Best car hire in Athens – and what to avoid
I have been visiting Athens for over 20 years and spent six months living there. And in all that time, one of the most common questions I get from travellers is: “Do I actually need a car in Athens?“
The honest answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no — and getting it wrong can either cost you money or cause you to miss some of the most spectacular parts of Greece entirely.
In this guide, I cover everything: whether a car makes sense for your specific trip, how to book smart, insurance, driving tips, the best road trips from Athens, and the suppliers I personally recommend.
Do You Actually Need a Car in Athens?
Let me be direct here, because this question genuinely divides travellers.
If you are staying in Athens city only — you do not need a car.
The Athens metro is clean, cheap, reliable and covers all the main tourist areas
Athens has one of the better public transport systems in southern Europe. The Athens Metro (OASA) covers the Acropolis, Monastiraki, Syntagma, the port of Piraeus, and connects directly to the airport.
A single ticket costs around €1.20 and is valid for 90 minutes across all modes — metro, tram, bus. The metro runs from 5am to midnight, and on weekends until 2am on some lines.
Driving in central Athens, on the other hand, is genuinely challenging. Traffic is heavy, parking is expensive and limited, and the one-way system in the historic centre is a maze. I have done it many times and I would not recommend it unless you have a specific reason.
Central Athens traffic during peak hours — one of the reasons I always recommend the metro for city travel
When a car in Athens makes perfect sense:
| Scenario | Car needed? |
|---|---|
| City sightseeing only — Acropolis, Plaka, museums | ❌ Use the metro |
| Day trip to Cape Sounio and the Attic coast | ✅ Yes |
| Road trip to the Peloponnese | ✅ Essential |
| Trip to Meteora | ✅ Essential |
| Long layover — 8 hours or more | ✅ Great option |
| Ferry to an island — car on board | ✅ With advance permission |
The main arterial roads in Athens move well outside peak hours — heading to the Peloponnese or coast is straightforward once you leave the centre
Global vs Local Operators
Global rental desks at Athens Airport arrivals — convenient but typically more expensive than local operators
The eternal question when renting anywhere in Greece — should you go with a global brand or a local operator?
In Athens, the answer is slightly different from the islands, because the quality gap between good local operators and globals is smaller here than almost anywhere else when renting a car in Greece. Athens has a mature, competitive rental market.
Global brands offer desks inside the terminal or directly across the airport road, consistent paperwork, modern fleets, and a predictable process. The downside is price — globals in Athens typically cost 20 to 40 euros more per day for a comparable car. Some also add an airport surcharge that is not always visible during booking — check for this before confirming.
Local operators in Athens are very competitive on price and several of the best ones offer a personal pickup from arrivals — someone waiting with your name, no desk, no queue. Quality varies, so always filter by rating before booking.
For a comprehensive comparison of global versus local operators across all of Greece, I have put together a full guide to renting a car in Greece that goes deep on this topic.
How to Book — And Where to Pick Up
Airport or city centre? Always the airport — Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos — if you are starting your trip from there. The airport has both global desks inside the terminal and local operators with shuttle pickups just outside. Picking up in the city means organising separate transport first, paying city surcharges with some companies, and starting your trip in traffic. Land, pick up, drive. Much simpler.
Walk-in or pre-book? Pre-book without exception. In July and August, Athens Airport is one of the busiest in Europe and walk-up prices at the desk — if cars are even available — can be double or triple what you would pay online. Book well in advance, particularly if travelling in peak season.
The way I always book is through a comparative website called DiscoverCars that works like the Airbnb of car rentals — every supplier is rated between 5 and 10 stars by real customers who actually completed a rental, not like Google Maps, where anyone can leave a review regardless of whether they ever rented a car. I filter above 8 stars, often 9, and book from there. Cancellation is free up to 48 hours before pickup.
My Top 3 Suppliers in Athens
🥇 Yours Car Rental: A Greek operator with a good range of cars — from small economy right up to vans and SUVs, so whatever your travel setup, they likely have the right vehicle. Price-wise, one of the more economical options in Athens, though you may not always get the latest model. Pickup is via shuttle from the airport — short ride, straightforward process. They usually allow ferry hopping with the car but there is a small fee under 50 euros — confirm when you book.
🥈 AutoUnion: A well-established Greek chain operating across Greece and Cyprus with a consistent presence at Athens Airport. Reliable, English-speaking staff, and an organised shuttle service from the airport. They typically allow taking a car on a ferry, with a fee of around 50 euros depending on the car model.
🥉 Avance: A name that comes up consistently across Greece, operating since 1992 with over 25 locations. If you are starting your trip in Athens and continuing to an island, there is a good chance Avance is present at both ends. Confirm your pickup point carefully when you book — they have multiple locations around the airport area. No ferry allowed with Avance.
