Greece on a Swedish Licence — Faster Roads, a Looser Limit, Real Hazards

Swedish drivers arrive in Greece with the easy stuff already handled: you stay on the right, your EU licence is valid for up to 12 months and no IDP is needed. What takes adjustment is everything Sweden engineers out of its roads but Greece does not.

The cultural gap shows first in the alcohol rule. Greece sits at 0.05 BAC — more than double Sweden’s near-zero 0.02 — so the temptation is to relax with a glass at a taverna. Resist it. The penalties reach on-the-spot fines and licence confiscation, and policing along the coast and islands is heavy through the summer. The looser number is not a margin to spend.

Speed is the second shift. Greek motorways run at 130 km/h, above the Swedish 110, and the traffic uses every bit of it. Towns are 50, rural roads 90. Both fixed cameras and mobile radar are in play, and about 10 km/h over costs roughly EUR 40, usually settled there and then. Carry a card.

Then there is the road itself. Greece is rated only moderate for driving conditions, and a Swedish driver notices the difference quickly — variable surfaces, faded markings, unbarriered mountain bends, and overtaking that would raise eyebrows at home. On the islands the lanes shrink, scooters dart between cars, and ferry loading asks for calm low-speed control with an audience. None of it is a problem if you slow down and read the road instead of trusting the limit.

Petrol is around $1.92 a litre, cheapest at the supermarket-attached stations, and 112 reaches every emergency service nationwide. Winter tyres are not required in Greece, so the kit you keep in the boot at home can stay there.

Before you drive off, a quick document check via the Driving Permit Checker confirms you have what police and rental desks expect, and the Speeding Fine Calculator shows what a camera could cost if you drift over. Download offline island maps where signal drops, and give yourself a gentle first hour.