Countries · Greece

Driving in Greece: Tolls, Required Kit and Car Ferries (2026)

Checked 5 October 2026 on the motorway operators', the Hellenic Police's and Blue Star Ferries' own pages · skynomad

The motorway from Athens to Thessaloniki is run by three companies, and each one stops you at its own plazas. For a car, the main plazas add up to €35.55.

None of them is a nuisance on its own. Together they are worth planning for, with a card ready.

The ferries have their own rule for the car you bring. Blue Star Ferries asks that electric and plug-in hybrid cars board with the battery charged to 40% at most.

Pay at Each Plaza on the Way North

Nea Odos, Kentriki Odos and Attiki Odos take cash and cards at the booth. One e-pass tag has worked on all eight Greek motorway networks since November 2020.

Around Athens, Attiki Odos charges a car €2.80 once on entry, whatever the distance. The Rio–Antirrio bridge across the Gulf of Corinth costs €15.90.

Carry a First-Aid Kit and a Fire Extinguisher

The EU's Your Europe page lists a warning triangle, a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher for Greece. It names no exemption for foreign cars.

Fit Chains When the Police Say So

We found no national dates for winter tyres in Greece. The police order chains road by road when snow is coming: in January 2026, chains became compulsory across the Kilkis area for every car without snowflake tyres.

Know the Limits

Motorways are limited to 130 or 110 km/h, other roads outside towns to 90 and towns to 50. The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.2 for novice and professional drivers and motorcyclists. Phones are hands-free only.

Central Athens has a traffic ring, the Daktylios, with entry on alternate days by the last digit of the number plate. The police notice for 2025–26 says nothing about foreign cars, and the 2026–27 season has not been announced.

Board the Ferry With At Most 40% Charge

Blue Star Ferries, on the Cyclades, Dodecanese and Crete lines, asks drivers to be at the port an hour before departure. The driver takes the car on and off; passengers walk aboard.

An electric or plug-in hybrid car must have no more than 40% charge, and the crew may check the battery's temperature. A car running on LPG or natural gas must have its tank no more than half full.

Keep a card ready for the plazas, carry the extinguisher, and charge only to 40% before an island ferry. Every price and rule on this page was read on the motorway operators', the Hellenic Police's, Blue Star Ferries' or the EU's own pages on 5 October 2026.