My 2 cents: the Athens rental market changes regularly. New operators come in, others change ownership or quality. Names are always a starting point — always cross-check on the comparative website DiscoverCars for current ratings before you finalise.
Car Rental Insurance in Athens
A small scratch like this can cost between 300 and 500 euros at drop-off — full insurance eliminates this stress entirely
Athens city driving is slow and congested rather than fast and dangerous, so the insurance risk here is different from the islands. The bigger concerns are parking scrapes, tight spaces in old town areas, and road conditions once you leave the city on longer road trips.
That said, my advice is always the same: get full insurance before you arrive. Here are your three options:
Option 1 — Credit card or travel insurance. Some policies already include car rental coverage. Check yours carefully — the key word is excess. My own travel insurance has a 700 euro deductible, which means it covers almost nothing for the small scratches and bumps that are most likely to happen. Those typically cost 300 to 500 euros. No excess means genuinely useful. High excess means you are still paying out of pocket for small damage.
Option 2 — At the counter. Possible, but I never recommend it. Between 30 and 50 euros per day in Athens — which can exceed the daily rental cost itself. The paperwork is long, often signed under time pressure with luggage at your feet, and may still not cover everything buried in the small print.
Option 3 — During booking on the comparative website DiscoverCars. This is what I do every single time. Between 8 and 10 euros a day. Zero excess, roadside assistance included, everything transparent before you arrive. Added in two clicks during the booking process. Full peace of mind before you even land.
Always photograph everything at pickup — all four sides, roof, undercarriage, interior. Five minutes that could save you hundreds of euros
Driving in Athens — Practical Tips
Avoid the city centre by car. If your hotel is in the centre, take the metro from the airport — direct, 40 minutes, very affordable. Collect the car only when you are heading out of the city on a road trip.
Driving side. Greece drives on the right, same as most of continental Europe. If you are arriving from the UK or Australia, give yourself a day to adjust. Follow other vehicles and take it slowly for the first few hours.
Always check the fuel type before you drive away — diesel and petrol cars look identical at the pump but mixing them is an expensive mistake
Fuel type. Before leaving the pickup lot, check whether your car runs on diesel or petrol. Mixing the two is a costly mistake and more common than you might think, especially when driving an unfamiliar vehicle in an unfamiliar country. Your rental documents will specify — check before you fill up.
Petrol stations. Well distributed throughout Athens and the surrounding Attica region. Fill up before heading on longer road trips — service station prices on motorways tend to be slightly higher.
Parking in Athens. Underground car parks are the safest option in the city centre — several are within walking distance of the main tourist areas. Street parking uses Pay and Display machines — always carry coins. Avoid parking in residential zones without clear signage that it is permitted.
Ferries. Athens is the main departure point for Greek island ferries from Piraeus port. If you are planning to take the rental car onto a ferry, check with your supplier before booking — most Athens operators do not allow it without written advance permission and an additional fee. Some do not allow it at all. If you are planning to take a car to an island, Crete is a good size island that genuinely rewards having your own vehicle for the full duration of your stay. One tip: Rafina port, much closer to the airport, is often a better ferry option than Piraeus if your destination is served from there — less congestion, often cheaper tickets.
The Long Layover — A Tip Most People Miss
This is one of the most underused travel hacks I know.
I once arrived in Athens at 9 in the morning with a connecting flight at 9 in the evening. Twelve hours at the airport. Instead of spending it in departures, we rented a car for the day, drove 30 minutes south to Vari and Paralia Varkiza — a beautiful stretch of coastline where Athenians actually spend their weekends — had a long, lazy lunch at a local taverna, and made it back to the airport with an hour to spare.
The car cost around 30 euros for the day, including full insurance. The lunch at a local taverna cost half of what the same meal would have cost inside the terminal. It turned what would have been a wasted day into one of the better days of the trip.
If you have a long daylight layover in Athens, seriously consider it.
What to Avoid
Off-site operators use shuttles to bring you to their office — not a problem if you know in advance, but always confirm the pickup process when booking
Stay above 8 stars on the comparative website. Athens has a large number of operators and the gap between the best and the worst is significant. Below 8 stars, you start seeing older cars, slower processes, and a noticeably higher chance of the pre-existing damage scam — where you pick up a car with scratches that were never properly documented, and then face a claim at drop-off for damage you did not cause.
Photograph everything at pickup: all four sides, the roof, the undercarriage, and the interior. Five minutes at the start saves hundreds of euros and enormous stress at the end of your trip.
Be cautious with Google Maps reviews. A company with 40 or 50 verified reviews on Google Maps is one thing. A company with 8 reviews, all 5 stars, several from accounts that have only ever posted once — that tells you very little.
Google Maps has no verification process for car rental. The comparative website I use works the opposite way: only customers who completed a real booking can leave a rating. That is the standard I trust.
