Greece on a UK Licence — The Side Switch Is the Whole Story

For British drivers, one fact about Greece outweighs all the others, and it is not a number — it is the side of the road. Greece drives on the right, and the UK on the left, so the entire trip starts with rewiring instincts you have never had to think about.

The danger window is your first day, and the catch-out moments are predictable: pulling out of a petrol station onto the wrong side, taking a roundabout that now flows the opposite way, and the reflex glance in the wrong direction at a junction. Junctions and roundabouts are where it bites. Spend your first hour on a quiet road rather than in Athens or a busy island port, and be deliberate at every turn until “keep right” stops feeling like a decision. A hire car with the wheel on the left helps more than you would expect, because it puts you closer to the centre line.

The paperwork has a Brexit wrinkle. The UK is now outside the EU, so while your photocard licence is accepted, an International Driving Permit is recommended — it pre-empts any argument at the rental counter or a roadside stop. Arrange it at home; it cannot be issued in Greece. The Driving Permit Checker confirms what your specific trip needs.

Alcohol is stricter than home: Greece sits at 0.05 BAC against the UK’s lenient 0.08, and with penalties reaching licence confiscation and heavy coastal policing in summer, treat it as zero. On speed, motorways run at 130 km/h (above the UK’s 70 mph), rural roads 90 and towns 50; cameras and mobile radar both operate, and about 10 km/h over costs roughly EUR 40 — the Speeding Fine Calculator puts a figure on it.

Greek roads themselves rate only moderate for driving conditions: expect variable surfaces, faded markings and assertive overtaking away from the motorways, and narrow island lanes with scooters and ferry ramps. Fuel is about $1.92 a litre, and 112 reaches every emergency service.