oia and we did not need it. In Naxos, the island is more low key and spread out, we didnt stay in town and definitely enjoyed having a car there