Van Life Greece

This country has a rugged coastline of 15,000 kilometres and more than one hundred islands with thousands of beaches, bays and coves. Needless to say, Greece has endless possibilities for swimming in the sea, and beaches range from very touristic to almost completely private. Travelling by motorhome is an ideal way to travel comfortably through the country. You get to have your holiday while still enjoying your own space and avoiding many of the common issues that come with such a popular tourist destination.

Planning your visit

Greece has always been a popular European destination for seaside holidays. People mainly arrive by air, but it’s also accessible by road or by sea, depending on where you’re coming from. However if you’re coming by a slower, more involved route (that’s anything aside from a plane!) take into account that the journey will eat into your holiday time, so it’ll pay to go for at least 2-3 weeks if you have the time to do so.

Entry conditions

Before travelling to Greece, make sure you’re well aware of the current conditions for entering Greece from your country. If Greece is part of a larger trip, ensure that you’re also aware of the entry requirements for the countries you’ll pass through too! More information is available on the Greek government's website travel.gov.gr.

Mykonos seaside

The documents you’ll need for the trip

• Be sure to pack your ID, passport and driver's licence passport for your trip. Forgetting your passport is an extremely painful experience!
• Don’t forget that motorhomes up to 3,500 kilograms, like the ones we offer on our website, are usually subject to the same rules as cars. Essentially this means that if you can drive a car, you can drive our vehicles too.
• Make sure you’ve sorted your travel insurance before you leave too!

If you’re arriving from a land border, you may get asked the question "where are you going and what’s the purpose of your travel today?” so you’ll need a reservation at a campsite or similar. They can legally ask for this proof so it’s not worth the risk; try to have your confirmation of accommodation printed before you get there. You can always cancel or change your booking once you’re in the country.

What are the tolls like?

Driving from another country? You can expect to pay tolls at least at the borders of each individual country, but sometimes at many other points during your drive too. Fortunately if you’d like to plan ahead, there are ways to see what you’ll be expected to pay. An up-to-date overview of tolls by country and region is available here.

Crossing Greece highway tolls

Passage through Greek motorways and tunnels is paid at toll gates, in cash or by card (fees are in euros). The prices of tolls are available on the websites for the individual crossings:

• aegeanmotorway.gr- Aegean Motorway
• aodos.gr- Attiki Odos
• egnatia.eu- Egnatia Odos
• moreas.com.gr- Moreas Odos
• neaodos.gr- Nea Odos
• kentrikiodos.gr - Kentriki Odos

Pexels

Fuel prices

Think the fuel prices won’t be so bad? Bad news! Unfortunately, Greece is one of the more expensive countries when it comes to filling up. The most current gasoline and diesel prices in Europe are available here.

Where can I camp in Greece?

As mentioned earlier, Greece is one of the most popular places in Europe for holiday makers all over the world. However, what you may not have known is that camping is a great and inexpensive way to discover this country. Beautiful sandy beaches, so many islands to choose from, and great Greek cuisine all add to the appeal. Add in the friendly people and it’s easy to see what attracts so many tourists each year. The sun-kissed country rich in history offers hundreds of quality, comfortable, fully equipped campsites… sometimes, right on the beach! They often include showers by the sea, and places to refill drinking water too.

You can find Greek beachside campsites at greececamping.gr. Then there’s also the Park4Night app, which comes highly recommended. However, a little digging will also reveal plenty of other applications for camping too; well worth the time investment if you’re taking #vanlife a little more seriously. If you still want more you can’t go wrong with Tripadvisor, which has some surprisingly helpful articles too.

There are officially over 300 campsites in Greece, including caravan and motorhome options. And yes, they are great; one of our favourite pastimes is enjoying the sunrise, sunset, and stargazing at night. Try it for yourself while in Greece, and you’ll see what we mean!

Best camping spots with a beautiful beach

(You might want to take the notepad out for this bit…)

• The North - Chalkidiki - Thalatta Kalamitsi , Camping Armenistis Sithonia, Akti Oneirou, Olympic Riviera (so-called Pierie) - Agiannis, Kalivia Varikou (100 km of golden sand coast, below the town of Katerini on the Aegean Sea under Mount Olympus )
• The Islands - Corfu, Lefkada (Desimi, Episkopos, Vasiliki, Kariotes, in the east in the Ionian Sea - accessible by road without a ferry)
• The South - Euboea Peninsula, Peloponnese (Finikokunda, Gytheion Bay, Pylos, Elafonisos- Simos, Drepano), Kefalonia Islands, Zakynthos

We couldn’t go into detail on all of these locations here so feel free to dive into researching at your own leisure (Google will not let you down!).

Mykonos

Can you go wild camping in Greece?

If you want to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, work, rules and stress… and instead want to experience the peace and quiet of nature, wild camping is a great choice. This southern European country actually has significantly looser rules for camping when compared to many other European countries. In fact, they’re so friendly here that people go wild camping in Greece more than anywhere else in Europe! So with that in mind, the answer is yes; the possibility for wild camping (whether it’s a simple tent or a beautifully decked out motorhome) is real. A different pace of life and relaxed rules have ensured that at least for now, it’ll remain a very popular wild camping country, keeping travellers heading to Greece.

There are plenty of beaches in Greece and some are quite far removed from civilization, so there’s a great chance to find somewhere distant from the leagues of tourists that you’ll find at the tourist hotspots. Just keep in mind that wherever you are, open fires are strictly banned due to the ease that they can get out of control (due to the dry weather). We're sure we don’t need to say this to you, but it’s also a basic decency to take absolutely all your rubbish with you. Lastly, depending on exactly where you are, it could be advisable not to just set up shop and remove the furniture when wild camping. But, this will always be up to your judgement depending on the circumstances.

Okay, so here are a few closing notes on wild camping, especially for those that have never done it before. You’ll generally find that there’s no problem with just parking and sleeping; Greek people are very friendly! Just be willing to adapt, be nice, and most likely everything will work out. A few words in Greek will certainly help. You might also find yourself having an easier time depending on if you’re wild camping during the off season too. And lastly, as with all things wild camping, common sense will take you very far.

Our favourite Greek places

Choosing the most beautiful beaches is tough work as there are so many of them… but we’ll still try, just for you! Whether on the mainland or on one of the dozens of inhabited islands, Greece will delight you with its idyllic bays and beaches. The most popular are Corfu, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Zakynthos and Thasos, which are accessible from the mainland by ferry. And yes, they are epic; many of them could be called paradise on earth. Of course when it comes to monuments, Greece is practically as good as it gets. You can look forward to the Acropolis of Athens, the former oracle of Delphi, Mount Olympus, or Athos - the mountain on the easternmost tip of the Halkidiki peninsula.

Communication

The easiest way (especially if you’re reading this article!) is to speak English. However, keep in mind that some Greeks don’t speak English too well so a translation app and a few basic phrases can help. Please don’t let language concerns stop you from going to Greece… You’ll find that when you REALLY need to get something across, body language and patience will take you much further than you’d think!

The most important phrases

Well there you have it. You’re ready to go  to Greece and have an incredible experience! Now you just need to pick a vehicle… *cough cough*

At Campiri you can choose from a wide range of caravans and motorhomes for rent. Whether you’re travelling with a partner, family or friends, you’ll find your perfect camper with us! Choose your camper there, and we’ll be seeing you in Greece 😉