Driving in Santorini gives you the freedom to explore so much more of the island, from beautiful beaches and traditional villages to scenic viewpoints and archaeological sites. And after renting a car and spending several days exploring Santorini ourselves, I can tell you that driving was much easier than I expected.
Before our trip, I wasn’t completely sure how I would feel about driving around the island.
Narrow roads. Tour buses. Scooters. Cliffs. Tiny villages. Approximately a million tourists who are ALSO trying to figure out where they’re going.
Sounds relaxing. Ha.
But honestly? It was nowhere near as intimidating as I’d imagined. There were a few weird intersections, some narrow roads, and one nighttime drive I would prefer not to repeat for fun, but overall, we had no trouble getting around.
Having our own car made exploring Santorini incredibly convenient, and I would absolutely rent one again.
Here’s everything you should know about renting a car in Santorini, including what the roads are really like, where parking gets tricky, and whether you actually need one.
Technically? No. But for the kind of Santorini trip we wanted, having a car was 100% worth it. If you’re staying in Oia, spending most of your vacation at your hotel, and occasionally taking a taxi somewhere, you probably don’t need a rental car.
However, if you want to explore different parts of Santorini, I would seriously consider renting one.
We stayed in Kamari at the Radisson Blu Zaffron Resort and wanted to visit beaches, villages, archaeological sites, and restaurants all over the island.
Having our own transportation meant we could leave whenever we wanted, stay somewhere as long as we wanted, and visit multiple attractions in a single day without constantly arranging taxis.
If you’re planning several days of sightseeing, I’d consider renting a car for those days. If you’re mostly relaxing at your resort, you may not need one for your entire vacation.
For help deciding where to base yourself, my Where to Stay in Santorini: Best Areas for First-Time Visitors guide compares the different areas of the island.
We rented our car at Santorini Airport (JTR), and the entire pickup process was surprisingly easy.
After landing, we went straight to the rental counter inside the airport, completed the paperwork, and had our car in less than 15 minutes.
The rental cars were parked directly across the street from the terminal, approximately a two-minute walk away.
No complicated shuttle. No searching for an off-site rental office. No starting our Santorini vacation by wandering around an airport parking lot wondering where our car was.
I appreciated the convenient location, helpful staff, and easy return process.
If you’re flying into Santorini, renting directly from the airport is convenient because you can collect your car immediately and drive to your hotel.
Most rental companies operate at Santorini Airport, although pickup procedures can change, so follow the instructions included with your specific reservation.
If you’re comparing Santorini car rental options, you can search different companies, vehicle sizes, and transmission types below.
WENDY’S TIP: Before driving away, take a quick video of the entire car. Walk around it slowly and record any existing scratches, dents, wheel damage, or other marks. Make sure you capture all sides of the vehicle. It takes about 30 seconds and gives you proof of the car’s condition before leaving the rental lot. Hopefully, you’ll never need it. But if there’s ever a disagreement when you return the car, you’ll be very happy you have that video.
No, we did not need an International Driving Permit (IDP) when we rented our car from the Santorini Airport. We were able to rent and drive our car using our regular U.S. driver’s licenses, which made the entire process pretty straightforward.
According to published rental requirements, drivers with valid U.S. driver’s licenses do not need an International Driving Permit to rent a car in Greece.
However, I would still recommend checking with your specific rental company before traveling, since documentation requirements can vary. Make sure you bring your physical driver’s license, identification, and any other documents required for your reservation.
The last thing you want after flying across the Atlantic is to find out you’re missing something at the rental counter.
Honestly? Not that bad. Most of the main roads we drove were paved and in decent condition. What makes driving in Santorini different is the combination of narrow roads, curves, hills, traffic, and the variety of vehicles sharing the road.
You’ll encounter cars, tour buses, scooters, ATVs, pedestrians, and tourists driving rental cars who are staring at Google Maps with the same confused expression you probably have.
You definitely need to pay attention, but I wouldn’t describe driving around most of Santorini as scary.
Some of the roads around Santorini’s villages can get pretty narrow, but honestly, we didn’t find them too difficult to navigate. There were just a few spots where two cars technically fit, but everyone needed to cooperate a little to get through.
You’ll also encounter tight corners, stone walls, parked cars, and occasional sections where you may need to slow down or let another vehicle pass first. Nothing too intimidating, but it’s definitely one of the reasons I recommend renting a smaller car.
Santorini is definitely not flat. As you drive between villages, beaches, and attractions, you’ll encounter winding roads, steep sections, and plenty of curves.
