Google ‘driving in Greece’ and the search results are alarming to waiting holidaymakers.
Road rage is in the DNA of Greek motorists, the internet says. No one in Greece passed their test – they all bribed the examiner, we’ve been warned.
And red lights? They’re not really red, anymore’dark green‘ for the Greek road user.
And as for driving on the islands, it’s seemingly almost anarchy with few road signs and dangerously narrow and twisty clifftop routes with gut-wrenching descents to the sea – with no safety barriers.
It is enough to dissuade anyone from renting a car in Greece.
But I’m here to tell you – don’t be.
Ted Thornhill spent a week driving around Kefalonia (above) and the small island of Ithaca
Ted says of Kefalonia: ‘It is an extremely mountainous island, dominated by the reigning Mount Ainos (above) in the south of the island, with a peak of 1628 meters above sea level’
In July I spent a week driving around two Greek islands – Kefalonia and Ithaca – and not only did I survive, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Even when the roads lived up to their dangerously narrow and twisty roads.
The mentioned roads on these two islands are among the most spectacular in the world and are worth experiencing the occasional heartbreaking moment.
I traveled to Kefalonia on a Jet2holidays package with my partner and young daughter, taking a car ferry to neighboring Ithaca for a few days, before returning to Kefalonia for a final night and the flight home.
We made our trips around the arteries of these Ionian gems in a Thrifty hire car booked through Jet2 which we collected at the airport, handed over the keys at the desk by a wonderfully cheerful lady.
And by the way, it was a scam-free process.
The roads in Kefalonia (above) are often winding – and usually breathtaking
Kefalonia is a gem of an island located in the Ionian Sea
Car rental companies are known for pushing their insurance policies. However, I had my own insurance and braced myself for a hard sell buying Thrifty’s – but it never came. My revelation that I was already covered was met with an exclamation of ‘oh, perfect!’
Our car was a Toyota Aygo, which had a weird sewing machine engine. And I soon discovered that it offered no traction at all in second gear, on any incline.
And on Kefalonia – there are many slopes.
It is an extremely mountainous island, dominated by the reigning Mount Ainos in the south of the island, with a peak of 1628 meters above sea level.
We stayed on the west coast at the Electra Kefalonia Hotel & Spa, with vehicle raids including a trip to the town of Sami on the east coast and to the pretty village of Assos on the north west coast.
How would I summarize the drivers? Breathtaking. And full of surprises.
Ted’s vehicle forays into Kefalonia include a trip to the pretty village of Assos on the northwest coast (above)
The roads on Kefalonia can change in an instant from two-lane width to so narrow that you have to squeeze past oncoming traffic at a walking pace.
And slopes of 20 to 25 percent on Kefalonia can go up without any warning.
The Greeks seem to see road signs as a luxury option, along with road markings.
There was an irregular four-way interchange near our hotel that had no road markings at all – and negotiating it required a little prayer each time.
The first time we drove to Sami, we took a detour down a scenic side road that appeared on the map as a seemingly random twist.
The views were great. For the passengers. My eyes were on the road, which was… a challenge. Full of hairpin turns and manic ups and downs.
At one point we came across a car coming the other way on a very steep single track section.
The driver of the other car must have seen me coming when he was some distance away and could easily have stopped on a fairly wide stretch of road.
But no, this was Greece, where the sensible option is often traded for the stupid one.
The driver raced down the road until we met on a single-track stretch so steep that when it came to a stop a few inches from my hood and I applied the handbrake, we were still rolling backwards.
Ted stayed on the west coast of Kefalonia at the Electra Kefalonia Hotel & Spa (above)
Once I stopped our descent and with my daughter singing songs from Matilda the Musical in the back, I took stock.
At first the driver in front of me signaled for me to back up… before he changed his mind and realized he could pass on the shoulder.
Praise them. But that still made for a brutal hill start.
We eventually got to the main road to Sami, which was delightful – wide and pleasantly winding (with lots of guardrails on the steep parts).
Plus, we had the road to ourselves for much of the time, only occasionally having to slow down for stray goats.
The drive to Assos was equally eye-catching, with a dramatic descent from the high main road along the mountainside to the coastal village with several hairpin bends.
All good practice for neighboring Ithaca, where even the main roads feel like the end of the world.
My family and I, and the Aygos, arrived on the island via an Ionion Pelagos ferry from Sami, a crossing that only took about 30 minutes.
Then the fun began.
Ted and his family arrived in Ithaca via an Ionion Pelagos ferry from Sami in Kefalonia. Ted took the photo above while waiting to board the ferry in Sami
The view of Sami from the ferry as it makes its way to Ithaca
Picturesque: Upstairs is the main town in Ithaca – Vathy
Above is the village of Kioni on Ithaca, which Ted describes as ‘impossibly cute’
Bijou Frikes, above, was part of Ted’s Ithaca itinerary
Ithaca is a rugged little track and our explorations involved crawling the Aygo through impossibly small villages, around full switchbacks and down cinematic hill roads from our base – the boutique-y Peranzada Hotel 1811 in the main town, Vathy.
With superyachts anchored in the coves and crickets in full song inland, we ventured to the impossibly cute coastal villages of Frikes and Kioni and to the beautiful Filiatro Beach, reached from Vathy along a road decorated with mirrors so drivers can see what’s around the corner. come corner.
Want a sneak peek of what’s in store via Google Street View? No option. The Google car has yet to board the ferry to Ithaca.
At first I’d cursed the Aygo and its lack of torque and almost returned it to Mrs. Merry from Thrifty for an upgrade, but after a few days of sneaking into crowded beach parking lots and past oncoming traffic on those slim, winding village roads, I changed of mind. The bigger the better? When it comes to cars on a Greek island, definitely not.
Ted’s Ithaca Base – the boutique-y Perantzada Hotel 1811 in the main town, Vathy
Perantzada Hotel 1811 has an infinity pool (above) with views over Vathy harbour
The ferry port in Ithaca. Sailing from Sami takes about 30 minutes
Ted’s dinky Toyota Aygo (above, in Ithaca), which he grew fond of after discovering he could sneak into tight spaces
The Toyota Aygo is pictured on the left, wedged into the Ithaca-Kefalonia ferry
Greek salad days of summer: Ithaca (above), says Ted, ‘is a rough little number’
And what about that famous Greek road rage?
I have not witnessed it, but I have seen many impatient drivers.
For example, I was once beeped from behind by a car that couldn’t pass me – because I was driving slowly through a small village in the middle of the road, just taking into account groups of pedestrians that walked along both shoulders.
Oh, and Greek drivers tend to approach in the middle of the road and make course corrections at the last minute. Which is somewhat unnerving.
But drive carefully, keep your eyes on the road and not the side view, and keep your ego in check – and you’ll be fine.
In fact, chances are you’ll have the ride of your life.