No one can deny that renting or having your own car is very common when vacationing in Greece! Whether you’re visiting the islands or the mainland, distances between beaches, villages, monuments, and nightlife spots are often too far to cover easily on foot, by local bus, or taxis (and of course, there’s no subway system!).
Continue to read if you :
- don’t like the big distances during your holidays
- just prefer islands discovered on foot
- want to relax without driving
- don’t drive
- don’t want to rent a car
- want to avoid these extra expenses Angel’s tip: The average daily car hire in the Greek islands during summer is 50-60 euros.
- want to avoid the risk of driving in a Greek island that drivers many times are not the best or the roads are not the easiest
Here are 9 Greek islands where you don’t need any transportation to get around – and you’ll have a great time (plus, you’ll save money)!
- Koufonisia island: In Koufonisia (actually Ano Koufonisi), cars are allowed but definitely not necessary! All the nightlife and most restaurants are in the main town, and you can take taxi boats to reach the beaches. It’s one of my favorite islands in Greece.Read more here.
- Donousa island: Cars are allowed too in this island of Cyclades island group but there is no gas station fyi! To be honest though, you can easily come here without a car as island is tiny and there is an excellent bus service(+1 taxi)! Access to the main amazing beaches of the island can be made by the one local boat or on foot. Find more details in this blog post!
- Symi island: Another small island in the Dodecanese island group that car is not necessary as there are taxi-boats for the beaches and all “life” is mainly in the town/port where I suggest you to stay! Wonderful. You can read more about Symi here.
- Trizonia, a tiny island in the Corinthian gulf, 5 minutes by boat from the mainland on the opposite side (Glyfada village in Phokida) which is 20 minutes drive from Nafpaktos city. And yes, no cars/motorcycles are allowed! Angel’s tip: For sure though you need to figure out how you will reach Glyfada village, local bus (ktel) can help you!
- Spetses island: Not only car is not necessary but it is actually not permitted on the island. Stroll around this small island on foot, by boat, bike, horse carriages or use the few taxis of the island! Spetses is only 2 hrs by ferry from Piraeus port or 5-10 minutes from the mainland opposite! You can learn more about Spetses here.
- Hydra island: A small island only 2 hrs & 40€ by ferry from Piraeus port or by boat from the mainland on the opposite side. Fyi no cars/motorcycles and not even bikes are allowed in Hydra! Read more about Hydra here.
- Chalki island: Chalki is a beautiful small island in the Dodecanese that I absolutely adore. You can reach it by a few ferries directly from Piraeus port or from nearby Rhodes. Getting to the beaches is easy — either on foot or by boat. How much better can it get?
- Kastellorizo island: The beautiful Greek island very close to the southwestern cast of Turkey and the most easternmost island of Greece!It is quite small, consequently car is not necessary. Most of the attractions are within walking distance.
- Arkoi island: An island for peaceful holidays with not much to do! A so small island close to Patmos with 2 settlements, one of which is the picturesque port with the restaurants and cafeterias. Tiganakia beach is 25 minutes on foot and car is for sure redundant. You can read more in this blog post I wrote for you.
City trips without the need of a car:
There are some cities in Greece that car is not absolutely necessary since they have tube or/and distances are small and you can go around on foot or use sometimes a taxi. Important condition though: stay in the city center.
You can see below some examples, provided you have found a way to reach there:
-Athens, the Greek capital
-Thessaloniki, the 2nd largest city of Greece
-Volos city
-Trikala city
A Few More Islands Easy to Explore Without a Car
Keep in mind, many Greek islands require a car to easily get around villages, beaches, and hotels—especially larger ones like Crete, Naxos, Rhodes, Corfu, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, and Samos.
However, some smaller islands are easier to enjoy even without a car or scooter. While having one can make your holiday more convenient and flexible, it’s not always necessary. These islands often have fewer villages and beaches, shorter distances, and good bus or taxi services that make getting around manageable without driving.
Some examples:
- Agistri
- Aegina
- Poros
- Kimolos
- Folegandros
- Antiparos
- Irakleia
- Schoinousa
- Gaudos
- Leipsoi
- Pserimos
- Paxoi
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