And then there’s the road to Ancient Thera. That one has approximately 23 hairpin turns climbing Mesa Vouno Mountain. It’s definitely memorable.
If you’re planning to make that drive, my Ancient Thera Santorini: Everything You Need to Know Before You Visit guide covers the mountain road, parking, walking to the ruins, and what to expect once you’re there.
We encountered traffic, but nothing that felt remotely like driving in a major U.S. city. The most annoying areas for us were some of the larger intersections between towns.
Sometimes we’d sit there waiting for an opportunity to pull out because traffic kept coming from several directions.
Was it annoying? Sometimes.
Compared with major-city traffic in the United States, it really wasn’t a big deal. Traffic can become heavier around Fira and Oia, particularly during busy sightseeing hours and around sunset. If you’re driving to a dinner reservation, boat excursion, or anywhere with a specific arrival time, I would build in some extra time.
We drove around Santorini at night, and we were fine. But this was the only part of driving in Santorini that genuinely made me a little nervous.
Some roads outside the main towns had basically no street lighting.
Combine that with huge hills, winding roads, sharp curves, and complete darkness, and suddenly that fun little daytime island road feels VERY different.
The biggest issue for us wasn’t traffic. It was visibility. Those curves and hills are much easier to navigate when you can actually see where the road is going. Novel concept, I know.
If you aren’t comfortable driving winding mountain roads in the dark, I would plan longer drives during daylight whenever possible. And if you do drive at night, slow down, stay alert, and give yourself plenty of time.
Parking was probably more annoying than the actual driving. The biggest challenges were in busy areas like Oia and Fira, where large numbers of visitors are trying to park near relatively small town centers.
In quieter areas and around some of the beaches, parking was much easier.
You don’t necessarily need to worry about finding parking everywhere on the island, but you should consider it when planning your sightseeing schedule.
Small. That would be my recommendation.
Unless you have a specific reason for needing something larger, I would choose the smallest vehicle that comfortably accommodates you and your luggage.
A compact car makes driving around Santorini easier because you’ll be dealing with narrow village streets, tight turns, small parking spaces, and busy parking areas.
You’ll also appreciate having a smaller vehicle if Google Maps sends you down a questionable road and you need to turn around.
Pay close attention to the transmission type when booking your Santorini car rental. Manual-transmission vehicles are common in Greece and can sometimes cost less than automatic cars.
If you’re not VERY comfortable driving a manual, I would book an automatic. Santorini is not where I would choose to learn stick shift.
Narrow road. Steep hill. Car behind you. Bus coming toward you.
If you want an automatic, make sure your reservation specifically confirms one rather than assuming that’s what you’ll receive.
One of the nice things about renting a car in Santorini is that the island really isn’t that big! You can drive from one end of the island to the other in approximately 45–60 minutes when traffic is light, so you don’t have to spend hours in the car to visit different towns and attractions.
We stayed in Kamari, which was a convenient starting point for exploring the island. Most places we wanted to visit were only about 10–40 minutes away.
To give you an idea of how close everything is, here are some estimated driving times.
Of course, the roads aren’t always straight, and you’ll encounter curves, hills, buses, and occasional traffic that can slow things down.
But overall, I loved how easy it was to visit several different areas in a single day. You could explore a village in the morning, visit a beach in the afternoon, and head somewhere else for dinner without feeling like you’d spent your entire vacation driving.
One of the biggest advantages of having our own car was being able to combine several places into the same sightseeing day.
For example, we could drive to Ancient Thera early in the morning, explore villages like Pyrgos, and visit attractions around Akrotiri without needing to arrange transportation between every stop.
It was also useful for visiting Santorini’s different beaches.
Since we were staying in Kamari, we could explore other coastal areas, spend as much time as we wanted at each beach, and head back whenever we were ready.
If you’re planning your beach days, my Best Beaches in Santorini Greece: Red Beach White Beach Kamari and More guide covers the different beaches and what to expect at each.
Santorini may look tiny on a map, but winding roads, traffic, and slower sections can make relatively short distances take longer than expected.
Having a car made planning these days easier because we could adjust our route as we went instead of trying to coordinate transportation between locations.
Santorini has a public bus system that connects the main towns and several popular destinations.
The main bus hub is in Fira, so depending on where you’re staying and where you’re going, you may need to travel through Fira to make a connection.
If you’re staying near a main bus route and mostly visiting major towns, public transportation can work well. However, a rental car gives you much more control over your schedule.
