Greece on an Irish Licence — No IDP Needed, but You Switch Sides

The licence question is the easy bit for an Irish driver in Greece. The thing that actually demands attention is the one Irish and British visitors always underestimate: you are about to drive on the other side of the road.

An Irish licence is all the paperwork you need

There is no IDP needed. Ireland and Greece are both EU members, so your Irish driving licence is valid in Greece without any permit or translation for a normal visit. Keep your licence, passport and the car’s registration and insurance papers together and you are legal. The Driving Permit Checker confirms it.

The big one: switching to the right

Ireland drives on the left; Greece drives on the right, and this is the single thing most likely to catch you out. The danger window is your first day — joining a roundabout that now flows the opposite way, a reflex glance the wrong direction at a junction, or pulling out of a petrol station onto the wrong side. Take your first hour on quiet roads rather than in Athens traffic, and stay deliberate at every turn until right-hand driving stops feeling backwards.

Greek roads and the island factor

Greece rates as moderate: road quality varies away from the main motorways, mountain routes are narrow and winding, and local driving is assertive, with close following and confident overtaking. Leave a buffer and let pushy traffic past. Towns are 50 km/h, rural roads 90, motorways 130; cameras and mobile patrols both operate, and a 10 km/h overrun is around EUR 40. The car must carry a warning triangle, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher.

Reaching the islands means car ferries — book vehicle space ahead in summer — and island roads are often steep and rough. Fuel is about EUR 1.92 a litre; emergencies are 112. For the full national rules see the Greece driving guide.