TRAFFIC IN GREECE ... CAN BE MURDEROUS!

If you ever circulated by car or motorcycle on Greek country roads, you most probably will have noticed little miniature chapels/churches on the side of the road. It has more to do with superstition than with religiosity. These little chapels indicate that an accident has happened there. In case of a fatal one, the size is usually bigger, with candles, pictures, icons and flowers added. And believe me: there are an incredible number of these along the Greek roads. Statistically viewed however, Greece is still a much safer place to be on the road than f. ex. Germany.

So what is different about traffic in Greece, compared to Western European countries? The first rule in GR is that there are basically NO rules. Traffic signs are considered by most Greeks as "decoration". I remember this episode when I first came to GR by motorbike: I entered a small city where the speed limit was 40 km/h so I slowed down to that speed. Only to have my co-rider shouting at me:"Are you crazy, do you want us to be killed? Speed up!" There are supposed to be traffic cams in a lot of places, but it looks like they are all turned off. The only place so far where I noticed police doing from time to time speed controls, was shortly before entering Athens International Airport.

To me personally it looks like most Greeks, once they get behind a car wheel, they are immediately in a hurry, and if it is even only to get their next freddo or frappé nescafé from the coffee-shop. If you're too slow in traffic, you will get honked at, for sure. It's also very common that people just park on a road lane to go to the kioski or the coffee-place. When there are 2 lanes in the city, 1 is mostly used for parking, even if there's a no parking sign, this is tolerated.

If you ride through the country, mountain regions or islands, you will very often encounter other obstacles: animals! Very often there are flocks of sheep blocking the road, sometimes a shepherd and a dog are present, but you have to be patient then and drive through very slowly. There are also a lot of stray dogs in GR, in the cities and villages, people take care of them, feed them. However some of these dogs love chasing everything that moves a bit faster, this can be quite scary when you're not used to it. And another animal that can become a problem to a motorbike on the road is : the Greek turtle! They get quite big here (and quite old too) and they move very slowly when crossing a road. I usually do stop my bike when I see one and I take it out of the road.

The Greek highways have an excellent grip, you can ride there at high speed without risk. The asphalt in the cities and villages however is a totally different affair. It is very slippery even in dry weather, going full throttle at the traffic light will make your bike slide.

And then there's Athens: traffic there is pure stress and very dense. The worst guys on the Athenian roads are the scooter riders, these ones basically don't give a shit about anything, very often drive through red traffic lights, enter a one way street from the opposite way, drive on the side walk, etcetera .... Very often you see these guys sipping a coffee and looking at their mobile phone while riding. The only month when Athens calms down in traffic is August. Those of the locals who don't have to work, leave the city then and it actually does become more relaxed.

Parking in Athens is difficult, but mostly you may find a spot for your bike. There are a lot of private parkings all over town, prices differ, but over night your vehicle will be safe there.

I do love the mountain regions in Greece. My first trip took me to the region north of Ioannina, to Meteora and Valia Calda, it was amazing and the dream of every biker.

Lately I've been back to Crete, especially close to Chania, drove through an amazing gorge there. The bendy road from Sfakia to the North was awesome and very well taken care of. A lot of my local biker buddies tell me that the Peleponnese region is great for bike rides. Will definitely try to go there soon.

And if you want to take your motorcycle to some islands, you will notice to your surprise that this is still quite cheap in GR, mostly the ferry ticket for the bike is cheaper than the one for a passenger.