We didn’t have to check departure times, return to Fira to make connections, or organize our sightseeing around bus routes. And if we saw something interesting along the way, we could stop. For the way WE travel, that freedom was worth it.
Want to explore Santorini at your own pace? Compare rental car options and prices with Discover Cars.
Taxis and private transfers are good alternatives if you don’t want to drive. They make particular sense if you’re staying mostly at your resort, going out for dinner, visiting only a few major destinations, planning to drink, or would rather not drive at night.
You can arrange transportation when needed without dealing with parking or unfamiliar roads. However, if you’re making multiple trips around the island every day, paying for individual rides can add up quickly.
I would compare the total cost of your rental, fuel, and any parking charges with how often you expect to use taxis or transfers. The cheapest option will depend on your itinerary, but for us, the convenience of having our own transportation was the deciding factor.
Even though we found driving in Santorini fairly easy, I don’t think renting a car is the right choice for everyone.
If narrow roads, steep hills, sharp turns, or driving somewhere unfamiliar already makes you anxious, Santorini probably isn’t where you want to practice becoming a more confident driver.
If you’re spending most of your vacation at a hotel in Oia or Fira and don’t plan to explore much beyond the immediate area, walking and occasional transportation may be all you need.
If you’re visiting Santorini on a cruise and only have part of a day, I probably wouldn’t spend valuable sightseeing time collecting and returning a rental car.
A guided tour, private driver, or another transportation option may be more convenient.
My One Day in Santorini From a Cruise Ship: The Best Itinerary guide can help you plan what to see during a shorter visit.
If winding roads with very little street lighting make you nervous, either plan to finish your longer drives before dark or consider using taxis for evening outings.
If circling around looking for a parking space immediately ruins your mood, Oia and Fira may test your patience.
Consider yourself warned.
For us? Definitely. Unless I were planning to stay exclusively in Oia and barely leave, I would rent a car again.
There were narrow roads, annoying intersections, and a few hills that required some concentration, but overall, I found driving in Santorini much easier than expected.
If you’re a reasonably confident driver and want to explore more than one small section of the island, I think renting a car is one of the easiest ways to do it.
If you end up booking anything for your trip, using my affiliate links helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. I spend a lot of time researching and writing these guides, so I really appreciate the support.
Flying out of Frankfurt at the crack of dawn? Stay at the airport, not in the city!
The Hilton Frankfurt Airport is connected to Terminal 1 and the long-distance train station, so the walk to your gate takes a few minutes and no taxi. The rooms are soundproofed so well you barely hear the planes, some have runway views, there’s a sauna, and the bread and butter at Rise are dangerously good. It costs more than hotels farther out. On a budget, the Hilton Garden Inn next door gets you the same walk for less.
Save this for your next Frankfurt layover ✈️
No landmarks, no crowds, no souvenir shops. Otterberg is the everyday side of Germany 🇩🇪
It’s a small town just outside Kaiserslautern. Lunch at Putai inside the historic Das Blaue Haus means crispy chicken in coconut curry and spring rolls with homemade sweet chili sauce, then a slow walk past the old church and quiet streets. The Palatinate Forest and Humberg Tower views are close by. If you want a packed itinerary this isn’t your town, but if you like good food and nowhere to be, you’ll love it.
Save this for your Germany road trip!
Every 6 minutes a new round unlocks, and you can eat your way around the world for two hours. 🌍🍽️
Masons in Kaiserslautern: Korean BBQ, Jamaican jerk chicken, raclette potatoes, crispy baked ricotta from Monaco, and the Belgian cookie cheesecake you’ll still be talking about the next day. €39-45 per person. Bring a group and pace yourself, because they charge for leftovers.
Save this for your next trip to Germany
Sedona got me again 🌵
This was my second trip, and somehow I liked it even more. Every visit adds another trail, viewpoint, or restaurant to the list, and the list keeps getting longer. This time I stayed near Airport Mesa, with sunsets right outside my door and none of the crowds.
My Substack has everything I’d tell a first-time visitor: the lodge I’ve now stayed at twice, the experiences I’d do first, and the restaurants I’d plan my days around.
Subscribe for free so you don’t miss the next one. Link in bio ✨
YES is always the answer... ✈️
I’m Wendy, and yes, I travel for a living (still pinching myself). After 15 years teaching middle school math, I traded the whiteboard for a passport and never looked back. Knoxville is home base, but Arizona sunsets are on another level, and if it’s been sitting on your list, this is your sign to finally say yes and book it. City guides, hotel reviews, and foodie spots are all on the blog. So glad you’re here 🌵☀️
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